Checkpoint for Thursday 27 August 2009

6:58 PM.The mystery of the Russian merchant ship 'The Arctic Sea' deepens. Audio

6:55 PM.Upper Hutt City could become home for several hundred army personnel if a plan to lease a vacant Ministry of Education site goes ahead. Audio

6:52 PM.The Cantebury Regional Council has passed a vote of no confidence in its Chairperson Sir Kerry Burke. Audio

6:51 PM.An update on the hostage situation at Auckland Prison. Audio

6:48 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

6:43 PM.It's ten years since East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia, and the human rights group, Amnesty International, says there's still been no justice for the victims. Audio

6:40 PM.One of the world's most accomplished female songwriters, Ellie Greenwich, has died of a heart attack at the age of 68. Audio

6:36 PM.The owners of Canterbury's second largest ski field are planning a European-style ski resort to attract visitors to the area. Audio

6:33 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:27 PM.Opponents of plans by a former All Black for a small housing development in northern Hawke's Bay say it's divided families and caused considerable social harm. Audio

6:23 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

6:22 PM.Ted Kennedy, known as the"lion of the senate", has passed away but his spirit and humour lives on. Audio

6:18 PM.The deficit between what the country imports and what it exports showed signs of improvement last month. Audio

6:15 PM.The Labour Party says there are smelly political deals going on behind closed doors between National and its support parties over the Emissions Trading Scheme. Audio

6:11 PM.Air New Zealand has managed to keep its books out of the red, despite what it calls an extremely challenging financial year that's seen demand slump, and costs increase. Audio

6:07 PM.The government wants the most highly protected conservation land opened up for mining. Audio

5:56 PM.Managers are being warned that they're ignoring poor staff morale at their peril. Audio

5:54 PM.John Gray is President of the Homeowners and Buyers Association, a group which emerged out of the leaky homes scandal. He says allowing builders to certify their own work is a risk. Audio

5:50 PM.The Government wants builders rather than local bodies to take more responsibility for ensuring homes are properly built. Audio

5:47 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

5:45 PM.An inmate at Auckland Prison has taken a fellow prisoner hostage. The Department of Corrections says the police have been called in to the maximum security facility in Paremoremo to help. Audio

5:42 PM.The Minister of Labour is under pressure to explain the exact reason for cancelling a meeting with the executive of the National Distribution Union earlier in the week. Audio

5:38 PM.The St John Ambulance Service is investigating whether the handling of 111 calls over swine flu led to potentally deadly delays in ambulances being dispatched. Audio

5:35 PM.The Corrections Minister, Judith Collins, has launched a stinging attack against the president of a prison officers' union over his expense claims. Audio

5:31 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:25 PM.Five Auckland schoolboys are being celebrated as heroes after stopping a brutal attack on a bus driver. Audio

5:23 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:20 PM.The police in South Auckland hope witness statements and a scene examination will shed more light on what happened to a man found dead in a car this morning. Audio

5:17 PM.A record $8.7 billion will be spent on the country's transport system over the next three years. Audio

5:07 PM.The government wants some of the most highly protected conservation land opened up for mining. Audio