Checkpoint for Friday 19 February 2010

6:57 PM.Some Canadian scientists are urging people to look on the bright the side of life - for the sake of their heart. Audio

6:54 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

6:40 PM.In recent weeks the National and Maori Parties have been speaking at cross-purposes over some key policies. With an alternative to the Foreshore and Seabed Act under consideration, the rollout of… Read more Audio

6:34 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:26 PM.The Hamilton Gardens will for the next two weeks come alive with the city's annual gardens arts festival. Audio

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

6:20 PM.The Department of Labour says it will consider a nationwide investigation of all abseiling operations on commercial buildings. Audio

6:18 PM.India has been shaken by a series of violent attacks by Maoist rebels. A group of more than 100 rebels has 25 paramilitary officers in West Bengal. Audio

6:15 PM.The United Nations nuclear watchdog says Iran maybe developing a nuclear payload for a missile. Audio

6:13 PM.The jury in the Liberty Templeman murder trial in Whangarei has found the boy who caused her death guilty of murder. Audio

6:10 PM.China's Foreign Ministry has condemed President Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama as a gross violation of international norms. Audio

6:07 PM.The Government is being told to urgently get rid of the Canterbury Regional Council and replace it with a commission that can deal with the controversial and difficult job of allocating water to… Read more Audio

5:57 PM.Two Christchurch men have pleaded guilty to killing a taxi driver, who was fatally stabbed just over a year ago. Audio

5:54 PM.Clearer guidelines about the handling and management of dairy cows have come into force with the release of a new code of animal welfare. Audio

5:50 PM.Mountain clubs are accusing the Government of making a major shift in conservation policy by stealth. Audio

5:48 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

5:46 PM.The country's top Judges and lawyers, along with the Governor-General, gathered in Wellington today for the ceremonial first sitting at the new Supreme Court. Audio

5:43 PM.Stories have emerged of office workers running for their lives in the moments before a small plane crashed into a building housing US tax offices in Texas. Audio

5:37 PM.The judge in the Liberty Templeman murder trial has urged the jury to try to reach a verdict. Audio

5:34 PM.An update from the RNZ sports team. Audio

5:28 PM.Auckland's mayors have rejected plans for a $100 million cruise ship terminal on Queens Wharf. Audio

5:25 PM.Telecom has traced the source of abusive text messages sent to customers to its own call-centre in the Philippines. Audio

5:22 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:19 PM.An Auckland taxi company with a fleet of about 200 cabs has finally been ordered off the road after a least a year of failing to meet safety standards. Audio

5:13 PM.The father of one of the students killed in the Mangatepopo canyoning tragedy says he's shocked by the litany of errors and incompetencies which have been detailed at the inquest into the deaths. Audio

5:07 PM.The Government is being told to urgently get rid of the Canterbury Regional Council and replace it with a commission that can deal with the controversial and difficult job of allocating water to… Read more Audio