Checkpoint for Wednesday 20 April 2011

5:00 PM.Man who tried to murder police officer sentenced to 18 years' jail, Lawyer says there will be an appeal. Family dumbfounded at drugs arrest in Argentina. PM's use of Iroquois labelled disgraceful and… Read more Audio

5:08 PM.A man who attempted to murder a police officer and who was today jailed for 18 years plans to appeal because, his lawyer says, it was not the most serious crime of its kind. Audio

5:12 PM.Ron Mansfield is the lawyer representing Neshanderan Rajgopaul. He says within the next week they will appeal both the conviction and today's sentence, on the grounds it is excessive. Audio

5:15 PM.The family of a New Zealand woman arrested over drug trafficking in Argentina are struggling to come to terms with what's happened. Audio

5:18 PM.The Prime Minister's use of an airforce helicopter to get him to social events in Auckland and Hamilton has been labelled disgraceful and extravagant. Audio

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

5:26 PM.Victims of crime will soon have greater rights as part of a slew of changes announced by the Government today. Audio

5:33 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:39 PM.Child, Youth, and Family is apologising after confidential documents were found in one of its cars sold at an Auckland auction yard. Audio

5:42 PM.Several earthquake volunteers, including those who helped deliver more than 400 tonnes of food to hard hit suburbs, have been recognised at a ceremony in the Canterbury town of Kaiapoi. Audio

5:45 PM.More now on the plans to boost the rights of victims of crime. Audio

5:47 PM.The Breakers basketball team are just under an hour away from their bid to make New Zealand sporting history. Audio

5:50 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

5:52 PM.An anti-alcohol campaign group is criticising a coroner's recommendations following the death of a King's College student who drank himself to death. Audio

5:55 PM.Elderly and ill people evacuated from Christchurch to Nelson after the February earthquake are having to move for a second time, following the sudden closure of a rest home in Nelson. Audio

6:13 PM.A former deputy chief executive of the Maori Language Commission, Sharon Armstrong, has been detained in Argentina accused of trying to board a plane with a suitcase containing five kilograms of… Read more Audio

6:17 PM.Telecom and Vodafone plan to build 154 new cellphone towers and upgrade 380 others after winning the contract to upgrade rural broadband. Audio

6:20 PM.In an abrupt change of mind, the chairman of Turners and Growers, Tony Gibbs, has quit, after earlier saying he would leave at the company's annual meeting in two months time. Audio

6:26 PM.Housing New Zealand has completed repairs on the most badly damaged state houses, and work is about to begin on the temporary housing. Audio

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

6:36 PM.Britain is being warned off taking sides in a civil war after confirming it is sending a military team to advise rebels in Libya. Audio

6:39 PM.Hundreds of people across the country have turned out to protest against the exploration for oil off the East Cape, one year to the day since the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. Audio

6:43 PM.The Cook Islands' acting finance secretary says the European Union is backing a government push to have donor aid put straight into the general budget. Audio

6:46 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

6:48 PM.Most primary and intermediate schools have ignored a Ministry of Education request to supply their targets for student achievement by the start of this school year. Audio

6:50 PM.It's being suggested a single smartcard could eventually be used on public transport nationwide. Audio

6:53 PM.Diving enthusiasts will be able to explore Bikini Atoll's renowned lagoon once again with the help of an Australian entrepreneur. Audio

6:56 PM.A programme aimed at keeping children clear of crime by teaching discipline through music has been launched in South Auckland. Audio