Checkpoint for Friday 17 January 2014

5:57 PM.Serena Williams, has continued her dominance at the tournament, easing past her third-round opponent in straight sets. Audio

5:55 PM.One person has been confirmed dead in the Victoria bushfires. Audio

5:46 PM.There have been six indecent assaults in the 12 months to November. Audio

5:43 PM.The festival's organisers say the show has come of age and it's bigger and better than ever. Audio

5:39 PM.A Fiji-pro-democracy group is worried about the influence of the Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, on the country's long-awaited elections this year. Audio

5:35 PM.Twenty Fifty Club's director, Gavin John Marsich, appeared in the Manukau District Court today charged with possession of an offensive weapon. Audio

5:32 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:28 PM.A broken valve in a cooling system is being blamed for causing an electrical failure, which affected one of the Interislander's propellers. Audio

5:26 PM.An 18-year old man has admitted to the aggravated robbery of two German tourists on Boxing Day in Whakatane. Audio

5:24 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:19 PM.The decision whether or not to extradite a former Catholic brother back to Australia to face hundreds of child sex abuse charges has been handed to the Justice Minister, Judith Collins. Nicola Grigg… Read more Audio

5:14 PM.Anne Tolley says the Government is always trying to find ways to better protect people from harm and tighten protection orders but says there are no easy answers. Audio

5:10 PM.The Law Society says the shooting of two children in Dunedin is an extreme case for which the justice system cannot be blamed. Our Otago reporter, Ian Telfer, has been following developments in… Read more Audio