Checkpoint for Friday 27 June 2014

6:56 PM.To India, where there's been a fatal blast on a gas pipeline in the state of Andhra that's gutted scores of houses. Audio

6:52 PM.After years of wrangling, an agreement's been reached over how large blocks of Kaingaroa Forest land in the central North Island will be divided between eight iwi; A national hui has been told if… Read more Audio

6:37 PM.The two major parties are holding their annual conferences over the next week as they prepare for the election campaign just weeks away. Audio

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

6:24 PM.An Auckland organisation working with homeless people says the number of people coming to them for help has almost doubled in the past six months - and is continuing to climb. Audio

6:17 PM.A human rights group is demanding Fiji's Government stop harrassing journalists ahead of the elections in September. Audio

6:15 PM.Ticket inspectors on Auckland trains will begin testing lapel cameras on their jackets to help keep them safe following recent assaults. Audio

6:08 PM.A Hastings schoolboy has won in court against the college that suspended him for having long hair, and the school's hair rule itself has been ruled illegal. Audio

5:58 PM.We're joined now by the MetService's Eric Brenstrum. Audio

5:52 PM.To Aussie Rules now and the Essendon Bombers, the team at the centre of a doping scandal in Australia has been hit by a major set back in court. Audio

5:48 PM.Air New Zealand has completed its initial investigation into how a busload of its passengers ended up stranded overnight between landslips on the Kaikoura coast with no way to call for help, and no… Read more Audio

5:45 PM.After years of wrangling, an agreement's been reached over how large blocks of Kaingaroa Forest land in the central North Island will be divided between eight iwi; A national hui has been told if… Read more Audio

5:39 PM.Uraguay's Luis Suarez has been hit with a nine match ban, for biting an opponent, the longest ban ever imposed at a Football World Cup, which means he's now out of the tournament. Audio

5:35 PM.An employer lobby group wants the Clean Slate Act scrapped, following revelations that more than 115-thousand people with criminal convictions have not had to disclose them since the law came into… Read more Audio

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

5:26 PM.Trade with China has surpassed 20 billion dollars for the first time, beating the Government's target by six months. Audio

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

5:20 PM.The man charged with being behind a cocaine smuggling ring which cost the life of his mother-in-law says he tried to talk her out of being a drugs mule. Audio

5:17 PM.The New Zealand Stock Exchange is putting more than two hours of lost trading today down to a technical problem with its messaging system. Audio

5:13 PM.A Hastings schoolboy has won in court against the college that suspended him for having long hair, and the school's hair rule itself has been ruled illegal. Audio

5:07 PM.An SAS trooper has had his convictions for stealing army property quashed, with an appeals court describing them as unreasonable. Audio

5:00 PM.SAS trooper's convictions quashed, Haircut win in court, hair rules are illegal, Gremlin shuts stock exchange for two hours, Court hears man tried to talk woman out of being a drugs mule, China trade… Read more Audio