Checkpoint for Wednesday 23 July 2014

6:56 PM.The governor of Texas, Rick Perry is sending up to a thousand National Guard troops to the state's border with Mexico. Audio

6:53 PM.The editor of a newspaper which published a cartoon currently in front of the Human Rights Review Tribunal, has accepted it caused offence, but defends its publication; The chair of a Rangitikei iwi… Read more Audio

6:45 PM.The Palestinian prime minister, Rami Hamdallah, has pleaded for the blockade of the Gaza Strip to be lifted as part of any ceasefire deal with Israel. Audio

6:38 PM.The losing candidate in Indonesia's presidential election, former general Prabowo Subianto, is vowing to challenge the result in court. Audio

6:34 PM.The New Zealand sharemarket rose today, the benchmark Top 50 Index gaining 13 points to 5147. Audio

6:23 PM.A Whangarei city council worker sacked for nominating a mayoral candidate has had a grilling today over her actions - and her low opinion of her boss Audio

6:21 PM.A Tauranga man whose profession can't be revealed, is asking a District Court judge to keep his criminal record clean - for the second time. Audio

6:18 PM.The chief executive of Christchurch's power lines company, Orion, is being paid about an extra 200-thousand-dollars, and a city councillor says that's excessive. Audio

6:11 PM.Ukraine's top spy has made a surprising allegation about who he believes shot down MH17 over eastern Ukraine last week, saying it was no accident. Audio

6:07 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:56 PM.The China food scandal around expired meat is spreading fast, dragging in more big-name fast-food chains including McDonald's products as far away as Japan. Audio

5:52 PM.The lawyer for a Wellington woman who has won more than a million dollars in a divorce settlement says it's a landmark ruling. Audio

5:49 PM.A Māori language expert says learning te reo is a political statement for some tangata whenua as well as a way of showing their intention to keep the language alive. Audio

5:45 PM.The Civil Aviation Authority says it has never head from an expert who says there is an culture of not reporting near mid-air collisions. Audio

5:39 PM.A man has lost over 6-thousand-dollars in an aggressive phone scam after being threatened with deportation or prison. Audio

5:34 PM.The Prime Minister is coming under increasing pressure to disclose how much taxpayers' money his errant list MP Claudette Hauiti misspent. Audio

5:26 PM.Auckland's new electric trains have been taken off the track because of a power fault just three months after their launch. Audio

5:23 PM.The New Zealand all-rounder Kane Williamson has been suspended from bowling in international cricket because of an illegal action, the first Black Cap ever to cop such a penalty. Audio

5:17 PM.Ukraine's top spy has made an astounding claim about who he believes shot down MH17 over eastern Ukraine last week. Audio

5:14 PM.And the state of jobs and the economy in the regions has dominated Parliament this afternoon, with both sides of the House taking pot shots at each other. Audio

5:08 PM.Dairy jobs are being cut in long-lasting fallout from the botulism scare. Audio

5:00 PM.Dairy jobs are for the chop in the long-lasting fallout of the botulism scare. In Ukraine, a spy chief claims a Russian finger was on the trigger of the missile and the first Black Cap ever suspended… Read more Audio