First Up for Friday 17 May 2024

5:51 AM.Spike Milligan's much loved story Bad Jelly gets a live make-over this weekend at the Auckland Writers Fest - Olivia Tennet and Tom Broome take the classic tale to the stage. Audio

5:47 AM.Explainer Editor Katie Kenny breaks down the new sub-variants of Covid-19 that are facing us this winter. Audio

5:24 AM.It's pumpkin soup season - Glenn Forsyth is excited for us all - and Fruit of the Week: NZ Green Kiwifruit Audio

5:15 AM.Gabon's deposed president Ali Bongo has gone on a hunger strike - correspondent Nabil Ahmed Rufai tells us why. Audio

5:10 AM.Kalafi Moala reports on the latest Pacific news - and leads with the violence in New Caledonia Audio

5:05 AM.President Biden and his rival Donald Trump have agreed on dates for election debates - Bevan Hurley has the news out of the USA Audio