Morning Report for Thursday 6 August 2009

8:57 AM.Well known veteran radio presenter Paddy O'Donnell has died at the age of 65. Audio

8:53 AM.A leading international travel operator says New Zealand's 100% pure branding is the envy of the world, but it's time to move on from promoting just the natural wonders. Audio

8:47 AM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

8:43 AM.The recession has been blamed for a lot of things - and now you can add to that a record low number of escapes from prisons. Audio

8:42 AM.The recession has been blamed for a lot of things - and now you can add to that a record low number of escapes from prisons. Audio

8:38 AM.The Government is considering extending arrangements already in place so private hospitals can do more elective surgery for patients on public health waiting lists. Audio

8:36 AM.Annette King disputes details of Morning Report's reference to a trip she took with her new husband after a WHO conference. Audio

8:35 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

8:29 AM.A quick update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

8:26 AM.Two United States journalists pardoned by North Korea for illegally entering the country have arrived home to a tearful welcome. Audio

8:20 AM.After promising to bring about a new era of transparency in the wake of the expenses scandal, the new speaker of the UK parliament is himself having to answer questions about his own expenses. Audio

8:09 AM.Former Labour Minister Taito Philip Field who this week became the first politician in this country convicted of corruption, is still eligible for his perks as an MP. Audio

7:57 AM.Team New Zealand's NZL32 Black Magic sailed to victory in 1995. Now, after being barged across Auckland's viaduct basin overnight, it's taking pride of place in the city's Maritime Museum as part of… Read more Audio

7:53 AM.The Minister of Education has headed off a collision with primary schools over the Government's national standards policy. Audio

7:50 AM.The outgoing chairman of the Pacific Islands Forum has called for civil disobedience in Fiji. Audio

7:47 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:41 AM.Some surgeons say too many people are missing out on essential operations because ACC is taking too hard a line on what constitutes an accidental injury. Audio

7:36 AM.The Deputy Prime Minister has decided to repay half of the housing allowance he's received this year and take a lesser allowance in future. Audio

7:30 AM.Three strong earthquakes have shaken Fiordland, less than a month after a 7.8 magnitude quake rocked the region. Audio

7:26 AM.Dozens of people are still missing after a passenger ferry sunk off Tonga late last night. Audio

7:21 AM.Warning signs about a coastal toxic scare are expected to go up on Auckland city beaches later today following the public health alert telling people to stay away. Audio

7:15 AM.The disgraced former Labour Minister Taito Philip Field and his wife can still claim the 90 percent discount on international air travel long serving MPs get, despite his criminal convictions for… Read more Audio

7:12 AM.Attention is now turning to other MPs who have been highlighted as big spenders. Audio

7:09 AM.John Key says his Deputy Prime Minister's decision to pay back part of his housing allowance is a unique case and does not set a precedent for other MPs to pay taxpayers' money back. Audio

6:47 AM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

6:39 AM.The Team New Zealand yacht that won the Americas Cup in 1995 is being moved into the new Sir Peter Blake Memorial installation in Auckland's Maritime Museum. Audio

6:36 AM.Deputy Prime Minister Bill English is to pay back 12 thousand dollars in accommodation allowances. Audio

6:22 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. Audio

6:18 AM.The latest from the Pacific region. Audio

6:09 AM.ACC is tightening up its funding approvals for elective surgery and is now turning down thousands more requests to fund such surgery. Audio

6:00 AM.Key says English sets no precedent for payback by other MPs, Labour says crim-MP's entitlements open door to perk review, Dozens missing after Tongan ferry sinks, Warning signs to go up over Auckland… Read more Audio