Morning Report for Tuesday 23 November 2010

8:58 AM.As Americans prepare for their Thanksgiving holiday travel, airline passengers in the US are rebelling against heightened security measures which some are comparing to sexual assault. Audio

8:51 AM.Statistics New Zealand figures show a small drop in the number of visitors coming into the country during October. Audio

8:48 AM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

8:42 AM.A proposed 300-thousand-dollar restriction on campaign spending by third-parties is being labelled a step backwards. Audio

8:38 AM.Year ten students throughout the country will be affected by a teachers' strike today as industrial action continues over stalled collective agreement negotiations. Audio

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

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

8:23 AM.The Government has been warned by the international credit rating agency Standard and Poor's that New Zealand's rating could be downgraded. Audio

8:20 AM.Shotover Jet has suspended all of its operations after an accident yesterday resulted in 5 people being hospitalised when one of its jet boats hit a rock on the Shotover River. Audio

8:16 AM.A coal mining expert is warning not to take too much hope from last month's miraculous rescue of miners in Chile. Audio

8:10 AM.A police briefing is under way with the families of the 29 miners trapped in the Pike River mine near Greymouth. Audio

7:57 AM.In what must be the bargain of the century, a five dollar painting bought in a junk shop fetched 51-thousand dollars at auction in Hamilton last night. Audio

7:53 AM.The al-Qaeda group behind last month's failed parcel bomb plot says the plan was cheap and easy to carry out - and it's promising there will be more of the same. Audio

7:48 AM.Ireland may be heading for an early general election after the Government's junior coalition partner withdrew its support in reaction to the acceptance of an EU/IMF bailout package. Audio

7:45 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:41 AM.Hundreds of bags of kiwifruit vines from the orchards in the western Bay of Plenty infected with the bacterial disease PSA have been incinerated at a rural recreational park south of Tauranga this… Read more Audio

7:38 AM.The Government has signaled a push for greater collaboration between health regions by making several cross appointments to DHB boards. Audio

7:28 AM.Financial markets went into a spin yesterday after New Zealand's credit rating was put on notice for a possible downgrade. Audio

7:25 AM.The families of the miners trapped in Pike River mine will be briefed, on what has happened during the night, at 8 this morning. Audio

7:19 AM.A diamond drill bit has been fitted to the drill in an effort to minimise the chance of igniting any methane present in the mine. The Pike River Coal chairman, John Dow, talks from Greymouth. Audio

7:10 AM.Drilling of a bore hole into the Pike River mine has continued through the night with Police saying drillers are now close to breaking through into the mine shaft. Audio

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

6:43 AM.The West Coast community is refusing to give up hope for the miners and contractors despite the head of the rescue operation, Superintendent Gary Knowles, acknowledging they're preparing for the… Read more Audio

6:36 AM.Drilling of a bore hole into the Pike River mine has continued through the night with Police saying the drillers expect to break through soon. The latest information we have is the drilling is now at… Read more Audio

6:27 AM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

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

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

6:15 AM.Speculation is continuing as to what caused the build up of methane in the mine, and the subsequent explosion. Audio

6:11 AM.Drilling of a bore hole into the Pike River mine has continued through the night with Police saying the drillers expect to break through soon (later this morning). Audio

6:00 AM.Drilling close to breaking through mine shaft; Pike River Coal chairman, John Dow; Father of one of the miners frustrated with lack of information; English reacts to Standard and Poor's credit rating… Read more Audio