Morning Report for Thursday 8 August 2013

8:55 AM.A campaign to stop people looking away from face-to-face conversations to check their phones, send text messages or update a status on social media has gone viral. Audio

8:52 AM.New Zealand's reputation as a friendly country has been given a boost by a new international travel survey. Audio

8:48 AM.Changes are being made within the country's only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider, which had been heavily criticised by the Ministry of Health; Tangata whenua are being… Read more Audio

8:41 AM.The Antarctica New Zealand boss, Lou Sanson, is coming out of the cold and into the fire with his new job as head of the Department of Conservation. Audio

8:38 AM.Parliament has passed new laws that will ban gang insignia from government and local council premises, schools and police stations. 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

8:25 AM.Health and safety experts warn planned changes targetting high risk jobs must be tailor-made for each industry or they won't work. Audio

8:21 AM.Chinese producers of baby formula were shunned by consumers in their own country after the 2008 melamine scandal, in which at least six babies died. Audio

8:16 AM.The MP for West Coast-Tasman is optimistic a new plan to re-enter the Pike River mine will be approved, despite the hurdles it faces. Audio

8:09 AM.A representative for body corporates in Wellington says proposed changes to earthquake strengthening standards for some buildings are still too tough on their owners. Audio

7:56 AM.A meal prepared by prison inmates is not your average dining experience, but the Department of Corrections is inviting the public to give it a try. Audio

7:53 AM.More than 60 rebel fighters have been killed in an ambush by the Syrian army. Audio

7:50 AM.The Qualifications Authority is refusing to accept NCEA internal assessments from one school and is monitoring six others because they're not meeting its rules. Audio

7:48 AM.The Council of Trade Unions says new employment statistics paint an unrealistic picture of the labour market. Audio

7:44 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:38 AM.Government officials in Yemen have released what they say were Al Qaeda's plans to attack the country, including a plot to blow up oil pipelines and take control of the main ports. Audio

7:35 AM.The Prime Minister says he finds the suggestion that his office influenced the teapot tapes police investigation offensive. Audio

7:25 AM.The police are unconvinced they'll find anything new when they re-test the gun used to kill five members of the Bain family nearly two decades ago. Audio

7:21 AM.The infant formula company, Nutricia, says it hopes to have the Karicare formula affected by a contamination scare back on shelves soon. Audio

7:18 AM.A spokesperson for the families of the Pike River victims says it's time for the Government to approve a plan to re-enter the mine, but it first faces a number of hurdles. Audio

7:13 AM.The Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson rejects claims the safety threshold has been set too low. Audio

7:09 AM.Tenants say the Government's decision to give the owners of earthquake prone buildings 20 years to strengthen them will put lives at risk. Audio

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

6:35 AM.Earthquake engineers say a government plan to make all buildings conform to 34 percent of the new building code does not go far enough. Audio

6:27 AM.Changes are being made within the country's only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider, which had been heavily criticised by the Ministry of Health; Tangata whenua are being… Read more Audio

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

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

6:10 AM.Parliament has passed new laws that will ban gang insignia from government and local council premises, schools and police stations. Audio

6:00 AM.Quake prone building proposal proving controversial, Minister responds to criticism of yellow sticker extension, Pike River re-entry plan ready to go, say families, Nutricia hopes to have Karicare… Read more Audio