Checkpoint for Monday 21 December 2009

6:58 PM.Prior to the the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen many had billed it as the last chance to save the world from global warming. Audio

6:53 PM.Snow storms and sub freezing temperatures are blasting Europe. Audio

6:51 PM.Greece has acknowledged that it is facing a credibility gap as it struggles to revive its economy. Audio

6:49 PM.Kyrgyzstan's become the latest Central Asian republic to be accused of curtailing religious rights. Audio

6:46 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

6:44 PM.A scientific study in Australia has shown that coral reef fish can undergo a radical personality change in warmer water. Audio

6:37 PM.We cross to the UK and our correspondent in London, Barney Burnham who says bad weather is still wreaking havoc this holiday season. Audio

6:33 PM.An update from the RNZ sports team. Audio

6:28 PM.In Iran Grand Ayatollah Hosseyn Ali Montazeri has died at the age of eighty-seven. Audio

6:24 PM.Not a failure, yet, and better than nothing - New Zealand's associate Climate Change Minister Tim Groser has joined the chorus of faint praise for the achievements of the Copenhagen summit. Audio

6:21 PM.News from the business sector. Audio

6:16 PM.New Zealand's suppression laws are once again under the microscope, following online revelations of the identity of a comedian charged with sexually abusing a child. Audio

6:15 PM.Polish police say they have recovered the Nazi German sign stolen from the site of the Auschwitz death camp in southern Poland and arrested the alleged thieves. Audio

6:10 PM.A major resthome operator is supporting a police suggestion to use closed circuit tv cameras to monitor aggressive and violent patients. Audio

6:07 PM.The White House says it is on the cusp of achieving a reform in the United States that's eluded seven previous presidents. Audio

5:53 PM.The Aviation Industry Association is accusing the state-owned Aviation Security Service, or AVSEC, of a multi-million-dollar overcharging in security fees. Audio

5:49 PM.Television New Zealand has upheld complaints made against presenter Paul Henry after he joked on-air that British singer Susan Boyle was retarded. Audio

5:46 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

5:45 PM.The government of the Philippines has warned that a volcanic eruption is imminent. Audio

5:42 PM.The International Pilots Association is taking legal action against Qantas in a bid to get better pay and conditions for colleagues working on the airline's New Zealand based subsidiary, Jetconnect. Audio

5:38 PM.The Government is planning to change the way its spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year on at-risk families. Audio

5:37 PM.Prison officers and crime experts say an employment court decision allowing more double-bunking in jails will lead to an increase in violence and deaths. Audio

5:34 PM.An update from the RNZ sports team. Audio

5:29 PM.The 32 year old American actress Brittany Murphy, who starred in such films as"Girl, Interrupted","Clueless", and"8 Mile"has died at her home after apparently suffering a cardiac arrest. Audio

5:25 PM.A major resthome operator says there's a clear need for more beds throughout the country for dementia patients who are especially violent or aggressive. Audio

5:23 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:20 PM.New Zealand's suppression laws are once again under the microscope, following online revelations of the identity of a comedian charged with sexually abusing a child. Audio

5:18 PM.There's been confusion today over new Allied Farmers shares with some former Hanover investors unable to to sell them on the share market. Audio

5:15 PM.School is now officially out for good for the students and staff of Christchurch's Aorangi Primary after the High Court rejected its bid to have its closure overturned. Audio

5:12 PM.The police are now treating the death of a man at a Christmas party on a yacht as a homicide. Audio

5:08 PM.Orewa College, north of Auckland, has been told it will be prosecuted over the death of its caretaker earlier this year. Audio