Checkpoint for Wednesday 29 January 2014

6:57 PM.Lorde's first performance since winning two Grammys will soon be getting underway in Auckland. Audio

6:47 PM.A Maori leader in the Forest Industry, Victor Goldsmith, is welcoming a major review into forestry deaths, and is urging the panel to consult with Maori; A Maori sovereignty group says if a new flag… Read more Audio

6:43 PM.Taxpayers will pay 15 million dollars extra for research into livestock genetics that's expected to deliver nearly six dollars extra per lamb for farmers 10 years from now. Audio

6:40 PM.The number of US Air Force officers embroiled in a nuclear cheating scandal has doubled. Audio

6:36 PM.A cycling lobby group says if it was compulsory for drivers to keep a one metre gap when passing cyclists, roads would be safer. Audio

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

6:26 PM.The Finance Minister has rejected Opposition claims that inequality has got worse under the National-led Government. Audio

6:24 PM.A survey of small-to-medium-sized businesses has found New Zealanders are much more confident about the outlook than their Australian cousins. Audio

6:18 PM.An audit and tax company, KPMG, says New Zealanders living overseas must have no investment properties or close family connections in this country if they no longer want to pay tax here. Audio

6:14 PM.An energy analyst says the Electricity Authority is giving power companies too easy a ride at the expense of consumers struggling with rising bills. Audio

6:08 PM.An Auckland blogger who called a West Coast man "feral" with his family still mourning his death in a car crash on Friday, has filed a complaint with the police about receiving death threats. Audio

5:55 PM.A Petone school chairperson says schools need to tell parents exactly how they're making sure their children are safe. Audio

5:51 PM.An investigation will start next month into forestry company safety but by the industry itself, not by the Government which has previously ruled one out. Audio

5:47 PM.A Maori sovereignty group says if a new flag is created for the country, part of it should represent tangata whenua; A Maori leader in the Forest Industry, Victor Goldsmith, is welcoming a major… Read more Audio

5:44 PM.An Australian woman has just learnt her mother has been a wanted criminal for two decades, since kidnapping her at birth, and is now facing extradition. Audio

5:41 PM.Our political editor Brent Edwards was also in Parliament for Question Time. Audio

5:38 PM.Parliament has started election year with a fiery exchange between leaders during the first Question Time. Audio

5:35 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:27 PM.President Obama has delivered his sixth State of the Union address to congress, trumpeting the country's return to economic supremecy. Audio

5:24 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:19 PM.A coroner speaks of panic, confusion and shock after a teenage girl driving a mini stock car smashed into a wall and died at the Kaikohe Speedway. Audio

5:16 PM.Changing the country's flag is back up for debate, with John Key raising the possibility of holding a referendum on that during this year's election. Audio

5:12 PM.Joe Hall says the first she knew was when she read an article in the Greymouth Star yesterday that quoted Slater's blog line calling her dead son 'feral'. Audio

5:07 PM.An Auckland blogger who called a West Coast man "feral" while his family was still mourning his death, is now accusing the man's mother of making death threats. Audio

5:00 PM.A blogger trades accusations with a dead man's mother. The safety of speedway tracks is in question after a teenager's death and changing the flag - could there be a referendum at the election? Audio