Checkpoint for Tuesday 24 November 2015

6:52 PM.Forget the cricket, in the transtasman saga of sporting battles, mark another one up for New Zealand with the head-to-head triumph over Australia in sheepdog trialling. Audio

6:45 PM.The future appears uncertain for the Melanesian Spearhead Group after its director-general announced his sudden resignation last week. Audio

6:41 PM.The mother of an intellectually disabled woman who had her benefit cut says it was punitive and mean spirited and policies must change. Audio

6:35 PM.The Chinese military's top newspaper says armed police used a flamethrower to force more than 10 terrorists from a cave in the western Xinjiang region. Audio

6:27 PM.58 million dollars is leaving the country in offshore betting profits each year but now the Government is moving to plug the hole. Audio

6:23 PM.Another tragic example of a protection order failing to protect has played out in Wellington's High Court this week. Audio

6:19 PM.After eight years coaching the Crusaders, Todd Blackadder has announced he'll be standing down as coach at the end of the next Super Rugby season. Audio

6:12 PM.The US State Department has issued a rare worldwide travel alert warning Americans of the risks of travelling because of what it describes as increased terrorist threats from militant groups. Audio

6:12 PM.A child rapist who sparked a police manhunt in the Hutt Valley changed his not-guilty pleas in court today, saying he accepts he's done a terrible thing. Audio

6:07 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:56 PM.Community leaders and others in Chicago are bracing for the release this week of a police video of the fatal shooting in October last year of a black teenager, Laquan McDonald, by a police officer. Audio

5:53 PM.Maori musicians who complained about the exclusion of the Maori Album Award from the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards have met with the show's producer. Audio

5:50 PM.The Prime Minister is defending the Government's record on housing vulnerable New Zealanders, saying it's doing the best that it can. Audio

5:46 PM.An elderly pet dog has been the focus of evidence today in the trial of a Taranaki farm worker accused of killing his missing son. Audio

5:44 PM.The Ministry of Social Development says it was wrong to cut the benefit of a intellectually disabled woman who went on a family holiday overseas. Audio

5:41 PM.A police commander says his frustrated crew is 'tightly coiled like springs' waiting to get up Fox Glacier to recover bodies from Saturday's chopper crash. Audio

5:38 PM.The Ministry of Youth Development is slashing its staff by 40 percent from 25 workers down to just 15. Audio

5:35 PM.Insurance company, Tower, has made a loss of nearly seven million dollars in the year to the end of September, because of extra costs from Canterbury earthquake claims. Audio

5:28 PM.Three Greenpeace protesters are tonight clinging to a crossbar high up on the research vessel Tangaroa and have defied at least three attempts by the police to talk them down. Audio

5:25 PM.After eight years coaching the Crusaders, but with no Super Rugby titles to show for it, Todd Blackadder has announced he'll be standing down at the end of next season. Audio

5:21 PM.An Auckland food importer has become the first to be convicted for illegally importing uncooked pork sausages, that could have brought foot and mouth disease to this country. Audio

5:12 PM.Meanwhile Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in his first national security address has warned against buying in to Islamic State propaganda. Audio

5:08 PM.New details have emerged about a small group of what the Prime Minister describes as "quite threatening individuals", who either want to fight with Islamic State, or raise money for them. Audio

5:00 PM.New details have emerged about a small group of what the Prime Minister describes as "quite threatening individuals", who either want to fight with Islamic State, or raise money for them. Meanwhile… Read more Audio