Morning Report for Monday 23 November 2009

8:56 AM.Phil Kafcaloudes with news from Australia. Audio

8:55 AM.It's Cane Fu and it makes use of a tool many of them already carry - a walking cane. Audio

8:48 AM.Challengers from Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland went thumb to thumb yesterday to for the title of the nation's fastest texter. Audio

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

8:45 AM.Speculation is mounting that Michael Schumacher is poised for a shock return to Formula One - not at the wheel of a Ferrari, but in a Mercedes. Audio

8:40 AM.A half billion dollar upgrade to Wellington's rail network aimed at easing congestion in the country's busiest railway station is inching closer to completion. Audio

8:36 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

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

8:20 AM.The Wallabies rugby season has reached a new low after a humiliating 9-8 loss to Scotland at Murrayfield. Audio

8:15 AM.Retailers hoping for the seasonal jump in spending over the Christmas period may be disappointed. Audio

8:12 AM.A flight attendant who lost her job after police caught her drink-driving when she was driving to work, creates a dangerous precedent that could threaten the privacy and job security of many workers… Read more Audio

8:08 AM.Access to elective surgery, waits for cancer treatment, immunisation rates, and better diabetes and cardiovascular services have all been rated by the government. Audio

7:56 AM.The Cumbria district of Britain is clearing up after being drenched by the heaviest rain since records began in the 1770s. Audio

7:50 AM.One of Fiji's main commercial broadcasters says government changes to broadcasting rules don't present a threat to freedom of expression in Fiji. Audio

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

7:45 AM.The United States president Barack Obama's pledge to bring healthcare coverage to thirty one million uninsured Americans has passed a key hurdle. Audio

7:42 AM.Organisers are promising more protests across the country unless the Prime Minister agrees to meet with them. Audio

7:35 AM.Firefighters in New South Wales are hoping a change in the weather will come to their aid today as they battle raging bushfires. Audio

7:26 AM.29 people have been confirmed dead after a ferry carrying nearly three-hundred people sunk off Indonesia's Sumatra Island. Audio

7:22 AM.Retailers who have weathered the worst of the recession hope Christmas will be the turning point. Audio

7:21 AM.The Minister for Climate Change Issues Nick Smith is asked why he was opening up conservation land to the possibility of carbon farming by foreign companies Audio

7:18 AM.Plans to allow foreign-owned companies to collect carbon credits from trees planted on Department of Conservation land are being described as 'reprehensible', with the potential to cheat New… Read more Audio

7:11 AM.A 22-year old man will appear in the Whakatane District Court this morning charged over the death of a well known Rotorua man outside a bar in Whakatane. Audio

7:08 AM.Many major hospitals are failing to meet a target of moving patients quickly through their emergency departments. Audio

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

6:43 AM.Auckland's Santa Claus, which has graced buildings in the central business district for almost 50-years, has been given a bit of a spruce up. Audio

6:35 AM.Many major hospitals are failing to meet a target of moving patients quickly through their emergency departments, according to figures the government's just released. Audio

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

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

6:10 AM.The Government's set to announce a deal giving it the numbers it needs to pass the amended Emissions Trading Scheme into law. Audio

6:00 AM.Government ranks performance of district health boards. Police launch homicide inquiry after Whakatane death. Anger at plan to let foreigners grow trees on conservation land. 29 dead but many rescued… Read more Audio