Morning Report for Wednesday 18 November 2015

8:57 AM.Today marks sixty-eight years since the fatal fire at Ballantynes department store in Christchurch. Audio

8:53 AM.Not someone you often hear on Morning Report -- that's Justin Bieber and the final track on his latest album 'Purpose'. Audio

8:48 AM.An East Coast iwi will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the siege of Waerenga a Hika, on the outskirts of Gisborne, today. Audio

8:45 AM.Eight years after it was set up, KiwiSaver is now big business. Audio

8:42 AM.The New Zealand AIDS foundation says people diagnosed with HIV still suffer from a huge amount of social stigma. Audio

8:38 AM.Two men have been jailed for contempt of court after interrupting a district court judge, questioning his jurisdiction and swearing violently. Audio

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

8:27 AM.A Fijian photographer who was left bedridden after being assaulted by soldiers in 2007 has died and is being farewelled today at a funeral in Fiji. Audio

8:25 AM.The Salvation Army says it's shocked at how many children are homeless in Auckland. The Salvation Army's director of social policy is Major Sue Hay. Audio

8:22 AM.More than half the America's state governors say they will refuse to let Syrian refugees into their states. Audio

8:17 AM.Hundreds of people gathered in Wellington last night to pay their respects to the people killed in the Paris terrorist attacks. Audio

8:12 AM.Austrian authorites say the suspected Paris attacker, Salah Abdeslam, was stopped in Austria in September on a routine traffic check, but let go. Audio

8:07 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:55 AM.Debate in Queenstown over who is going to foot the bill for tens of millions of dollars worth of housing and tourism infrastructure is still unresolved, with government, council and business all… Read more Audio

7:50 AM.Hollywood actor, Charlie Sheen, has admitted he is HIV positive. Audio

7:47 AM.The Prime Minister, John Key is selling the Trans Pacific Partnership as the best deal in the free trade showroom to APEC countries not already signed up. Audio

7:45 AM.Chris Cairns' lawyer has spent most of today attacking the Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum, saying his story has shifted over time. Audio

7:43 AM.Parliament will continue to sit under urgency today to finish passing law introducing a monitoring regime for returning criminals. Audio

7:37 AM.The revelation the chair of a Child Youth and Family panel is being paid 2-thousand dollars a day caused political and public outrage, but in fact the responsible minister was pushing for much more. Audio

7:35 AM.The Employment Court will rule today the meat company Affco acted unlawfully when it locked out staff at its Wairoa plant in Hawkes Bay. Audio

7:32 AM.International dairy prices have fallen again in the global dairy trade auction Audio

7:29 AM.A charter flight with up to 20 New Zealand deportees, most of them criminals who've served prison sentences, is set to arrive from Australia tomorrow. Audio

7:28 AM.After finding children have been sleeping in cars, garages, and outside, the Salvation Army is demanding a new law to make sure all children have a legal right to adequate housing. Audio

7:22 AM.In France authorities have discovered two safe houses used by the terrorists behind Friday's attacks in Paris. Audio

7:15 AM.And as our correspondent touched on, overnight France and Russia staged more air strikes on Islamic State strongholds of Raqqa and Aleppo. Audio

7:12 AM.Russia has confirmed for the first time that a terrorists brought down their Metrojet passenger plane in Egypt last month killing all 224 people on board. Audio

7:07 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:58 AM.Turning to the markets...Wall Street is trading firmly .. good results from big retailers Walmart and Home Depot boosting sentiment. Audio

6:55 AM.The United States is hoping more New Zealand businesses will pursue the American dream and set up shop in the U.S. Audio

6:52 AM.Specialist milk and infant formula maker A2 Milk says it's finding it a challenge to keep up with demand for its infant formula which has seen it almost double its full year earnings forecast. Audio

6:47 AM.Dairy prices have fallen for a third consecutive auction, with the average price down 7-point-9 percent at the twice monthly global auction. Audio

6:40 AM.The Salvation Army says a child's right to adequate housing should be put into law, after it found many children are sleeping outside, in cars and in garages. Audio

6:25 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. Audio

6:16 AM.The Prime Minister, John Key, is expecting China's leaders to have a good, hard look at the Trans Pacific Partnership, with a view to eventually joining the trade pact. Audio

6:12 AM.Belgium has raised the terror threat level for the country and cancelled the national soccer team's game against Spain following the terror attacks in Paris. Audio

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

6:00 AM.Russian passenger plane taken down by homemade bomb;Russia, France step up airstrikes against IS in Syria;France retaliating with raids and strikes;Salvation Army demands new law needed to help… Read more Audio