Checkpoint FOR MONDAY 24 JANUARY 2011
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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The Te Tai Tokerau MP, Hone Harawira, says the Māori Party's process for dealing with a complaint against him is a joke and a farce. The Māori Party whip, Te Ururoa Flavell, complained about Mr Harawira after he wrote a newspaper article criticising the party's close alignment with National. A hui is to be held in the Te Tai Tokerau electorate on Thursday to try to resolve the matter. The Māori Party co-leader, Tariana Turia, this morning broke her silence on Mr Harawira when speaking to reporters at the annual Ratana Church celebrations near Whanganui. CUT Tariana Turia would not be drawn on what might happen to Mr Harawira. CUT But despite his looming showdown with the party, Hone Harawira is refusing to back away from his criticism of its relationship with the Government. He says he supported the original decision to back National, but things have changed. PRE-REC
Our reporter, Danya Levy, has spent the day at Ratana Pa, and she joins us now. Q&A
The husband of a woman burned alive last week has left the country, prompting an international search to track him down. The woman's name was released today - she was Ranjeeta Sharma, a 28-year-old living in South Auckland who was mother to a four-year-old boy. Will Hine reports. PKG
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1720 TRAILS AND BUSINESS WITH
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The Transport Minister is pledging more legislation to crack down on high risk drivers, with the release today of new figures which show a core of problem motorists cause a third of all fatal crashes.
Disqualified, speeding or repeat drunk drivers were responsible for one in three of the road deaths between 2005 and 2009 and when added to the numbers of at-fault young drivers, it accounts for half of all fatal crashes. Susie Ferguson reports. PKG
We cross to Melbourne now where the quarter final line-ups for the Australian Tennis Open will be decided tonight. Our correspondent Dave Luddy is there. LIVE
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17.30 HEADLINES
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Middle East peace talks may be stalled at the moment, but leaked documents appear to show the Palestinians offering huge concessions to the Israelis. The information was acquired by Al Jazeera. It shows the Palestinian negotiators secretly agreed to hand all but one of the Jewish settlements in occupied East Jerusalem to the Israelis. The ABC's Barney Porter reports : PKG
Farmers in parts of the North Island have been celebrating the weekend's heavy rain saying it has broken the drought.
Federated Farmers' leaders in drought zones south of Auckland say the rain will let them recommend the government lift their official drought status. Ben Robinson reports. PKG
The mayor the Tararua District is promising to fix the on-going problem of tap water in Woodville smelling and tasting foul.
Residents have been complaining for years, comparing the smell to mouldy damp laundry. Nick Butcher reports. PKG
A sports broadcaster charged with disorderly conduct in central Auckland has given up his bid for name suppression, and can now been identified. He is 46 year old sports broadcaster Martin Devlin.
Our reporter Ben Brown has been at the Auckland District Court
PREREC
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17.45 WAATEA
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Cyclone Wilma has hit American Samoa and triggered alerts in other island countries, including neighbouring Samoa.
The cyclone brought wind gusts of up to 130 kilometers to the main island of Tutuila causing emergency operations to be activated in the US territory. Radio New Zealand International's Sara Vui-Talitu reports. PKG
Lieutenant General Rhys Jones has taken over as the chief of the New Zealand defence force. The hand over was held today at a ceremony at Government House in Auckland. Natalie Mankelow was there and joins us now...LIVE
At least 23 world records have been broken in the first three days of competition at the International Paralympic Athletics World Championships in Christchurch. More than one-thousand athletes have travelled to the Garden City from all over the world for the champs, which is the last major international meet before the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Forty-three championship records have also been set at QE II Park. We're joined now by the chief executive of Paralympics New Zealand, Fiona Pickering. LIVE
The Scottish national hero, William Wallace -- once depicted by actor Mel Gibson in the film Braveheart -- was captured by the English in 1305. When he was caught he allegedly held a document which granted Wallace safe passage. Today it is held at the National Archives, just southwest of London.
Now the Scottish government has asked for its return, but the letter's future ownership will depend on whether experts can prove its link to the Scottish patriot. From Glasgow, the BBC's Julie Peacock reports PKG