BBC World journalist Eleanor Smallwood joins to discuss the latest on the Ukraine conflict, the military drills between the US and South Korea and a 17 year old pilot aiming to be the youngest person to fly solo around-the-world.

Masai Graham from the West Midlands who has won The Dave's Funniest Joke of the Fringe Award for the second time ... We won't spoil the punch line but he joins Lately to discuss his winning one liner.

A Mt Maunganui family had an unusual and uninvited visitor make themselves at home earlier this week. A young New Zealand Fur Seal was able slip into the family's home unnoticed terrorising the cat and napping on the couch.

More than 400 homes have been evacuated in Nelson, and residents are being warned that some may never get to return. Melaine Arthur and her familly are just on of thousands in that situation.

A state of emergency has been declared in Marlborough, with more heavy rain expected to fall on the water-saturated region overnight.

He's one of the world's richest men but US billionaire investor Peter Thiel's plans to build a luxury lodge on the edge of Lake Wanaka have been thwarted by local environmentalists.

Thousands of firefighters across the country will walk off the job tomorrow protesting understaffing and low wages.  Hamilton Firefighter Matiu Leonard will be one of those striking tomorrow He explains why it's got to this point.

At the top of the South Island residents are in clean up mode with flooding the ground floor of Nelson couple Barbara and Alistair Lawson's home has been flooded, forcing them and their 17 year old son upstairs to wait for the water to subside.

Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Lately.

Insomniac birds, kept awake at night by the lights and sounds of our cities seem to have trouble remembering their songs. Auckland University PhD student Juliane Mussoi is calling for more research on the effects of light and noise pollution on birds' sleeping patterns and the knock-on effects.