The Panel

Our half-time topic today is all about environmental stories of the week including the Church of England's call to give up plastic for Lent, the return of glass milk bottles, and Germany trailing free public transport.

Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has banned sexual relations between government ministers and staff, following his Deputy Prime Minister's affair with a staffer.

A family's day at Abel Tasman was interrupted by a drone, which followed the group as they walked along the beach.

America's latest school shooting has ignited the discussion about gun use and ownership however there are many facts that seem to circulating that are incorrect or at least, exaggerated.

One of the pirates involved in the murder of Sir Peter Blake has been captured after 15 years on the run. He was arrested in Brazil during a routine stop.

Our half-time topic today is all about enviornmental stories of the week including the Church of England's call to giev up plastic for Lent, the return of glass milk bottles, Germany trialling free public transport and the Caramilk craze may be dented by the fact it could have traces of plastic in it. We ask the panelists what they think. What the panelists Mark Knoff-Thomas and Stephanie Rodgers want to talk about. A Sumner man is regreting he oredered branches to be cut from a Norfolk pine tree near a building he owns, after people labelled it "eco-terrorism". The man says he had no idea the tree was protected and was only worried the bracnhes were too close to power lines. But there has been outrage over the trimming as the branches will now not grow back. The city council is considering whether there will be any action over the incident. We ask the panelists what they think. There are calls for more transparency for buyers purchasing cars from dealers, after multiple cases involving cars imported after being declared write-offs in Australia. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has confirmed it'll be reviewing regulations this year. We ask Craig Pomare, chief executive of the MTA, whether this is a common occurrence and what potential buyers can do to protect themselves. Auckland Council will spend $200,000 on a dumping hotline, hoping to catch those people who are dumping rubbish illegally on the side of city streets. Camera's will be set up in dumping hot spots and they'll be resources to find those responsible. It's not just an Auckland issue though, Rotorua Lakes District has been dealing with the same trash-dumping and it got so bad a local councillor offered up his own cash to catch the perpetrators. It seems to have worked. We speak to councillor Charles Sturt about how the campaign to end dumping has been going.

One of the pirates involved in the murder of Sir Peter Blake has been captured after 15 years on the run. He was arrested in Brazil during a routine stop. Sir Peter Blake was the world's most famous yachtsman at the time and his violent death by pirates on the Amazon was an international story. We ask the panelists if this latest arrest brings justice to his family and to the many kiwis affected by his death. America's latest school shooting has ignited the discussion about gun use and ownership however there are many facts that seem to circulating that are incorrect or at least, exaggerated. Overall there are still a high number of shootings throughout the country but there are suggestions that has declined over the years. There's a lot of debate around gun control, which has been raging for some 50 years. We ask International Law expert Al Gillespie why there is so much confusion and if gun violence is decreasing in the US. A family's day at Abel Tasman was interrupted by a drone, which followed the group as they walked along the beach. The Department of Conservation says concessions must be obtained when flying drones around national parks, and it's unlikely one would be granted for recreational use at Abel Tasman. We ask Steve Moore of the Civil Aviation Authority what the rules actually are and why they're so hard to enforce. Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has banned sexual relations between government ministers and staff, following his Deputy Prime Minister's affair with a staffer. Barnaby Joyce hopes to stay on as leader of his Australian Nationals party but is angry Mr Turnbull isn't supporting him, today saying his comments are "inept".The panelists weigh in on the scandal.

Your feedback, and a preview of the guests and topics on The Panel. Story of the day today is about figure skating in the Olympics.

We find the answers to any queries you can think up. Today we answered Janet's question about the deficit, Dana's query about walnuts and Helen's wondering about being ambidextrous.

Associate Transport Minister Julie-Anne Genter isn't convinced saliva testing is the right approach to cracking down on drugged drivers.