Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 am 'pick 'n' mix' for Feb 27
Stuff's very Long Game on CCP interference in NZ; Casey Costello rejected expert advice on smoking repeals; NZ's own Super Pacs spent 13 times more in 2023 than 2020; Videos and papers of the day
Here’s my top ten links to news, papers and reports elsewhere as at 10 am on Tuesday February 27:
Today’s must-read: Whatever happened to Stuff Circuit’s ‘The Long Game’ mega-documentary about the influence of China’s Communist Party in our political system? There’s not a simple answer, as Duncan Greive reports via The Spinoff.
Local scoop: Health officials urged the government to retain key aspects of the smokefree law it plans to repeal, confidential briefings to Associate Health Minister Casey Costello reveal, Guyon Espiner reports for RNZ.
Overseas scoop: Satellite images of the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea show a new floating barrier across its entrance, near where Philippine ships and China coast guard vessels have had frequent run-ins, Reuters reports this morning.
Local deep dive: Third party campaigners spent over $2 million during the election campaign, 13 times more than in 2020, Farah Hancock reports for RNZ
Overseas deep dive: Inside North Korea’s forced labour programme. The New Yorker Ian Urbina
Op-Ed: Reducing tobacco outlets will decrease crime. PHCC
Local video: Police in Opotiki say they can’t enforce gang patch ban. 1News Sunday
Overseas video: Utopia — Every team-building session Working Dog
Local academic paper: People can change their mind about conspiracy theories. The Conversation
Overseas academic paper: Observational evidence for a regime shift in summer Antarctic sea ice American Meterelogical Society Paper
(Paying subscribers can see more detail, charts and my analysis below the paywall fold)
Stuff Circuit’s awfully long game
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