Nine To Noon

Shanghai officials have expanded the city's lockdown ahead of schedule as Covid cases jump in the city. China has relied on stringent isolation, contact tracing and testing to maintain its dynamic zero approach, but Omicron has proven tougher to stamp out. And in Singapore, a top court has dismissed a final appeal by a Malaysian man sentenced to death for drug trafficking. His lawyers say the trial violated international laws as the man has intellectual disabilities. Advocates say he could face execution within days. Elizabeth Beattie is a Journalist at Thomson Reuters, based in Hong Kong

Professor Damon Salesa is the country's first Pasifika Vice-Chancellor. He has begun his new role leading AUT this week, previously he was the University of Auckland's Pro Vice-Chancellor (Pacific). During his long career in academia he has specialised in Pacific politics, history, technology, culture and society. He's also an author, Rhodes Scholar and Fellow of the Royal Society Te Aparangi. Professor Salesa says the Covid 19 pandemic has illuminated just how much access and opportunity is unequally distributed across different groups of people, and that has to change.

Fifty years ago today, University of Otago researchers began to study over 1,000 Dunedin babies born in 1972 and 1973. The Dunedin Study, as its known, is now the world's longest-running multidisciplinary human health and development research project.

Film reviewer James Croot joins Kathryn to talk about the second season of Bridgerton (Netflix), The Duke (in cinemas), The Newsreader (ThreeGo) and Lady Boss (Rialto, rentals).

How often do you hear your mum or dad's words come out of your mouth when you talk to (or shout at) your kids? Words you swore you would never say to your own child. One of Australia's foremost parenting experts, Maggie Dent says no matter how many parenting books you read, the biggest influence on your parenting style will be your own upbringing. Maggie is the mother of four boys, a former teacher and counsellor whose latest book is called Parental As Anything: Toddlers to Tweens. She is also the host of the ABC podcast Parental as Anything.

Cybersecurity expert Tony Grasso joins Kathryn to look at why Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab has been added to the national security threat list by the FCC. He'll also talk about a Chinese threat actor known as Scarab that has been associated with a campaign against Ukraine, the seven teens arrested in the UK as part of cyber-crime gang Lapsus$ and US charges laid against Russian government employees over their hacks of critical energy infrastructure.

Chris Tse reviews The Pistils by Janet Charman, published by Otago University Press.

Corey Peters won gold in the Men's Downhill Sitting event at this year's Winter Paralympics in Beijing- only to win silver less than 24 hours later in the Men's Super-G Sitting event. This added to his collection of medals, having already won silver and bronze in the previous two winter games. The 38-year-old was also the flag bearer at this year's closing ceremony. His achievements at this years Winter Paralympics are particularly remarkable, given he has been unable to compete in a downhill event for two years due to the pandemic.

The first commuter rubber has hit the new motorway fast-tracking the Capital with the Kapiti Coast. Transmission Gully opened its brand new 27kms of tarmac quietly to traffic at 2:45am this morning, giving the first experience of driving the steep Wainui Saddle, which at 8% is the same gradient as Ngauranga Gorge, only twice as long. This is the first glimpse of a valley, now a road, that has been hidden behind hills from its predecessor SH1, all but inaccessible other than to outdoor adventurers. Waka Kotahi says its taken a hundred years to build it, and is discouraging people from rushing out to give it a go. But, there was no stopping our Nine to Noon colleague Melanie Phipps, who's blue-toothed her phone and checks in with Kathryn Ryan from the Pauatahanui interchange.

UK correspondent Harriet Line joins Kathryn to talk about Boris Johnson's insistence the Covid rules were followed, despite police fining 20 people who attended parties at Downing Street. Universal Covid-19 testing ends this week and stay at home guidance will change and the Homes for Ukraine scheme for refugees has only seen 2700 visas approved - with a waiting list of 28,300.