Newsable today: The movie coming out this week that no one knows anything about

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On today’s episode of Newsable: our brand new Grocery Commissioner lays out his priorities; we’re on the ground in Lithuania ahead of Chris Hipkins meeting with NATO leaders; how on earth does the EU regulate AI; plus the movie premiering this week in Japan that no one knows anything about.

Hello hello hello,

We begin today with a very serious correction, because I need to set the record straight.

Yesterday, Emile wrote I had been suffering from back pain, and to help said back pain that I had been relying on a hot water bottle. And then he claimed that the hot water bottle was named Frank.

Reader: that is not Bruce’s name. My hot water bottle is called Bruce. Here is a picture of him:

Bruce is a bunny who is giving me strength during these times.

Anyway, now that we have that error all fixed up, let’s talk about today’s show!

The man tasked with keeping the grocery sector in check has been named – Pierre van Heerden is our brand, spanking new (and first ever) Grocery Commissioner. He joins us to lay down his priorities in the role, and whether or not he can promise to have bite as well as bark, because sometimes these roles can come across as just shiny plaques on shiny doors.

We’re also checking in with Stuff political reporter Thomas Manch, who is on the ground in Lithuania covering the Prime Minister’s European trip which involves a meeting with NATO leaders – Manch explains what we’re even doing there, seeing as New Zealand is not actually a NATO member.

Sticking to that part of the world, we’re asking an expert all about a recently published draft law from the European Union that seeks to regulate artificial intelligence – something that on the surface appears impossible, so how on earth could it work?

READ MORE:
* Consumer NZ receives 600 pricing complaints about supermarket specials during campaign
* Holes: Twenty years on, this childhood-defining movie is still a thought-provoking watch
* Chris Hipkins makes ‘thank you’ stopover in Sweden

Plus, the man and fabulous film director behind Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle) is releasing his final film this Friday in Japan. It’s called ‘How Do You Live’ – but no one knows a thing about it! That’s because they’ve opted for ZERO promotional material. No trailer. No nothing. They’ve released a singular poster that includes an image of a bird. That’s it. How thrilling! We unpack this marketing technique with complete and utter authority.

While I’ve got you here, we wanna know what you wanna know – if there’s a topic you think we should cover, a news story you want explained in a bit more detail, tell us! Flick us an email – newsable@stuff.co.nz.

Have a great day and speak soon,

Imo

Newsable is Stuff’s daily news podcast, wrapping up what’s worth talking about in a short package every weekday morning. You can find new episodes and more detail on our stories here or in our newsletter. Make sure to like and follow us wherever you get your podcasts and across Instagram and TikTok.