Weekend reads: 11 of the best international premium pieces

The Borough Park neighbourhood of Brooklyn was hit hard by the coronavirus, reaching thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths by April. Photo / Jonah Markowitz, The New York Times

Welcome to the weekend.

Aucklanders face a second weekend in lockdown as we wait to hear if there will be a change to alert levels next week. In lockdown or not though, it looks to be a wet weekend for much of the country, so stay warm at home and catch up with some of the content from our premium international syndicators.

What if 'herd immunity' is closer than scientists thought?

We've known from the beginning how the end will arrive. Eventually, the coronavirus will be unable to find enough susceptible hosts to survive, fading out wherever it briefly emerges.

To achieve so-called herd immunity — the point at which the virus can no longer spread because there are not enough vulnerable humans — scientists have suggested that perhaps 70 per cent of a given population must be immune, through vaccination or because they survived the infection.

Now some researchers are wrestling with a hopeful possibility that number might be lower.

In interviews with The New York Times, more than a dozen scientists said that the threshold is likely to be much lower.

Health officials screened residents of the Koliwada neighbourhood of Mumbai in April. Photo / Atul Loke, The New York Times

On the trail of the Golden State Killer

Paul Haynes never wanted to be an amateur sleuth. He didn't want to write a book, star in a true- crime documentary series or play a part in bringing one of America's most prolific rapists and murderers to justice after almost 50 years. He just fell down an internet rabbit hole and couldn't get out again.

It was down this rabbit hole that he met Michelle McNamara, a journalist who was also fascinated by the case.

So just how close did these two amateur sleuths come to catching one of America's most notorious serial killers?

The resident Sherlock at The Times examines the case.

Joseph James DeAngelo stands in a Sacramento jail court in 2018. Photo / AP

Three abductions of N: The business of 'recovering' children

For a fee, shadowy "recovery agents" will cross borders to snatch back the children of estranged parents. "It's an unregulated industry," said a spokeswoman for a charity that helps parents of abducted children. "We have seen things go very wrong."

The New York Times looks at the case of N - a New Zealand born child caught in an international custody battle.

Atchariya Chaloemmeeprasert has not seen her daughter since April 2015. "Why did God allow this to happen?" she said. Photo / Adam Dean, The New York Times

Comment: Meghan Markle has all the qualities required to be president

If the latest reports are to be believed, a beloved but controversial A-lister with an extremely famous spouse has designs on the White House. And no, I'm not talking about Kanye West. Apparently Meghan Markle is contemplating a jump into the political arena.

Sounds absurd? With Trump in the Situation Room, nothing is absurd. And you know what? She could do it.

Josh Glancy of The Times outlines why he thinks Meghan Markle has all the right qualities to flourish in Washington.

Does Meghan have her eye on the White House? Photo / Getty Images

Sweden goes its own way on face masks

Sweden does not mind standing out from the crowd on coronavirus, and the latest sign is its refusal to introduce face masks.

The Scandinavian country, renowned for its lighter-touch approach to Covid-19 regulations, is one of the few European countries not to recommend using face masks after neighbouring Norway, Denmark and Finland all changed their positions in the past week.

The Financial Times looks at how Sweden takes a different path once again in the fight against Covid-19.

Sweden isn't recommending people wear masks. Photo / Getty Images

What is QAnon, the viral pro-Trump conspiracy theory?

If you're spending a lot of time online these days — and thanks to the pandemic, many of us are — you've probably heard of QAnon, the sprawling internet conspiracy theory that has taken hold among some of President Donald Trump's supporters.

But unless you're very online, you likely still have questions about what exactly is going on.

The New York Times shares some basic things you should know about QAnon.

Signs referring to the QAnon conspiracy theory - with a Q - have appeared at rallies for President Trump. Photo / Al Drago, The New York Times

Melinda Gates on Covid-19: It's time to demand more of all our leaders

Melinda Gates spoke to the New York Times about how various world leaders have managed the Covid-19 crisis, philanthropy's role in the global recovery, and how we can all make strides by talking and listening to one another.

Read her interview here.

"We have to hold our leaders accountable," says Melinda Gates. Photo / Getty Images

Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter party on with Bill and Ted

In the chronicles of late-20th-century popular culture, you will find few friends as excellent as Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Ted "Theodore" Logan. The dopey Southern California dudes and bandmates always stood faithfully alongside each other, whether bumbling through time in their 1989 film debut, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, or wheedling themselves out of the afterlife in the 1991 sequel, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. These movies helped bring a bodacious bounty of slang into the wider lexicon while providing early career boosts to their leading men, Alex Winter (Bill) and Keanu Reeves (Ted).

Three decades later, the actors, both 55, have remained close friends themselves. Now they're back onscreen together.

The New York Times talks to the duo about the long-awaited follow-up.

Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. Winter recalled, "When they told us we both got the part, we were both like, ah, that's great that you got it." Photo / Magdalena Wosinska, The New York Times

Venezuela detains suspected coronavirus victims, calling them 'bioterrorists'

Venezuelan officials are denouncing people who may have come into contact with the coronavirus as "bioterrorists" and urging their neighbours to report them.

"This is the only country in the world where having Covid is a crime," said Sergio Hidalgo, a Venezuelan opposition activist who said he had come down with symptoms of the disease, only to find police officers at his door and government officials accusing him of infecting the community.

The New York Times looks at how Venezuela is detaining thousands to try halt the spread of Covid-19.

Police officers in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, detained people suspected of defying quarantine measures in July. Photo / Adriana Loureiro Fernandez, The New York Times

Novak Djokovic on coronavirus, vaccines, and his ill-fated Adria Tour

He's monitoring his health closely in the run up to the United States Open. He's not against all vaccines but wouldn't want to be forced to take one to play. And he says he had good intentions with his tour that became a coronavirus cluster.

The New York Times talks to Djokovic about the bumpy road to the US Open.

Novak Djokovic practices in New York. "I was very close to not coming" to New York to play the United States Open, Djokovic said. Photo / Getty Images

New York has tamed the virus. Can it hold off a second wave?

Health experts in New York City thought that coronavirus cases would be rising again by now. Their models predicted it. They were wrong.

New York state has managed not only to control its outbreak since the devastation earlier this year, but also to contain it for far longer than even top officials expected.

Now, as other places struggle to beat back a resurgence, New York's leaders are consumed by the likelihood that, any day now, their numbers will begin rising.

The New York Times reports.

New Yorkers are dining outside, and even in the suburbs where indoor dining is permitted, many people prefer outdoor tables. Photo / Brittainy Newman, The New York Times