Squiz Today / 11 October 2019
Squiz Today – Friday, 11 October
SQUIZ SAYINGS
“Police kraken down”
Tweeted former journo James Jeffrey of this effort by London’s finest. Talk about the long eight arms of the law…
AUSTRALIA TROUBLED BY TURKEY ATTACK
THE SQUIZ
The Australian Government is “deeply troubled by Turkey’s unilateral military operation into northeastern Syria,” PM Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a joint statement yesterday. Sidestepping any criticism of US President Donald Trump for his decision to withdraw US troops in the area leaving their Kurdish partners vulnerable to attack by their northern neighbour, Morrison urged Turkey to show restraint.
WHAT SPECIFICALLY TROUBLES OUR GOVERNMENT?
Morrison and Payne share the same concerns many hold - that America's withdrawal could undermine the gains made in the fight against Islamic State. And that Turkey’s military action will inevitably kill and injure civilians, and displace hundreds-of-thousands of people as they flee their homes. As for the Australian citizens (said to be 20 women and more than 40 children) in the al-Hawl camp located in the Kurdish-controlled part of Syria, our leaders say the “situation is dangerous and unpredictable, and we will not put Australian officials and the public in danger.” That comes despite the former wives and children of IS fighters saying they fear they will be caught up in the fighting.
AND TRUMP ISN’T RETHINKING HIS POSITION?
No, and that seems unlikely now that Turkey has started bombing the area. As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pushed back on the suggestion Trump gave Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the 'green light' to proceed, the President downplayed the alliance with the Kurds. "They didn't help us in the second World War, they didn't help us with Normandy for example," he said yesterday. Reports say more than 11,000 Kurdish fighters died in America’s operations against Islamic State. (Top tip: if you’re looking to get a handle on the geography, strap yourself in for some map action.)
SQUIZ THE REST
TWO DEAD IN NSW FIRES
As the full devastation caused by the fires in northern NSW on Tuesday is revealed, authorities yesterday confirmed that a couple was killed in their home. It was one of eight houses destroyed in the Long Gully Road/Drake bushfire, which authorities say was started by a lightning strike a week ago. Bob Lindsey (77yo) and Gwen Hyde (68yo) married three years ago, and both had children from their first marriages. The Busbys Flat fire - thought to have been deliberately lit - destroyed 21 homes when it ripped through Rappville, the Rural Fire Service confirmed yesterday.
POWERFUL INDONESIAN MINISTER ATTACKED
Indonesia’s Security Minister Wiranto has been stabbed by an Islamic State sympathiser while attending an event in the province of Banten. The 72yo former presidential candidate and military chief has two deep wounds to his stomach and reports say he is in a Jakarta hospital in a stable condition. Three others were injured in the attack, and a man and woman were detained. Experts say there could be more attacks in the lead up to President Joko Widodo’s inauguration next weekend.
NOT AS EGALITARIAN AS WE MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT…
Many Aussies would nominate our national values as those of mateship and a fair go. In the corporate world, it would be called a 'flat structure'... But research released yesterday by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) found that Australia has the fourth biggest gap between rich and poor in the developed world. Those living in the richest areas in Australia (aka parts of Sydney and Melbourne) are more than twice as wealthy as those in poorer areas (including parts of Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory). The Slovak Republic, Czech Republic and Canada make up the top three nations in a race no one really wants to win.
And while we have you... In more bad news for Australian policymakers, the IMF is due to release a report today saying it does not believe we will hit our targets to reduce carbon emissions as promised.
A TRIO OF QUESTIONABLE BEHAVIOUR
GET YOUR SHONK ON - Consumer advocate Choice has handed out its annual Shonky Awards to businesses and industries that have “ripped off, misled and treated Australians like cash cows to be exploited.” A favourite from this year’s list: the IKEA fridge that doesn't keep food cold.
COP THAT - A Queensland man has been slapped with a $173 fine for drinking from a bottle of water while driving on a 39C day. Police said any behaviour which could distract a driver could be an offence. The driver must have taken a big swig…
PINGED IN THE SEARCH FOR LOVE… Bachelorette contestant and Noosa councillor Jess Glasgow will be the subject of a code of conduct probe over his appearance on the show. Glasgow said he got approval to appear on the show, (not the case, says Mayor Tony Wellington…). And Glasgow ruffled some feathers when he said he was the mayor’s 2IC (also not true). He also gave Bachelorette Angie Kent the key “to anywhere in Noosa”, which he isn’t authorised to give. Perhaps the worse crime is that it was actually a key to his apartment...
MASTERCHEF THINKS OUTSIDE THE MYSTERY BOX
It’s been the subject of more commentary than Ellen DeGeneres friendship with former US President George W Bush. Well, that's not true, but you know what we mean… And yesterday, the three new MasterChef Australia judges were revealed. Say hello to Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and Andy Allen. That sound you can hear is a collective cry of “who?” from fans across Australia... Zonfrillo is a hatted-chef in Adelaide, Leong is a food writer and presenter, and Allen won the show in 2012 before going on to culinary success in Sydney. Longtime judges George Calombaris, Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan were dropped after they couldn’t agree to the terms of a new contract with Network 10.
FRIDAY LITES - THREE THINGS WE LIKED THIS WEEK
Late night TV host Stephen Colbert is known for his sharp wit. But it’s this interview on grief with CNN’s Anderson Cooper from a couple of months back that caught our eye with the two men talking candidly about the tragedies they've experienced in their lives. Not so lite, soz...
Lee Radziwill, style icon and sister of former US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, died in February. And now some of the documents, books, furniture and art from her extensive collection are up for auction. Happy browsing/bidding - but keep your mitts off the Antony Armstrong photo of Rudolf Nureyev, it’s ours…
And hands up if a holiday is on your mind? Conde Nast’s Traveller Readers’ Choice winners will provide some inspiration.
SQUIZ THE DAY
Friday
8.00pm (AEDT) - Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize announced - Oslo
9.15pm (AEDT) - Rugby World Cup - Wallabies v Georgia - Shizuoka (unless a typhoon stuffs it up…)
Saturday
Horse Racing - Spring Champion Stakes Day (Randwick, Sydney) and Caulfield Guineas Day (Caulfield, Melbourne)
Spain’s National Day
Hugh Jackman’s birthday (1968)
Sunday
2.00pm (AEDT) - Constellation Cup Netball - Australia v NZ - Christchurch
Poland’s parliamentary election
International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction
No Bra Day (suits us)
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