Squiz Today – Tuesday, 5 September

THE SQUIZ

Ukraine’s Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has been dismissed from his post amid investigations into corruption alleged to have taken place on his watch. Reznikov himself hasn’t been implicated, but Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was time for “new approaches” in the critical portfolio. Stepping up is Rustem Umerov – he’s from a different political party to Zelensky but has played a big role in negotiating Ukraine’s wartime grain exports. He’s also from a Crimean ethnic group that’s been persecuted under Russia’s occupation since 2014. Experts note that “new approaches” to Ukraine’s Defence Ministry don’t mean a new military strategy – Ukraine’s battlefield planning is still overseen by the commander General Valery Zaluzhny.

IS THIS A BIG DEAL?

Analysts say Reznikov has been a crucial player in Ukraine’s efforts to fight off Russia. At the beginning of the invasion, he was one of just a few officials who remained in Kyiv, and since then, he’s been on the diplomatic frontlines lobbying for weapons from Ukraine’s Western allies. But Zelensky was elected to lead Ukraine on an anti-corruption platform, and Reznikov has been smeared by association with domestic corruption scandals around overpriced winter jackets and suspiciously expensive eggs. But he won’t disappear from service – after more than 550 days as a wartime Defence Minister, Reznikov is expected to become the nation’s ambassador to London.

AND WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH THE WAR?

Ukraine’s army is reported to have broken through Russia’s southern defences as their slow-moving counteroffensive continues… The hope is that their second and third defensive lines were more hastily built and, therefore, more easily broken. Keeping close tabs on developments will be G20 leaders, who are meeting this weekend in New Delhi to discuss the world economy, which continues to be affected by the war in Ukraine. At the last 2 summits, the push by Western nations to condemn Russia’s invasion has caused schisms in the G20, which includes Russia and China. Chinese President Xi Jinping has hinted he won’t be attending this year’s G20, which points to another divided meeting. Yesterday, US President Joe Biden said he was “disappointed” that Xi wouldn’t be there but that they would get together in future.

A big clean-up starts in Taiwan

More than 40 people have been injured, and 160,000 are without power after Typhoon Haikui hit Taiwan late on Sunday. Yesterday was a day to assess the damage – authorities were relieved no deaths were reported and said power would be restored ASAP. At its peak, Haikui’s winds hit 200km/h, forcing schools/businesses to shut and domestic flights/ferries to cancel services. The country’s southern and eastern regions bore the brunt of the winds and heavy rains, but the north’s capital city, Taipei, also had a drenching. Haikui – the first major storm to hit Taiwan in 4 years – has been downgraded to a tropical storm and is headed for China’s southern coast. Officials there warned locals to be prepared for strong winds and big surf before it made landfall last night. As for the estimated 70,000 people stuck at US festival Burning Man, authorities say they’re getting closer to reopening roads in the area…

No flying out of this one…

Qantas has issued an apology to its investors after a difficult week… It said the lawsuit launched last week by the competition regulator, which alleges the airline sold tickets for more than 8,000 flights that had already been cancelled, came “at a time when Qantas’ reputation has already been hit hard on several fronts”. The company said it “will take time to repair, and we are absolutely determined to do that,” the company said. It might be tricky, though… The Coalition is calling for a review into the government’s rejection of more Qatar Airways flights into Oz – and yesterday, PM Anthony Albanese denied being lobbied by Qantas over the decision. At the same time, new data from Webjet shows international flight prices are increasing – not falling as Qantas has repeatedly suggested…

Another month, another look at interest rates

Yay, it’s Reserve Bank board meeting day… The consensus among the big banks is that we’re not likely to see a rise in the official cash rate when the announcement comes through at 2.30pm today. That means if they hold steady, the current rate of 4.1% will be with us for a third straight month. Weighing on the board will be the recent signs that inflation is slowing. Last week, data showed the rate has dropped to a 17-month low of 4.9% in July, down from 5.4% in June. That’s still above the Reserve Bank’s 2-3% inflation target, which has economists flagging one more potential rate rise in November to help bring inflation down. And another thing to note – it’s Governor Philip Lowe’s last meeting before he hands the reins over to Michelle Bullock. That’s a cake occasion for shizzle…

Time to find a new pavlova topping…

If you consider mangoes the crown jewel of the summer stone fruits (our hands are up…), might we suggest looking for another fave this season… That’s because Aussie farmers are warning that we’re in for a mango shortage this year thanks to Queensland’s warm winter. Manbulloo Mangoes manager David Lawrence says mangoes need some uninterrupted colder night weather to flower, which didn’t happen this year. Lawrence reckons “we’ve had a couple below 12C, but not consecutively”. That’s got him worried, with his 18,000 trees “sitting at about 30%” of his average yield. And the shortages might stick around for a while… Bureau of Meteorology’s Greg Browning says “we can expect a couple of warm years coming up”. The good news? Lawrence reckons the mango harvest – although smaller – will be in time for Chrissy. Sticky fingers crossed…

The line of Succession

We’re still mad for anything Succession-related, and the show’s creator, Jesse Armstrong, gave us a mega sugar hit this week. Speaking at an event in London over the weekend, Armstrong appeared to confirm that Logal Roy had underlined Kendall’s name as the next Waystar CEO rather than crossing it out. The ambiguous line turned up on an undated document in episode 4 of the final season as the Roy family gathered for Logan’s wake and claimed dibs on his personal effects. Frank discovers the document, and there is serious discussion of “losing” it before Kendall arrives and sees his name in (and under) ink. At the London event, Armstrong said, “If you were crossing something out, you wouldn’t start underneath, would you?” before tapping his head. The crowd let out an audible oooh, as did millions of fans from afar…

An Essex woman may have out-Barbied Barbie with a hot pink real-life Barbie dream home. She renovated the “sanctuary of self-expression” in 2009, beating this year’s Barbie craze by 14 years. Speaking of winners – the Barbie film is officially the highest-grossing movie this year.

If you’ve ever been ridiculed for speaking to your pooch in a high-pitched voice, science has your back. Researchers have found that dogs show more brain activity in their auditory cortex – meaning their brains light up – when we speak to them with exaggerated voices.

And the avian world has a new champ… Peanut the bantam hen has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest living chicken at 21yo. What a crackin’ achievement.

2.30pm (AEST) – Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe announces the latest interest rate decision

International Day of Charity

Be Late for Something Day

Birthdays for Michael Keaton (1951), India Hicks (1967), and Rose McGowan (1973)

Anniversary of:
• the First Opium War beginning in China (1839)
• Christine Hardt patenting the first modern brassiere (1889)
• the premieres of The Huckleberry Hound Show featuring Yogi Bear (1958) and The Muppet Show (1976)
• Freddie Mercury’s birthday (1946)
• the death of Mother Teresa (1997)
• Hurricane Irma becoming the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin region with winds of 280km/hour (2017)