Squiz Today – Friday, 10 November

SQUIZ SAYINGS

“A lady along with her husband and a child, all Iranian nationals, were offloaded by Qatar Airlines as the lady passenger (who was intoxicated) misbehaved with crew members inflight.”

Indian officials said the group were punted from their flight to Bali after an emergency stop. The story goes the woman was a bit upset after she used her sleeping husband’s finger to access his phone where she found evidence he was cheating on her. Lesson: drunk flying/snooping/cheating = disaster.

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XI PLAYS HOME GROUND ADVANTAGE FOR TRUMP VISIT

THE SQUIZ
The US President Donald Trump’s Asian tour swung through Beijing yesterday in a highly anticipated visit. The closely watched exchange saw Trump lavishing praise on Chinese President Xi Jinping. "You are a very special man," Trump told Xi. But Xi wasn’t as into Trump as Trump was into Xi. While the tone was said to be “warm”, Xi was more reserved. But that didn’t stop China putting on a show, something Trump really likes in a state visit.

SO, WHAT WENT DOWN?
On the agenda: North Korea and trade.

North Korea – Trump praised Xi for the pressure he has put on the Hermit Kingdom and its leader Kim Jong Un to date. But Trump wants Xi to do more; "I am calling on (Xi) to work very hard. I know one thing about your President. If he works on it hard, it'll get done". Xi said China would work in the "spirit of mutual respect and mutual benefit."

Trade – This is a sore point. Trump said; "Who can blame a country that is able to take advantage of another country for the benefit of its citizens. I give China great credit." A backhanded compliment if ever we saw one. Nevertheless, reports say their countries signed US$250 billion in business deals during the visit.

WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO KNOW?
Trump showed Xi a video of his 6yo granddaughter Arabella Kushner singing a Chinese song and reciting poetry in Mandarin. Apparently it was a yuuuge hit on the interweb in China. Xi was very complimentary, which you have to be when a visitor foists pics of their family on you. The worst.

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SQUIZ THE REST

CITIZENSHIP CRISIS GETS SHOUTY
Depending on how you see it, either the Coalition put pressure on Labor yesterday, or Labor stepped it up against the Coalition. Or was it Karl Stefanovic who put pressure on the PM? We can’t remember… But it was a loud day with letters being exchanged on the proposed way forward for checking MPs’ citizenship status.

• Labor leader Bill Shorten wants there to be “no partisan referrals”. That means only the party with an iffy MP can refer them to the High Court for decision.

• PM Malcolm Turnbull disagrees saying the government would refer anyone the parliament thinks has a case to answer.

• Turnbull also shifted forward the proposed deadline for MPs to declare their citizenship status to 7 December. With the High Court wrapping up their year on 15 December, that leaves a very small window for any cases to be heard.

Long story short, expect this issue to deliver many twists and turns for months to come. Oh – and another MP is under a cloud. This time it’s key House of Reps crossbencher Rebekha Sharkie.

HOUSEKEEPING!
An extended section today to bring you up to date with the significant stories of the week.

DEADLINE SET AT MANUS – Papua New Guinean authorities have given the 600 men refusing to leave the Manus Island processing centre two days to leave voluntarily for new accommodation or be forcibly removed. The demolition of the fencing around the centre has commenced, and authorities say sanitation issues at the site pose a health problem.

SCHOOL CRASH DRIVER FACES FURTHER CHARGES - Maha Al-Shennag faces additional charges relating to the three girls who were injured when she crashed her car into the year three classroom at Banksia Road Primary School in Sydney’s outer suburbs. And yesterday the father of one of the boys who was killed said his family forgave the driver.

TEXAS SHOOTER’S PHONE LOCKED – The FBI has the phone of accused Texas church shooter Devin Kelley but is unable to access the encrypted information. There have been past showdowns between the tech giants and law enforcement over privacy issues, but reports say Apple has not been approached for help - yet. And for some context on recent events, the Columbine school massacre of 1999 is no longer one of America’s 10 deadliest mass-shootings.

SAUDI PRINCE PUTS FOX IN A HOLE – Things aren't that bad, but the headline was too good to resist. You remember we talked this week about the Saudi corruption crackdown? And there was a report that the Murdoch-family-led 21st Century Fox was being looked over by Disney for a possible sale? Well, the two issues have come together! It seems detained Prince Alwaleed bin Talal sold his significant shareholding in Fox and as a strong Rupert Murdoch supporter, it could make a difficult upcoming AGM for the Murdochs even more difficult-er. You know what we mean…

NO END TO FALLOUT FOR KEVIN SPACEY – The two-time Oscar-winning actor’s scenes from the new Ridley Scott movie All The Money In The World are being cut and reshot with Christopher Plummer taking his role. The movie is due for release in December. Tick-tock. And fresh allegations of harassment have come to light.

CELEB-SPOTTING SHEEP – THE LATEST SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGH
Anyone who has spent time in the sheep yards knows the woolly-baas aren’t the smartest of creatures. Or are they… A study at Cambridge Uni shows they can be trained to recognise faces. The sheep were shown pictures of two people on computer screens - one a nobody, the other a notable person (Barack Obama, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emma Watson) and were rewarded when they chose the celeb. After a while, they could choose the celeb eight times out of 10. Other than being cracking good fun - why did they do this? Researchers think they might be able to learn something about brain disorders like Huntington's disease. We’re sure the former President appreciates his new fan base.

FRIDAY LITES – THREE THINGS WE LIKED THIS WEEK
Getting over a breakup sucks. This eight-week program is brilliant mostly because while she might be joking, she’s probably serious. Hilarious.

Black leggings – where were we before they were a wardrobe staple? Here are some recommendations for exercise and for when you're not putting in the hard yards.

You should see this WA Police anti-graffiti ad. Not only will you glean some helpful information about cracking down on local yoofs, the main characters give performances that will stay with you - in a bad way. Margaret, we give it five stars for its exquisite agony.

SQUIZ THE DAY

Friday

World Science Day for Peace and Development

Taylor Swift's new album Reputation released

Saturday

Remembrance Day

8.00am (AEDT) - Soccer - Australia v Honduras - San Pedro Sula

8.00pm (AEDT) - Rugby League World Cup - Australia v Lebanon - Sydney Football Stadium

Melbourne Cup Carnival - Stakes Day

Sunday

4.15am (AEDT) - Rugby Union - Australia v Wales - Cardiff

World Pneumonia Day

And remember - if you've opened every email this week you'll be in the draw for a $100 Country Road gift card. We're also pleased to report we've tracked down last week's winner and have her permission to tell you who she is - it's Kristin Jackson of Queensland. Congrats and thanks for being a loyal Squiz'er, Kristin!