Squiz Today / 16 November 2018

Squiz Today – Friday, 16 November

SQUIZ SAYINGS

“Not all heroes wear capes.”

Was the name of a crowdfunding campaign that raised $140,000 for Trolley Man – the homeless man widely praised for putting himself in harm’s way during the terror attack in Melbourne’s CBD last Friday. Yesterday, Victorian Police confirmed Trolley Man – aka Michael Rogers – is wanted for questioning over a spate of recent burglaries. Some heroes, it seems, wear prison greens.


BREXIT TAKES A WOBBLY STEP FORWARD

THE SQUIZ
UK PM Theresa May yesterday got the green light from her Cabinet colleagues for the draft divorce agreement with the European Union. After UK voters decided to consciously uncouple from the EU, it’s been a 17-month uphill battle for May to get everyone from European leaders to senior members of her own party to get it done. And even with this “decisive step”, May could be forgiven for channelling Taylor Swift.

BACK IT UP A BIT…
• A referendum in June 2016 saw 72% of eligible UK voters turn out with 52% of them voting to leave compared to 48% voting to ‘remain’.

• With the departure date set for 29 March 2019 at 11pm, May has been under intense pressure, including from within her Conservative Party, over the terms of the separation.

• Some complex issues have come up including customs and the border arrangements with Ireland, which remains in the EU.

• Other difficult nuts to crack have been freedom of movement and visa arrangements, particularly for Europeans living/working in the UK and vice-versa, legal agreements like environmental standards, and trade.

• And, of course, there’s the small matter of the bill… That’s been estimated in the past to be more than A$87 billion – money the UK needs to pay the EU for commitments it’s already made.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
With the deal agreed by May’s cabinet, it will now go to EU leaders for approval on 25 November. The critical thing for May is getting it through the UK Parliament in December. There is a lot of unhappiness, and two ministers have resigned (including the Brexit minister) in the last 24 hours (adding to a number of others who have walked in the past). If it is voted down, May will have three weeks to put up a new plan. And then anything can happen from a ‘no-deal Brexit’ to a new referendum. What is clear is that May will continue to be under intense pressure and with her leadership at stake, it’ll be an intense few weeks.


SQUIZ THE REST

MORRISON MEETS THE NEIGHBOURS
First it was Indonesia, now Malaysia has had its say about PM Scott Morrison’s ponderings on a shift of our Israeli embassy to Jerusalem. Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad yesterday said he believed the move would “add to the cause of terrorism”. Morrison had more luck with China’s Premier Li Keqiang who said our countries have turned a corner after a difficult year. (Clearly, no one told him the Senate just passed the bill to ban foreign political donations – a process kicked off by concerns of Chinese influence.) Next stop – Darwin for a visit with Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe today. Then it’s on to Papua New Guinea for the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) leaders summit over the weekend. Here’s hoping Morrison does well in humidity… Or maybe he could just power nap?

FOOTY STAR QUESTIONED
Nine News last night reported NSW Police are investigating NRL star Jarryd Hayne for assaulting* a woman in September. Hayne has not been charged. The report said the woman was injured after the pair arranged to meet up via social media and her family says she has evidence of the alleged assault. He is currently defending legal action in the US after a woman brought a civil suit against the American football aspirant for assault. Hayne is not currently contracted to any NRL club.
*Sorry for the vague language but it’s to escape your spam filter.

JOBS GALORE
Our low unemployment rate of 5% was maintained in October with 32,800 jobs added in the month. More than 42,000 full-time roles were added, and part-time jobs declined by 9,500. Economic types said it’s the strength of the jobs market that’s supporting our healthy-ish consumer confidence, despite falling property prices in the biggest capitals and sucky wages growth.

CALORIES AIN’T CALORIES
Confession time: we’ve never met a carb we didn’t like. So it’s no surprise that a big new study published in an esteemed medical journal caught our eye. Basically, it found that a low-carb/high-fat diet over five months helped overweight adults rev up their metabolismto lose weight and keep it off. Further, diets higher in starch and sugar led to a lower metabolic rate. All in all, the findings challenge the concept that all calories are equal. That sound you can hear is us carb-addicts sobbing into our chip sandwiches…

A DIGEST OF ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS
WATCH OUT, SHARKS ABOUT – Sunshine Coast man Kyle Roberts was knocked off his kayak by a 4-metre tiger shark yesterday. Four metres… It lunged for him twice, but Roberts managed to hang on to the half-submerged kayak and radio for help while the shark circled below. Roberts was rescued uninjured but shaken. Yikes…

8-METRE WORM LIKE SEA CREATURE – We don’t know whether to be grossed out or in awe… The blob was described as “a colony of tiny sea animals that link together into a free-floating mass". Ok, we've settled on gross…

RACOONS NOT RABID, JUST DRUNK – Poor racoons, being slandered like that…

FRIDAY LITES – THREE THINGS WE LIKED THIS WEEK
One teenager, three Rubik’s cubes and a world record. Amazing.

Did you know that female face shaving was a thing? Us neither. This turned into a mega-distraction this week. Here are the pros. And the cons.

A great pavlova has been out of reach in our cooking adventures. This guide will sharpen us up in no time.

SQUIZ THE DAY

Friday
Japanese PM Shinzo Abe visits Darwin - the first time Japan's leader has visited the city it bombed in WWII

ABS Data Release - State Accounts, 2017-18

International Day for Tolerance

Anniversary of Milli Vanilli being stripped of their Grammy Award because the did not sing on the Girl You Know It's True album (1990)

Anniversary of the founding of Qantas (1920)

Saturday
7.20pm (AEDT) - Men's T20 Cricket - Australia v South Africa - Carrara

APEC Leaders Summit (on until 18 November)

Assembly of the Heads of State of the African Union

International Students' Day

World Prematurity Day

Start of Schoolies Week

10th anniversary of the premiere of vampire romance movie Twilight

Sunday
1.00am (AEDT) - Rugby Spring Tour - Wallabies v Ireland - Padua

2.00am (AEDT) - Women's World T20 Cricket - Australia v India - Guyana

INTERPOL General Assembly (on until 21 November) - Dubai

Start of National Skin Cancer Action Week

40th Anniversary of the Jonestown Massacre. More than 900 people died in Jonestown, Guyana after Peoples Temple cult leader Jim Jones urged them to kill themselves by drinking cyanide-laced grape punch

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