Squiz Today – Friday, 26 April

SQUIZ SAYINGS

“We apologise for any confusion this caused.”

Said Sydney’s Daily Telegraph after a printing error saw many readers of the newspaper confused yesterday. Somehow the opinion page of a rival, the Sydney Morning Herald, made its way into the News Corp mainstay. “Spare a thought for some hapless printer,” said the Herald’s Kate McClymont...

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SRI LANKAN TERRORIST’S AUSSIE CONNECTION

THE SQUIZ
One of the Sri Lankan suicide bombers involved in the worst Islamist terrorist attack outside a war zone since the September 11, 2001 spent time studying in Melbourne between 2009 and 2013. Abdul Lathief Jameel Mohamed was one of the nine suicide bombers who killed at least 253 people on Easter Sunday. (Note: the death toll has been revised down to correct for a “calculation error”.) The Australian (paywall) the morning reports that Mohamed could have been radicalised here and that he could have had contact with jailed Islamic State terrorist Neil Prakash. Australian authorities have said there is no known threat in Australia linked to Mohamed.

WHAT MORE DO WE KNOW ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN SRI LANKA?
A bit more has been reported about those involved in the attack. The government says the bombers were “well educated and come from middle or upper-middle class” families. Two of the men, both in their early 30s, were members of a wealthy and politically connected family from the capital, Colombo. They were the sons of Mohamed Ibrahim, the founder of a spice exporting company, who has been detained by police. There are also disturbing reports that the pregnant wife of one of the bombers detonated a bomb as police raided her home on Sunday killing herself, her children and three police officers. More than 70 people have been arrested in connection to the bombings.

SPEAKING OF TERRORISM, WAS THERE A PLOT TO TARGET ANZAC SERVICES IN GALLIPOLI?
That’s what Turkish authorities said... News bulletins were dominated early yesterday by reports that an Islamic State member believed to be planning to attack the Anzac commemorations at Gallipoli attended by Aussies and Kiwilanders had been arrested. But PM Scott Morrison urged calm and didn’t want to be involved in "overstating any link" between the arrest and the Gallipoli dawn service. That's because terror arrests are "fairly routine" in Turkey and to link the man and the service would be "making a very big assumption," he said. None of which stopped 35,000 people from attending the Anzac Dawn Service in Canberra, or thousands from turning out for services and marches around the country.

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SQUIZ THE REST

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BALI BOMBING REBUFF

Plans to build a five-storey restaurant and nightclub development on the site of the Sari Club in Bali has angered some survivors of the 2002 bombing. Two-hundred-and-two people died in the terror attack, including 88 Aussies. A group of survivors had been working towards the development of a ‘peace' park', but developers are now demanding payment for a memorial to be constructed on the top level of the proposed building. PM Scott Morrison called the proposal “deeply distressing” and says he’ll work to have the decision overturned.

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BIDEN DONE WITH BIDING HIS TIME

Former Vice President Joe Biden has thrown his hat in the presidential nomination ring. Described by pundits as an “instant frontrunner” alongside Bernie Sanders, Biden joins a crowded field of about 20 people looking to become the Democrats’ candidate for the 2020 election. Biden released a video announcement on Twitter, and his pitch is firmly aimed in one direction - ridding the US of a Donald Trump presidency. Biden was recently forced to counter claims he's too touchy-feely.

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BABY IN THE SUMMIT TIME

It’s probably not the lyric Thirsty Merc were contemplating, but if the shoe fits…

WHEN PUTIN MET KIM - Moving on from stalled talks with US President Donald Trump, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has caught the VIP train to Vladivostok, Russia to meet up with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pundits say it’s a way for Kim to demonstrate he has powerful friends, while Russia aims to show it's a significant diplomatic broker.

WHEN XI MEETS THE WORLD - The three-day summit in Beijing to promote Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “project of the century” - the Belt and Road initiative - has kicked off with some big names attending (think Russia’s Putin, UK Chancellor Philip Hammond and Italian PM Giuseppe Conte). But is it an international initiative for economic cooperation or an exercise in legitimising China’s ‘debt diplomacy’? That’s the question...

WHEN MACRON AND ARDERN MEET TECH LEADERS - Put 15 May in your diary. That’s when French President Emmanuel Macron and New Zealand’s PM Jacinda Ardern will pull together world and technology leaders to discuss violent extremism online. But for now, she has a visit from Prince William to attend to...

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TO CUT OR NOT TO CUT?

Finally... Next month we can resurrect an office sweep for the outcome of the Reserve Bank's meeting on interest rates. Oh, happy day! Renewed speculation came after figures released on Wednesday showed inflation to be at 0% leading many economists and analysts to conclude that a rate cut is on the cards when the RBA board meets on the first Tuesday of May. The other layer of interest, of course, it that a rate cut during an election campaign can become a bit politically charged… Giddy up.

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SCREEN TIME RULES FOR LITTLE KIDS

It’s the first time the World Health Organisation has weighed in on how much time is ok for little ones to spend in front of a screen. Whether it be a TV, computer, or tablet to watch videos, play online games, for educational purposes or simply as a distraction, the new guidelines might come as a shock. Children less than 1yo should have no time in front of a screen, and rarely in their second year, the WHO says. Those aged 2-to-4yo should spend no more than an hour a day. The guidelines add to the mounting advice on limiting the amount of time children spend in front of screens - tough when access to mobile devices is growing sharply across the world.

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FRIDAY LITES - THREE THINGS WE LIKED THIS WEEK

Our Nicole (Kidman) is on the cover of this month’s Vanity Fair, and it got quite a bit of attention yesterday because of the pictures. The article - about her family and the rare joy of working with other women on Big Little Lies - is a good read. And the pics are there too…

In our pre-Squiz life, we bought an Elizabeth Barnett painting. In our current-Squiz life, we can only afford to admire her latest works (click ‘view exhibition') and imagine where we'd hang one of these beauties. And if we were in Melbourne, we'd get along to the exhibition starting tomorrow (on for one week only).

Love your lamb shanks? This Matt Moran recipe is on the menu for dinner tomorrow night. It’s real good. Tip: Use the french cut ones if you have time to get to a butcher, and if you can’t, make sure you trim the fat off. We're serving with some couscous made with chicken stock.

SQUIZ THE DAY

Friday
Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe to meet with US President Donald Trump - Washington

ABS Data Release - Producer Price Indexes, March; International Trade Price Indexes, March

World Intellectual Property Day

US First Lady Melania Trump’s birthday (1970)

Saturday
From 3.00pm (AEST) - Start of the Super Netball season

Freedom Day - South Africa

Anniversary of the Australian Labor Party under Prime Minister Chris Watson becoming the first labour movement-aligned government in the world (1904)

Nick Kyrgios’ birthday (1995)

Sunday
General election in Spain (its third in four years…)

World Day for Safety and Health at Work

Anniversary of Captain James Cook landing at Botany Bay (1770)

Jimmy Barnes’ birthday (1956)