Squiz Today – Friday, 26 May

MOVES TO IMPROVE TERROR RESPONSE

THE SQUIZ
The federal government will review arrangements to make it easier for the military to be ‘called out’ to deal with terrorist attacks like the Lindt Café siege. The announcement came after a week focused on terrorism after the NSW Coroner’s handing down his report into the siege, Monday night’s suicide bombing in Manchester, and a suicide bombing in Jakarta. Former PM John Howard said yesterday he believed it is remarkable that more attacks haven’t occurred.

THAT’S ALL A BIT GRIM. GIVE ME SOME COMFORT…
We’ll start at the top. Australia is part of a ‘five eyes’ security sharing agreement – our security agencies share info with their counterparts in the US, UK, Canada and NZ. Authorities say it has helped them to head off many threats. We also have highly regarded elite military divisions who are well-trained and battle-hardened, and it's largely agreed their expertise should be available for use in incidents like the Lindt Café siege. But as Howard said yesterday, we live in a world where there is no guarantee of protection against the evils of terrorists determined to inflict damage on innocent people. 

WHAT'S CHANGING?
If you are planning on going to a major event anytime soon, authorities and event organisers say to expect longer queues for thorough bag scanning and increased security presence. Footy crowds have been advised to add about 20 minutes to get into the grounds this weekend. Reports say Melbourne’s main sporting stadiums are considering only allowing clear plastic bags or small clutch handbags. Sydney’s three-week Vivid festival (which last year attracted 2.3 million people) kicks off tonight. Police will be on the ground with sniffer dogs, monitoring from the air, and areas have been barricaded to prevent a car from being driven into the crowd. And then there’s State of Origin in Brisbane next Wednesday. No city will be unaffected it seems. #signofthetimes

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SQUIZ THE REST

UK FURIOUS WITH MANCHESTER INFORMATION LEAK IN US
One interesting sub-story of the Manchester bombing bubbled to the surface yesterday and set UK PM Theresa May on a course for confrontation with US President Donald Trump when they met at the NATO Summit overnight. Earlier in the week the US media were given information about the Manchester bombing before the UK government had released it. Home Secretary Amber Rudd expressed her annoyance, and the US said ‘soz’. Then crime scene photos appeared in the New York Times. Police investigating the bombing have stopped sharing information with the US, and President Donald Trump has vowed to get to the bottom of the leaks. Eight men have now been arrested over the attack, including three members of bomber Salman Abedi’s family.

JAKARTA BOMBING KILLS THREE POLICEMEN
Indonesian authorities last night confirmed the blasts from two suicide bombers that killed three policemen and injured ten civilians were linked to Islamic State. The attack took place on Wednesday night, and police say the Manchester attack could have been their inspiration. Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, and they have experienced a number of Islamic State related terror incidents in the last couple of years.

FINANCIAL REVIEW’S RICHIE RICH LIST
Anthony Pratt, boss of cardboard and packaging manufacturers Pratt Industries, topped this year’s Australian Financial Review Rich List with a fortune of $12.6 billion. Pratt The Younger took over management of the business following the death of his father Richard in 2009. Since then, Anthony has doubled the size of the business, helped along by strong growth in the US. The others in the top five (who you should definately work on your relationship with) are Harry Triguboff (property), Gina Rinehart (resources), Frank Lowy (shopping centres) and Ivan Glasenberg (resources).

SCHAPELLE RETURNS TO OZ TOMORROW
One thing we know for sure, the media circus around Schapelle Corby’s arrival back in Australia tomorrow will be mega cray-cray. In case you’ve been living in some Siberian cave for the last 13 years, we'll quickly recap. Corby was arrested trying to enter Bali with 4.1kg of cannabis inside a bodyboard bag in 2004 and was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2005. She was let out on parole in 2014 and will be deported from Indonesia tomorrow. She maintains her innocence. Indonesia’s drug enforcement agency is not happy about her leaving Indonesia – they say she should be in prison. The saga that put the trainee beautician from the Goldie into the spotlight has brought us so many characters including mum Rosleigh Rose and sister Mercedes. Probably not much chance they’ll fade from view quite yet. 

FRIDAY LITES – THREE THINGS WE’VE LIKED THIS WEEK
When we saw the news yesterday that a warrant has been issued for the arrest of Bikram yoga founder, Bikram Choudhury, after he failed to pay millions of dollars in legal fees for a sexual harassment case, it made us think of this article from 2014. A good read, even for the non-yogis.

Sorry to bring you down, but the BBC has this detailed piece about an alternative to burial and cremation – it’s called alkaline hydrolysis. Basically, the body is dissolved. Fascinating.

Netflix releases House of Cards Season 5 next week, so in preparation here’s an interview in this week’s Net-a-Porter mag with Robin Wright who, of course, plays the fabulous but terrifying Claire Underwood. Wright is interviewed by Shirley Manson from the 90’s band Garbage. Remember them?

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SQUIZ SAYINGS

“Despacito / I don’t know the words so I say Poquito / I don’t know the words so I say Dorito.”

Pop brat Justin Bieber currently has the #1 song in the US and UK – it’s called Despacito and it's got big sections of lyrics in Spanish. It's quite a catchy song, even if we have no idea what it's about.  Neither does the Biebs by all accounts - he's taken to substituting his own words to carry the tune. Chances are it will only make his Latin Beliebers love him even more.

SQUIZ THE DAY

Friday

G7 Summit, Italy

Start of Vivid Sydney (runs until 17 June)

Saturday

Schapelle Corby returns to Australia

Ramadan begins

Start of National Reconciliation Week and the 50th anniversary of the 1967 'yes' vote on a referendum on Indigenous affairs

'Marvel - Creating the Cinematic Universe' Exhibition Opening, exclusive to Brisbane's GOMA (runs until 3 September)

Sunday

1.30pm - ABC's 7.30 host Leigh Sales and Buzzfeed founder Jonah Peretti in a Vivid Festival 'Game Changer' Talk - City Recital Hall, Sydney

International Menstrual Hygiene Day - CARE Australia are aiming to raise $44,000 to provide 560 girls at ten schools in Tanna, Vanuatu with reusable, washable pads, training materials and awareness sessions. They are focused on Vanuatu because girls can miss up to five days of school per month when they are menstruating. You can donate here.