Squiz Today – Monday, 7 November

THE SQUIZ
The United Nations latest conference on climate change began overnight in Egypt, promising to bring some big names to Sharm El-Sheikh, beside the Red Sea. They might be gathering at a swanky resort, but it’s far from a holiday with world leaders from more than 120 nations participating, including US President Joe Biden and UK PM Rishi Sunak. Aussie PM Anthony Albanese will not be there – he’s sending Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen in his place. The attendees of the summit – COP27 – have a big job ahead of them over the next fortnight. They are under pressure to address what the UN has described as “woefully inadequate” global efforts to cut emissions.

SO WHAT ARE THEY TACKLING?
These COP meetings – standing for ‘conference of the parties’ – are always big, but every 5th meeting is set aside for reviewing nations’ emissions reduction targets. That happened last year at COP26 in Glasgow, resulting in new commitments to short (2030) and long-term (2050) goals. This time, COP27 is about delivering on those commitments. The UN worries that war in Ukraine and economic issues have been a distraction for wealthy nations. There is no time to waste – a UN report released last month found global temperatures are on track to increase by 2.5C, well above the goal of 1.5–2C. And UN chief Antonio Guterres says the world is on track for “catastrophe” if big-emitting wealthy nations do not do more with developing countries to tackle climate change ASAP.

WHERE’S AUSTRALIA UP TO WITH ALL OF THIS?
Great question. Australia’s approach has changed since COP26, and that’s down to 2 things… The change of federal government at the election has resulted in a new 43% emissions reduction target by 2030 – and the Albanese Government passed legislation backing that ambition in September. They’re still working on the ‘Safeguard Mechanism’, which will pressure our big polluters to reduce emissions. Nationals leader David Littleproud isn’t onboard – yesterday, he said he wants Team Albanese to explain how the country will reach its targets “and who pays for it”. One thing to keep an eye on as the conference continues: Australia is launching a bid with our Pacific neighbours to host the 2026 summit.

An Aussie fighter killed in Ukraine

Queenslander Trevor Kjeldal died while fighting in the Luhansk region of Ukraine on Wednesday last week after his battalion came under fire from Russian soldiers. The Australian Government’s advice is to stay out of it, but Kjeldal went there in March despite having no ties to Ukraine or previous military experience. A member of the 40yo’s unit recalled that they called him ‘Ninja’ because of his love of Japanese manga culture. Kjeldal is the 3rd Australian to die in the war – there are no official figures on Aussies taking up arms for Ukraine, but reports say between 200 and 600 have. One man still on the hunt for more troops is Russian President Vladimir Putin… Last week, his plan to mobilise Russian men from the general population was suspended after thousands fled the country. But with a new law signed yesterday, Putin can turn to Russia’s criminal population.

The Tyrrell case’s long and winding road

Last week, we talked about the accusation that William Tyrrell’s foster mother lied to the NSW Crime Commission about striking another child in her care with a wooden spoon. It was noteworthy because during a hearing last week, it was revealed how focused NSW Police are on the woman (who can’t be named for legal reasons) as a suspect in the disappearance of the 3yo boy in 2014. “I have formed the view [she] knows where William Tyrrell is,” Detective Sergeant Andrew Lonergan told the court. Well, on Friday, she was found not guilty of lying, with Magistrate Miranda Moody saying she could have been mistaken about the spoon and noted that she admitted hitting and kicking the child. “With this behind me, I hope that the police focus on finding William,” the woman said afterwards. No evidence has been made public that implicates William’s foster mother in his disappearance, and police say the investigation is ” very much active and ongoing”.

Flooded residents told to boil water

It’s been another weekend of major flooding in the Central West of NSW, with the Lachlan River peaking at 10.7m in Forbes – the highest in 70 years. The town was inundated over the weekend – even nurses had to use boats to get to the hospital… And as residents begin to evaluate the damage, they have been told to boil their water before consuming. The Murrumbidgee River at Wagga peaked at 9.72m on Friday, forcing hundreds to evacuate. More communities are on alert for flooding later this week as the water continues downstream. The wet, warm weather across the eastern states has also prompted another warning – it makes for a perfect, early-start breeding season for snakes. There’s been a record number of sightings in some areas, particularly in backyards near rivers and wetlands. Sssensational…

Twitter staff kicked out of nest

Australian staff of the social media platform have been caught up in the mass layoffs instigated on Friday by the company’s ‘Complaint Hotline Operator’ Elon Musk. Within a week of taking control of Twitter, Musk is shedding half of Twitter’s employees, starting with those in marketing, government relations and news curation. Over the weekend, some of Twitter’s 40 Oz-based team members talked about receiving a general email flagging changes ahead of being locked out of their work accounts. On Saturday, Musk tweeted “there is no choice when the company is losing over $4M/day.” That’s prompted former boss Jack Dorsey to apologise – he says he tried to grow the company too quickly. “I own the responsibility for why everyone is in this situation,” he tweeted. Next up: switching on a new revenue model…

Prepping so we’re not lost for words

What should we say to out intergalactic neighbours if they get in touch? That’s a question researchers at St Andrews in the UK are looking into. Expert Dr John Elliott says we need to be ready “for an event that could turn into reality as early as tomorrow and which we cannot afford to mismanage”. This isn’t entirely out of the blue – NASA and the US Department of Defense are investigating potential UFO sightings that officials have described as “frequent and ongoing”. There’s been 143 since 2004 which can’t be explained, and while a reason will be found for some, the experts say they need to keep up the work on those that can’t. So while we’re still not sure what’s out of this world, it’s some comfort that some talking points are being drawn up in case the day comes…

Sure, she was imprisoned by her cousin Elizabeth I and beheaded when she was 44yo, but Mary, Queen of Scots, did ok before her grizzly end… Previously unpublished financial accounts from the 1580s show she had access to fine foods, a large staff and horses. Still, she probably would have preferred to be the Queen of England…

A giant new seagrass ecosystem – possibly the largest in the world – has been discovered off the Bahamas using a new mapping technique that’s seen cameras and trackers strapped to tiger sharks. They went “deeper and farther than humans can” to make the important environmental discovery.

He’s tiny, he’s cuddly, he’s furry… And now Pumuckel the Shetland pony is vying for a big title of the ‘world’s smallest pony’. At 50cm tall and 35kg, he’s about a 3rd the size of a regular Shetland. He’s got a big personality, though… His owners say his “airs and graces” see him eating his breakfast with them inside their home.

6.30am (AEDT) – Rugby League Women’s World Cup 2 – Australia v France – England

10.00am (AEDT) – Former tennis great Ash Barty launches her book My Dream Time – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne

Federal Parliament resumes – House of Reps only this week as senators get stuck into Budget Estimates hearings

Company Results – Westpac

Start of National Recycling Week (on until 13 November)

Hug a Bear Day – US

Birthdays for DJ/music producer David Guetta (1967), and musos Matt Corby (1990) and Lorde (1996)

Anniversary of
• the birthdays of scientist Marie Curie (1867), Marxist revolutionary Leon Trotsky (1879), author Albert Camus (1913)
• Franklin D Roosevelt re-elected President of the United States for a record 4th term (1944)
• Hillary Clinton being elected to the US Senate, becoming the first US First Lady to win public office – and while still the First Lady (2000)
• the death of Leonard Cohen (2016)