Squiz Today – Thursday, 16 August

SQUIZ SAYINGS

"Peekaboo…"

It's a Lennon/McCartney reunion, one generation on.

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POLLIES VOW TOLERANCE

THE SQUIZ
Katter’s Australia Party Senator Fraser Anning has come under fire for his use of Nazi-era terminology in his first ever speech in the Senate on Tuesday night. Calling for an overhaul of the immigration system (he believes most migrants should have a European Christian background and Muslims should be banned), Anning said; "The final solution to the immigration problem is of course a popular vote." The phrase ‘final solution’ was used by the Nazis to describe the annihilation of the Jewish people. And he's not apologising.

WHO IS THIS BLOKE?
Until this week, his claim to fame was finding himself a member of the parliament after receiving just 19 first preference votes in the 2016 election. Anning became a senator representing Queensland in November last year after the citizenship cluster-disaster claimed One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts. Anning ditched his One Nation allegiance and joined Katter’s party a couple of months ago. Some commentators wondered aloud why it took him nine months to give his first speech in the Senate (although the saying “better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt” comes to mind…).

WHY IS THIS A BIG DEAL?
Forests have been written about the divisive tenor of our politics. But the reaction to Anning’s speech would warm even the coldest cynic’s heart. A Jewish Liberal embraced a Muslim Labor MP. Political foes stood united in their condemnation of Anning and expressions of desire for tolerance. There were vows to do better.

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SQUIZ THE REST

FIRE SEASON COMES EARLY TO NSW
There are more than 90 fires burning - 50 uncontained - up and down the NSW coast with strong winds and dry conditions providing the ideal conditions. Two of the most serious are on the South Coast: one is an out-of-control blaze near Bega, the other in the Budawang National Park near Ulladulla. Both were downgraded to ‘watch and act’ late yesterday. An earlier fire near Nowra that destroyed some outbuildings and forced evacuations was brought under control. It’s three-and-a-half months until the start of summer…

SEARCHING FOR SURVIVORS… AND ANSWERS
The search for victims and survivors of the Genoa bridge collapse continues and is expected to be ongoing for days. The number of dead differs across reports – from 22 to 36 people. Residents of buildings close to the bridge have been evacuated until a safety assessment of the area is completed. The cause of the disaster is yet to be confirmed, but engineers say it was likely ‘structural failure’.

SUICIDE BOMBER TARGETS STUDENTS
Forty-eight people have been killed and almost 70 injured in a suicide bombing at an education centre in Kabul, Afghanistan. Authorities say the attacker detonated a bomb belt after walking into the centre that was giving extra tuition to teenagers getting ready for uni entrance exams. The Taliban has denied responsibility. Militant violence in Afghanistan has been on the rise in recent weeks. There’s been a major Taliban assault on the city of Ghazni where more than 100 security forces members and 150 civilians have been killed.

LEIFER TO FACE EXTRADITION HEARING
She’s the former school principal of an ultra-orthodox Jewish girls’ school in Melbourne accused of abusing tens of girls more than a decade ago. Malka Leifer fled to Israel in 2008. In response to a significant effort by alleged victims to see the case pursued, Australian authorities have been seeking her extradition since 2014. Claims by Leifer that her fragile mental health would be damaged by a trial stalled action being taken by Israeli authorities. But yesterday, Jerusalem's chief psychiatrist said she was fit to face an extradition hearing. That will happen in November.

QUICK BUSINESS NEWS WRAP
WESFARMERS PAYS FOR MISTAKE – The parent company of retail brands including Coles supermarkets reported a 58% drop in full-year net profit. That’s because it took a $1.3bn hit to wrap up the Bunnings UK misadventure. And Target continues to perform like a stretched out pair of trackie dacks – ie poorly. Meanwhile, Guy Russo, the highly regarded boss of Kmart/Target, is retiring.

FAIRFAX BOWS OUT ON A LOW NOTE – The newspaper publisher reported a $63.8 million loss for 2017-18. The main reason for so much red was the write down of its regional news network and New Zealand news website. But pre-tax earnings from its metro newspaper business were up. Over to Nine…

ABC SHOPS TO CLOSE – The national broadcaster is closing its online store and will remove ABC Centres from third-party retailers’ stores. It’s in response to changing consumer preferences. That means we’re not buying DVDs, books and B1/B2 toys from them anymore.

WEIGHT RACE
If you’ve ever suspected that blokes drop weight faster than women, you’d be right. A new study monitored 2,000 pre-diabetic, overweight men and women on an 800 calorie-a-day diet over two months. Not only did the men lose more weight (11.8kg v 10.2kg), they also scored better in lowering their heart rate, losing body fat, and decreasing the risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Sexist fat cells, that’s all women need…

SQUIZ THE DAY

ABS Data Releases - Labour Force, July; Average Weekly Earnings, May

Company earnings announcements - Origin Energy; Seven West Media; Tatts Group; Telstra

Madonna has a significant birthday (1958)

Anniversary of Elvis' death (1977)