Squiz Today – Tuesday, 16 November

THE SQUIZ
The Australian this morning reports that the foster parents of William Tyrrell are “in frame” as people of interest in the boy’s disappearance and that an apprehended violence order has been taken out against them following an alleged assault on a related child (paywall). It’s been more than 7 years since 3yo William Tyrrell disappeared from the front yard of his foster grandmother’s home in the mid-north coast village of Kendall, NSW. And yesterday, Police Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett said they are “looking for the remains” of the missing boy in a series of new “high-intensity” searches. That’s “in response to evidence” received in the course of their investigation, he says. What that evidence is and who has provided it is unknown.

BACK IT UP A BIT…
It was 12 September 2014 that William went missing. He was dressed in a Spiderman suit and roaring like a tiger as he played with his 5yo sister. His foster mother says she left them briefly to go inside to make a cuppa, and she previously recalled the moment when she said it was “too quiet” and was unable to find him. A search was mounted, and after no sign of William was found, authorities concluded he had been kidnapped. What followed was one of its biggest ever investigations launched by NSW Police involving hundreds of people of interest. In 2016, a $1 million reward for information leading to the conviction of the person responsible for his disappearance was offered. That remains in place, but William has not been found, and no one has been charged over his disappearance.

SO WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT WHAT’S NEW?
On the search, Bennett says investigators will “clear ground and go subterranean” in 3 areas close to where William went missing. He says the hope is this new search effort will bring the investigation to a close. As for how William’s foster parents fit into the picture as people of interest, there are more questions than answers at this stage… Neither police nor the family has officially commented on those developments last night.

Liverpool explosion an act of terror

As the UK marked Remembrance Sunday, a suspected terrorist with a homemade bomb died when it exploded inside a taxi outside the Liverpool Women’s Hospital. He hasn’t been formally identified, but the driver was local man David Perry, and he managed to escape before the car caught fire. He is being hailed a hero for locking the doors and preventing the man from getting out. Overnight, the incident was declared a terror incident by authorities, and 4 men have been arrested in the city under the Terrorism Act. It has seen the UK’s terror threat level lifted to ‘severe’, which indicates that an attack somewhere in the UK is highly likely. It is the 2nd terror incident in a month in the UK after Conservative MP Sir David Amess was stabbed and killed. UK PM Boris Johnson said it was a “stark reminder for all of us to remain vigilant”.

Chinese tennis champ missing

China’s Peng Shuai may not be the biggest name in world tennis, but recently she made some big allegations. Peng accused former Vice Premier (kinda like an Aussie cabinet minister) Zhang Gaoli of “coercing” her to have sex with him. She also said they had an on-off consensual relationship for about 10 years after the incident. She says there is no evidence supporting her accusations, which are the first of their kind levelled at a Chinese official as senior as Zhang. That was almost 2 weeks ago, and she has not been seen or heard from since… Fans and fellow players, including American great Chris Evert, have taken to social media calling for confirmation that she is safe. And yesterday, the Women’s Tennis Association called for a full investigation. The #MeToo movement has been largely quashed by Chinese authorities after allegations against prominent men hit the headlines in 2018.

Targets set as we race to an election

In the wake of the Glasgow Climate Pact that doesn’t go far enough to lock in emissions reductions that would ensure global warming is kept well under 2C, Australia’s political leaders yesterday gave their take. Asked if he will deliver more emissions cuts ASAP, PM Scott Morrison said yeah nah… He says the Glasgow deal delivers a “request to revisit” earlier targets and what matters is that Australia is on track to cut emissions by 35% by 2030, which is more than our formal target of 26-28%. Instead, Morrison switched the conversation to the management of the economy, fancying himself over the opposition. For Labor’s part, Anthony Albanese yesterday said the party will release its climate plan, including a 2030 emissions reduction target, “before the end of the year”. As we head towards an election, The Australian’s Newspoll (paywall) shows Morrison trailing Albanese on trust and likability but ahead on decisiveness.

Welcome to summer…

NSW’s emergency services have urged 800 residents of Forbes in the state’s central west to evacuate their homes as the Lachlan River threatens to burst thanks to heavy rains. The weather bureau forecasts floodwaters to peak at 10.55 metres tonight and 10.65 metres tomorrow morning – levels not seen since a major flood in 2016. Heavy rains over the past week have already caused flooding along the Lachlan at Cowra, with authorities warning residents in those areas to keep an eye on officials warnings as the situation is “likely to change and it can escalate quickly.” NSW is not the only state being jerked around by the weather 2 weeks ahead of summer… The ACT got to 1C overnight. And parts of southern Tassie woke up to a blanket of snow yesterday as temperatures in Hobart dropped to 2.9C – its coldest November night in 60 years.

Sacré blue…

In a move that would cause an uproar in most nations we can think of, officials yesterday confirmed French President Emmanuel Macron has switched out the brighter shade of blue in the French flag for a darker, navy blue shade. There was no official announcement, but observant folks say the flags were raised at the presidential palace last year. No, it’s not to match the Aussie-allergic leader’s eyes… Reports say Macron wanted to bring back the navy shade to honour the French Revolution. To explain: the French tricolour flag featuring navy blue has been in use since the French Revolution, and it wasn’t until 1976 that France used a brighter blue to match that of the flag of Europe. Also, a presidential election is coming up next year, and Oz has witnessed Macron’s penchant for defending French values…

A 32yo unemployed man who lives with his divorced mother has been told by an Italian court that he does not have the right to keep receiving financial support from his father. He’s now full bottle on the “principle of self-responsibility” – ouch…

A penguin from Antarctica has given Kiwis a shock after it turned up on a beach in Christchurch. It was a bit under the weather after the 3,200km journey, so wildlife rescuers gave it fluids and fish smoothies before releasing it back into the wild. How’s that for hospitality?

“I keep forgetting you’re still alive,” Tesla/SpaceX boss Elon Musk tweeted in response to US Senator Bernie Sanders’ call for the extremely wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes. What a Burn(ie)…

9.00am (AEDT) – Telstra Investor Day

11.00am (AEDT) – Reserve Bank releases the minutes from its November meeting

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden to meet virtually to talk about a few little things… 

Company AGM – Mirvac

World Sanfilippo Awareness Day

International Day for Tolerance

Anniversary of:
• the foundation of Havana after Cuba moved its capital to avoid mosquito infestations (1519)
• New Zealand officially becoming a separate colony within the British Empire, severing its link to New South Wales (1840)
• the founding of Qantas (1920)
• the founding of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (1945)
• Milli Vanilli being stripped of their Grammy Award because they did not sing on the Girl You Know It’s True album (1990)
• the first case of SARS virus recorded in China, though it wasn’t identified until later (2002)
• the debut of Lionel Messi for FC Barcelona (2003)

Wednesday
2.00am (AEDT) – World Cup Soccer Qualifier – Australia v China – UAE