Squiz Today – Wednesday, 11 July

THREE MINUTE SQUIZ

“Don’t let life slip by without giving it a go at some point.”

Peter Crocker, Squiz podcast devotee and editor of Flying Solo, a community for micro business owners, channels what we thought when we started The Squiz. He has some great tips if you've had it up to here (*gestures above head*) with your day job. And he's a Beyoncé fan. Please welcome Peter to this week's Three Minute Squiz.

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THAI CAVE RESCUE MISSION A SUCCESS

THE SQUIZ
The final four boys and their 25yo soccer coach were rescued last night after being trapped in a cave in northern Thailand since 23 June. As one commentator put it, last night “Mission Impossible became Mission Accomplished.”

WHAT HAPPENED?
Rescue organisers decided to attempt to get everyone out yesterday after pondering a plan to stagger the rescues over a couple of days. Nineteen divers entered the cave at 10am local time, many for the third day in a row, and after a quick nine hours, the job was done (without quirky entrepreneur Elon Musk’s help). Reports say the boys’ coach Ekapol Chantawong was the weakest of the group because he had refused to eat any of the food they had with them to make sure the boys had as much as possible.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
• The group are quarantined in hospital where they will stay for at least a week. Doctors are looking for signs of ‘cave disease’. And after a couple of weeks with next to nothing to eat, their reintroduction to food also needs to be managed.

• Their parents have been allowed to see them through a window, and they will be allowed contact when tests show the boys are in the clear.

• After they’re released, they’ll have their pick of international soccer experiences with the group being feted by the likes of FIFA and Manchester United.

Chief of the rescue mission Narangsak Osottanakorn said; "We did something nobody thought possible." Bloody terrific.

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SQUIZ THE REST

POLLIES STOMP THROUGH TESTY TUESDAY
Former Labor leader Mark Latham said a return to politics is something ‘people’ are urging him to do. (Which is possibly as big a croc as this guy...) But for now, Latham is campaigning against his former team, and for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation in the key Longman by-election in Queensland. This is a big deal because One Nation’s preferences are important in deciding the contest. And if Labor loses the seat, it will likely leave leader Bill Shorten as dinged up as George Clooney.

Meanwhile, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says she will launch defamation proceedings against Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm over comments he made about her alleged (ahem) extracurricular activities. Both have launched GoFundMe campaigns.

The thing to watch out for today – more on electricity prices. The ACCC is releasing its report on the sector, and PM Malcolm Turnbull is making a speech about it.

TRUMP MAKES SUPREME COURT NOMINATION
US President Donald Trump yesterday tapped federal judge Brett Kavanaugh as his choice to replace retiring Supreme Court judge Anthony Kennedy. Some say this is Trump’s most important decision in the top job to date. Kavanaugh has ties to Trump’s Republican party having worked in George W Bush’s White House. And his conservative values scare the billy-o out of Democrats. Why does it matter? The Supreme Court plays a key role in America's system of government through its constitutional powers to check the actions of the president and Congress.

HOUSEKEEPING!
Three quick updates on recent stories we’ve covered:

JAPAN DISASTER UPDATE – Officials confirmed 155 people are dead and dozens remain missing after floods and landslides devastated western Japan. Two million people have been evacuated. The pictures are staggering.

MARIO SANTORO CHARGED – He’s accused of killing Cecilia Haddad in Sydney and has been charged with murder by police in Brazil.

OFO BIKES GO – Which means some of the dockless bikes will be rounded up and removed from our streets (and more unsuitable places). A question mark remains over the staying power of oBike (which has gone into liquidation) and Reddy Go (which is leaving Sydney).

MORE SPORT THAN YOU CAN POKE A BALL/RACQUET/FOOTY AT
World Cup Soccer – France took the win over Belgium this morning to advance to the final. England takes on Croatia at 4.00am tomorrow in a big game. Finally, some games that are on our stupid o'clock schedule…

Wimbledon – Serena Williams continues her winning form and is through to the semi-finals. In the men’s, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are still in it.

State of Origin – With NSW having already won the series, the game tonight is one for die-hard fans. (Which means if you’re not at all into it, this is a great excuse to be your dismissive best.) If you hang out with the kind of people who are impressed by useless footy stats, then you might want to read this State of Origin in numbers wrap.

VALE SAM CHISHOLM
The television world has lost one of its titans with the death of former Channel Nine boss Sam Chisholm this week. The former floor-wax salesman from New Zealand rose to the loftiest heights a media career can afford – going on to lead Nine through its 70s and 80s salad days. A time when lunches were long, profits were enormous, and TV careers were made and broken at the whim of men like Chisholm. He later became one of Rupert Murdoch’s trusted lieutenants, going on to run the BSkyB satellite network in London. Chisholm underwent a lung transplant in 2003, affording what his only child Caroline said was a highly appreciated “second chance at life”. No doubt a lot of big stories will be told about the man in the coming days.

SQUIZ THE DAY

12.00pm - PM Malcolm Turnbull addresses the Queensland Media Club - Brisbane

12.30pm (AEST) - Mark Lynas, British Author & Environmental Activist, addresses the National Press Club on 'Seeds of Science - why we got it so wrong on GMOs' - Canberra

8.00pm (AEST) - Rugby League - State of Origin Game 3 - Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

4.00am Thursday (AEST) - Soccer World Cup - England v Croatia

NATO Summit - Brussels, Belgium

ACCC to release its audit of the energy sector

ABS Data Release - Housing Finance, May; Building Activity, March

Westpac Consumer Confidence Index

UN World Population Day

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was first published on this day in 1960