Squiz Today – Wednesday, 22 November

SQUIZ SAYINGS

“Get out of the way, bus!”

Said an incensed TV cameraman (plus a few choice words) as his shot of yesterday’s implosion of the Georgia Dome, home of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, was ruined. He was all set up to live stream the momentous local event when a city bus blocked his view just as the blasts commenced, driving off just as it finished. Perfect and terrible timing all at once.

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US GOES HARD ON NORTH KOREA AND HAITIANS

THE SQUIZ
While Australian politics catches its breath, the US stepped into the breach to offer up a couple of newsworthy items:

1. President Donald Trump yesterday put North Korea back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

2. The Trump administration told nearly 60,000 Haitians that their protected status is to be revoked and they'll need to leave the country.

WILL NORTH KOREA PULL ITS HEAD IN NOW?
Probably not. Trump said putting North Korea on the 'state sponsors of terrorism' list should have happened a long time ago. (It was previously on the list but had been removed by President George W Bush in 2008.) "The regime has made numerous lethal incursions in South Korea, attempted to assassinate senior leaders, attacked South Korean ships and tortured Otto Warmbier, ultimately leading to that fine young man's death," Trump said. What it means is the US can implement new sanctions to put more pressure on Kim Jong Un to abandon his nuclear and ballistic missile program. Stay tuned for North Korea’s response.

AND WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THE HAITIANS?
Remember the 2010 Haiti earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people? Confession time - sadly we had to refresh our memory too… America took in 58,700 Haitians under its Temporary Protected Status program that gave them the ability to live and work in the US. Yesterday the Department of Homeland Security announced their TPS status would end by July 2019 after finding "those extraordinary but temporary conditions caused by the 2010 earthquake no longer exist” meaning they will need to leave the US. Democrats said the President was cruel. It’s an interesting contrast with what went down in the White House Briefing Room yesterday - press secretary Sarah Sanders had the journos start their question by saying what they were thankful for. That really happened...

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SUPPORT FOR RENEWABLES

PRESENTED BY COMMONWEALTH BANK

Did you know the Commonwealth Bank lent $2.8 billion to renewable energy generation projects last financial year? Why would you unless someone pointed it out to you, we guess... But they did, and it's funding a range of different projects, including solar farms developed by Edify Energy that are well on the way to powering more than 150,000 Australian homes. That's a lot of sunshine and solar panels.

Check out how the Commonwealth Bank is supporting Australia’s transition to a low-carbon economy. 

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SQUIZ THE REST

MUGABE RESIGNS
After a week of high drama in Zimbabwe and almost four decades of his vice-like grip on power, President Robert Mugabe has resigned. His former party Zanu-PF was making good on its threat to impeach him in the parliament and had started the process when the news came through that he was going. "My decision to resign is voluntary on my part and arises from my concern for the welfare of the people of Zimbabwe and my desire for a smooth, non-violent transfer of power," he said in a letter. Yeah sure… Former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa is expected to be installed as interim leader by the end of today. People are celebrating in the streets.

ARGENTINE SUB UPDATE
The sounds thought to be coming from the Argentine military submarine didn’t come from the vessel, it was confirmed yesterday. If the San Juan and its 44 crew are submerged, and the Argentine Navy now says it thinks it is, things are looking pretty grim. When the San Juan went missing it had enough oxygen onboard to last until tomorrow. But if it’s on the surface they should have enough air and supplies to last a month, according to officials. Argentina’s naval commander Gabriel Galeazzi said there is a massive search effort underway with assistance from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Peru, South Africa, Uruguay, the UK and US.

GOVERNMENT RECOMMENDS LIMITING KIDS’ SCREEN TIME
Don’t you love a government report that gives you advice on how to live your life? And it’s never good news like “have that third glass of wine – it’s good for you!” The government’s 24-Hour Movement Guidelines were released yesterday and are designed “to help parents and carers create healthy daily practices for babies and young children”. Pulled together by experts, it outlines what a typical day for a young-un should look like. The big one is screen time - newborns to 2yo = 0; toddlers and up to 5yo = one hour a day. And pre-schoolers should get up to 13 hours sleep a day. Hear that? That’s the sound of parents all over Australia screaming: “Lay off will you, I’m doing my best!”

AUSSIE AG HAS A BUMPER YEAR
What’s big in agriculture this season? It's cotton. The fluffy stuff made the most money per tonne of all the (legal) crops we produced in 2016-17. The succinctly named Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences said the value of Aussie farm production reached a record $63 billion. Beef production was our most valuable sector at $13.1 billion followed by wheat at $6.2 billion. And here’s something else to impress your mates with – agriculture makes up 15% of our exports with China, the United States, Japan, South Korea and Indonesia making up the top five destinations. Unfortunately the current financial year isn’t looking as bright with lower rainfall and commodity prices predicted.

US BROADCASTER CHARLIE ROSE ACCUSED OF HARASSMENT
US current affairs giant Charlie Rose has been brought unstuck by harassment allegations from eight women who worked for him from the 90s up until 2011. “In my 45 years in journalism, I have prided myself on being an advocate for the careers of the women with whom I have worked… It is essential that these women know I hear them and that I deeply apologise for my inappropriate behaviour. I am greatly embarrassed,” he said. Broadcasters CBS and PBS have suspended him from his popular programs. And while we have you, this article on how to apologise is worth a read.

UK CHRISTMAS AD UPDATE
A couple of crackers (geddit?) have come out in the last week or so. Department store John Lewis recruited Oscar-winning screenwriter Michel Gondry and put a Beatles song behind their ‘Moz the Monster’ ad. Moz is very cute – albeit similar to 80s children’s book character ‘Mr Underbed’, according to the author. (Can you imagine anyone getting away with calling a children's character Mr Underbed these days?) But the one that surprised us was this Chrissy ad for Heathrow airport. No, we didn’t get a bit teary, there was something in our eye. Those darn bears…

SQUIZ THE DAY

12.30pm (AEDT) - Social Services Minister Christian Porter to address the National Press Club on 'Outcome-based Welfare Reform' - Canberra

ABS Data Release - Construction Work Done, September

Independence Day - Lebanon

20th anniversary of the death of INXS frontman Michael Hutchence

Anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963