Squiz Today – Wednesday, 23 October

SQUIZ SAYINGS

"Banzai!”

Which is Japanese for “ten thousand years”, and it’s the cheer that went up as Japan’s Emperor Naruhito was formally enthroned yesterday. Which it seems like an unreasonable expectation to put on a 59yo…

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TRUDEAU SCRAPES IN FOR A SECOND TERM

THE SQUIZ
Pundits said it was going to be close going into Monday’s general election in Canada - and it was. PM Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party will not win a majority of seats in the Commons, but a coalition with the New Democratic Party will see it retake power. And in a twist of fate for the Conservative Party, it looks to have beaten the Liberals on the popular vote but was not able to convert that support into seats.

WHAT’S THAT ABOUT?
"If people were to describe the election, it would be 'Indecision 2019'," said one pollster. And one of Canada’s largest newspapers, the Toronto Star, says the result reflects voter ambivalence toward the two major parties. “No one issue emerged as dominant, and no platform captured the imagination of voters. In the end, it appeared to come down to a question of Canadians evaluating the individual leaders, with voters not ready to hand power to [the Conservatives], nor willing to cut Trudeau much slack,” it deduced. The campaign was also said to be one of the nastiest in some years - another turn-off for voters. But with the election run and won, Trudeau yesterday said he would “govern for everyone”.

AND DID ISRAEL GET A GOVERNMENT AFTER ITS RECENT ELECTION?
It's incredible how our minds work in sync… There was no clear winner after voters hit the polls last month, and yesterday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave up on trying to form a governing coalition. That opens a possible path to power for his rival and former army chief Benny Gantz. But that’s not certain, and a third election in less than a year may be required. Close watchers of Israeli politics described this week’s events as “remarkable”.

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SQUIZ THE REST

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CEASEFIRE SLATED TO END AS ERDOGAN MEETS PUTIN

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have spent six hours discussing the “quite heated situation” along the border between Turkey and Syria. Reports say the pair reached an agreement to establish a "terror-free safe zone" in the northeastern Syrian region where Kurdish fighters had been working with the US until President Donald Trump announced plans to withdraw a couple of weeks ago. A five-day ceasefire is set to end this morning. Since the Turkish military offensive started, about 200,000 people have been displaced, reports say. The Sydney Morning Herald/Age and New York Times' 'The Daily' podcast both have accounts of what it’s like for Australian women and kids currently in the al-Hawl camp, which is in the conflict zone.

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BREXIT’S CAMEL STUCK GETTING THROUGH PARLIAMENT’S NEEDLE EYE

Three days is what UK PM Boris Johnson had set down for the UK Parliament to consider the fine details of his plan to leave the European Union, and at the moment they can't even sign up to the timetable, let alone the Brexit plan… With MPs rejecting the timetable this morning, Johnson said he would again push for a general election because he can “in no way allow months more of this." Labour and crossbench MPs have called the move "childish blackmail" and had criticised the timetable to consider the important legislation as “a disgraceful attempt to dodge accountability”. Let's see what twist or turn this takes in the coming 24 hours...

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MEDEVAC NUMBERS AND THE GOVERNMENT'S PITCH

With this week's Senate Estimates comes the unveiling of some important numbers, and one of the hottest shows in Parliament House is the update on our offshore detention system. The latest is: 632 refugees have been resettled in America, and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton yesterday said he reckons the US is good to take about 250 more. Four asylum seekers remain on Manus Island involuntarily, and there are less than 300 on Nauru. On the Medevac arrangement put in place before the election, 13 of the 132 people who have come to Australia for medical treatment required hospitalisation. Those numbers form part of a pitch to independent Tassie Senator Jacquie Lambie with Dutton lobbying for her support to repeal the Medevac laws.

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BOEING’S WINGS CLIPPED BY CRASH SCANDAL

Almost a year on from the Lion Air crash that killed 189 people, and more than six months after the Ethiopian Airlines crash that claimed all 157 onboard, and Boeing, the manufacturer of the 737 MAX jetliners involved, is still reeling from the fallout. In the last couple of days, Boeing’s investors have had cause to worry as analysts downgraded their rating of the company. The negative assessment follows disclosures that the plane’s flight-control system that has been implicated in both crashes was raised as an issue by a test pilot during simulator exercises. Experts say the revelation will likely keep the fleet grounded and potentially add to the company’s legal liabilities. All of which sets a terrible scene for CEO Dennis Muilenburg who will front up to answer questions before a US Congressional hearing next week.

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BEWARE THE WARM PATCH

Don’t worry, it’s nothing gross. But it might get a bit sweaty… Every capital city except Hobart will hit more than 30C at some point in what remains of this week. It will be a scorcher in Adelaide today and tomorrow. Thursday will be a hot one for Melbourne and Canberra. Sydney's looking hot on Friday. And Brissie and Perth should brace for a warm weekend. Meanwhile, Darwin recorded its second-hottest day in 78 years of records on Monday with the mercury hitting 38.2C. Yikes… The Top End capital will spend most of the rest of the week in the mid-30s. It's also warm across regional Australia, and authorities are worried about the increased risk of fires.

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WELCOME BACK, KNICKERS…

A lot has happened to our favourite giant steer from WA since he broke the internet last year. Knickers has found himself a best mate named Lucky for one thing. And he's made his show debut. We wonder what tune he led with...

SQUIZ THE DAY

Horse trainer Darren Weir to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on animal cruelty and conspiracy charges

Botswana’s general election

Mole Day (which is actually about chemistry…)

Ryan Reynolds’ birthday (1976) - Hugh Jackman alert…