Squiz Today – Wednesday, 24 July

THREE MINUTE SQUIZ

"When I was still studying, I would get really anxious before exams. I'd tell my dad that I didn't think I was going to do well. His response was always the same. He'd say to me ‘don't sit the exam if you're going in with that mindset because you've already lost the battle.’”

Says positive thinker Lily Serna - a mathematician who has shined on TV, featured in Vogue, and can teach you how to win at Rock-Paper-Scissors using game theory. Now at Atlassian, Lily is a cheese-loving advocate for more women in STEM (aka science, technology, engineering and maths…). Please welcome the Squizing whiz to this week’s Three Minute Squiz.

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BO-JO NEW UK PM

THE SQUIZ
Too much too early? Let us spell it out - Boris Johnson is the new prime minister of the United Kingdom. After Theresa May fell on her Brexit sword about a million years ago (it was on 24 May…), the parade of leadership hopefuls was whittled down to two candidates - Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt and Brexit-enthusiast Boris Johnson. They were put to the vote of 160,000 Conservative Party members who came down in favour of Johnson winning two votes for every one received by Hunt.

RIGHTIO...
Don’t be like that. Maybe some intel on how power is transferred in the UK will pep you up? Johnson is currently finalising his frontbench. Tonight our time, outgoing PM Theresa May will front Question Time for the one last hurrah - fingers crossed she’ll May-bot dance her way out of the House of Commons. She might then face the media, or maybe not. May will then go to Buckingham Palace to resign to Queen Elizabeth. Who knows what mood QEII will be in, she's postponed her holiday to Balmoral to do this… May will depart, and Johnson will arrive to ‘kiss hands' (note: no hands are kissed), and the Queen will invite him to form a government. Then it’s back to 10 Downing Street where he will likely front the press to outline his plan.

AND WHO IS THIS BLOKE?
Shambolic in appearance and prolific in the media, Johnson’s upbringing, connections, Oxford education and ambition saw him succeed early. And despite (or maybe because of) his interesting private life, Johnson is one of the UK’s most recognisable pollies. A former Mayor of London, he eventually became the Foreign Secretary under May. That wasn't to last when the pair fell out over Brexit, at which point Johnson became one of the main underminers of her prime ministership. Johnson has some incredible challenges ahead. An exodus of senior ministers to the backbench, precisely 100 days to the next Brexit deadline of 31 October, and trouble with Iran means he will need to hit the ground running.

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SQUIZ THE REST

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“THE WORST EVER LOVE STORY”

Canadian police have released CCTV footage of murdered Australian Lucas Fowler (23yo) and his American girlfriend Chynna Deese (24yo). The pair were found shot dead last week on a remote highway in British Columbia. The footage shows the two embracing next to their van as they fill up at a service station 300km from where their bodies were found two days later. At a press conference in Canada yesterday, Fowler’s father, NSW Police Chief Inspector Stephen Fowler, made an emotional plea for information. "It's a love story that's ended tragically. It really is. It's the worst ever love story," he said. Police say the murders may be linked to the disappearance of two Canadian teenagers who went missing 470km from where Deese and Fowler were found.

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MELBOURNE MEN FACE DRUG CHARGES IN BALI

Two nightclub promoters from Melbourne face up to 12 years in prison after being charged with cocaine possession in Bali. William Cabantog (35yo) and David Van Iersel (38yo) were allegedly caught with 1.12 grams of the drug when police raided the Lost City Bali nightclub last Friday. The pair kept their heads down as they were paraded before the media yesterday. Another Melbourne nightclub figure living in Bali fled to Singapore before his apartment was raided by police. Denpasar Police Chief Ruddi Setiawan said the incident is part of a series of raids investigating a major cocaine trafficking syndicate in the Balinese resort town of Canggu that’s netted up to a dozen foreigners. Sounds like the men were harder to catch than these guys…

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WARNING SHOTS FIRED BY SOUTH KOREA

South Korea yesterday fired warning shots at Russian surveillance plane it says entered its airspace. Fighter jets were scrambled and fired hundreds of shots when the Russian plane flew over islands which are occupied by South Korea but disputed by Japan, which also sent fighter jets. Russia disputes being in their airspace. But what’s Russia doing there anyway? It was conducting its first joint long-range air patrol in the region with China. Pundits say the patrols mark a new chapter of military cooperation between Beijing and Moscow, and that it could be a complicating factor in settling things between the US and North Korea.

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NEW MALARIA CHALLENGE IN OUR BACKYARD

Dreaming of a holiday in our region? You might be interested to hear that drug-resistant malaria parasites are rapidly spreading throughout South-East Asia, according to researchers in the UK and Thailand. The parasites, which originated in Cambodia, have made their way to Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, and the study reveals about 50% of malaria patients in these regions are not being cured by first-choice medication. Researchers are concerned the parasites could spread to Africa where nine out of 10 malaria cases occur. However, they say the disease is still treatable using other drugs, and that first-line malaria treatments need to change. Gin and tonic anyone?

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MASTERCHEFS NOT SHOWN THE MONEY

The founding judges of competitive cooking show Masterchef - George Calombaris, Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan - will not return after they were roasted by Network Ten in their contract negotiations. Trussed together to jointly negotiate with the network, reports say they had increased the temperature by seeking a 40% pay increase. But after 11 simmering seasons, they’ll now be covered with foil and put aside, although new projects on a platform like Netflix could be possible. The trio says money wasn't the issue that stuck to the bottom of the pot - it was securing more time to let other things rise. It wasn't missed by many that Calombaris was just last week burnt by the Fair Work Ombudsman for underpaying his restaurant staff. All of which overshadowed the season finale last night - Larissa Takchi was the winner with a Sichuan pavlova taking her to glory.

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APROPOS OF NOTHING

With another podium incident last night, it turns out swimming isn’t the only competition currently grappling with doping scandals… In Ohio, a lamb crowned grand champion at a county fair tested positive for a banned substance that made its muscles firmer.

Queen and their fabulous hair have made Bohemian Rhapsody the first music video released before the 1990s to achieve a billion views on YouTube. And band members Brian May and Roger Taylor have invited fans to help them celebrate…

And speaking of catchy songs, South Australia’s water authority is attempting to combat ‘fatbergs’ clogging up the state’s sewage system with this catchy jingle about responsible waste disposal. Warning: it can’t be unheard…

SQUIZ THE DAY

12.30pm (AEST) - AMA Federal President Dr Tony Bartone to address the National Press Club

Lifeline’s Stress Down Day

Boeing to announced their latest financial results - analysis are interested in how the 737 Max scandal has impacted the company

Start of the 12-month countdown for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Jennifer Lopez (1969), Rose Byrne (1979) and Elisabeth Moss (1982) celebrate birthdays