Squiz Today – Wednesday, 7 June

SQUIZ SAYINGS

"Ella, Alexander and Amal are all healthy, happy and doing fine. George is sedated and should recover in a few days."

George and Amal Clooney have welcomed twins – a boy Alexander and girl Ella. The interwebs congratulated the couple for the selection of 'normal' names. 

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MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS FROM MELBOURNE SIEGE

THE SQUIZ
Islamic State have claimed responsibility for Monday night's siege in Melbourne, saying Yacqub Khayre was one of theirs. PM Malcolm Turnbull asked the question many were thinking – how was this man on parole? Khayre, the 29yo man killed by police after he killed a man and held a woman hostage in Brighton, had a long rap sheet. It included terror-related charges and violent offences over many years. One line of enquiry is whether Khayre used an escort as a hostage to lure police into an ambush. Counter-terrorism authorities confirmed he was not on their radar after his release from prison in December last year.

TELL ME A BIT MORE ABOUT THIS BLOKE…
Khayre was Somalian-born, spent time in a refugee camp in Kenya and settled in Australia as a child. He was first locked up a decade ago on burglary and assault offences, and in 2009 was charged (and subsequently acquitted) with four other men for the terror plot on Holsworthy Army base outside Sydney. Since then there were several assault, burglary and drugs charges and he was jailed in 2012. He was out on parole when he committed the terror attack this week. Counter-terrorism authorities are now trying to piece together his activities between December and this week.

SO WHY WAS HE ON PAROLE AND WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said Khayre had served a significant part of his sentence and had been released later than might have expected due to poor behaviour while inside. Not particularly reassuring. Also not great is the fact that in Victoria there are about 22 criminals with known terrorist links who are in custody or on parole. Turnbull said parole reform (with a view to banning parole for violent offenders) will be a key agenda item when he meets with state premiers and chief ministers this Friday.

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SQUIZ THE REST

AUSTRALIAN NURSE CONFIRMED DEAD IN LONDON TERROR ATTACK
South Australian nurse Kirsty Boden has been confirmed as one of the seven people killed as a result of last weekend’s terror attack. A statement released by police say she ran towards danger to help injured people on London Bridge. She was 28yo. Concerns remain for nanny Sara Zelenak, her family have not heard from her since the attack. The Australian this morning says the identification process has been slow with only three victims named so far after identification by families, not police.

DRAMATIC END FOR VIRGIN FLIGHT TO ALBURY
A 30yo man was arrested yesterday morning after leaving a one-word note in the loo on a flight from Sydney to Albury. What that word was has not been confirmed, but we don’t think it was ‘love’ or ‘puppies’. On landing, passengers were instructed to exit immediately through the window. The man was arrested on the tarmac. Michelle McNamara, who works at the airport terminal said it was a busy morning; "It's normally quiet, it's Albury airport.”

ATTACKER SHOT OUTSIDE PARIS' NOTRE-DAME CATHEDRAL
Police have shot and wounded a terror attacker outside the Paris landmark. Reports say the man was armed with a hammer and shouted "this is for Syria" when he attacked a policeman. The officer sustained minor injuries. Hundreds of visitors were locked inside the cathedral as the incident played out. 

ADANI TAKES A BIG STEP TOWARDS BUILDING YUUUGE COAL MINE
India’s Adani have ‘green-lighted’ their investment in what would be Australia’s largest coal mine, located in Queensland’s Galilee Basin. Adani’s commitment does not mean it’s a done deal yet – a significant amount of the funding still needs to be found. And the government is being asked to stump up $1 billion for a rail link between the mine and the port. It's been a controversial one. Supporters say the mine will provide cheap energy for India’s growing masses and create jobs in Queensland. Opponents say coal is a bad investment and the project will damage the Great Barrier Reef.

PAY RISE FOR MINIMUM WAGE EARNERS
The Fair Work Commission yesterday lifted the minimum wage by $22 a week to $694.90, which is equivalent to $18.29 an hour – the biggest increase in six years. About 2.3 million Australians are estimated to be on this wage level. The unions had been pushing for a $45 a week lift, but employers groups said $22 was a lot and would cost jobs. The decision comes on top of Monday’s FWC decision to phase in Sunday penalty rate cuts over the next three years.

HARRY HITS SYDNEY
Prince Harry is in Sydney! He’s here to officially launch the 2018 Invictus Games. He’s also heading out to Olympic Park for a venue inspection, and he’s visiting Circular Quay and heading out on the Harbour (good luck, it’s a bit windy/rainy). Lots of opportunities for ladies hoping to do a ‘Princess Mary’.

SMART SPEAKER OR SPY? APPLE LAUNCHES HOMEPOD
Look, we’ve come a long way on our technology journey since starting The Squiz, but there’s something about these smart speakers that gives us the heebie-jeebies. Apple’s HomePod was previewed yesterday – it’s a squat-looking speaker run by digital assistant Siri. They say it’s going to revolutionise home music listening, but we think it's probably listening to everything you say and feeding it back to Apple HQ. Because our every word is that important. We also think the curtains fade more during daylight savings time so don’t listen to us… It’s $349 and will be out in December.

SQUIZ THE DAY

12.30pm - James Clapper, former US Director of Intelligence, addresses the National Press Club, Canberra

Prince Harry in Sydney

Funeral for Senior Constable Brett Forte - Toowoomba

ABS Data Release - National Accounts, March

AIG Construction Index for May

Commencement of the Sydney Film Festival (on until 18 June)