Friday, 13 December - Superstition ain't the way

Good morning, it’s Friday, 13 December. In your Squiz Today…

• Big tech giants pushed to pay up for news

• The Coalition sheds light on its nuclear costings

• And a nonna’s secret to the best pasta puttanesca…🍝

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said Donald Trump after being named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year for the second time. No stranger to ringing his own bell, the US President-elect said it was “a tremendous honour” to grace the mag’s cover again before he sounded the gong to open the New York Stock Exchange…

Getting a word’s worth

The Squiz

The Albanese Government wants to force the big digital platforms - Meta, Google and TikTok owners Bytedance - to pay for Aussie news, whether they use it on their platforms or not. The News Bargaining Incentive needs to be passed in legislation, but it would see the companies incentivised to do deals with Australian publishers or face a levy if they choose not to. It’s an attempt to get big tech to pay for Aussie journalism - but there are still a lot of details to be worked out…

How did we get here?

Good question… In 2021, the Morrison Government set up the News Media Bargaining Code, which required Facebook (as it was in those days) and Google to do deals with Aussie publishers for the content they carried on their apps and sites. But earlier this year, Meta (as Facebook is now known…) said yeah, nah and shuttered their news tab on the platform shortly after that. In fact, Meta said it might block Australian news sites altogether from appearing on Instagram and Facebook, just like they did in Canada last year. Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones said that Meta was making “millions and millions of dollars” out of Aussie news, and the government has been consulting, strategising and scratching their heads ever since… 

But now it’s going to be all good for Aussie news publishers? 

We applaud your optimism… The government says it wants to get money from the tech giants and steer it towards publishers. That’s the aim because news publishers, big and small, are doing it tough with audiences fragmenting and ad dollars being hoovered up with Google and Meta. As for whether this plan will do the job, there’s a lot we don’t know, like how much the companies will have to pay and which publishers will get support. There are ongoing concerns that smaller/independent publishers will miss out, as they did in 2021… There’s also a question about when the News Bargaining Incentive will be in place because there’s an election, consultation period and potential court challenges to navigate. The mainstream media bosses have made supporting noises, while Coalition ministers are frustrated it’s taken the government most of the year to announce its policy.

Your fresh market update…

At the Squiz, we’re all about giving you the useful stuff. So, we’ve teamed up with Woolies to share their top weekly fruit and veg picks. Here’s what to grab this week:

🫑 Capsicums - Now's the time for a crunchy addition to your stir-fries.

🍒 Cherries - Pro tip: look for cherries with dark, firm skin. They’ll be the perfect snack.

🦌 Reindeer carrots - We have it on good authority that these are a hit with Santa’s crew…

🌴 Passionfruit - It wouldn’t be Christmas in Oz without it on your pavlova.

Squiz the Rest

Nuclear costings revealed

Speaking of big announcements… After months of teasing, the Coalition has shed some light on costs for its nuclear power plan, saying the scheme will be at least $263 billion cheaper than Labor's renewables policy and lead to "considerably lower" electricity bills. Coalition leader Peter Dutton will release numbers for the proposal today - he estimates it'll cost $331 billion and deliver net zero emissions by 2050. The figures, compiled by Frontier Economics, found the Albanese Government's renewables strategy will cost $594 billion. Under the Coalition's plan, renewables would still play a big part, accounting for 54% of energy generated, while nuclear would make up 38% and the rest would come from stored sources like gas and battery power. The energy debate is shaping up to be a pivotal issue in the coming federal election, and while Dutton says "Australia must not be left behind" on nuclear, his scheme faces plenty of opposition. 

More trouble brewing in Alice

Crime in Alice Springs is front of mind again for authorities in the Northern Territory after a 2mo baby and her mum were allegedly attacked in their home in one of the latest violent incidents. The woman was assaulted while holding the baby, who suffered a fractured skull and had to be airlifted to hospital in Adelaide. She’s now in a stable condition, and 2 teenage boys have been charged. In response, Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro and Police Commissioner Michael Murphy expanded Operation Ludlow yesterday. It kicked off 5 weeks ago and is focused on keeping a lid on crime in Alice, and additional police officers will be immediately deployed to help. They’ll focus on the outer suburbs of the town, where “police are acutely aware of an increase of serious incidents”.

A fight to the end

As his political opponents try to push him out of office, Yoon Suk Yeol, the embattled President of South Korea, has doubled down on his short-lived decision to introduce martial law last week. In a surprise television address (that wasn’t quite as surprising as his last one…) he said he was trying to “prevent the collapse” of democracy. Given he’s not all that apologetic, it’s probably not a surprise that he’s still refusing to resign from the top job. Yoon’s already survived one impeachment attempt, with MPs from his ruling party - the People Power Party (PPP) - boycotting the vote. But the public pressure hasn’t eased, and the PPP has had a change of heart… Senior party leaders say their attempts to encourage Yoon’s resignation have failed, so they’ll now back another impeachment vote if (or when…) one is held.

The NRL tackles more expansion

Papua New Guinea will be the league’s 18th team in 2028 in a 10-year, $600 million deal between the Oz and PNG governments - their President James Marape reckons it’s a “total lifestyle transformation” for them. A couple of things to clock about this one: we’ll be able to go back on the deal at any time without giving a reason, and reports say that’s primarily to prevent PNG signing a security agreement with China. Some of the $600m will go towards creating a compound in Port Moresby for the players to help attract talent - PNG’s capital ranked #4 in a recent poll of the world’s most dangerous cities. And with #18 done and dusted, NRL bigwig Peter V’landys was asked who #19 might be - Perth is the frontrunner - he said there might be news on that “in the next 2 to 3 weeks”. All ideas for mascots welcome…

A hidden Geminid

If your neighbours are wandering the streets in the early hours of the morning this weekend, don’t worry - they’re (hopefully…) trying to catch a glimpse of the yearly Geminid meteor shower. When it hits its peak, stargazers should be able see up to 120 meteors an hour if they’re lucky. Party poopers may include a cloudy night - which can obscure the vision - and an almost-full Moon, which might be so bright it stops people getting a good view. If you’d like to have a gander yourself, here’s a website that will help you figure out where to look. The best time is somewhere between 3-5am Saturday/Sunday morning, depending on where you live - and you’ve got a better chance of a good show the further north you are. Happy hunting… 

Wanna be in the Saturday Squiz?

Virgin Voyages has just released its annual pass for travelling the world by cruise ship, and it got us wondering…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

If you’re in mourning for the cultural behemoth that was Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, you can relive some of the magic with this extensive photo gallery covering the entire $3 billion extravaganza, which wound up in Vancouver this week. It’s going to be tough to top…

Netflix’s latest spy drama Black Doves combines cover identities and Christmas - Keira Knightley plays a spy whose secret identity comes under threat and Ben Whishaw plays an old friend sent to protect her. It’s a pulpy 6-episode binge, just try to forget Whishaw is also the voice of Paddington…

And if you’re peckish, this Italian nonna, a chef at her family restaurant, might inspire you to give pasta puttanesca a try. Hers is famous among locals and tourists alike, and although she hasn’t shared the exact recipe, this is a good place to start. Happy puttanesca-ing…

Squiz the Day

Friday
9.30am (AEDT) - The federal government will release a Medicare update, with reports relating to bulk-billing and out-of-pocket expenses for GP visits

10.00am (AEDT) - Westpac AGM - Sydney

10.00am (AEDT) - An annual report on the youth detention population in Australia will be released 

7.00pm - The Opera House will launch nightly First Nations sails lighting - Sydney

The Coalition is set to announce costings for its nuclear energy policy

QLD, SA, WA, and NT schools break for end of year

The Geminid meteor shower is tipped to peak

ABS Data Release - Overseas Migration, 2023-24 

Republic Day in Malta

A birthday for singer Taylor Swift (1989)

🐈‍⬛ It’s Freaky Friday the 13th - apparently a lucky day for 3 star signs 

Anniversary of:

• Dutch explorer Abel Tasman's sighting of the South Island of present-day New Zealand (initially he called it Staten Landt but changed it a year later to Nieuw Zeeland) (1642)

• the League of Nations establishing the International Court of Justice in The Hague (1920)

• the capture of Iraq’s President Saddam Hussein (2003)

Saturday
10.00am (AEDT) - Koorie Krismas 2024 - Melbourne

11.20am (AEDT) - Men's Cricket: Third Test - Aus v India - The Gabba, Brisbane, and watch on Kayo

4.30pm (AEDT) - Squid Game: The Experience debuts at Luna Park - Sydney

Monkey Day 

Energy Conservation Day

Birthdays for Sophie Monk (1979) and Vanessa Hudgens (1988)

Anniversary of:

• the deaths of Vlad the Impaler (1476) and George Washington (1799)

• the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting where 20 children and 6 adults were killed (2012)

• Kathleen Folbigg - the woman who was jailed in 2003 over the deaths of her 4 children - having her convictions quashed (2023)

Sunday
4.15pm (AWST) - Men's BBL starts with Scorchers v Stars - Perth, and watch on Kayo

Lindt Cafe Siege 10-year anniversary

🎁 National Re-Gifting Day

And PSA: there’s 10 days until Christmas…

Anniversary of:

• Gone with the Wind’s premiere (1939)

• the Soviet Union's Venera 7 becoming the first spacecraft to land on another planet (Venus) (1970)

• the deaths of musician and composer Glenn Miller (1944), animator and producer Walt Disney (1966) and actress Joan Fontaine (2013)