Friday, 21 November - You can’t always get what you want

Good morning, it’s Friday, 21 November. In your Squiz Today…

• Australia bows out of the race to host COP31

• Justice for 2 Aussie brothers murdered in Mexico

• And a snapper dinner that’s bound to be a winner… 🐟

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said a group of eminent scientists and researchers of a rare ‘first calculator’ called La Pascaline that was about to go to auction, possibly seeing it leave France. Given the recent/significant national treasure heist, they weren’t counting on it staying put…

Good COP, bad COP

The Squiz

It’s official: next year’s COP31 climate conference will be held by Turkey, after Oz backed out of our 3-year campaign to host the main event in Adelaide. Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen has been at this year’s meeting (which is currently wrapping up) in Brazil, and yesterday he confirmed they’ve struck a partnership deal of sorts: the Turkish resort city of Antalya will host, while he’ll be there to lead the day-to-day conference activities. He said “obviously, it would be great if Australia could have it all, but we can’t”. 

What’s this all about again?

It’s the COP (aka Conference of the Parties) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, so you can see why it needs an acronym… Call it a framework, or a convention, but it’s also a process to get action on tackling climate change. It’s also a UN process that decides hosting arrangements, which South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has called “frankly obscene”… He says Adelaide and our Pacific neighbours - who were set to play a leading role in COP31 - had wide support, but Turkey was allowed to block it. In the end, Australia backed out of the +$1 billion bid and made the call to break a diplomatic stalemate. It also avoids the conference defaulting to a location - Bonn in Germany - without a committed COP president.

So that’s it for our hosting dreams?

It is, but Australia and the Pacific Islands will have a significant role at COP31. Under terms negotiated between Bowen and Turkish officials, a pre-COP event will be hosted by a Pacific nation - location TBD… And while Turkey will “handle the venues and the operation”, Bowen will be front and centre in a role that will have “all the powers of the COP presidency to manage, handle the negotiations, to appoint co-facilitators, to prepare draft text, to issue the cover decision”. Monash University's Erwin Jackson says the compromise means “Australia and the Pacific will remain central to global climate transition”. But Nats leader/net zero dropout David Littleproud called the whole exercise a "vanity project" for PM Anthony Albanese and Bowen. Onwards to Antalya in 2026… 

Group gifts without the group chat chaos

Organising teacher gifts, office farewells or team thank yous can turn into administrative nightmare only for someone to panic-buy at the last minute. But GroupTogether can do the heavy lifting for you by setting up a collection, everyone chips in online, and it all turns into a digital gift card for 100+ retailers. No awkward cash collections or tracking who hasn't paid. You can even schedule delivery and personalise the card, and the whole thing takes about 2 minutes start to finish. Head here for on GroupTogether.

Squiz the Rest

The Epstein files incoming

US President Donald Trump signed off on legislation to force their release following its speedy passage through the House of Reps and the Senate. It means a 30-day countdown has begun for the Department of Justice (the DOJ) to release all unclassified files linked to the criminal investigations into child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. But the big question is still how many of the files will be shared… This explainer gets into it, but the legislation allows for the DOJ to keep some under lock and key. Attorney-General Pam Bondi says they’ll “follow the law and encourage maximum transparency” by releasing them - but after she went back on a promise to do that in February, critics of the Trump administration’s handling of the files aren’t so sure…

Justice starts rolling for 2 Aussie brothers

A 23yo Mexican woman named Ari Gisell was sentenced to 20 years in prison yesterday for her role in the murders of Perth brothers Jake and Callum Robinson. You might remember they were on a surfing holiday in Mexico when they were robbed and shot alongside their American friend Carter Rhoad in April last year. Gisell was one of 4 people charged over the murders, but she struck a plea deal, admitting the brothers were killed for their tyres, which she wanted. Prosecutors allege her ex-boyfriend Jesús Gerardo and 2 other men followed the brothers and their friend to a camping site and shot them. They've been charged with murder but have yet to enter pleas. Jake and Callum's mother Debra told Gisell's sentencing hearing she'd dreamed of seeing her sons grow older and have children, but "that's all taken now".  

Another Liberal leader bites the dust

This time, it’s Mark Speakman, the NSW Libs’ leader… After weeks of speculation about his future, he confirmed late yesterday that he’s stepping down. He said “a number of colleagues had indicated to me their preference that we have renewal and regeneration” - and that’s likely to come in the form of former journo Kellie Sloane. It caps off a fortnight of change within state/territory Liberal and National parties. The ACT Liberals kicked things off last week. On Tuesday, Gurmesh Singh became the first Sikh leader of the NSW Nats, and 35yo Jess Wilson became the first woman to lead the Victorian Libs. Analysts say the changes mark a move back towards more moderate politics ahead of their state elections - November 2026 in Victoria and March 2027 for NSW.
*Want to know more about how the Coalition works? We’ve got just the Shortcut for you here…

The rains (and winds) are ’ere... 

Yes, Marge, almost… The Top End is bracing for the season's first cyclone, named Fina, which is expected to make landfall near Minjilang (about 250km northeast of Darwin) this arvo. The Category 2 storm began heading towards the Northern Territory yesterday, with heavy rain, gale-force winds and storm surges on board. A cyclone warning zone is in place for residents in Cape Don to Maningrida, while a watch alert has been extended to Darwin and the Tiwi Islands. There are no plans for evacuations at this stage, but the BoM has advised locals to use daylight hours to secure their property... There must be something in the air up north - the eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Semeru has led to rescues and mass evacuations. Smoke plumes are causing flight delays, so check for updates, jetsetters… 

Burn baby burn

It’s time to farewell the cricket fan in your life (or excuse yourself if that’s you…) - the Men’s Ashes begins today with the first Test of the series in Perth. If you don’t know your short legs from your silly mid-ons, it’s a 5-Test affair against England that will run through December and into January, with the next games in Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. And it’s the first series for the Poms on Aussie soil under coach Brendon ‘Baz’ McCullum, whose ‘Bazball’ style (aka an entertaining, aggressive approach to the game) has divided cricket fans since he stepped up in 2022. On the Australian side, our captain Pat Cummins is out, but it’s an experienced team - all-rounder Cam Green is the only player in his 20s... Most observers are expecting an even contest, and the first ball is not far away now…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

Ahead of supporting AC/DC on their Oz tour, Melbourne band of the moment Amyl and the Sniffers spoke to Rolling Stone about their “busy as hell” year. Their music mightn’t be for everyone, but they’re shaping up to be one of our biggest exports yet…

It’s that time of the year when organised people think about buying a calendar for the year ahead. One we can recommend that brightens up the kitchen is by Aussie artist Lauren Merrick of To The Trees. They’re open for pre-orders here…

If you like curry (tick) and you like fish (tick) - this is for you… This snapper and green bean curry is great for this time of year - and we reckon it’s the perfect Saturday night meal for something nice/unusual/different. PS It doesn’t have to be snapper - whatever firm white fish takes your fancy.

Squiz the Day

Friday
PM Anthony Albanese will be in South Africa for a 3-day trip to attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg

US military officials are in Ukraine for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky over a fresh 28-point peace plan to bring the Ukraine-Russia war to an end - Kyiv

7.30am (AWST) - The National Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Leadership Summit is on at the State Reception Centre - Perth

9.00am (AEDT) - Speaker of the House of Representatives, Milton Dick, will deliver the opening address at the The Independent Retail Crime and Safety Forum hosted by MGA Independent Businesses Australia - Melbourne

10.00am (AEDT) - WiseTech Global will hold its AGM at its head office - Sydney

10.00am (AEDT) - Pro Medicus Limited AGM will take place at Leonda by the Yarra - Melbourne

10.20am (AWST) - Cricket: the Ashes Series begins - the first Test between Australia and England starts at Optus Stadium, continuing on until Tuesday - Perth, watch on 7Plus

2.00pm (AEDT) - Former NSW CFMEU leaders Darren and Michael Greenfield will be sentenced on charges of corruption - Sydney

3.00pm (AEDT) - A lifesize bronze statue of surfing icon Pauline Menczer will be unveiled at South Bondi - Sydney

ABS data release: Labour force, Australia, October 2025

📺 World Television Day

World Prematurity Day

Happy birthday to Warner Bros cartoon bird Tweety Bird (1942), actor Goldie Hawn (1945), musician Bjork (1965) and singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen (1985)

Anniversary of:

• the premiere of Rocky (1976)

• A peace agreement, known as the Dayton Accords, being reached by the presidents of Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia, ending the Bosnian War (1995)

• the release of Pharrell Williams' single Happy (2013)

• Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe resigning as president as the parliament began impeachment proceedings against him (2017) 

Saturday
Schoolies week begins on the Gold Coast

The G20 Leaders Summit will take place in South Africa, with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa suggesting the theme “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability”

9.00am (AEDT) - The Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China will visit Australia until Tuesday - Canberra 

9.15am (AEDT) - The weekend-long Australian Crypto Convention begins at the International Convention & Exhibition Centre - Sydney

4.58pm (AWST) - Horse racing: The Railway Stakes Race at Ascot Racecourse - Perth

Lebanon’s Independence Day 🇱🇧

Go For a Ride Day

Kimchi Day

Birthdays for actors Jamie Lee Curtis (1958), and Scarlett Johansson (1984), and model/businesswoman Hailey Bieber (1996)

Anniversary of:

• the birthday of Middlemarch author Mary Anne Evans, known by her pen name George Eliot (1819)

• the deaths of authors Aldous Huxley (1963) CS Lewis (1963) and Bryce Courtenay (2012), and INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence (1997)

• the assassination of then-President of the US, John F Kennedy (1963)

• the premiere of Toy Story, the first feature-length film created completely using computer-generated imagery (1995)

• Angela Merkel becoming the first female Chancellor of Germany (2005)

Sunday
Bosnia & Herzegovina’s autonomous Serb Republic will vote to replace pro-Russian Serb Nationalist president Milorad Dodik

7.10am (AEDT) - Rugby union: Australia v France on their Northern Spring tour in Stade de France - Saint-Denis, France, watch on StanSport

3.00pm (AEDT) - Motorsport: F1, Las Vegas Grand Prix - Las Vegas, US, watch on Kayo

☕ National Espresso Day

Fibonacci Day

A birthday for Olympic swimmer Shane Gould (1956), Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro (1962), and singer-songwriter Miley Cyrus (1992)

Anniversary of 

• the publication of the first issue of the magazine Life which became a pioneer in photojournalism (1936)

• the broadcast of the first episode of British science-fiction television series Doctor Who (1963) 

• the death of author Roald Dahl (1990)