Monday, 6 January - Back in the saddle again

Good morning (and hey, hai, HNY…), it’s Monday, 6 January. In your Squiz Today…

• A deadline looms in South Korea

• PM Anthony Albanese hits the road with an election-year starter blitz

• And starting the year with the Golden Globes glamour ✨ 

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said Berlin Zoo keeper Florian Sicks of the Christmas trees that get a second life with the zoo's animals. 'Tis the season for treats, after all… And with today marking the day to take your tree down, it's time to devise your own creative disposal options…

A tumultuous time in South Korea

The Squiz

Thousands of rival protesters have turned out in South Korea’s capital Seoul over the weekend despite the heavy snow - some are pushing for the arrest of suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol while his supporters are demanding authorities back off. It follows a drama-packed few days after police failed to arrest him on Friday after his presidential security service refused entry and supporters created a human wall to prevent their access. Complicating matters is the deadline on the arrest warrant for Yoon - it expires early tomorrow morning…

Is this the bloke who was in trouble last year?

Yep. Yoon made headlines in December when he moved to impose martial law on the nation, pointing the finger at his political opponents who he said were threatening South Korea’s “constitutional order”. It didn’t last long - he called it off hours later after the nation recoiled in horror and concern was voiced internationally. But chaos still followed - Yoon was impeached by the nation's parliament, and a criminal investigation was announced. Two weeks later, acting President Han Duck-soo was also impeached after being accused of failing to complete Yoon's impeachment. That leaves the new acting President Choi Sang-mok in charge and so far peachy-free - but he's under pressure to order Yoon's security team to cooperate. That's not likely, with Yoon's lawyers filing an injunction to block the arrest warrant.

So what’s going to happen?

That’s up to South Korea’s Corruption Investigation Office… We’ll see what happens today, but they also have the option to file for a new/stronger warrant. On top of that, the country’s Constitutional Court has 14 January pencilled in for the start of Yoon’s impeachment trial, which can go ahead without having him in custody. It has 180 days to decide whether to officially kick him out of office or restore him as President. Until then, acting President Choi has his hands full… Less than 2 weeks into the role, he’s dealing with the fallout from the country’s deadliest-ever aviation disaster - the crash landing of a Jeju Air flight at Muan International Airport a week ago. It left 179 of the 181 people on board dead, and Choi has ordered a week of mourning as investigations continue.

Squiz the Rest

A tough search in rugged bushland

Extra specialist rescue crews have been brought into NSW’s Kosciuszko National Park to help search for missing Victorian man Hadi Nazari. The 23yo has not been seen since Boxing Day after he and 2 friends set off on a hike. They separated when Nazari left the group to take some photos - his buddies raised the alarm after he failed to turn up at their designated meeting place. Nazari is an experienced hiker, but locals say the area is "bloody tough country" to navigate - and hot conditions over the weekend have made things even harder. More than 300 people have taken part in the search so far, and NSW Police say they’re holding out hope they’ll get Nazari home safely. The search resumes this morning… 

Picking up the election pace

The sound you can hear is political operatives around the country getting organised for this year's federal vote, and this morning PM Anthony Albanese is bolting out of the gates with a “blitz” of 3 campaign battlegrounds. Starting in Queensland's Sunshine Coast with a Bruce Highway upgrade announcement, he's expected to move on to Rockhampton and Cairns. It's then off to the Northern Territory before finishing up with a swing through northern Western Australia. The quiet part of January is a great time for our leaders to visit areas that take a bit of getting to (aka take them away from big media markets)... The polls have Labor and the Coalition neck and neck, with some showing Peter Dutton's team holding a lead over the Albanese Government on Aussies' top issues of concern, like economic management. Game on… 

A long farewell for Jimmy Carter

Kicking off on Saturday, the former US President’s 6-day farewell follows the same journey he took in life - from his upbringing in the small town of Plains all the way to the White House in 1976. Americans are currently paying their respects at his presidential library in Atlanta, Georgia before his casket is flown to Washington DC where he will lie in state in the Capitol building before his funeral on Thursday when President Joe Biden will deliver the eulogy. Carter died on 29 December at 100yo - he was the first US President to ever reach that mark. After his funeral, he will be buried next to his wife Rosalynn, who died at 96yo in 2023, back in their hometown, where they both lived the majority of their lives in the same house.

Howzat? Bloody good, actually… 

The Aussie men’s Test cricket team has regained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after defeating India in Sydney yesterday. Heading in, Pat Cummins and Co were up 2-1, and a loss would have meant India retaining the trophy. And despite some nervous moments - including Steve Smith being dismissed on 9,999 career runs (much to Indian superstar Virat Kohli’s delight…) - debutant Beau Webster and Travis Head saw the Aussies home. It all came to a crescendo on Jane McGrath Day at the SCG, which raises money for cancer care nurses across Australia - and cricket fans chipped in big time, raising over $10.7 million for the cause (including $2.3 million from the federal government). If you can’t get enough cricket ATM, there’s some good news… The Women’s Ashes gets underway this Sunday. 

All aboard for awards season

That’s kicking off this morning with the Golden Globes ceremony hosted by comedian/roast expert Nikki Glaser, the first woman to ever host the show solo. One of the scheduled award presenters is actor Aubrey Plaza, but the star of The White Lotus and Parks and Recreation is not expected to appear after her husband and frequent collaborator Jeff Baena died on Friday. The Globes give out awards for movies and TV, so everything from Wicked: Part One to The Bear is up for a gong, but the films are considered the main event. Some that scored plenty of nominations this year were surreal crime musical Emilia Perez, architect drama The Brutalist and religious drama Conclave. If you think a red carpet might add to your Monday, it kicks off mid-morning, and the ceremony begins at lunchtime - you can check it out on Ten or Paramount+.

Squiz the Break

Having some time off is great - but then there’s the getting up-to-speed bit to take care of. The Squiz is your shortcut to being informed, so of course, we’ve got you covered with the major headlines from the last couple of weeks. Spoiler alert: quite a bit has gone down… Check it out here. And you’re so very welcome…

Apropos of Nothing

Sad news for croc fans - 5m saltwater crocodile (and actor) Burt has died. Burt was in his 90s and was famous for his role in the film Crocodile Dundee - he’d spent the last 20 years as an attraction at the Crocosaurus Cove aquarium in Darwin. 

The bald eagle is now officially the national bird of the US. Until now, it had been the unofficial emblem of America, but President Joe Biden made it law. Put that one up your trivia sleeve… 

A 17yo from Warrington in the UK has become the youngest ever winner of the World Championship of darts. Luke Littler beat the previous youngest champion - the Netherlands’ Michael van Gerwen - to become a sporting sensation - and yes, darts is a sport…

Squiz the Day

From 11.00am (AEDT) - The red carpet fun begins at the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards - Los Angeles

From 11.00am (AEDT) - Start of the Hobart International women’s tennis tournament

From 11.00am (ACDT) - Start of the Adelaide International women’s and men’s tennis tournament

PM Anthony Albanese starts a blitz of Northern Australia, starting with Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. He’s then on to the Northern Territory and Western Australia’s Kimberly later this week

Birthdays for comedian/actor Rowan Atkinson (1955), domestic goddess Nigella Lawson (1960), actor Eddie Redmayne (1982) and Artic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner (1986)

Anniversary of:

• The wedding of King Henry VIII of England and Anne of Cleves. It was his fourth marriage, and it didn’t quite work out… (1540)

• Maria Montessori opening her first Montessori school in Rome (1907)

• Cricket legend Don Bradman scoring 452 not out in only 415 minutes - a then-record in a first-class match (1930)

• The 6 January attack on the US Capitol building as lawmakers inside moved to certify Democrat Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election over Republican/sitting President Donald Trump (2021)

• The birthdays of philosopher Alan Watts (1915) and rockers Syd Barrett (1946) and Malcolm Young (1953)

• The death of US President Theodore Roosevelt (1919)

Tuesday

5.00am (AEDT) - US Vice President Kamala Harris presides over the certification of the presidential election result with a joint session of the US Congress - Washington DC