Tuesday, 17 December - I just wanna play in the sunshine

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, 17 December. In your Squiz Today…

• Fijian police look into alcohol poisoning cases

• The Reserve Bank gets a new look

• And a prince on the naughty list…

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Squiz Sayings

Said Luis Rubiales on his decision to resign as president of the Spanish Football Federation 3 weeks after he kissed World Cup champ Jenni Hermoso without her consent. She’s filed assault charges, 81 Spanish players said they would not play for their nation while he held his job, and FIFA urged him to go. So there were a few hints…

A cocktail of mystery

The Squiz

Fijian police are looking into how 7 people - including 4 Aussie women - were caught up in a suspected alcohol poisoning event at a 5-star resort. Two of the women - 19yo Georgia and her 49yo mother Tanya - flew home to Australia for more treatment yesterday evening after they felt better as the day went on. Fijian officials say the other 5 people affected are stable, with the remaining 2 Australians set to be discharged today.

What did they drink?

Pina coladas at the Warwick Resort which is on Fiji's Coral Coast and a popular destination for Aussie tourists. Reports say guests at the resort who drank the pre-packaged cocktails started having fits, chills and tremors - they were sent to hospital and were critical for a while. But Fijian authorities have also said lots of other pina coladas were served in the same bar that day - and no one else got sick. Tanya’s father and Georgia’s grandfather David Sandoe updated the Aussie media yesterday - he said he was shocked to get the call about what happened late Sunday night. He says Georgia suffered a brief seizure and might need more care while she’s home - but they were both on the improve. 

Have they figured out what happened?

Not yet, but they’re working on it… As well as the Fijian police investigation, the Fijian health department is doing toxicology tests on drinks at the resort, which is still open, and reports say a sample of the pina colada served has been sent to experts in Australia for analysis. Fiji’s Deputy PM Viliame Gavoka said this was an isolated incident and reassured tourists the country was safe, but the story has brought the recent deaths of Melbourne methanol poisoning victims Holly Morton-Bowles and Bianca Jones to mind for many - including David Sandoe. Fiji is not on Medecins Sans Frontieres’ list of high-risk countries for methanol poisoning, but the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has updated advice to travellers around drink spiking and the possibility of methanol poisoning - a reminder to check the Smartraveller website if you’re heading overseas these holidays…

Getting up to speed on plastics

If you’ve ever stopped to think about how many plastics you’re exposed to every day, you’d know it’s probably a lot... But it’s worth keeping tabs on because what we’re learning now (thanks, science…) is that our high levels of exposure to plastics and the chemicals within them are linked to a wide range of health impacts - especially for kids. The Minderoo Foundation is working hard to educate Aussies and the world on what we can do to reduce our exposure - and this is a good place to start.

Squiz the Rest

Israel makes moves in the Golan Heights

Israel’s government has announced plans to double its settlement in Golan Heights - a 1,200-square-kilometre area it occupies between its border and Syria’s. It’s in Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s sights after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime was overthrown by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group this month. Golan Heights was part of Syria until 1967 when it was captured by Israel and annexed in 1981. Several rounds of talks have been held since about its possible return to Syria, but none have been successful. Now, Netanyahu says Israel's moves in Golan Heights are necessary because a “new front” had opened up in the region after the fall of Assad. In response, HTS says it’s not interested in conflict with Israel and diplomatic solutions are the only path to “security and stability”.

A new-look Reserve Bank

After getting a plan to overhaul the Reserve Bank (RBA) over the line last month, Treasurer Jim Chalmers has made 2 picks for the new rate-setting board. The overhaul is said to be the biggest reform in 3 decades… It will see our central bank’s board split into a monetary board to control interest rates and a governance board to manage bank affairs. They’ll begin operating in March. ANU Professor Renee Fry-McKibbin and ex-Bendigo Bank boss Marnie Baker have been chosen for the new monetary board, which will be led by RBA Governor Michele Bullock and have other members from the existing RBA board. Reports say the Coalition isn’t likely to be happy… Treasury spokesperson Angus Taylor says the Albanese Government is undermining the bank’s independence with a “sack and stack” strategy to sway rates decisions before the next federal election. 

Feeling hot, hot, hot…

You won’t need us to tell you if you’re in south-east Oz - it’s been toasty… Much of South Oz and Victoria spent yesterday under extreme heatwave and fire danger warnings, and while multiple power outages affected around 4,000 people, they avoided any major blazes. In Victoria, the mercury soared above 40C in large parts of the state - with the temperature in Mildura rising above 45C. In western NSW, Ivanhoe and Wilcannia were thought to be the hottest places in the country… They were both above 45C at 3pm yesterday - and were tipped to get to 47C. Over in Western Oz, an emergency bushfire warning was in place for residents near Copley and Mokine - about 80km east of Perth - but that was later downgraded. 

And while we’re on weather, authorities on the French island territory of Mayotte - about 300km northwest of Madagascar - say thousands of people could be dead after a cyclone brought winds of more than 225km/h, flattening entire settlements. Rescue teams are still searching for survivors… 

HSBC-ing you in court

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) yesterday accused global bank HSBC of dudding its Aussie customers by leaving them wide open to fraud. ASIC reckons HSBC knew well before early 2023 that it had security problems with its ‘real-time’ payment system, but scammers were still allegedly able to swindle individual clients out of as much as $90,000 by ‘spoofing’ them (calling them and pretending to be HSBC staff). ASIC’s Deputy Chair Sarah Court also said HSBC was slow off the mark when a fraud complaint came through - taking 145 days on average to investigate. HSBC says it’s looking into ASIC’s claims and has improved its fraud prevention, but ASIC wants some big fines in this case, which they think is the first of its kind in the world. 

Prince Andrew is on the King’s naughty list…

He won’t be joining the Royal Family at Sandringham for Christmas, after being named in a scandal involving a business relationship and possible friendship with a Chinese spy. That spy has now been named as businessman Yang Tengbo, also known as Chris Yang - who was identified by a British immigration appeals court as having an “unusual degree of trust” with the Prince. Yang - who was banned from the UK in 2023 - was previously known only as H6 but the court overnight lifted an anonymity order. Instead of joining the rest of the family for Christmas, reports say Prince Andrew will stay at home in the Royal Lodge with his ex, Fergie. Royal sources say it’s expected he’ll “honourably withdraw” from all family events over Christmas to avoid being a distraction - although that royal horse may’ve bolted...

Apropos of Nothing

A drone detection system has been sent to New York to try to get to the bottom of numerous drone sightings over 4 US states that have sparked panic and hatched multiple conspiracy theories. Weighing in, President-elect Donald Trump said “the government knows what is happening.” Anyone got Mulder and Scully on speed dial?

Don’t feel too bad if you’re a couple of weeks late with your library books - a Michigan man has waited half a century to return his. Chuck Hildebrandt thought the 50-year wait might make a cool publicity stunt for the library, but he’s still waiting to hear back - though they haven’t fined him, either… 

Everything’s got a convention these days - people who dress as Abraham Lincoln, ventriloquists, newsletters… and, of course, Santa. The jolly fellows in red hit the streets for pub crawls in cities right around the world on the weekend, all in the name of charity. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a loooong night…

Squiz the Day

ACT schools break for the end of the year 

ABS Data Release - Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, 2020-2024

Bhutan’s National Day

International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers 

Device Appreciation Day

National Maple Syrup Day in North America 

Pope Francis’ birthday (1936)

Anniversary of:

• PM Harold Holt disappearing while swimming off a beach near Portsea, Victoria (1967)

• The Simpsons premiering on the telly (1989)

• Kim Jong-un coming to power in North Korea after the death of his father Kim Jong-il (2011)