Tuesday, 19 November - We can't rewind we've gone too far

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, 19 November. In your Squiz Today…

• Charges have been laid against radio veteran Alan Jones

• Joe Biden makes a far-reaching decision

• And cracking an age-old mystery… 🐔 or 🥚?

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Said crocodile catcher Roger Matthews of the special bond between Cassius, the world’s largest crocodile in captivity until his death 2 weeks ago, and ‘the last of the croc hunters’ George Craig - who died on Sunday aged 94yo... There’ll be some crocing tales told at his FNQ sendoff, and then some…

The arrest of a former radio star

The Squiz

Alan Jones has been granted conditional bail after being charged yesterday with 24 indecent assault and sexual touching offences involving 8 different victims, allegedly committed between 2001-19. Reports say the youngest was 17yo at the time of the alleged offence, and the alleged victims also include a high-profile Olympian. This story first hit the public’s radar last year when the investigation was published in Nine newspapers, covering allegations dating back to Jones’ time as a teacher in the 1960s to incidents as recent as 2017.  

Why was Jones such a big deal?

Because he was one of the biggest radio hosts in the country for 35 years, with PMs and state leaders eager to appear on his show. After working as a teacher, rugby coach and a brief stint in politics, he became the morning show host at Sydney’s 2UE, where he quickly had ratings success. His confrontational/energetic style earned him a loyal audience, and when he moved to rival 2GB, they largely followed. Jones was also an influential political player - but also courted controversy, particularly over comments he made about former PM Julia Gillard in 2012 and Kiwi PM Jacinda Ardern in 2019. The latter caused a significant loss of sponsorship dollars for Nine (2GB’s owner), which may have led to his departure in 2020, though he said that was for medical reasons. So, he was a big voice in Aussie life for a long time…

When did the police get involved?

In March, NSW Police established Strike Force Bonnefin - which is still ongoing - to investigate Jones for alleged incidents. The charges against Jones include 11 counts of aggravated indecent assault where the victim was “under the authority of the offender” - the police say that authority was an employment contract. The original media investigation covered the stories of alleged victims from nearly 6 decades, such as being groped in a lift while carrying Jones’ luggage or while waiting on Jones at a restaurant. Police say the article led more people to come forward, which in turn led to the creation of Strike Force Bonnefin. As for what’s next - Jones is due to appear in court on 18 December.

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Setting up Ukraine for the long haul

The spotlight’s been on US President-elect Donald Trump, but President Joe Biden is still commander-in-chief for just over 8 weeks - and he’s using them to, among a range of measures, fast-track aid to Ukraine… Yesterday, Biden signed off on Ukraine using US-supplied long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia - a big U-turn from his previous position. In response, the Kremlin has accused the US of “seriously risking the start of World War III”. The Biden administration previously wouldn’t allow the missiles to be used inside Russia out of fears it could escalate the war, but reports say there’s been a change of heart after thousands of North Korean troops joined Russia’s frontline efforts. 

Getting G20 with it 

‘Tis the season for global leadership gatherings… Leaders from the Group of 20 member countries (aka the world’s major economies) are in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the 2-day summit. The meeting’s themes are social inclusion, global reform and sustainability, but that last one is really front and centre… United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on leaders to pick up the UN’s climate talks which stalled at COP29 last week. He wants them to agree to a financial figure to support the world’s poorest nations - who are often the worst affected by climate change. And away from the main stage, PM Anthony Albanese met with China’s Xi Jinping for a 30-minute chat where Xi acknowledged there had been “a turnaround” in relations between Oz and China that “should be maintained with great care.”   

Shopping for answers

Woolworths boss Amanda Bardwell and ex-boss Brad Banducci were among the company execs who fronted the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s public hearing yesterday at its supermarket inquiry. The inquiry is focused on our big supermarkets’ pricing practices, development plans and management of suppliers. And yes, it’s separate from the legal action the ACCC is taking against Coles and Woolworths for allegedly misleading discount pricing… Bardwell pushed back against claims Woolworths had been “land banking” (aka buying up land for new sites to block competitors) and insisted that, despite Woolworths and Coles controlling 67% of supermarket sales in Australia, the industry is "fiercely competitive". Coles execs are limbering up for their appearance on Thursday. 

Scientists crack the egg mystery 

Swiss scientists may have found an answer to one of life’s great questions - no, not whether it’s better to fight 100 duck-sized horses or one horse-sized duck… They’re tackling the perennial issue of which came first - the chicken or the egg? The researchers discovered embryos may have been first to the Earth party, beating animals to the punch. Biochemist Marine Olivetta from the University of Geneva says the first signs of a single-celled species discovered in marine sediments around Hawaii are a billion years old, which would put its existence before that of any animals. The bit they’re still trying to work out is how those single-cell organisms transitioned to multi-cell organisms - but at least they’ve made some progress on this whole chicken or egg situation, and it’s bad news for Team Chicken…

A new age for Miss Universe…

In news that might displease Leonardo DiCaprio, women over 28yo were allowed to compete for the first time in this year’s Miss Universe pageant - a big departure from the 7-decade-long age limit. And nearly 25% of the 120 contestants took the organisers up on the offer… Malta’s Beatrice Njoya, a mother of 3, made headlines as the first contestant in her 40s, saying that “when you reach a certain age, society wants to tell you what to wear and how to behave”, but that shouldn’t “stop you from following your dreams”. Wise words… She didn’t take out the tiara, though - it went to animal protection advocate and aspiring lawyer Victoria Kjær Theilvig, who was crowned the first-ever Danish winner of the pageant. History-making all around…

Apropos of Nothing

Million Dollar Banana is not the name of a new game show (sadly…), but a real possibility in the art world after the work Comedian - which is a banana stuck to a white wall with duct tape - was tipped to go for more than a million bucks at an upcoming Sotheby’s auction. Imagine how many bananas and duct tape you could buy for that…

In slightly more traditional art news, a close study of the nose has led to the mystery of who is in this mini painting being solved. Experts reckon the snoz is a much better match for Henry VIII’s daughter Mary Tudor, not his sixth wife Katherine Parr, as first thought. Talk about awkward family portraits…

And there’s a new baby Matilda on the way, with striker Sam Kerr and her fiancé Kristie Mewis expecting their first child together. The 31yo Aussie captain announced the news on social media, pointing to Mewis’ bump. Mewis is in for some mighty baby kicks come 6-months…

Squiz the Day

8.00am (ACDT) - Defence chiefs will attend the Maritime, Air and Space Technologies (MAST) Conference - Adelaide

9.00am (AEDT) - The Australian Antarctic Research Conference is on, with nearly 500 polar experts attending to discuss research findings, global warming and the future of the ice sheet - Hobart

9.00am (AEDT) - The Indigenous Leadership Summit is being held - Sydney

9.30am (AEDT) - Mention and possible plea for Beau Lamarre-Condon, the former police officer accused of murdering Jesse Baird and Luke Davies - Sydney

9.00am (AEST) - CSIRO's International Space Symposium, with Aussie astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg headlining the discussion on AI, Robotics and Automation in Space (on until 20 November) - Brisbane

12.00pm (AEDT) - ASFA 2024 superannuation conference - Sydney

12.30pm (AEDT) - Dr Geoff Raby will address the National Press Club on 'China’s ascendency in Eurasia and the West’s Chussia Anxiety' - Canberra

5.00pm (AEDT) - Walkley Awards Gala Dinner - Sydney

8.00pm (AEDT) - Chris Uhlmann’s Sky News documentary to air on the 'real cost of net zero'

ANZ AGM - Melbourne

AFR CFO Live 2024

International Men’s Day 

World Toilet Day 

💰Try to stay on speaking terms with whoever you play for National Play Monopoly Day...

Monaco’s National Day

Birthdays for Calvin Klein (1942), Meg Ryan (1961), Jodie Foster (1962) and Adam Driver (1983)

Anniversary of:

• American inventor Frederick E Blaisdell patenting the pencil (1895)

• the expulsion of Leon Trotsky from the Politburo (1926)

• the sinking of the HMAS Sydney in battle off the coast of Western Oz, killing 645 people (1941)

• the death of cult leader Charles Manson (2017)