Friday, 16 August - We never go out of style

Good morning, it’s Friday, 16 August. In your Squiz Today…

• Doctors warn of a shortage of IV fluids

• Charges laid over actor Matthew Perry’s death

• And what was on the late Queen’s rider…🍸

🎧 Listen to the podcast

🤓 This email will take you 5 minutes to read

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said Aussie singer/songwriter Missy Higgins after finding out she’s going to be the youngest-ever solo artist inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. The 40yo joins legends like Kylie Minogue, Nick Cave and Midnight Oil, so she’s in good company…

Looking for an (IV) solution…

The Squiz

Australian doctors have rung a warning bell over the worldwide shortage of intravenous (IV) fluids - aka saline drip bags - which they say is forcing them to ration IVs in hospitals, even for those undergoing surgery. The problem has been bubbling along for weeks now, and last Friday, Health Minister Mark Butler pulled together an emergency group to look for answers. But as that happens, doctors say they’re “being left in the dark” by health authorities about the situation. David Story, the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists’ President, says “if there is a continued decrease in supply, elective surgery may be cancelled”.

Sounds serious…

Yep. If you’ve never needed them and don’t get what the fuss is about, IV fluids are a pretty standard - but crucial - way of treating people suffering from dehydration, illness, infection and even injuries. The Australian Medical Association President, Clinician Steve Robson, says the shortage is obvious to him and his colleagues. Yesterday, he said “with my own surgical list that I've just finished this morning we had major problems sourcing appropriate intravenous fluids”. What’s not so obvious is why there’s a shortage - although some have pointed to high demand clashing with international manufacturing constraints, and reports this morning say we’re still exporting fluids to New Zealand (paywall). That has our former Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth asking why Australian manufacturers can’t step in… “A lot of people will be questioning why it's so hard to make salt water - and I am too,” he says.

So what’s being done?

Well, the pressure’s mounting on Butler to figure out a solution at a federal level… He says our Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) “has approved a number of alternative supplies from overseas to supplement the local production, which is managing to get us through this period of higher demand”. But Senator Anne Ruston, the Coalition’s health spokesperson, says Butler “cannot hide behind the TGA on this issue”. She’s called on the Albanese Government to “urgently commit to a nationally-coordinated response to the shortage”. Health officials are dealing with a bit at the moment - particularly after the World Health Organisation declared the latest Mpox outbreak in Africa as a global health emergency. It’s all happening…

Your fresh market update…

The Squiz is all about giving you 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:

🥑 Hass avocados: The season continues to deliver an abundance of great quality avos so whether you put it on toast or in a smoothie, go get ‘em.

🍊 Delite mandarins: Bright orange skin means they’re ripe and ready to eat. Seedless and super juicy, they’re just fab.

🍄 Mushrooms: They’re the veggie pick of the week. A tip though: they do not look like the emoji. Cup mushies from Woolies only, please…

Squiz the Rest

Grinding to a halt in Gaza…

US officials are pushing Israel to stop the war in Gaza, saying its military has achieved all it can to weaken Hamas and further attacks will only hurt civilians. Security experts say Israel’s military has significantly reduced Hamas’ power but it will never be able to eradicate the group. The Biden administration is keen to get ceasefire talks back on track, but Hamas refused to attend the latest round saying it will “not engage in negotiations for the sake of negotiations in order to provide cover for Israel to continue its war”. The death toll from the war has now passed 40,000 according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Here in Oz, the Coalition is doubling down on its push for a ban on Palestinian visas until stricter security checks are enforced, but it’s proving controversial… Independent MP Dai Le - who came to Australia as a Vietnamese refugee - says the debate is “triggering” and pollies shouldn’t label Palestinians as “all terrorists”.

Five charged over Perry

Five people have been charged over the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry, including his personal assistant and 2 of his doctors. Perry was found dead in his hot tub last year with a large amount of the anaesthetic ketamine in his system, which police say was supplied to him by his doctors knowing they were endangering his life. An investigation into the 54yo’s death was launched in May which has since uncovered a ketamine dealing ring. Two dealers have been charged - one, known as the “Ketamine Queen” allegedly had 80 vials in her home. The US Attorney’s Office says Perry’s doctors were reckless with his life, with one allegedly sending a text message saying “I wonder how much this moron will pay”. US Attorney Martin Estrada said “The defendants took advantage of Mr Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves.” Perry’s battle with addiction dates back to his time on Friends in the 90s and early 2000s. 

With folks like me on the job

There’s been a slight increase in the number of Aussies out of work, with the unemployment rate now at 4.2% - up 0.1% on last month. The result was a smidge up on what markets expected, as 24,000 people lost a job in July. Still, economists reckon the figures show a pretty resilient economy, with more than 58,000 mostly full-time jobs created. As for what this means for interest rates, the markets reckon it’s less likely the RBA will think about a cut this year… And as company reporting season rolls on, Telstra’s getting plenty of attention as it posted a net profit of $1.79 billion - a 13% fall on the previous year. But energy giant Origin reported a 30% surge in its profit, ending the financial year $1.4 billion in the black off the back of its domestic power plants.

Great mysteries of the world… 

Aussie researchers have made a pretty stunning discovery about one of the world’s most famous landmarks. The team from Perth’s Curtin Uni now reckon the 6-tonne stone at the centre of Stonehenge may have come from Scotland - aka a lot further away than anyone previously thought. Lead researcher Anthony Clarke says they matched tiny fragments of stone with samples found 700km away - but they still can't answer the question "why would those people go all the way to Scotland to bring a rather unremarkable rock all the way to Stonehenge?" The World Heritage Site is believed to have been built between 3100 BC and 1600 BC. It's always puzzled experts how it was built - until now many thought the stone came by boat to southern England from Wales, just 200 kms away… 

Flying in style

It’s well known that divas/rock stars love their tour riders - aka a list of demands they send ahead to each venue before they perform - but they aren’t the only ones, with new details released about the expectations of the late Queen Elizabeth… Thanks to a flight attendant’s meticulous notes, we can peek behind the private jet curtain. They reveal her majesty liked noise to be kept to a minimum, her personal dresser would dictate how to make her bed, and that “Her Majesty tends to like a Martini before her guests arrive.” The notes will be auctioned off next week in a collection that reveals other celebs' preferences too, including former US President Ronald Reagan whose favourite lollies became known as “the official Air Force One mint.” How the other half live…

Wanna be in the Saturday Squiz?

This month the romance fiction series Mills & Boon marks 50 years in Australia. And while the genre may not be new to Australia, it’s certainly having a moment with a 40% rise in popularity over the past year.

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

While many big fashion houses are struggling, this article explains how Miu Miu (aka Prada’s baby sister) is rising through the ranks to become one of the world’s most successful brands. Some say it’s down to universal appeal, but we reckon its luxe new scoobie line could be helping…

We are big fans of the book/movie and the latest imagining of Interview with the Vampire is a fang-tastic TV series that debuted last year and is now back for series 2. Sink your teeth into both series for free on ABC iView…

After hearing so much about the chocolate muffins on offer in the Paris Athlete’s Village during the Olympics, we thought we’d dig out our favourite recipe and knock up a batch this weekend…

Reckon you read the email each day?

Want a chance to win a $100 Country Road voucher? Hit the button below each day this week, and we’ll know you’ve read the email. That gives you a chance to go in the draw. And repeat…

Squiz the Day

Friday
8.00am (AEST) - New Zealand’s PM Christopher Luxon will meet with our PM Anthony Albanese at the annual Australia-New Zealand Leaders meeting - Canberra

4.00pm (AEST) - A candlelight vigil will be held for 10yo Sophie Wang, allegedly murdered this week by her mother - Gold Coast

10.00am (AEST) - Motorsport: Supercars Championship, Tasmania Supersprint (until 18 August) - Launceston, Tas

US Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is set to deliver an economic policy address in North Carolina

The Kennedy Awards for excellence in journalism, gala presentation ceremony - Sydney

Pacific Airshow 2024 (until 18 August) - Gold Coast

Company results - Domain Group, ASX

Birthdays for James Cameron (1954), Madonna (1958), Steve Carell (1962), and Taika Waititi (1975)

Anniversary of:

• the marriage of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi (2008)

• Wikileaks founder Julian Assange being granted political asylum by Ecuador (2012)

• the deaths of Elvis (1977) and Aretha Franklin (2018)

Saturday
7.45pm (AWST) - Rugby: Wallabies v Springboks in the second test of the Rugby Championship - Perth, and watch on Stan Sport

Hamilton Island Race Week

Start of Book Week (on until 23 August)

Independence Day - Indonesia 

International Homeless Animals Day

Birthdays for Robert de Niro (1943), Belinda Carlisle (1958), Sean Penn (1960), Lil Pump (2000)

Anniversary of 

• Korea being divided into North and South Korea along the 38th parallel (1945)

• the Soviet Union's launch of Venera 7 to Venus, which made history as the first probe to return data after landing on another planet (1970)

• the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain (1980)

• US President Bill Clinton admitting in taped testimony he had an "improper physical relationship" with Monica Lewinsky (1998)

Sunday
7.00pm (AEST) - 64th TV WEEK Logie Awards - Sydney, and broadcast live on Channel 7

The Darwin Lions Beer Can Regatta 

UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) 305 - Perth

National Day of Action Against Bullying & Violence 

Never Give Up Day

Hawaiian Shirt Day in the US

Pinot Noir Day

Birthdays for Roman Polanski (1933), Robert Redford (1936), Edward Norton (1969), Andy Samberg (1978), and Liz Cambage (1991)

Anniversary of: 

• the death of Genghis Khan (1227)

• the end of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War (1973)