Friday, 20 September - I'll be in your head all weekend

Good morning, it’s Friday, 20 September. In your Squiz Today…

• Remembering our peacekeeping mission in Timor-Leste

• A billion-dollar cocaine bust

• And a saucy shakshuka…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said Kylie Minogue, announcing her biggest tour in a decade off the back of her comeback album Tension - along with news of a follow-up release Tension II. The Padam princess will kick things off in Australia in February before spinning around to Asia and the UK…

A memorable mission

The Squiz

Today marks the 25th anniversary of Australian military personnel touching down in East Timor (or Timor-Leste, as it’s now known…) for a major peacekeeping mission - our largest ever, in fact. At the time, the Indonesian territory was in crisis over its independence, prompting then-Australian PM John Howard to send Australian troops to lead the International Force East Timor (or the INTERFET) mission. That officially wrapped up in February 2000, but the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) presence in Timor-Leste lasted until 2013.

Wind it back a bit…

We’ve got you. The crisis flared after a UN-sponsored referendum in August 1999 on East Timor seeking independence from Indonesian occupation. Pro-Indonesian militias then attacked civilians, particularly around the capital Dili. Towns were destroyed, 1,400 civilians were killed, and 500,000 people were displaced, leading to calls for Portugal (which counted East Timor as a colony until the 1970s), the US, and Australia to step in. Howard was pressured to intervene by then-US President Bill Clinton, who, at the time, said “the eyes of the world” were “on those poor innocent, suffering people”. Australia’s mission ended up being a success - and a key part of Timor-Leste eventually gaining independence in 2002. INTERFET’s commander Peter Cosgrove also received lots of praise… The operation made him a household name - and springboarded him towards eventually becoming Governor-General.

So how did things work out?

Despite its independence, Timor-Leste has had plenty of struggles over the years - including with Australia. One of our big disagreements has been over who owns the gas reserves in the Timor Sea, which would be huge for Timor-Leste’s economy. There was even a scandal in 2004 that involved Aussie spies listening into their officials' top-secret discussions which led to a lot of criticism of our conduct. China’s influence in Timor-Leste has also been a concern in recent years… President José Ramos-Horta last year pushed back against concerns over a new Timor-Leste/China strategic partnership, saying that Australia remains his “preferred defence and security partner”. As for today’s anniversary, a commemorative service to honour those who served in Timor-Leste is being held at the Australian Peacekeeping Memorial in Canberra from 9.30am AEST. It’ll be broadcast live on ABC if you want to catch it there.

Your fresh market update…

At the Squiz, we’re all about giving you the 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:

🌱 Asparagus - Nothing says spring like an asparagus side dish for your weekend barbie. Toss it in some lemon juice or garlic, and you’re set to impress

🤍 Cauliflower - Find the best caulis by looking for firm, white florets

🥢 Organic celery - It’s thriving right now. Our suggestion is to pop it in your favourite spring salad. And yes, they are represented by sticks (we're a bit emoji challenged today...)

🍊 Amorette mandarins - Sweet and tangy, these are super easy to peel - When choosing look out for bright orange skin

Squiz the Rest

Israel continues its campaign

Israel has launched airstrikes on southern Lebanon, continuing its campaign against Hezbollah, after explosions in communications devices killed at least 37 people and injured 3,450 others in the past 2 days. Overnight, the head of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah said Israel’s actions could be “seen as a declaration of war” and that the device attacks “crossed all red lines”. United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk has called for an independent investigation. He says the attacks against Hezbollah violate international law and world leaders must defend everyone’s right to “live in peace". Advocacy group Human Rights Watch agrees, saying “booby traps” are “unlawfully indiscriminate”. It comes as Australia abstained from a UN vote calling for Israel to end its "unlawful presence" in Gaza, but Foreign Minister Penny Wong said it doesn’t mean our government condones the war.

Cracking a cocaine community

NSW Police have dismantled an underworld syndicate known as ‘The Commission’, which allegedly supplied $1.8 billion of cocaine across the state in just 4 months. Strike Force Barograph began investigating the network after a 21yo man was arrested in western Sydney in July. It’s found the “extremely disciplined and coordinated" syndicate supplied over 1.2 tonnes of cocaine to organised crime gangs. Detectives carried out 20 early morning raids across Sydney on Wednesday and arrested/charged 6 men after finding 20kg of cocaine, guns, and $800,000 cash. NSWPF Commissioner Karen Webb says it will “make the community safer” but Sydney’s “massive appetite” for drugs is a great concern. NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley blames the Australian Border Force/federal government saying, “our borders are the problem”. Police are now looking at who might try and fill the illegal “void”.

Unemployment holds steady

Our latest employment data for August was released yesterday, and the big takeaway is that the unemployment rate hasn’t moved from July - staying at 4.2%, in line with expectations. What wasn’t expected was 47,500 people finding jobs, nearly double the 26,000 forecast… As for what it means, economists reckon mortgage holders shouldn’t get their hopes up for an interest rate cut when the Reserve Bank meets next week. Officials there have repeatedly said they’re expecting our labour market to “loosen” up - aka shed some jobs - to help bring the inflation rate back into the 2-3% target range. That could happen sooner rather than later, with economist Callam Pickering predicting unemployment “to rise further over the remainder of the year, with strong employment gains not quite keeping pace with population growth”. That’s after news that our population’s officially ticked over 27 million…

Get out your scarves…

It’s a big weekend for sports fans, with preliminary footy finals kicking off tonight… For AFL fans that starts at 7.40pm AEST when the Sydney Swans will face Port Adelaide at the SCG. And 10 minutes later, NRL nuts will get their week 2 finals fix when the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks take on the North Queensland Cowboys - a clash so popular that it’s pushed up airfares… Tomorrow arvo will also see another old rivalry reignited in Sydney when the 2024 Bledisloe Cup opener kicks off at 3.45pm Aussie Eastern time. Both the Wallabies and the All Blacks have a lot to prove after some tough losses in the Rugby Championship… And in netball, the England Series will continue with the second of 3 matches at 4pm Aussie Eastern time in Sydney on Sunday, after our Diamonds had a 70-57 win over England’s Roses in Adelaide last night. 

Yoghurt to be kidding me… 

One of our biggest dairy brands has revealed that our appetite for yoghurt is now almost as strong as our thirst for milk (paywall) as more of us turn to pots and pouches for a health kick. Bega says that healthy yoghurts have brought in an extra $700 million in the past 9 months, with us now spending nearly $2 billion on the snack every year. That’s an industry-wide increase of 11%, which is well ahead of the 2% increase in milk sales which are still just ahead on $2.15 billion annually. The results follow Bega’s 2021 takeover of Japanese company Lion’s Dairy, putting multiple Greek yoghurt products back in Aussie hands. But reports say it's also down to more of us eating high-protein/low-sugar yoghurts as part of our health regime. If you've been meaning to start one of those, here are some yoghurt-filled recipes to get you going…

Wanna be in the Saturday Squiz?

A man rescued by local council workers after being bitten by an eastern brown snake says they’re now “mates for life”.

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Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

We’ve been fans of Only Murders in the Building since it started and series 4 does not disappoint... No spoilers, but there’s another body in the Arconia - by now the most deadly building in New York - and Oliver, Charles and Mabel are on the case for their hit podcast. In keeping with the suspense, episodes are dropping weekly…

He’s been a top screen villain since being the Breaking Bad-die, but we knew surprisingly little about actor Giancarlo Esposito before reading this interview… That includes the fact that despite people thinking he’s Latino he was actually born in Denmark to Italian and African-American parents - oh and he once nearly hired a hitman… 

If you’re in the mood for a moreish brunch that you can whip up easily at home this weekend, we reckon you can’t go past a saucy shakshuka. Topped with feta and fresh parsley, all you need is some crusty bread for dipping and you’re set.

Squiz the Day

Friday
9.30am (AEST) - Commemorative service to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Australian service in Timor Leste - Canberra

7.40pm (AEST) - AFL Preliminary finals - Sydney Swans v Port Adelaide - Sydney, and watch on Channel 7

7.50pm (AEST) - NRL Semi-final: Sharks v Cowboys - Sydney, and watch on 9Now

9.00pm (AEST) - Tennis: Laver Cup, Europe v The World (until 22 September) - Berlin, and watch on Stan Sport

10.00pm (AEST) - Motorsport: F1, Singapore Grand Prix - Singapore and watch on Fox Sports

Vic, WA and NT schools finish up Term 3

Increases and regular indexation will be applied to JobSeeker and Commonwealth Rent Assistance

Start of Sustainable Fashion Week (on until 29 September) - UK 

World Cleanup Day

4pm Finish Day 🥳

National Pepperoni Pizza Day in the US

Birthdays for Sophia Loren (1934), George RR Martin (1948), and Tim Rogers (1968)

Anniversary of:

• US President George W Bush declaring a "war on terror" following the 11 September terrorist attacks (2001)

• the release of Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe single (2011)

• Hurricane Maria, which resulted in 2,975 deaths in Puerto Rico (2017)

Saturday
4.00am (AEST) - Soccer: 2024/25 Women’s Super League kicks off with 12 Matildas stars playing in the comp - England

3.45pm (AEST) - Rugby Union: Bledisloe Cup, Wallabies v All Blacks (until 28 September) - Sydney, and watch on Stan Sport

5.15pm (AEST) - AFL: Preliminary final - Geelong v Brisbane Lions, and watch on Channel 7

7.30pm (AEST) - Soccer: Australia Cup semi-final - Melbourne Victory v Adelaide United - Melbourne, and watch on Paramount+

7.30pm (AEST) - Cricket: England Men v Australia Men - Second ODI - UK, and watch on Kayo

7.50pm (AEST) - Rugby league Semi-final - Sydney Roosters v Manly - Sydney, and watch on 9Now

PM Anthony Albanese will attend the Quad Summit with President Joe Biden and the PMs of India and Japan - Delaware, USA

Start of Oktoberfest (on until 6 October) - Munich

Start of the Sydney Royal Wine Show

Zero Emissions Day

International Day of Peace 

World Alzheimer’s Day 

National days for Armenia, Belize and Malta

Birthdays for Stephen King (1947), Bill Murray (1950), Kevin Rudd (1957) and Liam Gallagher (1972)

Anniversary of:

• the passing of a proclamation announcing the formal abolition of the French monarchy during the French Revolution (1792)

• the publication of JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit (1937)

• the proclamation of the People's Republic of China by the Chinese Communist Party (1949)

• the publication of a genomic study finding Indigenous Australians are the oldest known civilisation on earth in Nature (2016)

Sunday
9.30am (AEST) - Australian Cricket: One Day Cup series begins with New South Wales v Western Australia - Sydney 

3.30pm (AEST) - Netball: International Test Series, 2nd Match, Origin Diamonds vs England Roses - Sydney and watch on Kayo Freebies

6.00pm (AEST) - Soccer: Australia Cup semi-final - South Melbourne v Macarthur FC - Melbourne, and watch on Paramount+

7.10pm (AEST) - Cricket: Australia Women v New Zealand Women - Second T20I - Mackay, and watch on Kayo

The UN’s Summit of the Future (on until 23 September) - New York

100 days until the end of the year....

World Car-Free Day 

World Rhino Day 

Astronomy Day

Hobbit Day - marking the birthdays of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins 

Birthdays for Nick Cave (1957), Joan Jett (1958), and Ronaldo (1976) 

Anniversary of:

• the last executions of the Salem Witch Trials (1692)

• Robert Walpole becoming the first British PM to live at 10 Downing Street (1735)

• the debut of TV shows Charlie's Angels (1976), Baywatch (1989), Friends (1994), The West Wing (1999) and Lost (2004)

• the death of author Dame Hilary Mantel (2022)