Friday, 27 March - Running just as fast as we can

Good morning, it’s Friday, 27 March. In your Squiz Today…

• The federal government considers a national plan to roll out fuel saving measures

• Tech giants Meta and Google have been found liable for making their apps intentionally addictive

• And some sweet, spicy buns…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said theology expert George Gross after Dame Sarah Mullaly was installed yesterday as the first ever female Archbishop of Canterbury. Over 2000 people attended the ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral - and as you can see from these photos, it was quite the ceremony…

A pandemic-era panic

The Squiz

In a hark back to the Covid-19 lockdown days, the federal government has been giving daily updates - but instead of health announcements, Energy Minister Chris Bowen is telling us state by state how many service stations have run out of fuel. Those numbers are climbing into the hundreds - particularly for diesel - and with PM Anthony Albanese calling another cabinet meeting on Monday to discuss fuel security, the topic of petrol prices and whether we’ve got enough oil coming down the line is set to continue well into next week… 

What’s on the table for the cabinet meeting?

The PM has called together the new fuel taskforce boss Anthea Harris and the state premiers to talk about possible emergency measures to save fuel, as the war in Iran continues to squeeze oil supplies. Up for discussion are public transport discounts, carpooling and working from home where possible. Rolling out these measures would typically be up to the states, but the government has decided to take a national approach. One thing to note is that fuel caps and rationing aren’t being considered. The idea of temporary fuel rations was raised by One Nation this week, but Albanese says we’re not there yet - the meeting is to form a contingency plan in case the war is prolonged, and he again urged people to only buy the petrol they need.  

What are other countries doing?

Taking a quick tour, the Philippines has declared a national energy emergency and introduced a 4-day work week - that's also been adopted by Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Thailand has asked public servants to use stairs instead of lifts (paywall), and South Korea is directing people to minimise shower times, charge EVs during the day and only run washing machines on weekends. China has banned exports of refined oil, and Japan has released 45 days' worth of oil from its stockpile and introduced subsidies to cap prices. As for Singapore, it’s agreed to make sure shipments of oil continue to Oz in exchange for our gas exports. Being one of the world’s largest exporters of gas and coal, those resources are a bargaining chip we’ll be looking to use - a point made by Nationals leader Matt Canavan who says “it’s the only way … that we’re going to be able to keep fuel and fertiliser coming to our country”.

A safer adventure for every traveller

Airbnb has been working alongside some of Australia's most trusted safety organisations - Surf Life Saving Australia, the Country Fire Authority and New South Wales Rural Fire Service - to put together resources for hosts and holidaymakers covering everything from beach to backyard to bush. If you're heading to the coast, regional areas, or anywhere in between, there's something in there for you. Find the full resource hub here.

Squiz the Rest

From warnings to reality

Tropical cyclone Narelle has turned back into a category 4 storm, and forecasters say it could get even stronger before it heads towards the Western Oz coast. It’s tipped to make landfall late tonight in the region of Shark Bay - that's a UNESCO World Heritage site on the western tip of the state. The region's close-up dolphin encounters are popular with tourists - but all visitors have been urged to leave ahead of the storm. Narelle is still tracking parallel to the coast, and yesterday wind gusts of 117km/hr and heavy rain hammered Karratha. The communities of Carnarvon and Kalbarri are getting ready for some of that today, but forecasters say the storm should weaken once it hits cooler water. After that, it’s set to head southeast until it ends its tour of Oz as a tropical low. Here’s that active map again to keep track of it… 

Court short

Nicolás Maduro, the ousted former president of Venezuela, faced the US District Court in New York overnight for the second time since his capture and arrest by American forces on 3 January. His lawyer Barry Pollack argued that the case should be dismissed because the US government is "interfering" in Maduro's defence by not letting the Venezuelan government pay his legal fees due to it being sanctioned. Pollack - an in-demand lead counsel who, fun fact, also acted for Julian Assange - says the ruling “violates Maduro’s constitutional right to defend himself” against the narco-terrorism charges he’s accused of. Judge Alvin Hellerstein refused to dismiss the case and ordered the lawyers to resolve the issue before a trial date is set.
*After more background on Nicolas Maduro? Check out our Squiz Shortcut… 

Meta get another lawyer

Over to another big case in the US - tech giant Meta has copped another court loss, with a jury in Los Angeles finding against it in a landmark case around social media addiction. A 20yo woman accused both Meta and Google of causing her harm by making their social media platforms (like Instagram and YouTube) intentionally addictive - taking a toll on her mental health. After deliberating for 9 days, the jury found in favour of the woman and awarded her $4.3 million in damages. Both Google and Meta say they’ll appeal the verdict - but it’s likely this won’t be the last case they face. The verdict is expected to influence thousands of other similar cases in the US - another one is set to begin in June, so it’s far from the last we’ve heard of it…

Here comes the sun…screen changes

It’s been a sore summer for the sunscreen industry, after a Choice study last year found 16 of the 20 products it tested couldn’t back up their sun protection (SPF) claims. That led to a bunch of them being taken off store shelves and an investigation from the Therapeutic Goods Administration. Yesterday, the TGA floated new reforms to how sunscreen is regulated here - including taking SPF numbers (30, 50, etc.) off labels and replacing them with low, high and very high - as well as possibly making sunscreen test results public. They’re just draft regulations at this point, and the TGA wants the public to chip in - so if you’ve got thoughts or just want to find out more, you can do that here… 
*And if you want to know how this all came about, we’ve got a Squiz Shortcut for you…

Back on track 

A bunch of our top track and field athletes will be in action from today at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne - and one event already getting a lot of attention is the men’s 200m sprint… That’s the race where 18yo rising star Gout Gout will be looking to beat his friend/rival 22yo Lachlan Kennedy, after Kennedy ran a personal best time to take the win at last year’s meet. Gout has since finished school and now trains as a full-time athlete, and he says he’s “gotten a lot stronger … and my start has gotten a lot faster”... Over in the field events, Olympic gold medallist Nina Kennedy will be headlining the pole vaulting, and fresh from a silver medal at the World Indoor Champs, high jumper Nicola Olyslagers will be aiming for a win on home turf. You can catch the main events from 7pm Sydney/Melbourne time tomorrow on Channel 7…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

We’ve been taking some comic relief from series 2 of Deadloch on Prime Video. Dulcie and her cop partner Eddy are on the beat in the Northern Territory this time - it’s very sweary so beware of that, but equally very funny…

If the price of fuel is something you’re newly keeping tabs on, we can suggest downloading the Petrol Spy app. It gives you the prices of all the servos in your area (wherever you are in Oz) on a map in real time…

It’s hot cross bun season, and while we don’t venture too far from the originals (Doritos inspired cheesy jalapeno ones can get in the bin…) we’re partial to the apple and cinnamon variety. Here’s a good recipe if you want to whip up a batch yourself…

Squiz the Day

Friday
9.00am (AEDT) - First case management hearing in Kyle Sandilands’ case against his former employer ARN Media over the termination of his $100 million contract, Federal Court of Australia - Sydney 

9.00am (AEDT) - ACCC releases its weekly fuel update, which will outline the latest changes in crude oil prices, international refined fuel benchmarks, and domestic wholesale and retail fuel prices in Australia’s capital cities and more than 190 regional locations 

9.30am (AEDT) - Ruth Langford is returning to court on protest charges, and is requesting evidence be heard on Country, in a first-of-its-kind case in the Tasmanian justice system, Hobart Magistrates Court - Hobart 

10.00am (AEDT) - First public hearing in a Senate Inquiry into the relationship between domestic, family and sexual violence and suicide - Canberra

4.55pm (AEDT) - Women’s Rugby Union: Vuvale Bowl, Wallaroos v Fiji, GIO Stadium - Canberra, watch on 9now 

7.00pm (ACST) - Basketball: NBL final game 2, Sydney Kings v Adelaide 36ers, Adelaide Entertainment Centre - Adelaide, watch on Disney+ 

8.10pm (AEDT) - Football: Game one of double header event before the FIFA World Cup Socceroos v Cameroon, Accor Stadium - Sydney, watch on 10play

Australian Rowing Championship finals (go Nick Huntington and crew in the U17 VIIIs…) - Lake Barrington, Tasmania

ABS data release: preschool attendance, 2025 

Walk to Work Day 

🎭 World Theatre Day

Birthdays for director Quentin Tarantino (1963), singers Mariah Carey (1971) and Fergie (1975)

Anniversary of:

• the patenting of kerosene (1855)

• Billie Holiday playing in front of a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall 11 days after being released from prison (1948)

• the worst aviation disaster in history when two Boeing 747s collided in Spain, killing 583 people (1977)

Saturday
5.00am (AEDT) - Cricket: Women’s Limited-overs international - Australia v West Indies, Warner Park Cricket Stadium - Saint Kitts and Nevis, watch on Disney+ 

4.00pm (AEDT) - Athletics: Maurie Plant Meet - pole vault champ Nina Kennedy and sprinter Gout Gout are among the athletes competing at Lakeside Stadium - Melbourne, watch on 7plus 

8.30pm (AEDT) - Earth Hour, where participants around the world switch off their lights for one hour in support of environmental causes 

Opening day of the Australian Sand Sculpting Championship, the theme is "the enchanted realm" (until 26 April) - Frankston 

Day one of Warbirds Over Scone, the biggest warbird airshow in the Southern Hemisphere (until 29 March) - Scone

🎂 Cake Picnic at the Royal Botanic Gardens, strict no-cake-no-entry rule applies - Sydney 

International Women in Music Day

Birthdays for actor Vince Vaughn (1970), actor Julia Stiles (1981) and singer Lady Gaga (1986)

Anniversary of:

• the end of the Spanish Civil War (1939)

• the death of Virginia Woolf (1941)

• the world's largest dinosaur footprint, a whopping 1.7m, found in Western Australia (2017)

• North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. It was Kim’s first trip outside of North Korea since coming to power in 2011 (2018)

• Cyclone Debbie making landfall in northeast Queensland (2017)

Sunday
2.30pm (AEDT) - Basketball: NBL final game of Sydney Kings v Adelaide 36ers, Qudos Bank Arena - Sydney, watch on 10play

3.00pm (AEDT) - Soccer: Women's ACL quarter-final Melbourne City v PFC Nasaf, Home of the Matildas - Melbourne, watch on 10play 

4.00pm (AEDT) - Motorsport: F1 Grand Prix Japan, Sazuka Circuit - Japan, watch on Kayo Palm Sunday

Neighbour Day

🎹 Piano Day

Birthdays for model Elle Macpherson (1964), and actor Lucy Lawless (1968)

Anniversary of:

• the official opening of Royal Albert Hall by Queen Victoria (1871)

• day one of Australia’s first federal election, which lasted over 2 days, leading to Edmund Barton being elected Prime Minister (1901)

• Nelson Mandela being acquitted of treason after a 4.5-year trial (1961)

• the discovery of the Terracotta Warriors in Xian, China (1974)