Friday, 7 June - Push it real good

Good morning, it’s Friday, 7 June. In your Squiz Today…

• Pressure builds on Israel as it moves on central Gaza

• A double-murder accused apologises

• And, the most howlarious pet photos of the year… 🐩

🎧 Listen to the podcast

🤓 This email will take you 5 minutes to read

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Says Bordertown’s Lorna Henstridge, who celebrated her 110th birthday yesterday after becoming Australia’s oldest woman last month. Her secret: daily walks, crossword puzzles and outings with her daughter. A wise woman indeed…

Israel moves on central Gaza

The Squiz

The way Israel is conducting its military campaign in Gaza is back in focus after an airstrike on a school in the territory’s central area killed at least 30 people, including 5 children. The school, which is in the Nuseirat refugee camp and run by the local United Nations agency,  has been used as a shelter since Israel’s offensive began in Gaza in response to the Hamas terror attacks on 7 October. Israeli officials said it was targeted because it was a hidden Hamas command post (which Hamas has denied) and they say the strike killed Hamas operatives who took part in the 7 October attacks.

What are people saying?

Israel’s military said “a number of steps were taken to reduce the risk of harming uninvolved civilians during the strike” before it was carried out. But after similar deadly attacks at refugee camps prompted international condemnation, there’s another round of criticism of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the war coming his way… Aid groups say the “insane escalation of violence” in recent weeks is causing “apocalyptic” scenes in Gaza - Doctors Without Borders officials say “this man-made catastrophe needs to stop now”. On that, US President Joe Biden has been pushing hard for Israel and Hamas to sign a new ceasefire/hostage release deal, but they haven’t agreed on terms yet. Tensions are also escalating along the Israel/Lebanon border, with Netanyahu threatening “very intense” action against the militant group Hezbollah. 

And what did I hear about the Greens yesterday? 

The top line is that Greens leader Adam Bandt has threatened to sue Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus. He claims Dreyfus made “defamatory statements” about him over his stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict during an ABC interview on Wednesday. Bandt’s been front and centre this week, with PM Anthony Albanese, Dreyfus and Coalition leader Peter Dutton accusing him and the Greens of undermining social cohesion. They say the intimidating actions of pro-Palestine protestors outside several MPs’ offices have been stoked by the Greens - something Dreyfus expanded on in the interview. Yesterday Bandt threatened to sue, adding that politicians “are not the victims” of this conflict.

Meet the Baronio family

Today, let us tell you the story of the Baronio family. They’re Queensland-based apple and strawberry farmers and they’ve been partners of Woolworths since 1988. John Baronio says it’s a relationship built on good, honest communication. It’s a great Aussie story. Here’s a link to learn more about them.

Squiz the Rest

It wasn’t me… 

Former Jetstar pilot Gregory Lynn, who's on trial for the murder of elderly campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay in Victoria's High Country, yesterday apologised to the victims' families for their loss. He's offered to plead guilty to destroying evidence - but he denies he's a murderer. He says Clay was accidentally shot during a tussle over a shotgun and that Hill then attacked him with a knife, leading to the man's death. "I should be punished for what I did," he said in court, but "I am innocent of murder." The prosecution was having none of it - yesterday it wrapped up it’s cross-examination of Lynn and pushed him during the sometimes fiery exchanges, including on his admission of lying to his wife about his involvement in the case. The jury will begin hearing closing arguments on Tuesday. 

That’s pushing things… 

Thursday arvo at Canberra Airport usually consists of a bunch of pollies pushing their way to the departure lounge after a sitting week - but yesterday there appeared to be a shove of another kind… The Australian says former federal Treasurer/Nine Entertainment Chairman Peter Costello pushed its journalist Liam Mendes to the ground after he asked why Costello hadn't publicly backed Nine CEO Mike Sneesby since allegations of sexual harassment against the network's former news boss Darren Wick came to light. Both Costello and Sneesby were said to be aware of the allegations when Wick resigned recently, but the chairman didn't learn of a $1 million payout made to Wick until after his departure. "Mr Costello, you can't do that…it's all captured on camera," Mendes said after biting the dust. Costello denied the assault and suggested Mendes backed into an ad bollard and fell over. "I did not lay a finger or a fist or anything else on him,” he said.

Toppling the big Apple

American tech company Nvidia has just zoomed past Apple to become the world's second most valuable publicly listed company, with a market value of more than US$3 trillion. This is down to the ongoing AI boom and Nvidia's savvy move from making computer chips for graphics processing to hardware and software to aid machine learning (just nod…). Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang says the company is at the forefront of "the next industrial revolution"... The company's share price jumped over 5% on Wednesday after reporting sales of US$26 billion from 2024's first quarter - more than triple 2023's result. Analysts say the company could be worth $10 trillion by 2030 because the revolution relies on Nvidia's products. "I'm calling it an impenetrable moat," one said. Another company leaning heavily towards AI is the world's most valuable publicly listed company - that’s Microsoft. 

Studying our family ties

A 34-year study that's been following 167 Aussies from birth to their mid-30s has added to the nature versus nurture debate... The ‘Life Chances’ study undertaken by the Brotherhood of St Laurence plucked children from various backgrounds and tracked how inequality affected each one. Turns out, the family you're born into and the circumstances of your birth aren't necessarily your destiny… "Social policies and programs can make a difference," says lead researcher Dr Dina Bowman. She says Australia's social safety net is in decline, and that’s a problem - but families with strong connections to each other and their culture can overcome some of the issues of being less cashed-up. One participant says the process of being part of the study was like an annual performance review… "That self-reflection enabled me to say, 'Yep, I've achieved something' or 'I need to pull up my socks in this area of my life'."

A round of a-paws…

The 2024 Comedy Pet Photo Awards have crowned Hector the dog (and his human friend Sarah Haskell…) as the winner for a shot of him squeezing through a cat door - it’s a cracker. But as the award organisers said, there were many “wonderful” finalists (which you can browse through here) snapped in some compromising/comedic positions, “flying through the air, pulling funny faces, whispering secrets and getting stuck in walls”. Strangely enough, pictures of a shark regurgitating an echidna weren’t in the mix… And speaking of animal competitions, the 28th Australian Kelpie Muster kicks off tomorrow. The event brings together thousands of kelpie lovers each year and has helped put the Victorian town of Casterton back on the map. Talk about man’s best friend…

Wanna be in the Saturday Squiz?

Confession time - we had a bit of a clanger this week and gave you the wrong date for Cold Chisel ticket sales. We told you they went on general sale a whole 24 hours after they actually went on sale… Yikes. Now it’s got us wondering…

Each week we share the poll results in the Saturday Squiz - sign up here.

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

Homewares and homey things are nice to look at online - even if you have no intention of buying. One great place for that is the Architectural Digest editor’s picks - Mel Studach’s selection tickles our fancy… 

We’re not that fussy about beauty trends (you know that about us…) - but good hair and skin tips are something that we’ll always click on. This hair gloss has been recommended in heaps of things we’ve read over the years - and last weekend we tried it. Hair = so shiny… Get it at the supermarket/chemist. 

One of our favourite Insta cooks is Canadian Kirsten Deneka. She's serene in the kitchen - everything we're not… So after a year of sniggering at various 'Big Mac-inspired taco' recipes doing the rounds, we're now taking it seriously after she posted her version this week. Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it… 

Squiz the Day

Friday
10.00am (AEST) - The jury is deliberating in the case of Justin Stein, accused of murdering 9yo Charlise Mutten at his family’s property in the NSW Blue Mountains - Sydney

11.30am (AEST) - The winner of the Archibald Prize will be announced at the NSW Art Gallery in Sydney

12.30pm (AEST) - Australia's Economic Outlook conference, to be addressed by PM Anthony Albanese and Deputy Reserve Bank Governor Andrew Hauser - Sydney

6.15pm (AEST) - Sydney Film Festival: world premiere of A Horse Named Winx, a film about the infamous Aussie racehorse - Sydney

10.30pm (AEST) - Tennis: Carlos Alcaraz Garfia v Jannik Sinner in the French Open men’s singles semi finals in Paris, and watch on 9Gem

Barunga Festival (on until 10 June) - Northern Territory 

ABS Data Release - Monthly Household Spending Indicator, April 

National Doughnut Day

World Food Safety Day 

Birthdays for Liam Neeson (1952), Mike Pence (1959), Bear Grylls (1974), and Emily Ratajkowski (1991)

Anniversary of:

• the Vatican City becoming a sovereign state (1929)

• Fraser Island's name being officially restored to K'gari (2023)

Saturday
1.30am (AEST) - Tennis: Casper Ruud v Alexander Zverev in the French Open men’s singles semi finals in Paris, and watch on 9Gem

9.45am (AEST) - The King’s Birthday Parade will be held at Government House, Sydney, with an address by NSW Governor Margaret Beazley 

10.30am (ACST) - Australian diving Olympic trials, men’s 3m final and women’s platform final - Adelaide

1.00pm (AEST) - The 51st Daytime Emmy Awards are on in Los Angeles (8pm Fri local time) 

9.15pm (AEST) - Hockey: FIH Women’s Pro League, Aus v Great Britain - Belgium, and watch on 7Plus

11.30pm (AEST) - Hockey: FIH Men’s Pro League, Aus v Great Britain - Belgium, and watch on 7Plus

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be sworn-in for an historic third term - India 

Tennis: Iga Świątek v Jasmine Paolini in the women’s singles final at the French Open - Paris, and watch on 9Gem

The 28th Annual Australian Kelpie Muster (on until 9 June) - Casterton

Democratic primary in Virgin Islands

World Brain Tumor Day 

World Oceans Day 

National Best Friend Day

National Gin Day

Birthdays for Nancy Sinatra (1940), inventor of the World Wide Web Tim Berners-Lee (1955), and Kanye West (1977)

Anniversary of:

• the completion of the first trans-Pacific flight (US to Australia) by Charles Kingsford Smith (1928)

• Siam changing its name to Thailand (1949)

• the publication of George Orwell’s 1984 (1949)

• the death of Anthony Bourdain (2018)

Sunday
3.00am (AEST) - Mens Cricket: ICC T20 World Cup - Aus v England - Barbados, and watch on Prime

10.30am (ACST) - Australian diving Olympic trials, men’s 3m, men’s platform and women’s 3m finals - Adelaide

Tennis: French Open men’s singles final - Paris, and watch on 9Gem

National Donald Duck Day

Birthdays for Patricia Cornwell (1956), Michael J Fox (1961), Johnny Depp (1963), and Natalie Portman (1981)

Anniversary of:

• China leasing Hong Kong’s new territories, including Hong Kong, to the UK for 99 years (1898), as well as the anniversary of the lease expiring, handing the city back to China (1997)

• the first appearance of Donald Duck in The Wise Little Hen (1934)

• the Ghost Train fire at Luna Park in Sydney that killed 7 (1979)

Monday
Woohoo, it’s a public holiday for the King's Birthday (sorry Western Oz and Queensland…) The Squiz team is taking a break - we’ll be back bright and early tomorrow

2.30am (AEST) - Hockey: FIH Men’s Pro League, Aus v Germany - Belgium, and watch on 7Plus

4.00am (AEST) - Motorsport: F1 Canadian Grand Prix - Montreal

10.30am (AEST) - Swimming: Australian trials for the Paris Olympics/Paralympics begin (until 15 June) - Brisbane, and watch on 9Now

11.00am (AWST) - Immigration detainee Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan accused of the home invasion and attack on grandmother Ninette Simons to appear in court - Perth

5.00pm (AEST) - Matildas goalie Mackenzie Arnold and coach Tony Gustavsson will speak about the dynamic between coaches and athletes at a Vivid event at Sydney Town Hall

Men’s Health Week (until 16 June)

Anniversary of:

• the first victim of the Salem witch trials being hanged for witchcraft in Massachusetts (1692)

• the Myall Creek Massacre, which saw 28 Indigenous Australians murdered (1838)

• the birthdays of Prince Philip (1921) and Judy Garland (1922)

• the launch of the Spirit Rover, beginning NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover mission (2003)

• the death of muso Ray Charles (2004)