Monday, 11 August - These boots are made for walkin'

Good morning, it’s Monday, 11 August. In your Squiz Today…

• Trump gears up for more peace talks with Russia about Ukraine

• What the jury in the mushroom trial didn’t hear

• And an ugly trend is afoot… 👟

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said Professor Richard Scolyer - one of 90,000 taking part in yesterday’s City2Surf in Sydney. The pathologist/former co-Australian of the Year/brain cancer sufferer - who was given 3 months to live in March - covered the rain-soaked 14km in 2 hours, 21 minutes. The man’s a marvel…

Gearing up for peace talks

The Squiz

With US President Donald Trump confirming he’ll meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is wondering whether he’ll have a seat at the negotiating table… Putin has previously refused to meet with him directly, but yesterday, the White House said Trump remains “open to a trilateral summit with both leaders”.

So could it go ahead without Ukraine? 

Yep - the meeting was set up for Putin and Trump, and Zelensky’s not too happy about that, but Trump is keen to move things on. You might remember he made the big claim that he’d end the war in his first 24 hours back in office. That (clearly…) didn’t happen, and despite Trump turning up the pressure on Zelensky (remember their tense encounter earlier this year…) and Putin (with recent threats of sanctions/tariffs…), the war’s still raging. If you’re wondering ‘why Alaska?’, a Kremlin spokesperson said the location was “quite logical” given its relative proximity to Russia. Others have described it as “friendly turf”, given that it’s a former Russian territory that some have called for the return of. And speaking of territory changing hands, that’s a hot topic for this meeting… 

Is that on the cards?

It’s on the agenda, and has been since the start of the war. Western European leaders aren’t happy about that - they don’t want to see Ukraine forced to give up territory that Russia wants for itself. A meeting with US Vice President JD Vance (who’s been visiting the UK over the weekend) and the resulting joint statement saw them stress the need for “a diplomatic solution [that] must protect Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests”. As for Zelensky, he says Ukraine won’t “give Russia any awards for what it has done” and “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier”. And he’ll likely have more to say as we get closer to Friday…

Smiling wide

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Squiz the Rest

Takeover tensions 

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is sticking to his plan announced on Friday to “liberate” the Palestinian territory from Hamas, despite world leaders basically saying it's bonkers... Starting with Gaza City (where they believe the remaining hostages kidnapped by Hamas on 7 October 2023 are being held), the plan is to take over the entire strip, but reports say that won’t happen immediately. Netanyahu also set out a 5-step plan to end the war, and says Israel “won’t keep” control of Gaza in the long term. PM Anthony Albanese and his Kiwi counterpart Christopher Luxon united in their opposition to the plan - they’ve met in Queenstown for some (literal) roundtable talks. Luxon says the takeover plan is “wrong and risks violating international law.” 

Mush more to the story…

True crime devotees were flush with new Mushroom Murder content over the weekend following Friday’s lifting of a suppression order on evidence that the jury didn't get to hear. It included details of the abandoned attempted murder charges relating to Erin Patterson's estranged husband Simon, and a police interview where she lied, amongst other materials ruled inadmissible. Patterson was found guilty last month of murdering her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson, after she served them a lunch laced with death cap mushrooms. As for what’s next for Patterson, a 2-day pre-sentencing hearing will start on 25 August in Melbourne’s Supreme Court - it’s when those affected will present their Victim Impact Statements.

A cut is on the cards…

Mortgage holders, renters and anyone depending on interest rates for income are gagging to hear if the Reserve Bank cuts interest rates tomorrow. The bank’s board begins its meeting today - and it’s in focus after July’s shock call to hold steady at 3.85%. Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock said it was the right way to go because they wanted to “wait a few weeks” to make sure inflation stayed on track. Those figures have since been delivered, showing we’re still within the target range. And while nothing’s certain, the prediction from the 4 big banks is that a cut of 0.25% is coming, despite the latest round of US tariffs coming into effect and general uncertainty in the global market. The decision will be announced tomorrow afternoon at 2.30pm. You’ve got time to get the popcorn… 

Vale Jim Lovell

The 97yo NASA astronaut died at home in Illinois late last week, and there’s been an outpouring of admiration for him. Lovell was the commander of the Apollo 13 mission in April 1970 - that’s the one where he and his crewmates set out to land on the moon, but they never got there after things went very wrong… Their spacecraft was more than 320,000km from Earth when one of its oxygen tanks exploded, prompting Lovell to radio back the famous line: “Houston, we’ve had a problem”. It’s since been immortalised by Tom Hanks (with a little creative liberty…). Lovell and his crew survived, with NASA saying his “character and steadfast courage” made him “unforgettable”. PS: this BBC podcast series on the action-packed journey is a good’un…

An ugly trend is afoot…

You might have adjusted to seeing Crocs and Birkenstocks, but how about snoafers (a hybrid of sneakers and loafers) or Tabis (aka camel toe shoes)? They’re part of an ugly shoe summer, happening in the northern hemisphere and fast tippy-toeing our way… Inspo has been taken from styles worn by kayakers and barefoot runners, including rubber slip-ons and something creepily called Vibram’s FiveFingers... Fashion experts reckon it’s down to more of us only wanting comfy shoes, and clever marketing has turned them into fashion, darling... And as sure as shared shower facilities turn into tinea, that’s driving up demand and prices. As retail analyst Neil Saunders says: “they’re a kind of anti-fashion that people buy into to show they don’t take themselves or following trends too seriously.” The anti-trend trend, if you like…

Apropos of Nothing - Beautiful beasts edition

Speaking of beauty being in the eye of the beholder, Petunia, a hairless English-French bulldog bitzer, has been crowned this year’s World’s Ugliest Dog. The California-based contest promotes adopting pets from rescue shelters, proving love comes in all shapes and sizes…  

Back at home, the owners of alpacas competing at the Australian Alpaca National Show - their version of fashion week - were “hoping for a good hair day” for their charges. That meant keeping warm in chilly conditions but not sweating too much. We’ve all been there. 

And staying with underrated animals - if you reckon dugongs or velvet worms should get more recognition, you can vote for your favourite in the ABC’s ‘Most Underrated Aussie Animal’ poll. It’s designed to highlight species we don’t typically hear much about. There are 10 to choose from - take your pick here…

Squiz the Day

7.30am (AEST) - The Reserve Bank starts its 2-day Monetary Policy Board Meeting ahead of its cash rate announcement tomorrow - Sydney

9.00am (AEST) - The Crawford Fund Food Security Annual Conference discussing food security and sustainability is on at Parliament House - Canberra

6.00pm (AEST) - Federal Attorney-General Michele Rowland will open a review into the definition of a 'terrorist act' chaired by National Security College Professor Rory Medcalf at the ANU - Canberra

The Albanese Labor Government marks 100 days of its second term

JBHi-Fi FY2025 earnings

World Steelpan Day

Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury Dr Andrew Leigh will speak at CEDA on 'Reigniting Productivity Growth in Australia' - Canberra 

National Presidential Joke Day in the US 

Birthdays for Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (1950), podcaster Joe Rogan (1967), and actor Chris Hemsworth (1983)

Anniversary of:

• the birthdays of Enid Blyton (1897) and Hulk Hogan (1953)

• the start of the Weimar Republic in Germany (1919)

• the first federal prisoners arriving at Alcatraz (1934)

• the premiere of The Wizard of Oz (1939)

• the founding of Airbnb by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk (2008)

• the death of Robin Williams (2014)