Monday, 2 September - I'm a wild one

Good morning, it’s Monday, 2 September. In your Squiz Today…

• Tassie battered by wild weather

• Mass protests in Israel after the bodies of 6 more hostages have been found

• And a royal wedding with a difference… 👑

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said Nationals leader David Littleproud after Scotland made a bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games (aka the one that was meant to be hosted in regional Victoria) using only the compensation money the state government paid for dumping them. Try saying “no-brainer” in your best Scottish accent…

Running hot and cold

The Squiz

About 17,000 Tasmanians are still without power this morning - and could be for days - after huge storms caused “unprecedented” damage to powerlines, trees and roads over the weekend. And it’s not over yet… Heavy winds and flood warnings are still in place across the state, with residents along parts of the Derwent River (the one that flows south to Hobart) urged to evacuate. Over the weekend, more than 30,000 homes and businesses were without power - that also impacted emergency service broadcasts from the ABC after its transmitter sites were cut off. Yesterday, Premier Jeremy Rockliff said there’s going to be “quite some damage” to deal with in the coming days, with the state government making emergency grants available for those who need them.

What’s happened?

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) says it’s down to a “vigorous west to north-westerly airstream” hitting Tassie. That led to high winds and rain across the state’s north, northwest and west coast, with major flood warnings issued in parts of those regions. Some weather stations experienced their strongest gusts in decades… The conditions eased off briefly yesterday, but it’s not over yet as another cold front moves in across the western and northern coasts. BOM forecaster Michael Conway warned the front “will bump up the winds yet again, probably not as strong as [Saturday], but quite strong”. So with roads and some schools closed, flood warnings in place and ongoing power outages - and potentially more bad weather on the way - it’s going to be a big week for the state… 

What about elsewhere?

Good shout because there were wind warnings in place everywhere except Queensland and the Northern Territory yesterday. Overnight, Victoria’s coastal areas - from the South Australian border right around to the Gippsland region - recorded damaging winds of up to about 130km/h, and those gusty conditions are headed for eastern NSW today. Sydney’s already had some unusual weather after recording its hottest August day since 1995 with the weather gauge passing 30C. That capped off a record-breaking heatwave across the country, which climate scientists have labelled “gobsmacking”. As for what spring has in store for us, the BOM reckons it will be warmer than usual for much of the country. Time to get the Birks out… 

Discovering new horizons

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Squiz the Rest

Progress and heartbreak in Gaza

Thousands of protestors have taken to the streets in major Israeli cities after the recovery of 6 more hostages’ bodies from a tunnel in Gaza. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) says the group was killed not long before they were found - and includes an Israeli-American citizen. The discovery of the bodies has sparked outrage in Israel, with the chairman of the nation’s largest labour union calling for a nationwide strike. Overnight, tens of thousands of protestors gathered in the streets of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and other cities, calling for PM Benjamin Netanyahu to strike a deal with Hamas to release the remaining hostages and end the war. It comes amid a temporary pause in fighting to allow for a vaccination program to immunise 640,000 children against polio, after the territory’s first case in 25 years was found last month.

X goes offline in Brazil

Elon Musk's social media platform X has been put on ice in Brazil, sparking a spat with the nation’s internet tzar, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The trouble started when X didn't follow legal orders to block some accounts accused of spreading fake news and hate speech. As part of the blackout order, the judge said users who tried to get around the order to keep using X could be fined $13,000 a day, which is more than the average Brazilian makes a year… That saw Musk label Moraes a "dictator" on X, and he later said "an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying [free speech] for political purposes." The shutdown could have a significant impact because the platform is used by about 10% of the country's 200 million people. And Musk isn't the only one asking whether Moraes' move was the right one - some experts say the move is “absurd and dangerous”. 

In, out, shake it all about

Over the last week, the Albanese Government's decision to include or exclude questions about the LGBTIQ+ community in the 2026 Census has been a bit of a political hokey pokey… A week ago, they put their foot out with a decision to abandon questions on sexuality, gender and sex variations in the quinquennial Census to avoid “divisive” debates. But then, PM Anthony Albanese put their foot in, saying “one question on sexuality” would be included. Labor promised the Census questions at the last election - yesterday, Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg said they were “reasonable questions to ask in a modern society” and criticised Albanese’s leadership. On that note, the latest Newspoll is out this morning, and Albanese’s personal approval ­ratings are at the equal-lowest level since he became PM.

C’mon Aussie… 

Our Paralympic team took our gold medal tally to 6 overnight, with Jed Altschwager and Nikki Ayers winning our first-ever gold medal for para-rowing in the PR3 mixed double sculls. And a shout out to 2 women who defended their Tokyo golds - Emily Petricola (who won the women's C4 3000m pursuit event despite an MS flare-up) and Amanda Reid (who won the C1-3 500m time trial - she’s one of 4 Indigenous athletes in Paris). Australia’s 6th on the medal tally as we finish up day 4 of the competition. And how good are our blokes at the US Open… Alexei Popyrin, Jordan Thompson and Alex de Minaur are through to the Round of 16 after making epic efforts to progress. For Popyrin, that involved taking down defending champ Novak Djokovic - and the hype is he could go on to win the whole thing… He plays home hero Frances Tiafoe this morning, while De Minaur and Thompson will meet on Tuesday. 

Not your regular Royal wedding… 

In a plot that could give Disney a run for its money, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway has tied the knot with Californian shaman Durek Verrett. The union has stirred up a bit of a storm in Norway, with some folks not too chuffed about how they’ve spun the association into a business, but they didn’t let the naysayers rain on their parade... The pair have been open about their spiritual beliefs - she reckons she's a clairvoyant, while Verrett says he's the latest in a line of six generations of healers who can communicate with spirits. And yesterday, they tied the knot in front of King Harald and Queen Sonja, 6 bridesmaids dressed in powder pink and more than 300 guests. The party didn't stop at the 'I do's' - the 3-day extravaganza also included a cruise and a nice/different/unusual pre-wedding salsa party. After all, they are dancing to their own beat… 

Apropos of Nothing

Timid Japanese workers have found a way to get out of awkward conversations with their bosses when they’ve decided to quit: hire someone else to do it. The use of ‘resignation agency’ Momuri (translating to “I can’t do this anymore”...) is skyrocketing.

The 48km/3-day hike to Britain’s remotest pub - the Old Forge in Inverie on Scotland’s west coast - brings new meaning to “working up a thirst”... Only the bravest of souls attempt the cold, muddy trek - but those who do reckon the pub’s hand-cut chips make it worthwhile.

Back Down Under, tourists are opting to search for gold as the price of the metal climbs… Central Queensland gold prospecting tour operator Leigh McGrath reckons interest in gold nugget fossicking - which he said is “addictive” - is on the rise. “Gold fever - it’s deadset real,” he says. 

Squiz the Day

9.00am (AWST) - Closing submissions are set to begin in the defamation case brought by Senator Linda Reynolds against former political staffer Brittany Higgins and Higgins’ husband David Sharaz (until 4 September) - Perth

9.30am (AEST) - A public inquiry continues into Australia’s response to the priorities of Pacific Island nations with evidence to be heard from aid organisations including Oxfam, the Red Cross, and UNICEF - Sydney

9.30am (AEST ) - 2024 ANU Migration Update - Canberra

10.00am (ACST) - ATO whistleblower Richard Boyle is set to stand trial on 24 criminal offences, including recording and disclosing protected information - Adelaide

ABS data release - Building Approvals, July; Business Indicators, June; Mineral and Petroleum Exploration, June

Vietnam’s National Day

Democracy Day in Tibet, marking the anniversary of Tibet's first election of the Parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration (1960)

Start of Women’s Health Week

World Coconut Day 🌴

Birthdays for Keanu Reeves (1964) and Salma Hayek (1966)

Anniversary of:

• the Great Fire of London, which destroyed 80% of the city (1666)

• the premiere of the first sci-fi film, A Trip To The Moon (1902)

• the deaths of Henry Lawson (1922), Ho Chi Minh (1969) and JRR Tolkien (1973)