Monday, 26 May - We can work it out

May 26, 2025

Good morning, it’s Monday, 26 May. In your Squiz Today…

  • The Libs and the Nats are patching things up

  • Winter is coming early to the south-east

  • And why so many people are going loco for Labubus…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

"A podium in Monaco - it's not all bad.”

Said Aussie F1 driver Oscar Piastri on finishing 3rd in the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix. His McLaren teammate Lando Norris took out the win, but Piastri’s place on the podium ensures he’s still leading the World Championship rankings going into the Spanish GP next weekend… Ándale! 

Patching up the cracks

The Squiz

The former/potential future Coalition parties are dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s on a new agreement, with Nationals leader David Littleproud saying it will be signed within days. He and Liberal leader Sussan Ley have been negotiating since he pulled the plug on the 80-year partnership last week after a mega election defeat. The split was then put on pause as they continued talks, and yesterday, Littleproud said he’d received confirmation that “the Liberal Party is prepared to accept the 4 policy areas” that the Nationals want to see action on.

Remind me what they’re after… 

The policy areas are specific: the Nationals want to lift a ban on nuclear power in Oz, a crackdown on our major supermarkets’ market share, billions of dollars of regional investment and guarantees on phone/internet coverage outside the capitals. Littleproud’s supporters say his tough negotiating techniques will pay off for the Nationals, but some within the party - like former leaders Michael McCormack and Barnaby Joyce - say the past week’s turmoil has put his leadership in a tenuous spot. As for the man in question, when asked how he’d feel if he was ousted, Littleproud said he stood by his decision to push hard for the Nationals’ policy wishlist.

And what’s happening with those close seats? 

Get ready for recounts… In the Sydney seat of Bradfield, neither Liberal Gisele Kapterian nor Independent Nicolette Boele have claimed victory. That’s because it doesn’t get much closer than the electorate’s 112,374 votes coming down to just 8 between them, in Kapterian’s favour… The Electoral Commission says that because the margin is fewer than 100 votes, a recount will be held, with the result due in the coming fortnight. And in the Melbourne seat of Goldstein, Independent Zoe Daniel has asked for a recount after Liberal Tim Wilson pipped her by 260 votes after the final count was completed on Saturday. That request is being considered. It’s more exciting than watching some hot dogs go round a racetrack…

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Squiz the Rest

Russia bombards Ukraine

As the last of 1,000 prisoners were exchanged between Russia and Ukraine, reports say Russian forces launched the largest aerial attack on its neighbour since the war began. At least 12 people died in the strikes on Saturday night local time which were made up of over 360 missiles fired at more than 20 targets across Ukraine, including residential areas. The attack comes less than a week after a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, after which Trump said ceasefire talks would begin post-haste. Overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for stronger measures to be taken against Russia, saying “America's silence, and the silence of others in the world, only encourages Putin.” 

A foodcourt fight causes mass panic

A fight between 10 people armed with machetes broke out in the foodcourt of a Melbourne shopping centre yesterday afternoon, sending shoppers running for the exits in droves. Two teenagers have been arrested after the brawl, which happened at Northland Shopping Centre in the northern suburb of Preston at around 2.30pm. Police say the fight was between rival gangs, and they’re searching for 8 other people involved. Witnesses say they saw the offenders “wildly” swinging machetes at each other before shoppers began panicking and running for the doors. Victoria Police Superintendent Kelly Lawson said she didn’t believe the offenders meant to harm any members of the community, and that it was a “pre-organised gang meet-up.”

Winter is coming - early…

Floodwaters in the NSW Mid North Coast have begun to recede, and early estimates say 10,000 homes were damaged in last week’s deluge. Over the weekend, the toll from the one-in-500-year flood rose to 5 people - and more than 30,000 residents in over a dozen towns are still cut off. The Pacific Motorway reopened on Saturday, but many local roads are still submerged, and emergency crews are ferrying food, water and medicine to locals by boat... And the wild weather isn’t over yet - a cold front from the Southern Ocean is about to bring an early taste of winter to the country’s south-east. It’s expected to bring strong winds and the risk of dust storms across drought-affected areas of Victoria and South Oz before moving into NSW. Batten down the hatches… 

The streamers are kicking goals

Sport is where the action is for streamers right now, with games like Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs victory over Man United in the Europa League pulling in a record audience for Stan. Taking advantage of the trend, the streamer’s been snapping up sports left and right, including rugby, MMA, tennis and motorsports, and it's eyeing off the Premier League next. Over at rival Kayo (now owned by Dazn) they’ve locked in the FIFA Club World Cup, and with Amazon and Disney+ also muscling in, it’s elbows out in the contest for eyeballs… One sport you won’t see on there is the famous Dapto Dogs - after 90 years of hosting greyhound racing, the venue owners won’t extend the lease, and the dishlickers will have to find another home by June next year.

Taking the toys away 

Labubu dolls - the plushies with the creepy wide grin and pointy teeth - have been in hot demand across the world after being seen on the handbags of celebrities like Rihanna and Dua Lipa. But some bad behaviour by UK fans of the dolls - namely fighting over them in stores - has forced the maker to pull them from sale temporarily to prevent “potential safety issues”. Described as ‘monster bag charms’ the dolls are popular with both kids and adults, but toy maker Pop Mart says it won’t be selling them in the UK until June. The move has drawn an angry response from fans online - and some say it’ll drive demand even higher, with prices already as high as $100 a pop. Fans in Oz can still get them - but you might have to set your alarm…

Apropos of Nothing

We have a new contender for headline of the year: ‘A new room for a doomed loom’. If you’re scratching your head, this article is talking about how a group of loom lovers has banded together to save one of the rare loom weaving devices in Melbourne. Boom…

Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has won the 2025 Cannes Film Festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or, with It Was Just an Accident, a thriller exploring corruption and state violence in his home country. PS - it’s not to be confused with the festival’s Palm Dog award, which was taken out by Panda the Icelandic Sheepdog…

A felonious feline has been busted trying to get into a Costa Rican jail with 230g of pot and 67g of cocaine strapped to its back. A clawver would-be crime, but authorities say the kitty felt ameowzing after having the drug packages removed.

Squiz the Day

Travel will be free today for commuters on Sydney trains, Airport link and Sydney Metro services within the Opal network to compensate for disruptions last week

10.30am (AEST) - A full recount of votes will be carried out in the seat of Bradfield, which is expected to take 2 weeks - Sydney

2.30pm (AEST) - A judgement is due in the case of a student challenging Sydney private school Newington College’s decision to go co-ed - Sydney

9.00pm (AEST) - The first race of the Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling festival begins

Australian Energy Producers Conference & Exhibition (until 29 May) - Brisbane

The ASEAN summit gets underway in Kuala Lumpur (until 27 May)

Motorsport: Indy 500 begins

Independence Day in Georgia and Guyana

Memorial Day - US

Chardonnay Day

Birthdays for singers Stevie Nicks (1948), Lauryn Hill (1975) and Lenny Kravitz (1964), and actor Helena Bonham Carter (1966), 

Anniversary of:

  • Alse Young becoming the first person executed as a witch in the American colonies (1647)

  • The release of The Beatles' Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in the UK (1967)

  • Ireland voting to repeal their 8th amendment to legalise abortion (2018)