Monday, 27 November - You're out of touch

Good morning, it’s Monday, 27 November. In your Squiz Today…

  • Three rounds of hostages released from Gaza

  • Drones strikes hit Kyiv

  • And Doctor Who has left the ABC…

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Squiz Sayings

"It's an incredible medley of subtle spicy and sweet."

Says US woman Christina O'Neill as one of many Americans discovering the delights of the hottest new cuisine. Indian/Chinese fusion food is said to be taking off across the country - we’ll take either or both at the same time, whatever way it comes… 

Hostages reunited with families

The Squiz

Three groups of hostages taken from Israel have now been released by Hamas as the ceasefire continues to hold. After coming into effect on Friday, 58 out of an estimated 240 Israeli citizens and foreign nationals taken by Hamas from Israel on 7 October have now been freed. And 120 Palestinians have been released from Israeli detention. 

Who’s been released? 

The Israeli citizens and foreign nations released by Hamas are mostly women and children who were kidnapped from the kibbutzim near the border with Gaza. Amongst the children was Ohad Munder, who turned 9yo in captivity and had an emotional reunion with father. Also returned was Emily Hand, a 9yo Israeli-Irish girl who was thought to have been killed in the initial 7 October attack. The released hostages also include more than a dozen Thai nationals as part of a separate agreement with Thailand’s government. As for the Palestinian detainees freed under the deal, all of them are women or children. One woman released was Sarah al-Suwaisa, who said that Israeli guards had fired tear gas at them before their release – she called her treatment “humiliating, psychological torture”.

So has it gone smoothly? 

Friday’s hostage release did, but the planned release on Saturday was delayed due to concerns from Hamas over a lack of aid arriving in northern Gaza, as well as a cryptic accusation that Israel was “playing with the names” over which Palestinian prisoners would be released. An Israeli military spokesperson said, “We are standing by our part of the framework.” As for what comes next, while the initial hostage deal stipulated the release of 50 prisoners over 4 days, Israel has indicated that the truce could be extended if 10 Israelis are released each day. Earlier in the weekend, US President Joe Biden said “the chances are real” that a ceasefire could take hold.

Committed to a safer online experience

YouTube is really serious about kids’ safety online - it’s a passion we share. Giving the next generation the tools to be media literate in the information age is what our product, Newshounds by Squiz Kids, is all about. For YouTube’s part, Hit Pause is their video series, which teaches Australians how to recognise misinformation when they come across it online. Check it out here.

Squiz the Rest

Kamikaze drones strike Kyiv

From one conflict to another… Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has been hit by the largest drone attack since the conflict began more than 640 days ago. Reports say at least 75 Russian drones were fired at the city over a 6-hour period on Saturday, but the majority of them were shot down by Ukraine’s air defence systems. Local officials said they’re concerned the strikes mark the start of a Russian winter offensive targeting key infrastructure, but nothing critical was hit during these attacks. Kyiv’s mayor Vitaliy Klitschko says falling debris injured 5 people and damaged residential buildings across the city. President Volodymyr Zelensky has labelled the attack an act of “wilful terror” and said Ukraine will “continue to work to unite the world in defence against Russian terror”. For its part, the Kremlin hasn’t commented on the attacks.

Look who’s back…

Former Liberal MP Dave Sharma is about to become Senator Sharma after winning an internal party election to fill Marise Payne's vacant NSW senate seat. There were 10 candidates running for the seat, with the 2 front-runners both endorsed by Liberal leader Peter Dutton… except Sharma wasn't one of them. His win was something of a surprise, but Dutton later welcomed Sharma to the Senate, saying his "diplomatic and foreign policy expertise will lend considerable weight and wisdom". Dutton is referring there to Sharma's previous work as ambassador to Israel from 2013 to 2017. Since then, Sharma held Malcolm Turnbull's old seat for one term before being replaced by teal candidate Allegra Spender in the 2022 election. We're coming into the last sitting week of the full Parliament for the year, so expect plenty more politics…

A notable Aussie athlete under fire

If you don't know Australian basketballer Josh Giddey's name, you're hearing it now for all the wrong reasons... He's a 21yo player from Melbourne who stars for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the US National Basketball Association (NBA). And he's also generated a lot of excitement as the future of the Aussie Boomers ahead of their 2024 Paris Olympics campaign. But over the weekend, the NBA confirmed it’s investigating claims that Giddey had an inappropriate relationship with a high school-aged girl shown with him in videos and photos via an anonymous account on social media. The account has been deleted, and Giddey was tight-lipped when asked by reporters about the allegations before his team's 127-123 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers yesterday. For its part, the NBA hasn’t given any details or timelines about its investigation, but reports indicate the police haven’t been involved…

A serve of success

If you’re reading this in the morning then our Aussie tennis champs are currently playing in the final of the men’s-only Davis Cup, after a shellacking of the Finland team in the semi-finals by Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin on Saturday. The Aussies – also featuring Max Purcell, Matt Ebden, and Jordan Thompson – are playing an ascendant Italian team, who are hot off the back of their win over Novak Djokovic's Serbian side. Australia has a decent record in the Davis Cup, also known as "the World Cup of men's tennis" – we've won 28 titles since the Cup began in 1900, although our most recent was in 2003. Last year we lost the final to Canada, but team captain Lleyton Hewitt reckons this is our year. Standing in our way, though, is the 22yo Italian superstar Jannik Sinner, who beat Djokovic to secure his team’s spot in the final. We should have a winner by mid-morning…

The Parting of the Ways…

Time Lords and companions, it’s time to fetch your wallet... After nearly 60 years on free-to-air TV in Australia, the Doctor is leaving ABC TV to the disappointment of Aussie Whovians. The Doctor’s shift through time and space is down to a deal made by the producer BBC with Disney back in 2022, but the change hit home in Oz this weekend when the latest episode was released on Disney+ last night. That featured the return of David Tennant before The Doctor regenerates in the body of Ncuti Gatwa (aka the fabulous Eric from Sex Education) for the rest of the season. But at least one Whovian isn’t bothered by the move behind a paywall… Rove McManus, who hosted the ABC’s Doctor Who fan show, said, "I don't see that it's a problem" and that Disney will be good for the show. Note: the Disney+ app is not currently available on sonic screwdriver. That’s a Doctor Who joke, in case you couldn’t tell… 

Apropos of Nothing

We’re not telling a furphy - the iconic Aussie water cart has celebrated a whopping 150 years of being manufactured in Shepparton in Victoria. The carts have become a prized collectors’ item in recent years, with admirers flocking to pay homage over the weekend.

If you have a spare $122,000-$153,000 lying around and want to nab yourself a piece of Princess Diana’s wardrobe, you might be interested to know the blouse she wore in her royal engagement portrait is up for auction. So floofy… 

Pop-rock duo Hall & Oates can’t go for that… The 70-80s music mainstays are in the middle of a legal battle, with Daryl Hall suing John Oates over plans to sell his share of their joint venture. A restraining order’s been issued, so we’re thinking a kiss isn’t on their list of the best things in life at the moment…

Squiz the Day

8.00am (AEDT)- Booker Prize announced

Federal Parliament resumes - Canberra

Cyber Monday (in case you have any money left to spend…)

Simon Townsend (of Simon Townsend’s Wonder World!) has a birthday (1945)

Anniversary of:
• Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel's will establishing the Nobel Prize (1895)
• the birthdays of actor and martial artist Bruce Lee (1940), and guitarist Jimi Hendrix (1942)
• Helen Clark becoming the first elected female Prime Minister in New Zealand's history (1999)
• the release of Frozen (2013)
• the death of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes (2014)

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