Monday, 9 December - Ain't nothing gonna break my stride

Good morning, it’s Monday, 9 December. In your Squiz Today…

• Counter-terrorism police investigate the Melbourne synagogue attack

• Syrian rebels take Damascus

• And a Raygun-inspired musical fails to get a break…

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Said Aussie captain Pat Cummins after our men’s cricketers levelled the Test series with India one-all at the end of the third day of the second Test, bowling the tourists over with a 10-wicket win. Not bad for last week’s “worst team ever”...

Shock over an antisemitic attack

The Squiz

State and federal counter-terrorism units are meeting in Melbourne today as the investigation into Friday’s Adass Israel Synagogue attack continues. The firebombing hasn’t yet been officially labelled an act of terror (which would free up extra police resources) - but after pressure from Coalition leader Peter Dutton, PM Anthony Albanese said it has all the markings of a terror incident. Yesterday, he said “quite clearly, this has been aimed at creating fear, and that is what terrorists seek to do”. No arrests have been made, but detectives from the Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police say they’re making “progress”…

What happened?

Emergency crews were called to the Adass Synagogue in the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Ripponlea just after 4am on Friday, with early-morning worshippers fleeing the building as it went up in flames. Hours later, police described the blaze as “suspicious”, saying worshippers had witnessed 2 masked men spreading a liquid accelerant inside the Orthodox temple before torching it. One of the synagogue’s board members, Binyomin Klein, said “the 2 guys had to run out the back door - one of them got burns on his hands”. Police later called for information about the attack, saying detectives were looking for 3 offenders who they believe are involved. One worshipper, who interrupted the men, has minor injuries, while police say the synagogue has “significant damage”. The Victorian government says it’ll stump up $100,000 towards the rebuild.

And has anyone else responded?

Yep - the attack has drawn international headlines. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu condemned it, calling it an “abhorrent act of antisemitism”. He also pointed the finger at the Albanese Government, saying it has displayed “extreme anti-Israel sentiment” in recent times - including supporting a UN resolution last week for Israel to leave occupied Palestinian territories. Dutton agreed, saying Albanese hasn’t addressed the rise of antisemitism in Oz - an issue being felt around the world - fast enough. But the Albanese Government pushed back, pointing to its actions against hate speech, banning of the Nazi salute and $25 million in funding for security upgrades at Jewish sites. In the meantime, about 300 members of the Jewish community turned out for a vigil near the synagogue yesterday. Holocaust survivor Eddy Boas was there - he said he didn’t expect an attack “would ever happen in Australia”.

Getting up to speed on plastics

If you’ve ever stopped to think about how many plastics you’re exposed to every day, you’d know it’s probably a lot... But it’s worth keeping tabs on because what we’re learning now (thanks, science…) is that our high levels of exposure to plastics and the chemicals within them are linked to a wide range of health impacts - especially for kids. The Minderoo Foundation is working hard to educate Aussies and the world on what we can do to reduce our exposure - and this is a good place to start.

Squiz the Rest

The fall of Damascus 

Syrian rebels have taken control of the capital city of Damascus overnight, bringing the Assad regime to an end after 50 years. Reports say President Bashar al-Assad left the country as the rebels closed in with little resistance from the Syrian army. In what’s being described as their “Berlin Wall moment”, Syrians celebrated in the streets and some walked freely through al-Assad’s palaces posing for photos. The commander of the rebels, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, said they would continue the path started in 2011’s Arab Spring resistance to Assad’s hardline regime. “This is a victory for the entire Islamic State … The future is ours,” he said. It’s just over a week since the rebels made their “lightning fast” move on Aleppo, taking al-Assad and his backers - Iran, Russia and militant group Hezbollah - by surprise, and reigniting the country’s 13-year-long civil war. Many world leaders have welcomed the fall of the Assad regime including Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron.

* If you want to know the background to Syria’s civil war, we’ve got a Shortcut for you…

Remembering those who died on Whakaari

There’ll be a memorial service on New Zealand’s Whakaari/White Island today to mark 5 years since 22 people - including 17 Australians - died in a volcanic eruption. There were 47 tourists and guides visiting the island - which was at alert level 2 - when the volcano erupted, and all 25 survivors suffered burns. Those in attendance today will be the first to see a design for a new memorial to the victims and participate in services dedicated to their memory. The volcano's owners - 3 brothers who own a company called Whakaari Management - are currently appealing their conviction for breaking safety laws. In March this year, a judge sentenced them and 4 other companies to pay over $10 million in reparations to the victims’ families.

Strike action derailed

Sydney train passengers are facing delays today due to an ongoing industrial dispute between the NSW Government and the state’s rail unions. But they won’t be anywhere near as bad as was planned after the Federal Court blocked any further industrial action until a future hearing date is set. The court granted a last-minute injunction against strikes planned for today on the basis they’d disrupt people’s work and lives in the lead up to Christmas - but some passengers might still be affected as it was too late to undo some cancelled services. The government and the unions have been in pay negotiations for the past 2 weeks following the unions’ threat to shut down the city’s rail network for a whole weekend. The government welcomed the court’s decision and says it’s still keen to resolve the dispute. Unions NSW chief Mark Morey said he was blindsided by the legal action after seemingly being close to reaching a deal last week. “We’re very disappointed,” he said.

It’s all about Gout Gout

There’s a buzz in the athletics world over 16yo Aussie runner Gout Gout beating a 56yo Australian record in the 200m sprint. Gout’s time of 20.04 at the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships in Brissy this weekend just shaded the 20.06 set by Peter Norman at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. By the way, Norman’s silver medal-winning run wasn’t just notable for its speed - it earned him a place on the podium for one of the most memorable images in Olympic history, Tommie Smith and John Carlos’s Black Power salute. Gout’s time has everyone so excited because it’s faster than what sprinting legend Usain Bolt did at the same age, and the second-fastest time run by anyone under 18, ever. Gout said he didn’t expect the record to come so quickly - “I thought it’d come maybe next year,” he said. Sky’s the limit…

Pumping the brakes on the Raygun musical

A musical take on the exploits of Aussie Olympic break-dancing sensation Raygun has been nixed by a legal threat. Comedian Stephanie Broadbridge was about to debut Raygun: The Musical on Sydney’s Oxford Street on Saturday night before the lawyers stepped in - Raygun’s management have said they wanted to “safeguard Rachael (Gunn)’s creative rights and the integrity of her work” - especially the ‘kangaroo dance’, which she owns the rights to. But Broadbridge says the show must go on - she still plans to make it happen and wants Raygun herself in the front row. And from one cultural behemoth to another - Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is coming to an end in Vancouver today. Over 10 million fans turned up to the tour, which started in March 2023. As for what’s next? Perhaps a Swift/Raygun collab - Taygun…?

Apropos of Nothing - Spare change edition

If you’ve ever been on a cruise and thought “I could live like this”, well, here’s your chance… The cruise line Virgin Voyages are offering a new ‘annual pass’, where you can spend your entire year cruising around the world for just shy of $190,000. Sail away…and away… and away…

As we flagged last month, the famous ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz have finally gone up for auction - and they far outdid the auctioneer’s prediction of $5.8 million, fetching a tidy sum of around $44 million. 

And data from music tracking website Last.fm shows Mariah Carey’s all-conquering holiday song All I Want for Christmas is You might be losing steam - listens dropped off by over 20% this year after steadily rising since the mid-2010s. That might put a dent in the $3 million Carey reportedly earns from the song - every year…

Squiz the Day

8.40am (AEDT) - Papua New Guinea PM James Marape will give the keynote speech at PNG Investment Week (until 11 December) - Sydney 

9.30am (AEDT) - The final 2-day RBA meeting for 2024 begins - Sydney

10.00am (AEDT) - Pre-trial hearing for Lachlan Young who’s pleaded not guilty to murdering Hannah McGuire near Ballarat in April (until 11 December) - Melbourne

12.11pm (AEDT) - A memorial service will be held to mark 5 years since the deadly Whakaari/White Island volcano eruption which killed 22 people including 14 Australians - New Zealand

4.00pm (AEDT) - The funeral of Holly Jayne Morton-Bowles who died from suspected methanol poisoning in Laos - Melbourne

6.30pm (AEDT) - The Newcombe Medal award winner will be announced at Tennis Australia’s awards night - Melbourne

ABS Data Release - employee earnings and hours, August

Independence Day in Tanzania

International Anti-Corruption Day 

International Genocide Prevention Day 

The one and only Dame Judi Dench’s birthday (1934)

Anniversary of:

• the birthdays of actor Kirk Douglas (1916) and former PM Bob Hawke (1929)

• the premiere of Coronation Street (1960)

• the release of Brokeback Mountain (2005)

• the passing of same-sex marriage legislation through the Australian Parliament (2017)