Tuesday, 10 October - Money, money, money

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, 10 October. In your Squiz Today…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said former Wallabies captain Stephen Moore after our national rugby team crashed out of the World Cup yesterday. It's the first time our side hasn't progressed to the quarterfinals, so here are 179 quotes on courage in case officials need them. You’re welcome, Rugby Australia…

Israel’s war deepens

The Squiz

At least 900 people in Israel and 550 in Gaza have died following Saturday’s surprise attack by Hamas on Israel, leading to “significant military steps” in retaliation. The Israel Defence Force (IDF) is still working to “establish security” in the southern parts of the country as they move against the remaining Hamas militants. The IDF also confirmed that 300,000 troops were amassing on the Gaza border - they are moving on Hamas positions in Gaza to ensure they ”no longer have any military capability to threaten Israeli civilians with”. At the same time, Israeli warplanes and drones are striking the Palestinian territory, hitting around 1,000 targets so far and displacing 123,000 Gazans.

What do we know about what’s gone down so far?

There are some harrowing first-hand accounts that have painted a grim picture. An Australian man described fleeing from the Supernova music festival near the Gaza border that was targeted by Hamas in the early hours of Saturday, and social media videos show attendees sprinting across the desert to escape the attack. At least 260 bodies have been recovered from the site, which a survivor described as “4-5 hours of a horror movie”. More details are also emerging about how Palestinian fighters broke through the border fence that hems in Gaza, including the use of bulldozers. And attention is turning to the fate of Israeli hostages captured by Hamas militants, in what could become a huge issue for Israel’s retaliatory strikes.

And what’s being said about how Hamas launched the attacks?

Eyes are turning to Iran, which has supported Hamas in the past. Yesterday, senior members of Hamas claimed that Iran had been helping to plan the attacks since August. The connection is that Iran - a conservative Muslim-majority country - is strongly anti-Israel and hates America's support for the Jewish state. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he’s not seen evidence that Iran is behind it but noted its “long relationship” with Hamas. Experts also noted that Iran’s government praised the attacks. Here in Australia, PM Anthony Albanese yesterday called for “restraint when it comes to the targeting of civilians” and condemned rallies in support of Hamas, saying there was “nothing to celebrate by the murder of innocent civilians going about their day”.

Creating a better future for women and girls

Caritas Australia knows that when women take the lead, it can bring real changes to their communities - but too often, they are blocked from accessing education, healthcare, and so much more. That's why Caritas Australia started the Women for the World campaign as a way to help vulnerable women and girls reach their full potential. Now in its 10th year, you can find out more about getting involved here.

Squiz the Rest

Afghanistan’s earthquake the deadliest in decades

The death toll from the earthquakes that struck western Afghanistan on Saturday has been raised to 2,455 people by the Taliban. The big 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck about 40km northwest of the city of Herat, near Afghanistan’s border with Iran, causing significant damage. Reports say 6 villages have been flattened in the mountainous region, and at least 1,320 homes have been damaged or destroyed. On the other side of the country, tensions have flared with Pakistan over plans to deport about 1.7 million undocumented Afghan migrants and refugees - many of whom fled Afghanistan when the Taliban returned to power - after violent incidents this year. Pakistan’s government has given a 1 November deadline for the migrants to leave.

Ya busted…

Five Sydney men – including 2 Qantas baggage handlers – have been arrested and charged after about 100kg of cocaine arrived on a flight from South Africa on Saturday. The baggage handlers are accused of using their access to move 5 bags of cocaine worth about $40 million from the plane’s cargo hold to a car driven by an accomplice who was later stopped by police. The bust was 12 months in the making, with Federal Police Detective Superintendent Kristie Cressy saying they’d been investigating an international organised crime ring since airline staff in Johannesburg noticed suspicious activity on a passenger plane in October 2022. “There's still ongoing investigations into the South African end,” Cressy says. The 5 men will remain in custody until they appear in court next month.

Aussies flock to pre-poll centres for Voice vote

The Electoral Commission’s latest figures are in - 2.3 million Aussies have already voted in the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum, and another 2 million have applied for postal votes. And the pollsters have been hard at work, with the latest round of surveys showing the ‘No’ vote sitting well ahead. Something else that's of concern to the Albanese Government is that a Newspoll survey shows support for the Voice has dropped among 18-34yos - that’s a problem because support from young voters is essential if the ‘Yes’ campaign is to have a chance at success. Leading 'No' campaigner Jacinta Nampijinpa Price reckons the slide is down to "a hell of a lot of Australians who are sick of seeing the ideological push". Despite that, PM Anthony Albanese says "it's only done when people cast their ballots". Four more sleeps to go…

Committee recommends more reviews

A Senate inquiry into Federal Transport Minister Catherine King's rejection of extra flights for Qatar Airways into Australia has recommended an “immediate review” of the decision. This came about after questions were asked about the government's relationship with Qantas and whether they made the call to protect our national carrier from competition. The Senate committee didn't come to a conclusion on that point after grilling Qantas execs, experts and bureaucrats, but it did recommend that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission take a look at anti-competitive behaviour in the industry. In total, 10 recommendations were made, including that the committee remain on standby for former Qantas boss Alan Joyce to front up and answer questions in the future. King is yet to respond to the committee's findings.

Billion dollar babies

What would you do if you won lotto? It’s a good question to ponder here after a Powerball jackpot in the US has been raised to $1.55 billion (yep, billion with a b) after no one chose the winning numbers in yesterday's draw. That prize money makes it the 4th-largest ever drawn in America, with billion-dollar draws becoming more common as ticket prices go up and the odds of winning go down. The biggest prize in history - a US$2.04 billion jackpot - was won by Californian man Edwin Castro late last year. The second biggest was a US$1.59 billion pool that saw 3 people pick the winning numbers. As for this prize, officials will have another go at finding a winner today, with officials advising that the odds of winning are one in 292.2 million. May the odds be ever in your favour…

Apropos of Nothing - amazing feats edition

If you’ve ever considered signing up for a marathon, you might like to look to rising Kenyan star Kelvin Kiptum for inspo… He’s just smashed the men’s world record by running the Chicago Marathon in 2 hours and 35 seconds. Not bad for 42.195km…

Aussie paddling star Jess Fox has also impressed – she scored gold medals at the Slalom World Cup final in Paris for both the canoe and kayak categories. That means she’s the 2023 world champ in both divisions, giving her a boost ahead of next year’s Olympics.

Meanwhile, young Brisbane rower Tom Robinson has made it back home after his rowboat capsized in the Pacific Ocean… He hung onto it for 14 hours until a cruise ship arrived to help. And to pour sea salt on the wound, Tom says he normally rows nude to prevent chafing… "What a way to get rescued, in the nude,” his dad says.

Squiz the Day

Taiwan's National Day

Party Foundation Day in North Korea, marking the anniversary of foundation of the Workers' Party of Korea

World Mental Health Day https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-mental-health-day

World Homeless Day https://www.worldhomelessday.org/

Fiji Day, marking the anniversary of its independence from the UK (1970)

Ada Lovelace Day, aimed at increasing the profile of women in STEM

The First Australian Space Cyber Forum - Adelaide https://events.humanitix.com/the-1st-australian-cyber-space-forum

World Porridge Day

Birthdays for Nora Roberts (1950) and David Lee Roth (1954)

Anniversary of:

• the first dinner jacket (tuxedo) being worn to an autumn ball at Tuxedo Park, NY (1886)

• the formation of the Women's Social and Political Union by Emmeline Pankhurst to fight for women's rights in Britain (1903)

• the release of the Beach Boys' Good Vibrations (1966)

• the deaths of Abel Tasman (1659), Orson Welles (1985), Yul Brynner (1985), Christopher Reeve (2004), and Dame Joan Sutherland (2010)