Monday, 30 October - I got this music in my mind

Good morning, it’s Monday, 30 October. In your Squiz Today…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said Paramount Australia’s chief sales officer Rod Prosser on the advent of ‘shoppable TV’ allowing viewers to pause and buy items related to the show. Aussies will be the first to pilot the tech via Survivor on 10 Play in early 2024, so start saving up for an immunity idol…

Israel readies for a ‘long war’

The Squiz

Israeli troops have entered the territory of Gaza in what PM Benjamin Netanyahu says is “the second stage of the war”, which he refrained from calling an invasion. He also warned his country that it will be a “long and difficult” campaign, which he says is being launched to destroy Hamas.

What’s happening in Gaza?

As Israel’s ground offensive began, the internet and phone networks went down in Gaza, and the most intense aerial attacks since 7 October were launched on the northern end of the Palestinian territory. The Israeli military claims 150 underground targets have been hit in Gaza - that’s a reference to the strategic tunnels that Hamas has built under the homes, hospitals and schools in the territory. Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallan said, "the earth in Gaza shook. We attacked above the ground and under it". Yesterday, connectivity began to return to Gaza, and the Hamas-run health ministry said that the death toll in the enclave has passed 8,000. That’s a number that hasn’t been verified by independent sources.

Is there anything else to know?

There are a couple of things… There were marches across the world supporting both sides - they were particularly focused on the plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the 200+ Israeli hostages being held captive there. Reports say that hundreds of thousands rallied across Europe – while here in Oz, thousands showed up on Sunday. And on the world stage, Australia abstained from voting on a United Nations resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian truce in Gaza. Note: the US voted against the resolution... Coalition leader Peter Dutton said the government had “squibbed” the vote and should have followed America’s lead, while key Labor frontbencher Don Farrell said Dutton was “seeking to get political advantage out of this terrible, terrible conflict”.

Teeing up Uber’s Business Booster Program

Steve Blain, inventor of Tee Up Assist, has clinched the top spot and $50,000 as part of Uber’s Business Booster program. The idea: a golf product that helps those who struggle to bend over. Steve is one of 100 Uber driver and delivery partners who were chosen to participate in a 12-week business masterclass. At the end of the program, the top 10 pitched for a piece of $100,000 in funding from Uber. Learn more about Uber’s Business Booster program here.

Squiz the Rest

Vale Matthew Perry

Could we be any more shocked? The beloved Friends star has died - he was found on Saturday afternoon after drowning in his jacuzzi at home, Los Angeles police confirmed yesterday. Perry was in many things over the years, but he was mega famous for portraying the dry/hapless Chandler Bing over 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004. Last year, Perry made headlines with his memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing as he unflinchingly went through his addictions, near-death experiences, and fight for sobriety. But there was more to him than that - as a kid in Canada, he was a nationally-ranked tennis player who grew up with PM Justin Trudeau. There have been heaps of tributes, but we’re waiting to hear from his Friends co-stars. Until then, you can see some of his most memorable scenes here.

Albanese rules out calling for Assange’s pardon

PM Anthony Albanese says the topic of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was on the agenda at the White House last week, but he didn’t ask US President Joe Biden to drop the case against him. Albanese reiterated Aussie authorities' calls for Assange's case to be “brought to conclusion” but said that his counterpart "doesn't interfere with the Department of Justice". Assange has been detained in London's Belmarsh prison since 2019 after being charged with espionage by the US over the release of thousands of classified military documents in 2010 and 2011. He's been fighting against America's attempts to extradite him to the US, where he could face up to 175 years in jail. Last month, a bipartisan group of Australian politicians travelled to Washington to push for his release. Commentators reckon the only way Assange will stay out of the US legal system is if there is some sort of political intervention.

Mike Pence drops out of the presidential race

Donald Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence, is out of the running for the Republican presidential nomination, saying he's suspended his campaign "after much prayer and deliberation". "This is not my time," he told a gathering in Las Vegas yesterday. Pence's bid for support was struggling with financial and polling problems, reports say. As for what his withdrawal means for the 2024 presidential race, it's one less competitor for the Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump… He’s up against 8 others, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. President Joe Biden faces challenges from 3 other Democrats - including Minnesota congressman Dean Philips, who launched his campaign on Friday.

The Wallaroos stage an epic upset

Our women’s rugby team had what’s been called their greatest-ever win on Saturday, beating third-ranked France 29-20. Going into the World Rugby WXV1 game, the fifth-ranked Wallaroos weren't expected to come out on top - but they didn't let that stop them. As that happened, let's say it was the opposite for the Jillaroos… Our rugby league team ended a 7-year winning streak with a loss to New Zealand in their Pacific Championships clash. The Wallabies also had a rocky weekend, with coach Eddie Jones quitting after the team’s disappointing World Cup performance. Speaking of… South Africa’s won the Rugby World Cup, beating the All Blacks 12-11. In netball, the Diamonds beat the South African Proteas 67-52 in game 2 of the South Africa series yesterday. And the Matildas wowed the 60,000-strong Optus Stadium crowd with an 8-0 win over the Philippines last night. Let’s go, Aussies…

Swift rises to the top…

If you’ve been playing Shake It Off on repeat all weekend, you're not alone… Pop superstar Taylor Swift released her latest re-recorded album, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), on Friday, and reports say more than 250,000 copies were sold on its first day in the US alone. She’s also broken her own record on Spotify for the most single-day artist streams. And there’s no official numbers on this, but it means her 2014 hits - including bangers like Blank Space and Bad Blood - probably got a lot of airtime in the past 3 days, along with the 5 additional ‘vault’ tracks on the album. And 33yo Swift had another reason to celebrate this weekend, with reports saying she’s officially broken through to billionaire status off the back of her record-smashing Eras Tour. What a year she’s having…

Apropos of Nothing - Animal Edition

You say you’re a cat person, but are you willing to fork out as much as a dog owner? A new study indicates that dog parents are slightly more likely to pay for things like pet insurance and life-saving treatments. Fido can breathe easy, but Mr Muffins, you’re on your own…

Police in Sydney have charged a man for releasing his ex-girlfriend’s 2 pet pythons on the street during their break-up. Bagel and Mango are still missing, so if you’re in Coogee, keep your eyes peeled…

And a New York animal control officer has been arrested after selling a Yorkie who had been found wandering the streets and then telling her owners she'd died. Police say 'Hope' was treated "very well" by her adoptive family - but has now been reunited with her owners.

Squiz the Day

ABS Data Release - Retail Trade, September month and quarter

Africa Day of Food and Nutrition Security

Grandparents’ Day in Oz

Mischief Night (as distinct to ‘every night’ if you’ve got young kids…)

Anniversary of:
• the Communist Party of Australia's foundation (1920)
• Italian dictator Benito Mussolini forming government (1933)
• the radio broadcast of HG Wells The War of the Worlds, narrated by Orson Welles. Legend has it the broadcast caused mass panic when listeners thought that Earth was being attacked by aliens from Mars (1938)
• Clarence Birdseye selling the first frozen peas (1952)
• Kashmir officially losing its autonomous status with India bringing it under federal control (2019)
• the birthdays of explorer Christopher Columbus (1451) and Ivanka Trump (1981)

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