Thursday, 28 November - Now we got bad blood

Good morning, it’s Thursday, 28 November. In your Squiz Today…

• A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has begun

• A verdict in the Clare Nowland case

• And a long-running beef between musos kicks up a beat…

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Squiz Sayings

Said former Aussie cyclist turned British cyclist Matthew Richardson after his defection to Team GB rankled AusCycling so much they banned him for life. The English-born Olympic medallist is unfazed by the ban - stay tuned for a grudge match at the 2028 Games…

Hope for a contagious ceasefire

The Squiz

The ceasefire between Israel and terror group Hezbollah has begun, with fighting along the Israeli-Lebanon border coming to a halt. US President Joe Biden announced the deal that was brokered by US and French mediators, saying it’s “designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities”. The conflict flared up in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and escalated into a full-blown war in September. Since then, more than 3,700 people in Lebanon (civilians and combatants) and 114 Israelis (mainly soldiers) have died, making it the deadliest clash between the 2 sides in decades.

What are the details?

Dunno. The details haven’t been officially released, but reports say that over the next 60 days, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah fighters will leave the area where most of the fighting has been taking place - north of the Israeli border and south of Lebanon’s Litani River. Tens of thousands of Lebanese and Israeli residents who were displaced when the fighting kicked off are already returning to the area, but Hezbollah has agreed not to rebuild any of its destroyed infrastructure in that zone. As Biden said, “what is left of Hezbollah and other terrorist organisations will not be allowed to threaten the security of Israel again”. As for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, he’s promised Israel won’t hesitate to “respond forcefully to any violation” of the truce.

Does this mean anything for the war in Gaza?

Again, dunno. But something to note: to make the deal with Israel, Hezbollah dropped its earlier demand for a ceasefire in Gaza. Regardless, Biden hopes mediators can use the momentum to broker a deal between Israel and Hamas too. He said the US would work with mediators from other countries “in the coming days” - but that any deal would depend on Hamas releasing the hostages it still holds, “and in the process, bring an end to the fighting which would make possible a surge of humanitarian relief”. Netanyahu didn’t mention anything about that during his televised address yesterday - he said the ceasefire in Lebanon would allow the IDF to “focus on [the] Iranian threat” (which he wouldn’t expand on…), give IDF troops “a breather”, and increase “pressure on Hamas”.

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Squiz the Rest

A decision in the Clare Nowland case

The NSW Police officer who tasered the 95yo at her aged care home was found guilty of manslaughter yesterday. In May 2023, Kristian White and a fellow officer were called to the home in Cooma by staff, where they found Nowland moving slowly with the aid of a walker and holding a steak knife. The court heard that White said “bugger it” and used his taser on Nowland after she didn’t respond to his warnings - she fell and hit her head, dying a week later. White pleaded not guilty, but the jury reached the guilty verdict after 4 days of deliberation. There’ll be a hearing today on whether White is held in custody while awaiting sentencing - the max sentence for manslaughter in NSW is 25 years in prison. NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said after the verdict that White’s employment is under review.

Bills, bills, bills

The Albanese Government’s social media ban for under-16yos is a step closer to becoming law after passing through the Lower House. Its fate - along with 3 dozen other pieces of legislation - will be decided today in the Senate on what your politics-nuts mates are excitedly calling 'judgement day'. One Senator who won't be joining in is Lidia Thorpe. She was suspended for the remainder of the sitting week after ripping up a motion brought by One Nation's Pauline Hanson questioning Independent Senator Fatima Payman's citizenship and eligibility to sit in Parliament. Senate President Sue Lines said Thorpe's behaviour was "physically threatening" and "would not be tolerated." On a more productive note, Team Albanese's HECS indexation bill to reduce student debt levels got over the line yesterday, along with the Help to Buy scheme.

Aunty Be Cash-poor

ABC chair Kim Williams called out declining government funding in a speech to the National Press Club yesterday - he says it’s hurting the quality of its programming and ability to protect Australians against mis- and disinformation. The former News Corp boss, who was put on top of the national broadcaster’s tree in March, said it had essentially lost $150 million in funding every year for a decade. But more cash would allow Aunty to make more/better programs, connect with younger audiences and reinvigorate services like Radio National and Classic FM. Turning the good ship Aunty around is a big job after years of declining ratings, listener revolts over recent talent changes and big commercial misses, like not buying Bluey when they had the chance. 

Not quite trim enough… 

Let’s not dilly-dally around with niceties… Yesterday’s inflation numbers from the Bureau of Stats show the trimmed mean - aka the rate of underlying inflation once you take out the short-term sugar hits like energy subsidies - increased in October after months of decline from 3.2% to 3.5%. For fans of falling interest rates, that's not good…. The headline rate of inflation held steady at 2.1%, but Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock wants to see the trimmed mean rate hit 2-3% before budging on interest rates. Economists say these numbers mean the chances of a cut early in 2025 may have dropped, though Bullock has said she puts more stock in the quarterly stats due in late January. She’s giving a major speech tonight  - so there'll be a few policymakers listening intently to that…

Drakes and pains

Canadian rapper Drake has launched multiple lawsuits against Universal Music Group and Spotify, alleging the companies worked together to artificially inflate the popularity of one of Kendrick Lamar’s many, many diss tracks about him. The 2 rappers/ former collaborators were engaged in a wagyu-level beef earlier in the year, trading songs designed to ruin the other’s reputation. Kendrick was generally accepted to have won, particularly as one of his songs, Not Like Us, was a hit. In the lawsuit, Drake’s lawyers claim the 2 music giants used bots, paid influencers and radio stations to support the song, manipulating the level of public interest. As it happens, Kendrick just dropped a surprise album GNX, which is getting rave reviews, so the former Degrassi star may have just unwittingly helped his foe with some publicity…

Apropos of Nothing

Some udder madness from a man trying to smuggle meth on a flight from LA to Sydney - he soaked his clothes - including a cow onesie - in the stuff, then dried them out and packed them in a suitcase. Authorities got suspicious and arrested him in the high-steaks plot… 

He’s no doubt heard them all before, so there’ll be no jokes about golfer Elvis Smylie’s name here - just best wishes for his attempt at being the seventh Aussie to pull off the Aussie PGA/Aussie Open double when the latter kicks off today - it’s on Nine if you want to love him tender… 

It’s Thanksgiving today in the US, and NASA astronauts on the ISS have sent one of their upbeat dispatches to us Earthlings. They’ll be celebrating with vacuum-packed turkey, Brussels sprouts and butternut pumpkin. With zero gravity, they’ll have to catch their dinner…

Squiz the Day

8.00am (AEDT) - Santa's sleigh designs to be unveiled at the Lego store - Sydney

9.00am (AEDT) - Golf: Men’s and Women’s Australian Golf Opens tee off - Melbourne, and watch on 9Now

6.00pm (AEDT) - RBA Governor Michele Bullock to give her first CEDA annual dinner address - Sydney

8.00pm (AEST) - Women’s Soccer: Matilda’s v Brazil in a friendly - Brisbane, and watch on 10 Play

ABS data release - Energy Account, 2022-23

Ausmusic T-Shirt Day

Thanksgiving in the US and Brazil 

Independence Day in Albania, Panama and Mauritania

Anniversary of:

• women voting in a national election for the first time, in New Zealand's general election (1893)

• Margaret Thatcher stepping down as PM of the UK (1990)

• the deaths of author Enid Blyton (1968), artist Sidney Nolan (1992)