Thursday, 3 October - Go west, where the skies are blue

Good morning, it’s Thursday, 3 October. In your Squiz Today…

• Plans to stop more pro-Palestine protests

• Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is facing over 100 new allegations

• And it’s time for a closet cleanout… 👕

🎧 Listen to the podcast

🤓 This email will take you 5 minutes to read

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said Melbourne Storm’s Jahrome Hughes after winning this year’s Dally M Medal - no doubt he’ll take that camaraderie into the NRL grand final against the Panthers this weekend… The Roosters’ Olivia Kernick took out the women’s medal. And if you’re all about the frocks/suits, here’s a gallery…

A push against protesters

The Squiz

PM Anthony Albanese has backed efforts by the NSW Police to ban planned weekend protests marking the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel, saying there’s no place in Australia “for the waving of terrorist symbols”. Two demonstrations have been organised by pro-Palestinian groups to mark Monday’s one-year anniversary, but police don’t think the protest “can proceed safely”. It follows days of controversy over last weekend’s protests in Sydney and Melbourne, where people were pictured waving Hezbollah flags and carrying images of its recently-slain leader Hassan Nasrallah. Since then, a 19yo woman has been charged in Sydney, and Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw has confirmed that “action will be taken” against people flying the terrorist symbol. 

So will the protests go ahead in Sydney?

Watch this space - we’ll have to see what the Supreme Court decides. Palestine Action Group organiser Damian Ridgwell says the group will fight to go ahead and reckons trying to stop the rallies is an “attack on fundamental democratic rights”. NSW Premier Chris Minns fears it will be a “difficult weekend for Sydney” if the events go ahead given “tempers are frayed”. As for Victoria, it’s a different kettle of fish… Police there say they do not have the powers to stop protests - so it’s likely they will happen in Melbourne despite a plea from Albanese to stop “the incredibly provocative act”. Yesterday, Alex Ryvchin from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry said the protests are "shameful" and protesters should “leave that one day alone”. 

And what’s happening in Israel and Lebanon?

Things have all been escalating pretty quickly… Eight Israeli soldiers were killed overnight in “heavy fighting” against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon where Israel has sent troops over the border. That came after Israel resumed bombing targets in Beirut following a missile attack from Iran. Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu says Tehran has "made a big mistake … and will pay for it" while Iran’s Defence chief General Mohammad Bagheri has threatened to bomb Israel’s infrastructure. Our Department of Foreign Affairs is still urging Aussie citizens to leave Lebanon… It's been buying up seats on the few remaining flights out of the country and is urging travellers to get in contact if they need help. It’s pretty tricky in the airspace over the Middle East - airlines are avoiding the conflict zone, and travellers in countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey have been warned there could be disruptions.

Squiz the Rest

Striking a congenial tone

America’s vice presidential candidates Tim Walz (Democrat) and JD Vance (Republican) have had a softer encounter in their first/only televised debate than that of their higher-ups last month... The take-out: as far as these things go, it was pretty “normal” - a word not often used in US politics these days… The Middle East was a hot topic with Walz claiming Donald Trump would be “dangerous” in the White House. When it came to gun crime, abortion, immigration and the economy, there wasn’t much to add to what’s been said before. Both men were grilled over their past comments... Walz called himself a “knucklehead” for falsely claiming he was in China during the Tiananmen Square massacre, and Vance says he’s been “extremely open” that he was wrong to call Trump “America’s Hitler”. There are 32 days till polling day… 

Down with Diddy

He’s already been detained over allegations of sexual misconduct, but hip-hop mogul Sean Combs - aka Diddy - is now facing lawsuits from an extra 120 people. Texas lawyer Tony Buzbee is representing the men and women who were aged between 9-38yo at the time they claim they were abused by Combs over a 20-year period. And it’s not just the 54yo in their sights… Buzbee has promised to “expose” those who “enabled this conduct behind closed doors” and pursue the case “no matter who the evidence implicates”. Reports say videos also incriminate other celebrities as over the years, hundreds of A-listers attended Combs’ “white parties” - including Chris Brown, Russell Brand and Donald Trump. The new lawsuits will be filed in the coming weeks, with lawyers saying there could potentially be thousands more. Combs’ lawyer says he “emphatically and categorically denies” all allegations.

Blazing a new trail over Sydney

Australia’s first new international airport in 56 years is one step closer to taking off, after the first plane touched down in Badgerys Creek at the foothills of the NSW Blue Mountains yesterday. A test pilot landed and took off/landed repeatedly in a small aircraft to test 3,000 ground lights at Western Sydney Airport’s 3.7km runway - but there’s still another 2 years until paying passengers will get their chance to experience a flight in/out of the city’s west, but the airport’s chief executive Simon Hickey says yesterday’s milestone is “that signal that we’re actually moving towards operations.” The new airport will have no curfew and is set to service 10 million passengers every year with demand for flights to/from Sydney expected to double over the next 20 years. It’s needed because that sort of increase would exceed the capacity of the existing 105yo airport at Mascot.

Skeletons in our closet

It’s no secret that fast fashion is a problem for our environment, but new data reveals why so much unwanted clothing gets tossed in the bin. RMIT surveyed over 3,000 Aussies and found 84% of us own garments we haven't worn for at least a year, with many having over half their wardrobes cluttered with unwanted items. Lead author Dr Alice Payne reckons it shows we are so confused about what to do with the items in our fashion graveyards that we ignore the problem. Feeling seen? Experts have already made urgent calls for a national textile recycling scheme to reduce the 200,000 tonnes of clothes we send to landfill annually. But until recycling gets easier, Payne reckons the best advice is to choose carefully, wear things for as long as possible, and repair/donate/repurpose.

For more on fast fashion check out our News Club interview with the Financial Review’s fashion editor Lauren Sams.

Chef’s kiss for a golden gal

Aussie Olympic legend Alisa Camplin-Warner has been named chef de mission (aka our athletes’ chief wrangler) for the 2026 Winter Games in Milan/Cortina. Camplin thrilled the nation with her aerial exploits back in 2002 when she became the first woman to win gold for Australia in the Winter Olympics. She follows in the footsteps of Anna Meares, who was widely praised for her leadership of the Aussie team during the Paris Olympics. Camplin says she wants “everyone to deliver their full potential” and build on Australia’s best-ever winter medal tally in Beijing 2022. And while we’re talking about top Aussie women - it’s almost time to cheer on our T20 cricket team… The World Cup kicks off in the UAE today with Australia the firm tournament favourites. Our first match is against Sri Lanka on Saturday night. 

Apropos of Nothing

Calling all Aldi middle aisle addicts - the German-owned discount supermarket is taking its “special buys to the skies” by offering discount holidays. Just make sure you read those off-brand labels closely so you don’t end up in Vilnius instead of Venice…

The latest nepo baby to make their debut is the 16yo daughter of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban - she’s launched her modelling career in Paris by opening the show for Miu Miu. 

Move over Moo Deng - we’ve got our own baby pigmy hippo to coo over… Lololi (which means "there will always be love") is luring visitors to Sydney’s Taronga Zoo and racking up her own viral following. She’s cute and helping to promote conservation, so you go girl…

Squiz the Day

9.30am (AEST) - Media Diversity Australia Symposium “From Challenges to Opportunities” - Sydney

2.00pm (AEST) - Hearing to determine the NSW Police Commissioner’s application to stop pro-Palestinian protests on 7 October on the basis they’re “unlawful” - Sydney

6.15pm (AEST) - The Lowy Institute is launching the 2024 Asia Power Index, it’s annual assessment of the distribution of power in Asia - Sydney

7.30pm (AEST) - Queensland election leadership debate between Premier Steven Miles and LNP leader David Crisafulli, broadcast on Channel 9 and 9Now

10.00pm (AEST) - Soccer: Asian Champions League 2, Kaya (Phi) v Sydney FC - Manila, and watch on 10 Play

PM Anthony Albanese is set to announce new measures to tackle ‘shrinkflation’ as part of a crackdown on supermarket pricing

Cricket: The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup begins - UAE

ABS data release - International Trade in Goods, August

The start of Story Week 2024

Mean Girls Day ("it's October 3rd")

Day of German Unity - the anniversary of the reunification of East and West Germany (1990)

South Korea’s National Foundation Day

Birthdays for Lindsey Buckingham (1949) and A$AP Rocky (1988)

Anniversary of: 

• OJ Simpson being acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman (1995)

• The premiere of The Maltese Falcon starring Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor in New York (1941)

• Hurricane Flora hitting Haiti and killing 5,000 (1963)

• TV sitcom about a talking horse Mr Ed premieres (1961)

• Singer Sinéad O’Connor ripping up a photo of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live (1992)