Thursday, 6 February - How bizarre, how bizarre

Good morning, it’s Thursday, 6 February. In your Squiz Today…

• President Trump floats a US takeover of Gaza

• Sam Kerr has given her version of events in her harassment trial

• And shining a light on a mysterious marsupial…

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Squiz Sayings

Said media legend Liz Hayes, who’s leaving Channel Nine after working there for 44 years. Over the journey, Hayes hosted Today with Steve Liebmann in the 80s and was a correspondent for 60 Minutes for over 20 years. That’s a good innings…

Trump wants to take over Gaza

The Squiz

At a press conference with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, the US President floated the idea that America could ‘take over” the region and turn it into what he called “the Riviera of the Middle East”. He also suggested Palestinians had returned home not because they wanted to, but because they had no other choice - and that the 1.8 million people who live in Gaza could be moved to live in other countries while the region was redeveloped by the US. 

How’s he planning to make that happen?

Trump didn’t give a lot of detail, but suggested the US would start by removing unexploded bombs, levelling destroyed buildings and building up Gaza’s economy, creating “unlimited jobs”. For a bit of context, experts say this would be a major break from the current US foreign policy, as, like Australia, it’s publicly supported a 2-state solution - that’s Israel and Palestine coexisting as separate recognised states - for over half a century. When he was asked how his plans played into that, Trump said that it “had nothing to do with a 2-state solution or a one-state solution or any other state.” Netanyahu, who called Trump “the greatest friend Israel has ever had”, said the idea was “worth paying attention to”.

What’s the reaction been?

Well, plenty of people paid attention, that's for sure… The Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour weighed in straightaway, saying "the wishes of the Palestinian people" should be respected. While senior figures in the US and Israeli governments backed Trump's idea, US ally Saudi Arabia poured cold water on it, saying it was explicitly against any attempt to displace Palestinian people from their land. Back home, our PM Anthony Albanese said he wouldn't comment on Trump's statement specifically but that Australia's position on Gaza remained the same. And experts say the plan would not only be unpopular in the Middle East and amongst US allies, but could breach international law as well.

You look lovely, deer

Summer is coming, so it’s a good time to refresh your beauty game. Kotia is the world’s first skincare range made with 100% pure New Zealand deer milk. It sounds wild, and it is because it naturally contains vitamins A, B, D, and E, zinc, iodine, and protein to hydrate your skin for a healthy glow. Kotia products also use peptide technology to minimise imperfections, fine lines and pigmentation to renew your complexion. Check out the full range here. Squizers can use the code GLOW15 for a 15% discount.

Squiz the Rest

Investigating a killer

Swedish police are trying to figure out the motives behind a mass shooting described by PM Ulf Kristersson as the worst in the country’s history. The attack, at a school for adults in the southern Swedish city of Örebro, left at least 11 people dead - including the gunman - and 6 injured. Not much is known about the gunman, but local media say he was a 35yo recluse. He wasn't known to police, and there were "no prior warning signs" beforehand. They're now piecing together what happened… They were called just after 12.30pm local time on Tuesday after reports that shots had rung out on the campus. Police believe the shooter was acting alone - and they've now opened an investigation into murder, arson and weapons offences.

Hardening up on hate crimes

A plan to impose mandatory minimum jail sentences for terror crimes and the display of hate symbols is expected to be put to a vote in Parliament today. Under the federal government’s new beefed-up Hate Crimes laws, people who commit terror offences would be jailed for 6 years, while those found to be funding them would be locked up for 3 years. Displaying hate symbols would carry a minimum term of one year. The move follows pressure from the Coalition to harden up sentences after a rise in antisemitic crimes in recent months, including an alleged terror attack on a Melbourne synagogue, an arson attack on a Sydney childcare centre, and last month’s discovery of a caravan of explosives with a list of alleged Jewish targets inside.

Kerr’s front and centre in court

Matildas captain and UK Women’s Super League star Sam Kerr has taken the stand in her harassment trial, where she’s told the court she was “terrified” for her life during an argument with a taxi driver. She’s fighting allegations of racially aggravated abuse against a police officer after the altercation with the cabbie in January 2023. The trial’s been running all week… So far, we’ve seen footage of when Kerr allegedly verbally harassed Police Constable Stephen Lovell - who made the complaint against her - and he’s been cross-examined. Now, it’s Kerr’s turn… You can read more of her evidence here. If she’s found guilty, Kerr could face jail time. It also means there’s a cloud hanging over her future with Football Australia…

A day for Kiwi heritage

It’s a big day for our friends across the ditch, with Waitangi Day celebrations taking place all around New Zealand. If you’re unfamiliar, Waitangi Day is sorta like Australia Day... It’s a national public holiday celebrating the date the Waitangi Treaty (which guides policy affecting Māori people) was signed by British and Māori leaders in 1840. There are plenty of citizenship ceremonies, awards and parties, but also protests - particularly after demonstrations last year over a bill to change the way the Treaty is interpreted. The bill, introduced by New Zealand's conservative Act Party, says the Treaty discriminates against non-Indigenous people - but critics say it would take rights away from Māori people. We can expect more on that today…

If you want to learn more about the Waitangi Treaty, keep your eyes peeled for a Squiz Shortcut later today - it’ll get you across it…

Shining a light on a mysterious marsupial

Some Aussie researchers are using thermal drones to help research one of Australia’s most elusive critters - the Bennett’s tree kangaroo. These rare roos - if you’re unfamiliar, here’s a gallery - mainly live in the tropical rainforests of Far North Queensland. And because - unlike regular roos - they live in trees, sometimes as high as 40m in the air, it’s been tough for scientists to find out much about them. So they’ve turned to drones equipped with thermal imaging that can fly above the trees and have struck gold, spotting 6 Bennett’s tree kangaroos in an hour, numbers they say are unprecedented. Here’s a video of how it all works, and you get some pretty cute kangas in the bargain…

Apropos of Nothing

Life simulator video game The Sims is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year - ever since its release in 2000, players around the world have been having a whale of a time getting their Sims jobs, houses, partners, and leaving them stranded in empty swimming pools. (It’s a whole thing…)

Officials at a major South Korean airport might have to add ‘kimchi’ to ‘aerosols and batteries’ when enquiring about your carry-on contents after seizing over 10,000kg of the stuff - which comes in a spicy sauce, meaning it’s classed as a liquid  - from passengers last year. 

Staying in the air, China wants to send a flying robot on a mission to the far side of the moon - after finding water in lunar soil samples last year, they think they might locate more of the stuff, which could boost human expansion into space. Those are some lofty ambitions…

Squiz the Day

9.00am (AEDT) - News Corp Q2 results released - Sydney

9.00am (AEDT) - Women in Cyber Security Summit - Canberra 

3.30pm (AEDT) - Men's Cricket: 2nd Test, Sri Lanka vs Australia - Galle, Sri Lanka, and broadcast on Channel 7

ABS Data Release - International Trade in goods, December

NSW students actually go back to school - we were just keeping you on your toes on Monday 😉

New York Fashion Week begins (on until 11 February)

International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation

Waitangi Day in New Zealand – 185th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (1840)

Anniversary of:

• the birthdays of Ronald Reagan (1911) and Bob Marley (1945)

• Queen Elizabeth II marking her Platinum Jubilee - 70 years on the throne (2022)

• the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria killing more than 50,000 people and displacing over 3 million people (2023)