Thursday, 9 July - I fly like paper

Good morning, it’s Thursday, 9 July. In your Squiz Today…

• Telstra apologises after a national outage impacts millions

• US President Donald Trump says the ceasefire with Iran is “over”

• And Aussie Sarah Snook is up for an Emmy… 📺

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🙋🏻‍♀️ This newsletter was written by Anna Pykett, Larissa Huntington, Andrew Williams and Sophie Felice

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said an Italian student after bagging the Guinness World Record for the largest paper aircraft ever flown, with a wingspan of 20 metres. Project Icarus was made of just paper and glue - just remember to weigh your hand luggage before boarding…

Left hanging

The Squiz

If you woke up yesterday and couldn’t use your phone - you weren’t alone. Millions of Aussies were impacted by Telstra’s national outage, which caused connectivity chaos, impacting public transport networks and businesses’ payment systems. PM Anthony Albanese called the disruption “deeply concerning”, while Coalition leader Angus Taylor said the government needed to explain what happened. It follows an Optus outage last year, which was linked to 2 deaths after people struggled to contact Triple Zero.

Wadda we know?

Telstra says it first noticed a problem impacting "some" mobile phone calls and data services at 4.30am AEST on Wednesday morning. More than 7,500 people reported problems on online monitoring platform Downdetector, and heaps of companies, including banks, courts, taxi drivers, and cafes were impacted, while a bunch of people couldn’t get to work, as train services in NSW, Victoria, and the ACT were affected. Telstra initially said the outage had affected around 3 dozen people trying to make calls to Triple Zero - but in an update last night the telco said it had carried out more than 330 welfare checks. It was unable to reach 79 individuals, who were then referred to state authorities, with police doorknocking those who had tried to call during the outage.

What else has Telstra said?

Telstra’s top boss is on leave, so CFO Michael Ackland has been giving updates. He says a “software defect” that impacted the network’s time-keeping system was behind the outage, but there’s no evidence of malicious activity. He said “we are deeply sorry for the impact this has had”, and acknowledged it had “let customers down in their hour of need.” The Communications Minister Anika Wells says telcos are already the least-trusted industry in the country, and it would be up to Telstra to "make things right". She said Telstra had told the government so-called ‘camp-on’ arrangements - where a phone automatically jumps onto another available network to make emergency calls - had been "working" during the Telstra incident. The Australian Communications and Media Authority is now investigating, with reports last night suggesting Telstra was dealing with a second outage (paywall). 

Squiz the Rest

Tensions flare again in the Middle East

US President Donald Trump says the ceasefire with Iran is “over,” after the heaviest night of strikes between the two countries since the truce was signed last month. The US says it launched the fresh attacks on more than 80 targets in response to strikes on 3 commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, with reports saying Iran has been attacking ships that don’t follow approved routes through the channel. The Iranian regime called the US strikes a violation of the memorandum of understanding, and has retaliated by targeting US military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait. There’s also a war of words brewing between both sides, with Trump saying, "I don't want to deal with them anymore, they're scum,” while Iran's foreign ministry says “We do not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action”.

Talking (in) Turkey

Speaking of the Strait of Hormuz, security in the waterway was high on the agenda at this week’s NATO summit in Turkey’s capital of Ankara, which has now wrapped up. NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation - it’s a political and military alliance between 32 nations from North America and Europe. The US has been pushing for members to lift their defence spending - and it seems they’ve paid attention, with plans to buy $72 billion worth of drones and planes in the works. Assistance for Ukraine was also discussed, with President Trump saying he’ll grant President Volodymyr Zelensky a license to manufacture US Patriot defence systems. This is something Zelensky has been asking for, because he says they’re crucial in defending against Russian attacks.

Pressed outta da club

David Sharaz, the alleged prankster behind the banner that briefly pulled focus from Senator Pauline Hanson’s first formal address to the National Press Club has been banned from future events at the venue. If you caught Hanson’s speech last month, you might remember the banner unfurling behind the One Nation leader with the text: “I opposed a pay rise for workers while I took a $100,000 pay rise for myself”. Sharaz - who’s married to former Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins - works with the activist group GetUp that claimed responsibility. The banner was allegedly activated remotely and Sharaz left the room after it unrolled. Federal police are still investigating, but the Press Club’s Maurice Reilly says Sharaz “is not welcome at the club in the future”.

I can see Cleary now, the game is gone

It was all up for grabs in last night’s State of Origin rugby league decider in Brisbane, and it was NSW halfback Nathan Cleary who grabbed it… He scored the opening 2 tries to lead the Blues to a 30-12 win in enemy territory and picked up the Wally Lewis Medal for Player of the Series in the process. If you missed it, here’s 19 minutes of highlights, including a spectacular Bradman Best try where he runs the length of the ground to score. That put NSW out to a 24-8 lead, and though they were repeatedly challenged by Queensland for the rest of the game, they were too good in the end. Combine that with their sweep of the Women’s State of Origin series, and it’s been a very good year for the Blues…

A Pitt of envy

Medical drama The Pitt has dominated this morning’s Emmy nominations for the best in US television, picking up the most nominations with 25. Other big winners were Hacks (24 noms for its final season) and new Apple TV horror-comedy series Widow’s Bay (19). As far as the Aussies go, stop us if you’ve heard this one before - Sarah Snook has picked up a nod for Lead Actress in a Limited Series for her role in the mystery series All Her Fault, where she plays a mother investigating the disappearance of her son. It’s a while until we’ll find out if she wins - the ceremony is on 15 September, and it will be hosted by Law and Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay. She’s the first female host since 2011 and the first since 2008 who isn’t predominantly known for comedy, but she should be good at keeping the audience in check…

Apropos of Nothing

France is world-leading when it comes to food, fashion and football - but apparently not in air conditioning. Only a quarter of French homes have units - with some calling them ‘loud, noisy and American’ - but with another heatwave approaching, many are fast becoming fans…

In the day of Pinterest outfit clones and TikTok trends, Vogue Australia reckons Renaissance fairs are an unexpected source of farshun inspo (think lots of jousting, velvet and corsets...). Feast thine eyes on this gallery of lewks… 

And another day, another Travis and Taylor wedding detail drip-fed to the hungry public… The couple apparently ordered $5,500 worth of pizza on the night of the wedding for their guests. The things we’re learning before seeing this dress…

Squiz the Day

7.00am (AEST) - Queensland Council of Social Service Queensland Budget Breakfast with Treasurer David Janetzki - Brisbane

5.40pm (AEST) - Basketball: Women's international Australian Opals v China, game 2 of 2 - Melbourne, watch on 9Now 

Nominations open for the leader of the UK Labour Party following the resignation of Keir Starmer

👑 Buckingham Palace’s State Rooms open to the public (until 27 September)

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (on until 12 July)

Independence Day in Argentina and South Sudan

Constitution Day - commemorating when the Constitution of Australia was approved in 1900

The Netflix adaptation of Little House on the Prairie released

An 80th birthday for actor Tom Hanks (1956)

Anniversary of:

• the first Wimbledon tennis championship (1877)

• the engagement of Britain’s Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten (1947)

• the premiere of the original UK version of The Office (2001)