Tueday, 24 October - Love shack baby

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, 24 October. In your Squiz Today…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said Aussie cricketer Alyssa Healy, who kept her sense of humour despite copping a pretty gruesome finger injury after intervening in a fight between her dogs. She’s a wicketkeeper/batter - pursuits where having intact digits is handy…

Western leaders call for a slowdown

The Squiz

Leaders from the US, Canada, France, Italy, Germany and the UK have joined together to urge Israel to protect civilian lives as airstrikes ramp up on Gaza’s north. The ‘Quint’ group met virtually yesterday and said while they support Israel’s right to defend itself, they’ve encouraged the country’s military to adhere to international humanitarian laws. At the same time, the US has asked Israel to delay its plans for a ground invasion of the Palestinian territory because it needs more time to negotiate the release of 212 hostages taken by Hamas.

What’s the update on the hostages?

Hamas says it would release another 2 hostages, but Israel has refused to accept them – something Israeli authorities say is "mendacious propaganda". Regardless, analysts say the pressure’s on Israel to negotiate with the terror group, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying he's "hopeful" that more people could be released despite questioning the offer's credibility. The other thing the Quint wants more action on is humanitarian support for Gazans. To give you a sense of scale, the United Nations says the 20 trucks carrying food, water and medical supplies that made up the first aid shipment represent less than 5% of what was entering Gaza daily before the war broke out.

Anything else to note?

Yep – the White House is still trying to keep tensions between Israel and Lebanon’s militant group Hezbollah under control. Note: Israeli authorities have evacuated another 14 towns along their northern border after threats from the group. Concerns the situation between Israel and its Arab neighbours could flare into something big are keeping many diplomatic types awake at night ATM... The US is concerned about what it means for its interests in the region - Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, "what we're seeing ... is a prospect of a significant escalation of attacks on our troops and our people". It has Quint leaders vowing to continue their diplomatic push to "prevent the conflict from spreading, preserve stability in the Middle East, and work toward a political solution and durable peace".

Supporting women living in poverty

In 2013, Caritas Australia launched the Women for the World campaign to make a difference in the lives of women and girls living in poverty worldwide. And in those 10 years, it's meant game-changing education and job opportunities and access to much needed healthcare. If that sounds like something you want to get involved in, learn more here.

Squiz the Rest

AUKUS on Albanese’s agenda

After PM Anthony Albanese was welcomed to the US with a red carpet and brass band, he got down to business with US President Joe Biden… The PM says he'll be pushing to keep security in the Indo-Pacific - and the AUKUS program - a priority for the US, saying his visit is about “building an alliance for the future”. “We will certainly be urging the United States to continue what they have done, which is to step up in the region,” Albanese says. While he’s Stateside, Albanese’s also set to meet Biden’s cabinet members and spend time with Vice President Kamala Harris/Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He’ll also attend a state dinner at the White House on Thursday morning our time before he heads home - and reports reckon he’ll be treated to The B-52s as the official entertainment. What a week…

Women’s work is never done

A high-powered task force advising the Albanese Government has recommended that parents get 52 weeks' parental leave - paid at full salary. Families earning up to ​​$350,000 a year can get 20 weeks paid parental leave at the minimum wage rate, but the Women's Economic Equality Taskforce reckons that's burdening women and setting them up for a life of reduced income and opportunities. Its report says a 25-year-old woman with one child will earn $2 million less in her lifetime than a man - noting the total cost of women not fully participating in the economy is an eye-popping $128 billion a year. The task force also found about a third of men don't believe there's gender inequality. Speaking of some interesting approaches… A Senate committee heard yesterday that male graduates of the Infrastructure Department were caught circulating a list ranking the attractiveness of female colleagues. Now, why have they had a few retention issues?

A boost for QFFers

That’s not the latest young person’s acronym… Qantas is shaking up its Frequent Flyer Program (known in the biz as QFF) following an influx of customer complaints and last week’s exit of Qantas Loyalty boss Olivia Wirth. Qantas customers have long criticised the airline for the limited number of flights where they could use their frequent flyer points. The new changes seek to address that with 6,000 extra reward seats opened up on economy and business class flights to London and Rome during the Northern summer next year. And over the next few days, frequent flyers can use their points for any first, business or premium economy seat in a “points plus pay” sale. While some welcomed the news, one expert said the extra seats “will only go so far to appease the almost 15 million members” of the Qantas loyalty program. At least it’s provided even more material for the company’s annual roast…

A consolation Constellation win

The Aussie Diamonds went down 53-50 to the Silver Ferns in netball's final Constellation Cup game yesterday afternoon - but we've retained the trophy... It was a thrilling end to the annual 4-game series, with the Aussies getting over the line thanks to their 2 strong wins in the first games. The Kiwis needed at least a 17-point win in yesterday's game to take back the Cup - but it wasn't to be. And we say it was a thrilling game because the Aussies led for most of the match. Diamonds skipper Liz Watson said the team was "disappointed" but "proud", and the team now heads back home for tomorrow's first Test match against South Africa. There's a lot going on for our Aussie netballers as their pay dispute continues to go unresolved…

Ain’t nothing funny about love…

Conventional wisdom states that women find funny men attractive - how else do you explain comedian Pete Davidson’s extensive dating history? But the claim isn't true, according to new research from Queensland Uni. They analysed more than 40 hours of dates between 800 couples, noting down any sign of humour. And what they found was that for both men and women, there was no correlation between funniness and perceived attractiveness. And those who tried too hard to be funny on a date reduced their chances of getting a second date. The findings contradict previous studies as well as people's own stated dating preferences. While women claimed to be attracted to funny men and men claimed to be attracted to women who laughed at their jokes, those who fit the mould were no more lucky in love. As Pete would know, fame and fortune might help…

Apropos of Nothing

If you want a set of wheels with a backstory, you might want to get across this auction featuring one of Queen Elizabeth's famous Range Rovers. It comes in her favourite hue, Epsom Green, with a Corgi-approved dog guard in the back.

Experts say the number of humpback whales making their way south along Australia’s east coast has reached record highs. More than 40,000 majestic mammals have been spotted this season - a far cry from the 150 that survived the overhunting of years gone by. #SquizShortcut

Australia gets a bad rap from the rest of the world for our terrifying fauna, as proven by a new set of postage stamps generated by artificial intelligence. While countries like Greece and Italy look as picturesque as you would expect, Oz looks a bit weird…

Squiz the Day

12.30pm (AEDT) - Fiona Simson, President of the National Farmers' Federation, addresses the National Press Club - Canberra

4.30pm (AEDT) - Reserve Bank Governor Michelle Bullock to deliver a speech at the Commonwealth Bank Conference

Company shareholder meeting - Bendigo and Adelaide Bank

Independence Day in Zambia

United Nations Day

World Polio Day

World Development Information Day

World Solar Challenge begins - Darwin

Birthdays for Malcolm Turnbull (1954), Drake (1986) and PewDiePie (1989)

Anniversary of:
• the founding of the world's first soccer club, Sheffield FC (1857)
• the first photograph of earth from outer space by a camera on board the V-2 No 13 rocket (1946)
• the deaths of civil rights activist Rosa Parks (2005), rock n' roll pioneer Fats Domino (2017)

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