Tuesday, 10 September - I’ll be there for you

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, 10 September. In your Squiz Today…

• A call to do better for our veterans

• Princess Kate’s big health update

• And finding a Rembrandt in the attic…

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Squiz Sayings

Said Ana Kirova of the success of her dating app Feeld, which has doubled its revenue in the last year as others in the biz struggle. And look, it is a site for people looking to be in a throuple, so it’s defying more than tradition… 

Doing better for our veterans

The Squiz

After 3 years, 6,000 submissions and hundreds of witness statements, the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide handed in its final report yesterday. It’s a big one - 7 volumes and 122 recommendations aimed to prevent the 3 suicides of serving or ex-defence members every fortnight in Australia. The report calls that statistic “unacceptably high” but says, given it comes from data collected between 1985 and 2021, the numbers “underestimate the scale of the problem”.

Give me the main points…

The big takeaway is a recommendation to set up a new body to support former Australian Defence Force (ADF) members’ transition to civilian life when their military careers wind down. The idea is for that organisation to be run by people with defence experience who would help veterans with their compensation and rehab needs, along with connecting them to health services and monitoring their ongoing mental health. A few other notable recommendations involve setting up an inquiry into sexual violence in the ADF, improving training for recruits to encourage “help-seeking behaviours”, introducing “measures to reduce the frequency of relocation” for ADF members and their families, and a national register of suicides for current and former ADF personnel.

How’s that gone down?

With all eyes on the ADF and its response, Chief Admiral David Johnston and Department of Defence Secretary Greg Moriarty released a statement yesterday saying it was “sobering” to hear the accounts, “particularly where Defence has let people down”. They reckon implementing recommendations “will require significant reform”, but they’re “committed to doing better”. How far it goes will be up to the Albanese Government, but yesterday Defence Minister Richard Marles apologised for the failures over “many, many years”. He said the government will respond to the report “in a manner which is timely” and “with complete thoroughness”. That’s something the Coalition’s Veterans’ Affairs spokesperson Barnaby Joyce wants - he’s pushing to “get it resolved” sooner rather than later “out of respect for those who died”.

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Bedding down some big savings

Emma Sleep is having its biggest clearance sale on Australia’s most-awarded mattress range and bestselling pillows with up to 55% off. That includes the Emma Comfort Mattress and Good Design award winner Emma Zero Gravity mattress... On top of that, there's a 100-night trial, 10-year warranty, and free shipping. Run (don't walk) to emma-sleep.com.au - and then have a great rest...

Squiz the Rest

Iran arms Russia for the fight in Ukraine

While there’s been a lot of focus on Iran’s role in the current Middle East conflict, the US says there’s been a “dramatic escalation” of Tehran’s support for Moscow in the war against Ukraine. American officials say more than 200 ballistic missiles - with a range of just over 100km - were shipped to Russia this week and are likely to be used to strike cities close to the northern border, like Kharkiv. The US has been warning Iran for months not to help arm Russia, insisting Western nations will pile on more sanctions if they get involved. It’s been a pretty grim week for Ukraine after Russian forces claimed to have taken another town in the Donbas region. It effectively turned the tables on Ukraine after it had claimed Russian territory, and there are also growing reports of low morale and desertions within Ukraine’s army…

Neck and neck ahead of a big debate

US presidential hopefuls Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are counting down to their first televised debate since Harris took over the Democratic ticket. It kicks off late tomorrow morning, but there are plenty of talking points in the lead-up… The big thing to know is that several national and swing state polls show that despite an initial burst of enthusiasm for the Harris campaign, she’s level pegged with Trump in many of the polls. One report says voters don’t feel that they know enough about her policies - a problem she’s had since taking the reins from President Joe Biden. On the other side, despite a tricky month for the Trump campaign - including a fresh indictment over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election - support for the former President appears to still be strong. Things are heating up…

A Royally good update

Princess Kate has announced she’s finished receiving chemotherapy and is “doing what I can to stay cancer free”. In a video released overnight, showing the 42yo Princess enjoying the English summer on the coast with Prince William and their 3 children, she said she’ll return to light public duties over the coming months. “The last 9 months have been incredibly tough for us as a family”, she said. “This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved”. Reports say King Charles, who’s also undergoing treatment for cancer, and Queen Camilla sent their “love, thoughts, and support” to Kate, but there's no word on the King's condition as he and the Queen prepare to tour Down Under next month ahead of the CHOGM in Samoa. 

It’s Glowtime at Apple HQ…

Tech heads will be keen to get their hands on the latest Apple gear after the company revealed its new iPhone 16 models early this morning, alongside new versions of AirPods and the Apple Watch. The new gadgets, unveiled at Apple’s shiny ‘Glowtime’ event streamed live from its California HQ, are “purpose built” for generative AI - meaning they'll create text and images based on language prompts, similar to how platforms like ChatGPT work. Reports say it's the biggest level-up since the introduction of voice assistant Siri. But experts have been quick to highlight it's still a work in progress, and although the phones will be on sale from 20 September, many features won’t be available until 2025. Apple needs the new offerings to bear business success fruit, as it’s only just emerging from a prolonged sales slump.

Some serious cash in the attic

Finding a long-lost treasure would be ace, but it’s more than a pipe dream for one American homeowner after a suspected Rembrandt masterpiece was found in their attic. A routine house call in Maine became “remarkable” for auctioneer Kaja Veilleux after a 17th-century painting of a young woman wearing a cap and ruffled collar caught his eye. The piece in the Dutch master’s style had a label from the Philadelphia Museum of Art on the back claiming it was authentic. Experts were sceptical, which saw the portrait go to auction with an estimate of $22,000, but it seems the punters were convinced as the hammer finally fell on a price of $2.1 million. Experts say, given the striking similarities to other Rembrandts, they're "not surprised" the unnamed European collector decided it was worth a gamble. Time to check out what's in the garage…

Apropos of Nothing

Our very unique set of animals just got a bit more special, with 750 new species being recognised in Australia. They include a laughing frog and a marine worm named after David Attenborough. It’s just a shame we can’t claim the snot otter as our own…

Looking for a new way to get in shape? May we suggest stone lifting as a new get-fit hobby… Scottish mum Gemma Doherty is a big fan and reckons it makes you feel like you can do anything.

And speaking of new hobbies, the Mud Bowl is celebrating its 50th anniversary which sees amateurs slug their way through knee-deep mud to play a very messy version of American Football. And we thought that game was bogged down enough already…

Squiz the Day

8.30am (AEST) - The Better Futures Forum, discussing climate policy, begins (until 11 Sep) - Canberra

10.45am (AEST) - World Bank Group President Ajay Banga is set to address The Lowy Institute on global economic challenges and what they mean for Australia and our region - Sydney 

12.05pm (ACST) - Swearing in of Lia Finnochiaro’s ministry in the Northern Territory - Darwin

10.00pm (AEST) - Soccer: World Cup qualifier, Aus v Indonesia - Jakarta, and watch on Paramount+

World Suicide Prevention Day 

ABS data release, total value dwellings, June quarter

Birthdays for José Feliciano (1945), Colin Firth (1960), Jack Ma (1964), Misty Copeland (1982), and Sam Kerr (1993)

Anniversary of:

• the birthdays of Karl Lagerfeld (1933) and Mary Oliver (1935)

• the founding of OPEC aka the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (1960)

• the release of Nirvana's single Smells like Teen Spirit (1991)

• the debut of The X-Files (1993)

Wednesday
2.00am (AEST) - Australia’s Skillaroos will compete in the WorldSkills Competition - aka the Tradie Olympics - in Lyon, France (on until 15 Sep) 

2.00am (AEST) - Einstein's consequential and carefully worded letter will be auctioned at Christie's New York, and is expected to fetch in excess of $4m - New York: 

5.00am (AEST) - The 79th session of the UN General Assembly begins - New York