Tuesday, 20 January - You can't help but shine

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, 20 January. In your Squiz Today…

• It’s now or never for the Albanese Government’s gun and hate laws as they go before the Senate

• Dozens of people have died in a high-speed train derailment in Spain

• And a 3,563-carat sparkler from the ‘city of gems’…

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Squiz Sayings

Is how NPR reviewer Glen Weldon described A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the new GoT spinoff that premiered on HBO Max yesterday. The spinoff is supposed to be a looser, funnier take on the fantasy phenomenon - think less dragons, more japes…

It’s now or never…

The Squiz

With the Senate due to debate PM Anthony Albanese’s new gun control and hate laws today, he’s taking an all-or-nothing approach to them - saying he won’t reintroduce the legislation if it doesn’t get over the line. As politicians reconvened yesterday to give emotional tributes to the victims of the Bondi terror attack and to introduce the proposed bills, Albanese said “we’re not a government that puts things up over and over again to see them defeated”. That comes after the Coalition and the Greens said they wouldn’t support the legislation in its previous form, forcing the Albanese Government to significantly rework it over the weekend.

So what will happen?

Reports this morning say the hate laws are set to pass after a meeting between Albanese and Coalition leader Sussan Ley, with the Coalition agreeing to a list of amendments. It comes after Ley last week described the original bill as "unsalvageable", but senior Coalition members say they've since reviewed the overhauled laws in good faith… Home Affairs spokesperson Jonathon Duniam outlined several ideas (paywall) they'd put to the Albanese Government - particularly on the new hate laws. The Coalition is still unlikely to support the new gun control laws (which involve the biggest gun buyback scheme since the Howard Government’s in the wake of the Port Arthur massacre…), but that’s very likely to get through with support from the Greens.

And we’ve heard from some of the victims…

Yep - the parents of 10yo Matilda, Valentyna Poltavchenko and Michael Britvan. Despite several Jewish leaders being in favour of the government’s proposed laws, the couple doesn’t believe they’ll prevent another act of mass violence… Britvan says “criminals do not care about any laws you make about any speech or any guns”. The couple also recounted what happened on the night… Matilda and her 6yo sister Summer - who were “inseparable” - had gone to see the petting zoo when the shooting began. They found Matilda critically injured and Summer hiding with Tash Willemsen, the woman running the zoo - who they believe saved Summer’s life. They say Matilda was a “softie” who loved animals, judo, and her little sister, and want her to be remembered as “just a regular, awesome Aussie girl”.

Lightening the load for 2026

There's a special kind of defeat in watching your suitcase come along the carousel looking like it came off second-best during the transit shuffle... Samsonite has been at it for over a century, and they've nailed the balance between lightweight and durable - handy when you're pushing weight limits or travelling frequently. Check out their range of travel essentials here.

Squiz the Rest

Thousands killed in Iran

Iranian officials say at least 5,000 people - including about 500 security personnel - have been killed in the country’s anti-regime protests. That’s a significant jump after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei admitted to “thousands” of deaths over the weekend - but it’s still much lower than Iranian doctors’ estimates of more than 16,500 dead and 330,000 injured. The protests began on 28 December over the country’s cluster disaster of an economy, but quickly turned into anti-government demonstrations - prompting a violent crackdown from the ruling regime. On Sunday, Iran said it might go ahead with the execution of protesters arrested - something US President Donald Trump has warned against - and says any US military intervention is “tantamount to an all-out war against the nation”.
*For more on the unfolding situation in Iran, our Squiz Shortcut has you sorted…

A train tragedy in Spain

At least 39 people are dead and dozens more have been injured after a high-speed train derailment in the country's south yesterday. The privately operated train was carrying 300 passengers from Malaga to Madrid when it left the track and crashed into another publicly operated train, carrying 200 passengers, that was heading from Madrid to Huelva. One of the survivors, Salvador Jiménez, said the moment of derailment felt like "an earthquake". Spain's Transport Minister Óscar Puente said authorities aren't sure what caused the crash - he described it as "strange" because the section of track where it happened was newly renovated, flat track. An inquiry into what went wrong is underway, but it could take up to a month to get answers. 

A spate of shark attacks in Sydney

There’s been 3 in 2 days - with the latest one, last night, leaving a man in critical condition. He was pulled from the water at North Steyne Beach in Manly around 6.20pm. Swimmers were called from the water as paramedics gave him CPR before he was taken to hospital. That wasn't the only attack in the northern beaches yesterday - an 11yo surfer escaped uninjured after a shark bit his surfboard at Dee Why just before midday. Northern Beaches Council has now closed 20 beaches in the area… It comes after a 12yo boy was bitten by what's believed to be a bull shark at Shark Beach, in Sydney's east. He’s still in intensive care. Shark expert David Baxter says the conditions have been “just right” for bull sharks after Sydney’s stormy weather, saying “a lot of the run-offs from the creeks and the drains... stimulates the curiosity of sharks”.

Swiss watch

You might see a bit coming out of Davos this week - that’s the Swiss resort town where this week’s World Economic Forum is taking place. It's a big one - both in size (well over 1,000 attendees, including 65 heads of state) and stakes, because of the high levels of geopolitical and economic tension in the world atm... On that note, fresh after promising to whack several European countries with new tariffs (aka taxes on imports), US President Donald Trump will be arriving in person tomorrow, along with other high-profile political figures like Canadian PM Mark Carney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. And with hundreds of CEOs and business leaders in attendance, it's a lucrative time for the local economy - hotel rooms can go for over $5,000 a night. Swanky… 

And speaking of pricey purchases… 

If you’re looking for a really, really impressive gift, why not consider this 3,563-carat sapphire that could be going up for sale in Sri Lanka… It’s a special variant called a Purple Star Sapphire - named, as you might have guessed, for the star shape that appears inside it and, uh, the fact that it looks purple. This particular gem is called the Star of Pure Land, and it was found in a gem pit in the Sri Lankan town of Ratnapura - also known as the “City of Gems” - in 2023. While the owners want to remain anonymous, they say they are willing to sell - the bad news is that this particular stone will set you back in the realm of $500 million in Oz money… 

Apropos of Nothing - Sporty edition

We're getting closer to the Super Bowl and as of yesterday, there are 4 teams left in the running for the American football decider - the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. It all goes down on 9 February… 

There are also 4 teams left in the race for this year’s Big Bash Twenty20 cricket title - perennial finalists the Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers, last year’s champs the Hobart Hurricanes and never-champs the Melbourne Stars. That finals series kicks off today. 

And check out the phenomenal crowd support for Philippines tennis star Alexandra Eala at the Oz Open - though she didn’t get across the line against American Alycia Parks, you couldn’t fault her Filipino supporters, who cheered for her about as loudly as possible…

Squiz the Day

3.00pm (AEDT): The ban on protests in NSW, which was brought in following the Bondi terrorist attack, is set to expire. Before that deadline, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon is set to address the media to announce whether the ban will be extended to include Australia Day - Sydney

4.30pm (AWST): Cricket - Big Bash League finals begin with the Qualifier - Perth Scorchers v Sydney Sixers play off to progress straight to the final  - Perth, watch on Channel 7 

Prince Harry is taking on Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday, in a UK court over phone hacking allegations dating back to between 1993 and 2001. He joins other high-profile figures including Sir Elton John and actress Liz Hurley taking legal action against the group. The trial is set down for 9 weeks - London

BHP will release its operational review for the half year ended 31 December

It’s been one year since Donald Trump's second inauguration

Penguin Awareness Day 🐧

A birthday for astronaut Buzz Aldrin (1930) and muso Kevin Parker of Tame Impala (1986) 

Anniversary of:

• China ceding Hong Kong to the British during the 1st Opium War (1841)

• the birthday of director David Lynch (1946)

• the premiere of High School Musical (2006) and Breaking Bad (2008)

• Donald Trump's first inauguration as the 45th president of the United States (2017)

• a deadly car attack in Melbourne's CBD, which killed 6 people and injured 27 (2017)

• the death of singer/actor Meat Loaf (2022)