Tuesday, 3 February - Must be talking to an angel

February 03, 2026

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, 3 February. In your Squiz Today…

  • Police have given a major update in their search for Dezi Freeman

  • An Aussie has died in a ski lift accident in Japan

  • And Bad Bunny wins big at the Grammys… 🎵

🎧 Listen to the podcast

🤓 This email will take you 5 minutes to read

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“No, I definitely do not look like an angel 🤣”

Said Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, weighing in on the story of an angel in an Italian church which has been restored to look suspiciously like her. An investigation is underway to find out why, but as Cristiano Ronaldo might say, a statue that actually looks like you is a win…

A search for answers…

The Squiz

Police in Victoria have given a major update on the hunt for Dezi Freeman, saying they “strongly believe” he’s dead. Yesterday, more than 100 officers and volunteers - and cadaver dogs brought down from NSW - were back in Victoria's alpine region to start a 5-day search. Adam Tilley, a Victoria Police Detective Inspector, says they're not going to give up easily - they "hope to have answers this week, but if we don't, this is the number one priority of Victoria Police".

Wind it back a bit…

You probably remember Freeman’s name - he’s the 56yo man accused of shooting dead police officers Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart and injuring another as they served him a warrant for historical sex offences at his Porepunkah home in Victoria’s alpine region last August. The self-described sovereign citizen then went on the run in the Mount Buffalo National Park area, leading to a massive police search which ultimately turned up nothing. The new search is based on information from a witness who reported hearing a single gunshot in the area 2 hours after the police were killed. Tilley also said yesterday that there have been searches of caves, mines and rivers in the national park’s dense bushland in the months since the shooting, and there’s no evidence Freeman is still alive and hiding.

And there’s another gunman on the run…

Yep, that’d be Julian Ingram in NSW. He’s accused of killing 3 people - his pregnant ex-partner Sophie Quinn, her aunt Nerida, and her friend John Harris - in the small Central West town of Lake Cargelligo on 22 January. He has been on the run ever since, with police scouring the town and swooping on Mount Hope, about 100km northwest, after the armed 37yo was spotted there in the days after the shootings. In the most recent update, NSW Police said they’re “confident” he’s still alive, and might be receiving help from people he knows - especially given temperatures in the region have been well into the 40Cs in the week and a half since the shooting. Criminal psychologists say Ingram is likely in fight-or-flight mode, warning anyone who sees him to stay away and call police immediately…

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

Iran frees a high-profile prisoner

That’s Erfan Soltani, who was arrested in January during the anti-government protests that swept through the country since December. He became a high-profile case after his family claimed he was going to be executed following a fast-tracked trial. Yesterday, it was reported that the 26yo had been released on bail, though there are still fears for his future wellbeing. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump threatened “very strong action” against Iran if it executed its citizens, and also wants Iran to end its nuclear program - the US has since sent military ships and aircraft to the region. Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on the weekend any US action would lead to a “regional war”, but Trump isn’t backing down - he says if Iran doesn’t make a deal, “we’ll find out” what happens next. 
*If you’re after some more background to the uprising in Iran last month, we’ve got a Squiz Shortcut to help there…

An Aussie has died in Japan…

…in a ski lift accident at the Tsugaike Mountain Resort in central Japan on Friday morning. The resort’s operators said the 22yo snowboarder - who’s been named in reports as Brooke Day, from the Sunshine Coast - was left suspended from the ski lift after her backpack became caught while she was trying to disembark. Staff were able to stop the lift and get her down, but she'd reportedly suffered a heart attack - and although she was taken to hospital, she was later confirmed dead. Before the accident, she'd been working in Japan as a receptionist at a physio clinic - which in a post last year described her as having a "warm personality and passion for helping others". Her death is being investigated by local police, and our Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is giving consular assistance to her family.

Couple’s therapy for the ex-Coalition

Liberal leader Sussan Ley and Nationals leader David Littleproud met last night to discuss terms for reuniting the Coalition ahead of parliament returning today. Nationals deputy leader Kevin Hogan said the chat had been "civil" and "a lot of progress had been made", but it was unlikely the band would be back together before question time. It followed a Nationals partyroom meeting where Littleproud saw off a challenge from Queensland backbencher Colin Boyce, though 'challenge' might be overcooking it - as Boyce predicted, he didn't have the numbers to spill the leadership, let alone win it. And while all that's going on, One Nation - still riding high in the polls - is teasing a few more high-profile names set to join them - with former conservative MP Cory Bernardi amongst the recruits… 

Hey hey it’s the RBA

Our central bank is back in the spotlight today with an interest rate decision due at 2.30pm AEDT. Many economists say a rise is on the cards, and the stock market agrees - putting the chances of a 0.25 lift at 72%. (Worth noting: these predictions have been wrong before…) But if the RBA does lift rates off the back of strong job numbers and rising inflation, it’ll put pressure on Treasurer Jim Chalmers - and renew focus on the amount the government is spending at the moment. The Liberal/National parties say that’s behind Oz’s inflation struggles - Chalmers rejects that, but says he’s keen for big tax reform to address the government’s economic challenges, but exactly when that might happen is TBD. One for the diary: Team Albanese’s next budget is due in May, so there’ll be a lot of eyes on that one…

Bad Bunny wins big… 

The Puerto Rican rapper/singer/actor cleaned up at yesterday’s Grammy Awards, taking home Album of the Year for Debi Tirar Más Fotos, (I Should Have Taken More Photos). It's the first all-Spanish album to win, and he gave most of his speech in Spanish as well. Billie Eilish took home Song of the Year for Wildflower. Bothshe and Bunny criticised the US immigration agency ICE in their speeches - a recurring theme of the night. Elsewhere, Perth band Tame Impala won best dance/electronic recording of End of Summer, and film director Steven Spielberg became the 22nd person ever to win the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). And of course, there were some great performances - check out this Lady Gaga number - and some eye-catching red carpet looks too - here’s a gallery…

Apropos of Nothing

The spud-lovers at the Squiz (aka all of us) are thinking about a trip to Germany - the country is giving away free potatoes after a bumper harvest. Best of all, it’s called the Kartoffel-Flut, which means potato flood, but why would you say that when you could say Kartoffel-Flut… 

Feast your eyes on the first full trailer for The Devil Wears Prada 2, where you can briefly spot Aussie actor Patrick Brammall as possibly the love interest for Anne Hathaway’s character Andy. The Devil Wears Akubra, maybe… 

Punxsutawney Phil, Pennsylvania's famous groundhog and 'official state meteorologist', emerged from his tree in Gobbler's Knob overnight, and on seeing his shadow, predicted 6 more weeks of winter. With the US in a polar vortex, it wasn’t a tough one for him this year, let’s face it…

Squiz the Day

Federal parliament resumes (both houses)

10.00am (AEDT) - Rugby Union: The match schedule for the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia is set to be revealed - Sydney

2.30pm (AEDT) - The Reserve Bank will announce its latest decision on interest rates -  Sydney 

Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, is set to face trial on 38 charges including 4 counts of rape and also assault and drug offences - Oslo

ABS Data Release - Building approvals, December

Birthdays for actress Isla Fisher (1976), human rights lawyer Amal Clooney (1978), jailed medical tech entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes (1984) and actor Warwick Davis (1970)

Anniversary of:

  • Rome officially becoming Italy's capital after the country's unification (1871)

  • the establishment of the world’s first commercial cheese factory in Switzerland (1815)

  • New Zealand's worst natural disaster, the Hawke's Bay earthquake, which killed 256 people (1931)

  • the day the music died. Rock n’ roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and JP ‘The Big Bopper’ Richardson were killed in a plane crash in Iowa (1959)