Wednesday, 16 July - You must not know 'bout me

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 16 July. In your Squiz Today…

• The PM talks trade with Chinese President Xi Jinping

• Outback killer Bradley John Murdoch has died

• And the King’s swans get a check up…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said a woman eyeing Japan's new mega Baby Body Burger - and she wasn't wrong. Burger King's limited-time creation packs in 5 beef patties, requiring a 45-degree attack angle just to bite. It might be a good idea to have a face physio on standby...

‘Tangible benefits’ in turbulent times

The Squiz

PM Anthony Albanese and Chinese President Xi Jinping have held their fourth ever face-to-face meeting, with Xi telling the Aussie leader that international turbulence shouldn't derail the improving China-Australia relationship. The long story short, Xi said the relationship has "risen from setbacks" and brought "tangible benefits" to both countries, while Albanese echoed the importance of finding common ground despite some differences.

C’mon, I’m here for the details… 

Yeah you are… The meeting held in the Great Hall of the People came with some elaborate choreography - national flags, polished tables, and smiles. As for the talking points, Xi urged that global turbulence shouldn't undermine the "repair work" done since Albanese took office in 2022 - a not-so-subtle reference to China taking us out of the freezer after it targeted $20 billion of Australian exports and ghosted the previous Morrison Government… Both leaders also emphasised their "cooperate where we can, disagree where we must" approach. And for our part, Albanese told the Aussie media that the meeting was “constructive” and he had the opportunity to raise concerns about China’s military buildup and naval activity in Australian waters, despite their adherence to international law.

So it was all smooth sailing? 

Not quite… One big thing wasn’t raised - Albanese confirmed the government's promise to force the sale of the Chinese-owned Darwin Port wasn't part of the chat. But he did talk about the case of jailed Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun. Also of note, our TV journalists covering the visit had a run-in with Chinese security officials who demanded their footage, though our diplomats managed to sort it out… It was a hectic day - the PM also met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang who pushed back on foreign investment restrictions and urged him to treat Chinese businesses “fairly”. As for what’s next, on today’s itinerary is a visit to the Great Wall (which has historical significance given Labor icon Gough Whitlam's 1971 trip) and then it’s on to Chengdu - the last stop before the PM returns to Oz on Friday.

The skincare ingredient that sounds weird but works wonders

Winter does a number on the skin, and for many of us, regular moisturisers just don't cut it. Enter Bescher Beauty's Sea Cucumber Collagen Glow Toner: it's packed with marine collagen, native botanicals, and hyaluronic acid that work together to deliver results. The proof? It sold out in 6 days after building a 35,000-person waitlist. Now it's back in stock, and if winter skin is the bane of your existence, it might be worth trying something that thousands of people couldn't wait to get their hands on. You can check it out here. 

Squiz the Rest

The list grows…

And when we say list, we’re talking about the Melbourne childcare centres where accused paedophile Joshua Brown worked. To remind you, police allege he has committed 70 offences against 8 young children in his care. Yesterday, 4 additional centres where he was employed from August 2024 to February 2025 were added to the list, and the dates he worked at 10 other centres were also updated. As a result, authorities are getting in touch with the families of more than 800 additional children to recommend “precautionary” infectious disease testing. Janet Stevensen, Victoria Police's Acting Commander, acknowledged some families are frustrated at how long it’s taking to confirm Brown’s employment dates, but said verifying his work history has been tricky.

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Outback killer Bradley John Murdoch has died

The 67yo who murdered British backpacker Peter Falconio beside a remote Northern Territory highway in July 2001 died from throat cancer yesterday - one day after the 24th anniversary of the crime. The story of Falconio's murder and the attempted kidnap of his partner Joanne Lees was huge in the early 2000s. The pair was tricked by Murdoch into pulling over on the Stuart Highway, where Murdoch shot Falconio and tried to abduct Lees, but she escaped and hid in scrub for hours until he left. Police traced Murdoch through CCTV, and he was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 28 years. Falconio's body has never been found, despite a last ditch attempt by police in recent weeks offering a $500,000 reward before Murdoch died.

Cutting back on charges

The Reserve Bank is typically in the headlines for its interest rate moves, but its plan to ban debit/credit card surcharges - those pesky ones that are added when you get to the counter - got some airtime yesterday… It comes after a review found our current system is outdated and is costing Aussies $1.2 billion a year, working out to about $60 per adult. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has previously floated a surcharge ban, saying “the declining use of cash and the rise of electronic payments” means more of us are “getting slugged”. But others, like the Council of Small Business Organisations, say banning surcharges “doesn’t remove all the cost, it simply hides it” - and it’ll be passed onto consumers in other ways. Next up: the RBA will seek feedback from business, the credit industry and government, with a final proposal due by year’s end.

Queen Bey’s beats bagged

Thieves who nicked a couple of suitcases from a Jeep in an Atlanta car park last week might be rethinking their ways after it turns out they’ve got some irreplaceable property on their hands… Five hard drives of unreleased music by Beyoncé were among several items, including personal information and footage for the singer’s Cowboy Carter tour, stolen from the car, which her choreographer and a dancer had rented. Police say 2 laptops containing the music were inside the stolen luggage along with clothing and headphones - which they traced using Apple’s ‘Find My’ app… They’ve since questioned a suspect but haven’t named them. The superstar has been touring since April and was about to perform in Atlanta when the thieves struck. They should lay their cards down and get gone…

Seigneur of the Swans

… is King Charles’ lesser-known title, it turns out. It means Lord of the Swans because, according to ancient lore, he owns all the members of the mute swan species in Britain’s waters. They’re the most common variety in the UK, in case you thought we meant silent types... In any case, it’s that time of the year when they have their annual census and health check. The tradition, known as 'Swan Upping', dates back to the 12th century and it's carried out over 5 days along the River Thames by uniformed oarsmen who find families of swans to check and mark. The birds are protected from hunting, but officials say their numbers have dropped in the past 2 years due to bird flu outbreaks. But at the end of day one, things were looking honking good with 16 cygnets already tallied.

Apropos of Nothing

We spoke yesterday about some of the challenges for the Aussie men’s Test cricket side, but yesterday brought a couple of bright points. For our bowlers, Mitchell Starc's career-best 6 wickets for 9 runs and Scott Boland's hat trick (aka 3 wickets off 3 balls…) demolished the West Indian side for 27 runs - almost the lowest total in history. That delivered the Aussies a 3-0 series win. Howzat… 

Aussie actor and comedian Magda Szubanski has a new hobby - Lego. She says she’s been “getting so bored” as she undergoes chemotherapy for the cancer she was diagnosed with earlier this year, but reckons her new model Land Rover set has bolstered her spirits…

Speaking of hobbies, if you’re someone who can’t get enough of miniature things, we’ll point you towards artist David Hourigan’s collection. His speciality? Painstakingly crafted recreations of iconic Melbourne music venues. Talk about hand-eye coordination…

Squiz the Day

9.00am (AEST) - Baseball: Major League Baseball All-Star Game - Atlanta, US, watch on ESPN or Foxtel

10.00am (AEST) - The Royal Australian Mint will unveil Wallabies and Wallaroos coins in a nod to our national rugby union teams - Brisbane

11.30am (AEST) - Dr Ken Henry, Chair of the Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation, will address the National Press Club on ‘Our last, best chance – national environment laws to restore nature and power the net zero economy’ - Canberra

12:30pm (AEST) - Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Labor leader Dean Winter will face off in the leaders’ debate ahead of this weekend’s state election - Hobart

7.00pm (AEST) - Boxing: Sonny Bill Williams v Paul Gallen - Sydney, watch on Stan PPV

This year’s Primetime Emmys nominations are out

ABS data release - Building Activity, Australia, March 2025

🐍 World Snake Day

International Drag Day 

Birthdays for actor Will Ferrell (1967) and golfer Adam Scott (1980)

Anniversary of:

• the birthdays of Ida B Wells (1862), Ginger Rogers (1911) and Shirley Hughes (1927)

• the publication of JD Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951)

• the launch of the historic Apollo 11 mission sending Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon (1969)