Wednesday, 23 July - You spin me right round

July 23, 2025

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 23 July. In your Squiz Today…

  • South Oz’s algae crisis deepens

  • Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne has died

  • And spinning, not running, out of time… ⏰

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“Just as surprised as people from NSW were in Game 3 of the State of Origin.”

Said Independent ACT Senator David Pocock after being nominated for Senate President by Queenslander Pauline Hanson. Much like the home crowd that watched NSW lose that game, Pocock was perplexed - but declined the nomination without asking for an explanation…

An algal disaster blooms

The Squiz

South Oz’s Premier Peter Malinauskas has gone against his federal Labor colleagues in labelling the state’s toxic algal bloom a “natural disaster”. His comments came a day after Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt announced $14 million in federal funding to deal with the bloom, which has been wreaking havoc along the state’s coastline. But a bit was made of Watt saying it doesn’t fit the definition of a national disaster - despite calls for him to label it as one. Malinauskas followed that up yesterday by saying, from his government’s perspective, the bloom “is a natural disaster … I think politicians can do themselves a disservice when they get caught up in technicalities”.

What is this algae?

Its full name is Karenia mikimotoi, and it was first detected by surfers off the Fleurieu Peninsula, about an hour south of Adelaide, in mid-March. They noticed something was off when they began suffering respiratory issues - one of its short-term effects on humans - and also reported brown foam and dead fish washing up. The algae sucks the oxygen out of the water as it decomposes, and that leaves marine life suffocating to death… It’s estimated more than 13,800 animals have died - and it’s been described as an “underwater bushfire” for the damage it’s inflicting on underwater habitats. Experts believe the bloom - now more than twice the size of the ACT - is linked to a marine heatwave, with water temperatures 2.5 degrees above usual, and flooding in the eastern states washing extra nutrients down the River Murray.

So what now? 

The South Oz government will match the federal funding Watt announced on Monday, and Malinauskas says the $28 million will be split between scientific research, clean-ups, communications and help for affected communities along the coastline. Funding will also go to those affected in tourism and commercial fishing industries… But some, like South Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, believe more is necessary. She says the bloom is a symptom of the climate crisis and that the federal funding is welcome, but only “a down payment of what is going to be needed”. Malinauskas is on a similar page… He reckons “it’s reasonable to assume” that it won’t be the last incident of its type in Oz.

Turning water into shine

If you’ve turned a new/clean leaf for the new year, Skipper’s #1 just-add-water home and body care range is for you. Chuck one of their tablets into some water, and you can save some cash and reduce waste. The range includes universal cleaners, body washes, laundry sheets and more, and you can build your own bundle and get up to $120 off. Skip to it...

Squiz the Rest

There’s been blowback over a Gaza statement…

We’re talking about the one our Foreign Minister Penny Wong has signed, alongside her counterparts from 27 other countries, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. To remind you, the joint statement included some of the strongest language to date against Israel’s actions in the war, and calls out the “indefensible” civilian death toll in Gaza, which is estimated to be more than 58,000 people. But it hasn’t gone down well with Israel’s Foreign Ministry, which says the statement is “disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas”. Here at home, some in the Coalition have also criticised Oz signing onto the statement. Michaelia Cash said it was “disappointing that once again the Albanese Government is supporting a statement attacking Israel” - but Wong stood by it.

Not budging on a grudge

The tension between US President Donald Trump and the Wall Street Journal newspaper isn’t calming down… After the paper published a story about a letter Trump allegedly wrote to Jeffrey Epstein back in 2003, he sued them - and yesterday he also barred them from travelling to cover his upcoming weekend trip to Scotland. He’s not the only US political figure holding a grudge, either… Hunter Biden, son of former President Joe, has given a 3-hour interview where he attacked actor George Clooney for a piece he wrote in the New York Times calling for the President to step down. Be warned - Biden’s thoughts on Clooney are pretty sweary as are his thoughts on a wide range of other topics about his father’s Presidency. Not a lot of letting bygones be bygones over in the States… 

*If you’d like to dig a bit deeper into why Trump’s copping backlash from his supporters over the Epstein case, we’ve got a Squiz Shortcut for you…

Shining some light on a shock decision

The Reserve Bank of Australia released the minutes yesterday from its board meeting earlier this month, shedding some light on its surprise decision to keep interest rates on hold, which wrong-footed a fair few economists and investors. Party animals can read the full minutes here, but one hot topic was jobs - the country’s stable employment rate at the time was one reason for the hold, but some who voted for a cut said it was necessary to keep that employment rate strong. The RBA voted 6-3 for a hold, but a week later Australia registered an unexpected rise in unemployment, so that topic will likely be revisited when the board meets again on August 12. Many economists say the chance of a cut happening then is almost certain, but the ones making that prediction will be hoping lightning doesn’t strike twice… 

It’s a black day for heavy metal fans

…with the announcement of the death of legendary Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne at 76yo - just weeks after his final live performance. We don't know yet how he died but in a statement, his family said "he was with his family and surrounded by love". Known as the 'Prince of Darkness', Osbourne was famous for his onstage antics - he once bit the head off a bat - and he's credited with paving the way for heavy metal as a genre in the 70s. Hardcore fans will recognise songs like Paranoid and Iron Man, but if you're a bit younger, you might know him as the star of the reality series The Osbournes. His last live gig was on 5 July when he reunited with his bandmates for the Back to the Beginning concert, where he told the crowd it was good to perform again after some health setbacks. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart", he said. Rock on Ozzy…

Spinning out of time

If it feels like there just aren’t enough hours in the day at the moment, well, there might be something to that… Scientists say the Earth is spinning faster than normal, which means the average day is actually getting shorter - by a whopping 1.34 milliseconds, in the case of yesterday. So you probably didn’t notice it (we’d be alarmed if you did, tbh…), but those whose job it is to keep a very close eye on the time - like the International Earth Rotation and References Systems Service, have definitely clocked this issue and are figuring out how to bring things back into line. In the past, the IERS has brought in ‘leap seconds’ to balance out the Earth spinning more slowly, but if this trend of zippy rotation continues, they might need to turn to the never-before-used ‘reverse leap second’ to get things back on track.

Apropos of Nothing

The southern English town of Hove has become a collectors’ heaven after Aussie musician Nick Cave donated 2,000 books from his personal library to a local bookshop. Ranging from philosophy to “a recipe book about aphrodisiacs”, he’s got quite the varied taste…

Life doesn’t change much for most kids turning 12, but as second in line to be King, Prince George has a few adjustments coming. For one, he can’t fly on the same plane as his dad anymore - it’s a royal line protection thing - and he’ll now attend more official events to get familiar with his future duties. Don’t worry, he still got a cake…

One mystery lotto winner on the Gold Coast has just 3 weeks before their winning ticket worth $670,000 is set to expire. Bought back in August 2018, the ticket has yet to be claimed - so if you happen to have a spare one lying around, consider this your reminder to cash it in...

Squiz the Day

From 5.00am (AEST) - Soccer: Women’s Euro semi-final, England v Italy - Geneva, Switzerland, watch on Optus Sport

8.45am (AEST) - Health Minister Mark Butler will open the Australian College of Nurses’ 2025 National Nursing Forum (until 25 July) - Canberra 

10.00am (AEST) - The Australian Forklift Championships takes place as part of the Centre for Materials and Technology Australia exhibition - Sydney

10.00am (AEST) - Opening hearing for the Commission of Inquiry into Child Safety - Brisbane

11.30am (AEST) - Professor Henry Brodaty will address the National Press Club of Australia on the need for “a ‘slip, slop, slap’ of brain health” - Canberra

7.00pm (AEST) - Premiere of 21 Hearts: Vivian Bulwinkel and The Nurses of the Vyner Brooke, a new play about Australian nurse Vivian Bulwinkel which will be the first live production to be staged in the Australian War Memorial’s new theatre - Canberra 

11.00pm (AEST) - The International Court of Justice will deliver its ruling on Vanuatu’s landmark case over the obligations of states in relation to climate change - The Hague, Netherlands

ABS data release - Marriages and divorces, Australia, 2024

🇪🇬 Revolution Day - Egypt

International Yada Yada Yada Day

Birthdays for actor Woody Harrelson (1961), musician Slash (1965), and actor Daniel Radcliffe (1989)

Anniversary of:

  • Austria-Hungary issuing an ultimatum to Serbia following the killing of Archduke Francis Ferdinand by a Serb assassin, setting the stage for WWI... (1914)

  • the formation of One Direction on X Factor (2010)

  • NASA’s announcement of the discovery of the most Earth-like planet found yet – Kepler-452b. It’s a convenient 1,400 light-years away… (2015)

  • Boris Johnson replacing Theresa May as UK PM (2019)

  • Amy Winehouse’s death (2011)

Thursday
5.00am (AEST) - Soccer: Women’s Euro semi-final, Germany v Spain - Zurich, Switzerland, watch on Optus Sport