Wednesday, 7 January - Another brick in the wall

January 07, 2026

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 7 January. In your Squiz Today…

  • European leaders tell the US to stay away from Greenland

  • Vale former Nationals Senator Ron Boswell

  • And Lego gets a high-tech makeover…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“You must have something that I don’t see.”

Said music icon Cher to actor Dax Shepard - on his own podcast, no less - about why her Burlesque co-star Kristen Bell is married to him. Being told you’re batting above your average stings at any time - but especially when it’s Cher doing the telling…

It’s not easy being Greenland

The Squiz

After US President Donald Trump restated his country’s desire to take control of the island of Greenland, European leaders have pushed back hard… As a reminder, Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, but the US has had designs on it due to its strategically important position between North America and Europe. Trump has been talking about it since his first term - the idea’s gone quiet for a bit, but in the wake of the weekend’s operation to capture Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, he’s started talking about it again. But Danish PM Mette Frederiksen says any military takeover of the island would mean the end of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, to begin with…

Remind me again why Trump wants Greenland?

Well, we’ve got a handy Shortcut to that, but here’s the even shorter version: the US has a long history of military presence in Greenland, dating back to World War II. Essentially, the location of the island (here) makes it a good spot to have radar that can detect incoming missiles from somewhere like Russia. The waters around Greenland are also strategically important because foreign powers wouldn’t be able to use them in the event of any attack. So the US is keen, and has offered to buy it in the past - but upping that rhetoric in the wake of a military operation that may have breached international law has Europe’s leaders - and US allies - very nervous. At last count, the leaders of Denmark, Greenland, the UK, Germany and the European Union have all warned Trump off the idea.

And what’s the latest on Maduro?

As we mentioned yesterday, he and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty in a New York court to weapons/drugs charges, and the couple’s next court hearing is set down for 17 March. But the international criticism has continued over the US action in Venezuela - from countries like China, which was a big customer for Venezuelan oil, and Russia - a close ally with Maduro. At a meeting of the UN Security Council yesterday morning, both countries called on the UN to reject America’s intervention in the affairs of another sovereign state - and they were joined by Cuba, Spain, Mexico and Brazil, to name a few. And an update on Nobel Peace Prize winner and exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Machado - after Maduro’s ouster, she says she’s planning to return to the country “as soon as possible”.

Add this to the summer checklist

Sunscreen and hats are sorted, but kids' sunnies often fall off the radar. Experts reckon up to 80% of lifetime UV eye damage happens before 18yo, and you can't see or feel those UV rays doing their damage - including on cloudy days. Babiators have 100% UV protection and polarised lenses, plus frames that survive real life - being sat on, dropped, twisted, you name it. Worth a look if you're checking off the summer prep list...

Squiz the Rest

The Bondi terror attack accused is moved

Naveed Akram, one of the accused terrorists responsible for the antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach, has been transferred from a Sydney prison hospital to Goulburn Supermax prison. He’s facing 59 charges, including 15 counts of murder and committing a terrorist act. Goulburn Supermax, about 190km southwest of Sydney, is designed for some of the country’s highest-risk prisoners, and Akram’s case is due back in court on 16 February. And PM Anthony Albanese is now not ruling out a federal Royal Commission into the Bondi attacks - while meeting North Queenslanders affected by recent floods yesterday, he said he’s talking with NSW Premier Chris Minns to make sure the state has “everything that is required” - with reports saying he’s open to the idea of a national version. Watch this space…

Protests flare in Iran

Something you may have missed over the break is the massive - and deadly - protests in Iran… They’ve been running in most of the country’s 31 provinces for more than 9 days, with protesters demanding the government address corruption, economic and cost-of-living problems - with inflation reaching 52.6% in December. Reports say at least 30 people have been killed (including 3 children…) and more than 1,200 arrested, the UN chief António Guterres has called on Iranian authorities to “uphold the right of freedom of expression … and peaceful assembly”. US President Donald Trump has also threatened to hit Iranian authorities “very hard” if the death toll rises. The Iranian government has promised some economic reforms - but the protests have continued…

A $13.2 billion bid

Our biggest steelmaker, BlueScope, has been approached by billionaire Kerry Stokes’ firm SGH and US company Steel Dynamics with a joint takeover offer… It’s the third time the American company has approached the steelmaker in the past 2 years - and this time, the plan would be for SGH to acquire all of BlueScope’s shares, run its Asia-Pacific operations, and offload its North American operations to Steel Dynamics. In a statement to the ASX, BlueScope’s board said it knocked back the previous offers because they “significantly undervalued BlueScope and its future prospects”. They don’t have that problem now… The new offer of $30 per share is the most generous yet - 24% above its sharemarket value - leaving the board/management to review it.

Bye bye Bozzie

That’s former Nationals Senator Ron Boswell, who died at 85yo… A big character in his 31 years in politics, Ron’s focus was on regional Aussies, including during the tricky transition to the Howard Government in the late 90s. Changes to ag policies, a tilt towards free trade, and restrictions on guns post-Port Arthur stirred up negative sentiment in the bush, and Bozzie was never afraid of telling his Coalition colleagues what was what… He was socially conservative (marriage equality wasn’t his thing, for example…), but also at the forefront of pushing back against One Nation, and that saw him launch a rather unique campaign… Barnaby Joyce (who didn’t have Boswell’s support for his jump from the Nats to One Nation) said “we are going to miss your calls, your advice and your orders!”

And you thought your old phone was a brick…

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is underway in Las Vegas, and one of the big tech reveals from the show came from… Danish toy manufacturer Lego. The brickmaker says it’s come up with the biggest new innovation in its 93-year lifespan - a Lego brick with a tiny computer in it. It’s called Lego Smart Play, and we don’t blame you if you’re wondering what the point is, but possible uses include turning a brick into a humming lightsaber, or an engine that actually makes noise and responds to the kids (and adults, be honest) playing with them. You can have a look for yourself here - but the really important thing is that other than the computer inside it, it’s still a standard Lego brick - so it still hurts like anything to step on…

Apropos of Nothing

Get a load of this huge sinkhole that opened up in a sporting field in the north-east of Melbourne - and the operators of tunnel boring activity for the city’s North East Link project say their work was “a factor” in its appearance…  

Speaking of infrastructure issues, there are concerns about Adelaide’s famous Paringa lifting bridge, as it’s been unable to lift for over a week. The bridge is almost 100 years old, and local experts say a new bridge might be the only answer… 

And while we’re on bridges, the new Sydney Harbour Bridge bike ramp - a $39 million project which replaced a notorious 55-step staircase - welcomed its first cyclists this week, and they say “it all flows nicely”...

Squiz the Day

ABS Data Releases: Building Approvals, Australia, November 2025, Consumer Price Index, Australia, November 2025

Parkes Elvis Festival (until 11 January) 

Orthodox Christmas

Birthdays for designer Christian Louboutin (1963), actor Nicolas Cage (1964), rugby coach Ricky Stuart (1967), and champion F1 driver Lewis Hamilton (1985)

Anniversary of: 

Guy Menzies completing the first solo trans-Tasman flight from Sydney to West Coast of New Zealand (1931)

The Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris where 12 people were killed by Muslim extremists (2015)

The deaths of Edmund Barton, Australia’s first PM (1920), and author Elizabeth Wurtzel (2020)