13 April 2024 - Saturday Squiz

There’s a lot going on in this post-Easter world, so may you have as much command over your life as this woman has over her chickens… This Saturday, if you have a news scoop for us, a slice recipe that could do with some dusting off, or anything else you want to share, hit reply.

⏱️ Reading time: 7 minutes

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This week's top stories

When a news story is dominating, you can expect upwards of 50,000 mentions. So as you can see this week nothing was massive, but there were some big themes nonetheless…

1. Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s take on an enduring question about peace in the Middle East - In a speech on Tuesday night, she reiterated the government’s support for a 2-state solution when it comes to negotiating peace between Israel and Palestinians. That’s not new - but the suggestion that Australia could recognise Palestine sooner rather than later was… PM Anthony Albanese indicated it won’t happen while Israel’s war on Hamas is ongoing, but Coalition leader Peter Dutton said Wong’s comments were “reckless”.

2. The search for Samantha Murphy continues… - Victorian Police this week used cadaver dogs from NSW for the first time during the investigation into the Ballarat woman’s disappearance. Police haven’t made any announcement about a breakthrough in the case…

3. A new member of the AUKUS gang? - We started the week with plenty of speculation Japan could get an invite to join the Aus-US-UK alliance - but it didn’t materialise. PM Albanese chipped in to say Japan’s great, but the band’s not looking for a new member right now.

4. Cooking up a supermarkets report - The interim report from former minister/economist Craig Emerson’s look under the hood of the Food and Grocery Code was released this week. It’s not final, but the Albanese Government liked what they saw…

5. Tackling homophobia head-on - Port Adelaide’s Jeremy Finlayson was suspended for 3 matches for a slur he used against an Essendon player during last Friday night’s game. It made him the first player in the AFL to be suspended for using homophobic language, and there was a lot of discussion about whether the penalty was too steep.

It’s the Squiz Quiz…

Reckon you know what PM Anthony Albanese’s fessed up to having never tried? Have a crack at the Squiz Quiz.

Picture of the week

Waiting for a train late at night can give you a long face… As transport officials said, this hopefully traveller ”was reported to be wearing only a rug and demonstrating a bit of horseplay.” All’s well that ends well…

In the Kitchen

You know what this year needs? More slice. We hadn’t made a slice for ages but we dusted off this honey-caramel almond slice last weekend and geez it’s yum. It’s good for morning/afternoon tea nibbles and has broad appeal for kids and adults alike.

What we Squized this week

Squiz Shortcuts on the push to ban TikTok - As popular as TikTok is, many governments are worried about it being owned by a Chinese company. If you want to get across how huge this social media platform is and the debate about its business model, you can read more/listen to this episode here.

News Club on the business of Bluey - Even if you don’t have kids, there’s no escaping the cultural phenomenon of Bluey. Worth a couple of billion dollar bucks, we take a look at what makes it so special - and whether it might soon come to an end. Get our Club Picks and listen to the episode here.

Staying connected with Connected AU

Connected AU is all about community and combatting loneliness through connections. They’ve got a bunch of online clubs that’ll tickle your interests, from cooking, reading, gardening, movement and more. There’s even a monthly online trivia night run through the social club, with the next one kicking off on April 18. See what’s on and get involved from the comfort of your own home here.

Squiz the Week

Saturday - Here if you need, the 2024 Netball season kicks off with the Giants v West Coast Fever. And the southern Sydney electorate of Cook votes in a by-election to replace former PM Scott Morrison

Sunday - Tune into the 28-minute Bluey movie ‘The Sign’ on ABC iView at 8am

Monday - A decision in the Bruce Lehrmann defamation case is set to be handed down by Federal Court Justice Michael Lee in Sydney

Tuesday - The US Government’s due date to provide assurances to the UK High Court about how it would handle WikiLeaker Julian Assange if he was extradited. And jury selection in former US president Donald Trump’s hush money trial in New York kicks off

Wednesday - Solomon Islanders head to the polls for their general election. Defence Minister Richard Marles is at the National Press Club to launch the National Defence Strategy and Investment program. And c’mon Aussie, the 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony look will be unveiled

Thursday - It’s International Jugglers Day and National High Five Day - tricky to celebrate at the same time…

Friday - India starts voting in their weeks-long general election. California’s big Coachella music festival kicks off, and the new Taylor Swift album - The Tortured Poets Department - drops

*Times in AEST

Double-Tapping

Ever seen a penguin fly? Us neither - there are some epic belly flops here… This National Geographic clip of a bunch of emperor penguin chicks leaping off a 15m ice cliff to take their first swim has had 11 million views in just a couple of days. Cuties…