13 January 2024 - Saturday Squiz

The break was great, thank you for asking. But by the end of the first week back, this dishevelled griffon really spoke to us… This Saturday, if you have a surplus of zucchinis that need to be taken care of, special backup dancer moves, or anything else you want to share with us, hit reply.

⏱️ Reading time: 7 minutes

🤷‍♀️ IDK: What Paul Keating’s 80th birthday party would involve?

This week's top stories

Beginning as we mean to continue, 2024 is shaping up to be a big ’un…

1. More and more from the Middle East - We did a Squiz Shortcut on this at the start of the week to catch you up. And since then, there’s been a lot of focus on cracking down on the Houthi rebels targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea.

2. You know it’s January in Australia when the tennis is on the telly - There were so many angles to this one this week - our pick is the pressure that’s pouring onto Alex de Minaur to perform in the upcoming grand slam event. Fingers crossed for him… Dominating the coming fortnight will be the Australian Open - and if you don’t believe us, check out the sort of numbers it does…

3. Summer in Australia means wild weather - But this time around, it seems the predicted dry/bushfirey predictions have given way to floods with Victoria and Queensland both copping it.

4. Price check, register 3 - PM Anthony Albanese this week said he doesn’t think Australia’s major supermarket retailers are giving consumers the best prices. He’s tasked former Rudd/Gillard era minister Craig Emerson to look into that.

5. That wasn’t meant to happen… - Major American plane manufacturer Boeing has some explaining to do about how a door popped off one of its 737 Max 9 jets while in the air over Oregon on Friday. There are investigations galore…

Picture of the week

Yep, that would be a door from the fuselage of an Alaskan Airways Boeing 737 Max 9 jet after it blew off the plane mid-air last Friday. It was found in the backyard of a home in Portland, Oregon. Along with inspecting the fleet, the US regulator has opened a formal investigation of Boeing. Note: the company’s share price dived 9% this week…

In the Kitchen

It's pickling season, and this recipe from Stephanie Alexander gives you something else to do with zucchinis. And it’s a great excuse to tee up a charcuterie board/ploughman’s lunch on the regular…

What we Squized this week

Our Squiz Shortcut on Mary and the Danish Royal Family - Big day alert… Yesterday we dropped a bonus episode so you’d have your weekend talking points sorted on the crowning of the first Australian-born queen tomorrow. Dive in and have a read or a listen here. 

The Year Ahead with Lauren Sams and Sammy J - What legends these 2 are… On our News Club podcast, Claire and Kate have put together a special mini-series about what’s coming down the news barrel in 2024 with insights from some special people. 

Sammy J (the ABC Melbourne Breakfast host/comedian extraordinaire) gives his take on what this year might hold in politics and the challenges facing our biggest media organisations. 

And Lauren Sams (Fashion Editor at the Financial Review) is tipping a big year for some Aussie fashion brands and she talks about where things are with fast fashion and the rise of the concept store. 

And there are 2 more episodes to come with Helen McCabe from Future Women and the Two Good Sports podcast hosts Abbey Gelmi and Georgie Tunny. Listen on Apple or Spotify and chuck the News Club podcast a follow while you’re there.

Squiz the Week

Saturday - Political hotspot alert - Taiwan’s general election will see almost 20 million voters pick a new president 

Sunday - The Aussie Open begins in Melbourne, so that’s the rest of January taken care of… 

Monday - You’ve read/listened to the Squiz Shortcut, and now you’re ready for Frederik and Mary to be proclaimed the King and Queen of Denmark late Sunday/early Monday Oz time - Copenhagen

Tuesday - The World Economic Forum starts in Davos, and strap yourself in because the 2024 Republican presidential candidate primaries kick off in Iowa

Wednesday - Give someone the benefit of your experience on International Mentoring Day

Thursday - Young rooster/former PM Paul Keating turns 80yo (1944) 

Friday - And it’s appropriate that the Tamworth Country Music Festival begins on Dolly Parton’s birthday (1946)

Let’s get Squizzical

Reckon you know what on earth Matildas captain Sam Kerr has injured this time? Have a crack at the Squiz Quiz.

Double-Tapping

These 2 are social media phenomenons - and for good reason. Their bang-on takes on backup singers’ moves usually get a response from the artists themselves. And who can resist a bit of Tina Arena on the weekend?

Sharing is caring (and winning)

We absolutely love putting the Saturday Squiz together, and we reckon you might know someone who'd enjoy a weekend read choc full of recommendations and a bit of news analysis. So here’s the deal - you share The Saturday Squiz with your people, and we’ll give you a chance to win a brand new Macbook Air. Boom...

Using your unique referral link, each person who signs up by the end of January gets you a ticket in the draw to win. So copy and paste the link below and share it around…

Your link: https://saturdaysquiz.thesquiz.com.au/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER

PS: Your friends will need to confirm their email to guarantee entry into the draw. This competition ends at 11.59pm AEDT on 31 January, and the winner will be drawn on 1 February 2024 and contacted via email. Go forth…

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Add to your weekend to-do list: chuck us a follow.