Squiz Today – 6 May 2024

The Squiz 

People in Perth have been left reeling after a 16yo boy was shot dead by police on Saturday after he stabbed a man with a knife and lunged at officers, in what WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch has called an “extremely confronting” incident. Although Blanch says it “has the hallmarks” of a terror attack and Western Oz Premier Roger Cook says there were “indications he had been radicalised”, it hasn’t yet officially been declared an act of terrorism. Investigators are still looking into the teen’s motives and “believe he was very much acting alone”. 

Wind it back a bit… 

Just after 10pm local time on Saturday, police received a call from the teen, telling them he was about to commit a crime. They then received a second triple-zero call after a man was stabbed in a Bunnings car park at Willetton, in Perth’s southern suburbs. Responding officers found the teen running around with a “large kitchen knife”. He charged at the officers, and after 2 unsuccessful attempts to taser him, was fatally shot. As for what else we know, Blanch says the teenager – a Caucasian boy who reports say had converted to Islam – was known to police and had been involved in a de-radicalisation program since he was 13yo. Blanch says the teen’s family have been “very forthcoming” with police and understands the situation the officers who shot the boy were in.

What about the man who was stabbed?

Blanch says the victim – who wasn’t known to the teenager – received a stab wound in the back and is in hospital in a serious but stable condition. He also acknowledged the incident comes at a time when tensions are running high across Oz in the wake of the Bondi stabbing attack and the Wakeley terrorist attack… He labelled Saturday’s events as “tragic” but insisted “we do live in a safe place and people in WA are safe and the police responded extremely quickly”. PM Anthony Albanese has also been briefed by ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess and the Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw. Albanese condemned the incident, saying Australia is “a peace-loving nation and there is no place for violent extremism”.

A Mexican murder mystery

Two men and a woman have been charged after the suspected murders of 2 Aussie brothers and an American. Authorities say there’s a “high degree of probability” that 3 bodies found in a well in Baja California – one of Mexico’s most dangerous states – are those of 33yo Callum Robinson, 30yo Jake Robinson and their friend, 30yo Carter Rhoad. A fourth body was also found, but police say it’s unrelated. The trio were holidaying near the tourist town of Ensenada, 90 minutes south of the US-Mexico border, when they were reported missing on 27 April. Investigators believe the suspects shot the surfers after they resisted an attempted carjacking, and what’s thought to be the trio’s burnt-out ute has also been found. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it’s “working closely” with Mexican authorities and supporting the brothers’ family as forensic testing on the bodies continues.

The war grinds on

Tomorrow marks 7 months since the 7 October Hamas attacks in Israel, sparking a major escalation of tensions and a war in Gaza – but there’s still no end in sight as Israel has rejected the latest ceasefire deal. Tens of thousands of Israelis took part in protests over the weekend, demanding PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s government secure a new hostage deal. As pressure on Netanyahu rises, reports say he has ordered the Israel offices of news channel Al Jazeera to close, calling it “an incitement channel”, which the network intends to challenge. In Gaza, further Hamas attacks on borders are hampering aid deliveries and World Food Programme director Cindy McCain says although the United Nations hasn’t made an official declaration, a “full-blown famine” is happening in the north and is “moving its way south”. 

Some HELP for students

Up to 3 million Aussies will get some financial relief after the Albanese government announced it will reduce student debt in the upcoming budget. The debts are usually indexed – aka increased – every June to keep up with the Consumer Price Index – aka inflation – but from now on, they’ll be calculated on whichever figure is lower out of either CPI or wage growth. The policy is being backdated to 2023 and Education Minister Jason Clare says it will “wipe out around $3 billion in student debt”. It means someone with an average HELP debt of $26,500 will have about $1,200 cut from their loans this year. In another pre-budget sweetener for students, nursing, teaching and social work students will be eligible for a $320 weekly payment to avoid “placement poverty”. But Deputy Liberal Leader Sussan Ley says the HELP relief won’t be of much comfort as people will still see their total amount going up, and “know that it’s looming over them”. 

An astronomical spectacle

While the wet weather might be a dampener for Sydney-siders over the next couple of days, if you do get a clear morning you can check out the Eta Aquariids meteor shower… The natural phenomenon is caused by streams of dust – debris from Halley’s Comet – catching the light. It’s considered one of the best displays in the Southern Hemisphere, producing 15 to 20 meteors an hour. Experts say tomorrow morning – when the “tiny slice of the Moon is out of the way” – is the time to pencil in your diary, but you’ll have to be up with the sparrows… The meteors will be visible across Oz, with the best viewing between 3am and dawn in each timezone across the country. Best of all, you don’t need any fancy telescopes – simply find somewhere dark, look towards the east, and prepare to be amazed, as these images taken early this morning show…

A very Aussie quest

If you’ve been to an Aussie school dance or wedding, chances are you’ve been a part of – or at least witnessed – what outsiders might consider a strange cultural phenomenon – scores of people all dancing to Tina Turner’s Nutbush City Limits. But despite being central to our social events, no one knows who choreographed the iconic moves. Thankfully, 2 professors from Western Oz are determined to solve the mystery… Panizza Allmark and Jon Stratton say while “nobody has come forward”, they’ve narrowed down the search to a teacher’s conference in NSW in 1975. It’s not exactly where you’d expect a dance fad to be created, but Allmark says it’s stood the test of time because “it’s intergenerational – parents, grandparents and children all learn the Nutbush”. And perhaps also because it’s a bit like a lot of us… “It’s cool, but slightly daggy”. 

You’ve got to feel for calligrapher Stephanie von Werthern-Gill, who gifted a hand-stitched 21-metre-long scroll to King Charles to mark his coronation anniversary, only to find an error… Luckily the King was gracious and called it a “most marvellous illumination work”. 

It’s probably safe to say not many people enjoy job interviews, but this article has revealed some of the weirdest and most inappropriate “tasks” candidates have faced, including one woman who had to crawl on her hands and knees and “moo like a cow” for 4 minutes… 

If you’re in the market for a jaffle maker, a leaf blower and an autographed photo of Lionel Messi, you’re in luck because they’re all on offer at the Sydney Airport’s annual Lost Property auction this week. Over 2,500 unclaimed items are going under the hammer for charity, and with bids starting at $10, there’s something for everyone…

Public holidays – NT (May Day) & QLD (Labour Day) 

10.00am (AEST) – Trial set to begin for Justin Stein over the murder of 9yo Charlise Mutten at luxe property Wildenstein in the NSW Blue Mountains – Sydney

10.00am (AEST) – Sentencing for army whistleblower David McBride, who leaked details of alleged war crimes committed by Aussie soldiers to the ABC – Canberra

7.00pm (AEST) – Boxing: WBO bantamweight Aussie world champ Jason Moloney to take on Japan’s Yoshiki Takei – Tokyo

Last days to see the Eta Aquariids meteor shower (one for the early birds up tomorrow from 3am til dawn)

Monetary Policy Decision meeting (on until 7 May)

Brisbane Street Art Festival (until 21 May)

International No Diet Day 

Sauvignon Blanc Day

No Homework Day

Birthdays for Tony Blair (1953), George Clooney (1961) and Prince Archie (2019)

Anniversary of:

• George V being made King of Great Britain after the death of his father Edward VII (1910)
• Michael Jackson and the Bee Gees being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (1997)
• the founding of SpaceX by Elon Musk (2002)
• King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla being crowned in the first coronation service in the UK in 70 years (2023)