Squiz Today – Tuesday, 30 August

THE SQUIZ

Before US champion tennis player Serena Williams completely “evolves away” from the game that’s made her an international superstar, she has the US Open ahead of her. Williams’ first round singles match against an enthusiastic Danka Kovinic on Flushing Medow’s Arthur Ashe Center Court in front of nearly 25,000 enthusiastic fans kicks off around 9am this morning Aussie eastern time. And look, we’re not suggesting that she’s going to bow out in that match – she’s shown time and again that she shouldn’t be underestimated… But we thought we’d get you ahead of the Festival of Serena that this grand slam tournament will likely become. 

OK, GIVE IT TO ME… 

At almost 41yo, her life story (and that of her family) is so epic, there are movies and documentaries and books and endless coverage of her upbringing and career. She’s been a professional player for 27 years and has wracked up 23 grand slam singles titles – that’s one fewer than Australia’s Margaret Court, who played in the 1960s and 70s. As far as Williams is concerned, she’s already broken the record – and there are many who point out that she has earned her titles in the ‘Open Era’ of tennis, which is more competitive than Court‘s time. That’s why Williams is widely considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Having been world #1 for 319 weeks across her career, Williams has recently struggled to overcome her injuries. So today, she goes into the US Open unseeded, ranked 413th, and having won one match since June last year. She also has $94,618,080 prizemoney under her belt, so that’s something… 

TELL ME SOMETHING I MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT HER… 

How about 3 things? 

• It’s no secret that Williams is known for her fashion on the court – and off it. Note: Vogue icon Anna Wintour helped pick her 3 (yes, 3…) wedding dresses for her nuptials with Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian. She’s also a mani/pedi devotee, and studied to become a nail technician in 2010. That’s not likely to feature in her next career step… 
• Nike and Williams have had an almost 20-year-long association – and the company has recently opened a new building named after her at its global headquarters in Oregon. And they’ve made some epic ads along the way… 
• As the younger sister, Williams credits watching her sister Venus for her early success. “I learned the lessons from Venus’s losses instead of the hard way.” As for their playing partnership, they have 14 grand slam doubles titles, placing them 2nd in the Open Era – and their 14-0 record in grand slam finals is unmatched. The pair are playing doubles at this US Open starting later this week, so look out for that. 

The hard work starts now

PM Anthony Albanese has marked his first 100 days in office with an address at the National Press Club, promising he’ll concentrate on women, childcare, energy and skills, and move on from post-pandemic recovery to ‘reform and renewal’. He’s highlighted a long list of achievements over the past 3 months, like increased minimum wages, improved biosecurity, restored Asia-Pacific relationships, and a more ambitious climate change target. He’s also flagged this week’s Jobs and Skills Summit as the start of “building a better Australia”. But it won’t all be smooth sailing with Albanese acknowledging that some tough challenges lie ahead, including how the government will pay for commitments to the National Disability Insurance Scheme and overhauling aged care, saying that the “job of reform is never done. It’s not a date in which you come along here to the National Press Club, and I’ll have a mission accomplished sign at the back there that says we’re done.” If only… 

D-Day for Dawson

One of Australia’s most famous unsolved cases should come to an end today when NSW Supreme Court Judge Ian Harrison SC will announce whether or not he believes beyond all reasonable doubt that Chris Dawson killed his wife Lynette 40 years ago. It follows a 10-week trial examining evidence in the case made famous by The Australian’s podcast The Teacher’s Pet. The 74-year-old former school teacher has always maintained his innocence, claiming his then-wife walked out on him and their 2 young daughters in January 1982. Lynette was never seen again, leading to decades investigations, including 2 coronial inquests, and now a trial. Today’s verdict will either see the Judge convict or acquit Dawson, meaning he could spend the rest of his life in jail, or return as a free man to his home on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Until tomorrow then…

Hey big spenders

Australian households are spending up a storm despite rising cost of living pressures, with the Bureau of Stats’ latest retail sales figures jumping by 1.3% in July and 16.5% over the year. That was well above forecasts of 0.3%, and it marks the largest hike since March. Aussies collectively spent $34.7 billion dollars at retailers last month, with the biggest gains posted by department stores (3.8%), clothing (3.3%), and cafes/restaurants (1.8%), with household goods (-1.1%) the only category in decline. However, the official figures do not state how much of the increase was due to inflation rather than consumers buying more. Boo… And experts say the Reserve Bank’s board won’t be put off from hiking interest rates when it meets next week. That means we need to get set for another 0.5% rise to 2.35%.

Mysterious man meets his end

An Indigenous man thought to be the last of his tribe in the Brazilian Amazon has been found dead, frustrating conservationists who believe his language and culture will be lost forever. He was known as the ‘Man of the Hole’ due to spending much of his life hiding in underground pits that he dug to evade decades of attacks which saw many of his people killed. His body was discovered lying in a hammock covered in macaw feathers with no obvious signs of violence – experts say he likely knew he was going to die. Authorities occasionally left supplies for him but other than that, the man lived in near-total isolation for the past 26 years. This man wasn’t on his own out there… Reports say there are 235 and 300 remaining tribes in the region, and about 30 groups are deep in the jungle and have had little contact with the outside world.

And the Moonman goes to…

And for a shot of cool, the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) kicked off the week. Rappers Kendrick Lamar, Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow led the list of nominees with 7 nods each, and the latter 2 cleaned up yesterday, winning 3 Moonman statues for their collaborative hit Industry Baby. Harlow also won Song of the Summer for First Class, which he performed live with noughties icon Fergie. Squiz favourite Taylor Swift took home the night’s top Video of the Year honour for All Too Well – and announced a new album drop, because when you’re Taylor Swift that’s what you do. And Puerto Rico’s Bad Bunny became the first non-English language artist to win Artist of the Year. Meanwhile, actor Johnny Depp divided viewers in his first public appearance since his defamation case in May. Note: a music awards ceremony wouldn’t be complete without a red carpet gallery, so here ya go.

The British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar off Spain’s south coast has officially been declared a city after a 180-year delay. Residents have long been pushing for the status, only to discover that Queen Victoria had awarded it to them in 1842. We can be a bit slow with the paperwork too, so people in glass houses… 

Two Air France pilots have been suspended after it emerged that the pair had a fistfight during a flight in June. No wonder they call it a cockpit… 

And Philadelphia man Joie Henney has stunned onlookers with his emotional support alligator named Wally. “He’s just loveable. He sleeps with me, steals my pillows, steals my blankets. He’s just awesome.” Henney claims that Wally “refuses to bite”, which is great, but he does sound like an annoying bedfellow…

9.00am (AEST) – Tennis – US Open Women’s Singles – Serena Williams v Danka Kovinić – New York

10.15am (AEST) – Tennis – US Open Men’s Singles – Nick Kyrgios v Thanasi Kokkinakis – New York

11.00am (AEST) – A public funeral for NRL legend Paul Green is held – Brisbane

NSW Supreme Court judge Ian Harrison to deliver his verdict in the trial of former teacher Chris Dawson for the alleged murder of his wife Lynette – Sydney

ABS Data Release – Building Approvals, July

International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances

International Cabernet Sauvignon Day

Birthdays for billionaire investor Warren Buffett (1930), actor Cameron Diaz (1972), and former swimmers Leisel Jones (1985) and Eamon Sullivan (1985)

Anniversary of:
• the birthday of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley (1797)
• the founding Melbourne, Australia (1835)
• the formation of Hurricane Irma, which went on to become a category 5 hurricane that killed at least 102 people (2017)