Squiz Today – 12 March 2024

The Squiz

A photo of Princess Kate and her 3 children published on Sunday celebrating UK Mother’s Day has been pulled by news agencies after a rare ‘kill notification’ was issued over claims the image was “manipulated”. Specifically, the misalignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand, which didn’t meet up with her sleeve, and Kate’s blurred hair and hand raised eyebrows. Overnight, Kate apologised for causing all the confusion and admitted she was the one who tinkered with the image herself before sharing it on social media, saying, “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.” The Princess was also photographed yesterday in a car with Prince William, but some royal watchers still say the doctored photo will only fuel conspiracy theorists online.

What the heck is going on?

Let’s back it up a bit… In January, the Palace announced Kate had undergone abdominal surgery and would step back from public duties until after Easter. But as the weeks passed, conspiracy theories began swirling online about her whereabouts after observers noted she hadn’t been seen in public since Christmas Day. They varied from silly (like she’s growing out a dodgy hairdo) to more sinister claims about her health, sparking thousands of memes. On 4 March, a paparazzi photo of Kate in a car driven by her mother Carol Middleton near Windsor Castle was published – the only other image of the 42yo from this year. But as it wasn’t an official shot, more gossip circulated that it may not even have been Kate… Then, last week, the British Army was forced to backtrack on an announcement the Princess would attend a military parade in June after the Palace said it wasn’t confirmed. 

How long can this go on?

With Easter fast approaching, there are (in theory…) less than 2 weeks until Kate is expected to be back in the public eye. And you’d have to think that if there are no further updates between now and then, there will be more speculation about her wellbeing. Making matters worse for the Palace is that King Charles, who was diagnosed with an unspecified cancer last month, is also still not working his full schedule. And he has missed some big events, including yesterday’s 75th anniversary of Commonwealth Day. Prince William has also ducked out of functions at short notice, citing “personal matters”, and Queen Camilla has taken a week off – although royal watchers say that isn’t linked to her husband’s health concerns. 

Biden battles with Bibi

Tensions between Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his close ally US President Joe Biden over the war in Gaza have escalated, with the Israeli leader hitting back against criticism from the American. To recap – Biden spoke about having a “come to Jesus” talk with Netanyahu over the growing number of civilian casualties and the worsening humanitarian crisis. But Netanyahu said Biden’s opinion was “wrong” and the “overwhelming majority” of Israelis agree with his military moves to eliminate Hamas from the Palestinian territory. It comes after Biden also warned that an Israeli attack on the southern Gazan city of Rafah – where about 1.5 million displaced people are sheltering – would cross a “red line”. Netanyahu says he won’t abide by that warning, saying his “red line” is that the 7 October Hamas attacks “never happen again”.

Boeing hits more turbulence

The US aeroplane manufacturer is facing more scrutiny after a string of aviation incidents – one which saw more than 50 people on a flight from Sydney to Auckland treated by emergency services yesterday. Passengers say flight LA800, run by Chilean airline LATAM, dropped suddenly mid-air, causing at least 10 people to be hospitalised. In a statement, the airline said the plane – a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner – experienced a “technical event” that caused “strong movement.” In a separate incident yesterday, a flight from Sydney to San Francisco was forced to turn around after experiencing a “hydraulics fault”. It’s the second hydraulics issue in a UA/Boeing plane in recent days after another flight from San Francisco to Mexico City made an emergency landing in Los Angeles, adding to 3 other safety incidents in the US over the past week. Fasten your seatbelts and stow your tray tables…

Getting rid of a nuisance

If you’ve heard a bit about nuisance tariffs in the last 24 hours, it’s because the Albanese Government is scrapping nearly 500 of them to streamline business processes and save Aussies “a small amount” at the checkout. They are talking about things like 5% taxes on imported products such as white goods and personal care items, and although the full list hasn’t been released yet, theme park owners might be happy that park equipment will be included… Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the tariffs are a nuisance because they don’t raise much money for the government, but they do create $30 million of compliance costs/red tape for businesses. He’s also announced a plan to fast-track environmental project approvals in a bid to secure Coalition support for the government’s planned mining tax. Reports say this is all part of the government’s laying of the groundwork for the May Budget.

Racism kicked to the kerb

NRL player Spencer Leniu has copped an 8-week ban for a mid-match racial slur against the Bronco’s Ezra Mam. Leniu, who plays for the Sydney Roosters, pleaded guilty to calling Mam, a Torres-Strait Islander, a “monkey” during the NRL’s high-profile season opener in Las Vegas earlier this month. In a statement, Mam said he was “so angry” after the slur, he couldn’t focus on the game. Leniu, who has a Samoan background, has since apologised for the taunt, saying it was a “spur of the moment” comment and he “had no idea what that word meant to Ezra and to all Indigenous people in the game”. At a judiciary hearing last night, the 23yo’s lawyers said he wasn’t “a racist” and that his case was a “turning point in the use of language” in the sport. As for Leniu, he said he’s glad Mam brought the issue up. “There is no room for racism in this game,” he said. 

That’s a wrap

The biggest night of the awards season wrapped yesterday with Oppenheimer taking home 7 Oscars… That included Best Picture, Best Director (a first for Christopher Nolan) and Best Actor for Cillian Murphy. Robert Downey Jr also won best supporting actor and quipped “I’d like to thank my terrible childhood and the Academy in that order”. Emma Stone beat Killers of the Flower Moon favourite Lily Gladstone for best actress for Poor Things. Despite being last year’s biggest box office hit, Barbie took out just one gong for best original song for What Was I Made For? by Billie Eilish – despite Ryan Gosling’s hot pink crystal rendition of I’m Just Ken winning over the audience… His look was a lot more dazzling than Margot Robbie’s “protest dress” – one of many muted looks on the toned-down red carpet…

It wasn’t the kind of fashion emergency Donatella Versace is used to… She became trapped in a lift in LA, but that didn’t stop her effortlessly wriggling her way out before the firies arrived… 

We’ve got books galore cluttering up our shelves so we’re all ears when it comes to the professionals’ advice about how best to organise them… Note: there’s still a divide over function vs aesthetics… 

A statue in Maine has been surrounded by crime scene tape after it was assaulted – by Mother Nature. Officials are trying to find a way to fund a refurbishment of the First Nations fisherman after it was damaged in a storm. Officials don’t expect the offender to cough up the cash… 

8.00am (AEDT) – Democratic primary in the Northern Mariana Islands

From 11.00pm (AEDT) – Democratic and Republican primaries in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington 

ABS Data Release – Building Approvals, January; Total Value of Dwellings, Q4 2023

A birthday for US politician Mitt Romney (1947) 

Anniversary of:

• the Foundation Stone being laid in Canberra (1913)

• Moscow becoming the capital of Soviet Russia (1918)

• the wedding of Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman (1969)

• the deaths of Sun Yat-sen (1925), Anne Frank (1945), and Terry Pratchett (2015)