Squiz Today – 19 April 2024

The Squiz

Westfield Bondi Junction will reopen its doors to shoppers today, nearly a week on from the stabbing attack that left 6 dead and 12 injured. After hundreds of members of the public gathered in the shopping centre yesterday to pay their respects to the victims, the focus today is on retail staff who are facing a tough return to work. Australian Retailers Association chief Paul Zahra says the focus for employers will be “to ensure they keep a very close eye on their teams” because “their wellbeing comes first and foremost”. 

It’s no wonder nerves are frayed… 

For sure, and NSW Premier Chris Minns acknowledged that people are feeling anxious after Sydney’s 2 stabbing attacks this week. He says there will be extra police in Bondi Junction “for as long as it’s needed” to help the public and traders “feel confident and safe in their community”. And thanks continue to be given to those who acted to protect the public on Saturday – PM Anthony Albanese said security guard Pakistani Muhammad Taha could be offered permanent residency after he was injured when he confronted attacker Joel Cauchi, showing “extraordinary courage”. French national Damien Guerot has already been offered a permanent visa thanks to his use of a bollard to keep Cauchi away from others. “That’s the sort of courage we want to say ‘thank you’ to,” Albanese said.

What’s next?

There’s a candlelight vigil for the victims at Bondi Beach on Sunday. As for safety changes, the NSW Government is looking into stricter knife laws. “Given these very serious criminal attacks … of course, a responsible government looks at the existing legislation,” he said. A crackdown on the social media giants and how they deal with violent/distressing content and disinformation is also on the cards. Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant is one of many who have criticised Meta (aka Facebook/Instagram) and X (aka Twitter) for allowing out-of-bounds content to circulate widely. And just on the Wakeley terror attack, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel – who was stabbed on Monday night – gave a statement yesterday. He says he’s “doing fine” after surgery and forgives the 16yo who is accused of the attack. The teen was last night charged with committing a terrorist act.

Another one bites the dust

It’s been a fraught time for those at the top of our notable companies, and last night it was announced that Seven West Media boss James Warburton will leave the organisation today, 2 months ahead of his planned departure. He’d helped steer broadcaster Seven/publisher of the West Australian through a difficult period after joining the company controlled by billionaire Kerry Stokes in mid-2019. But Warburton saw his fair share of scandals too… Links with disgraced soldier Ben Roberts-Smith and former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann have been a problem – and pundits say it’s this week’s legal ruling that, on the balance of probabilities, Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins that has seen him off early. Oh, and Seven also named the wrong person as the attacker at Bondi Junction… The company’s chief financial officer Jeff Howard has already been named as Warburton’s replacement. 

India heads to the ballot box

The world’s largest democracy heads to the polls today with voting set to last 44 days to give nearly a billion people (969 million, to be exact…) the chance to have their say. There are 545 seats in India’s Parliament and voting is staggered across different regions so 15 million polling officials can manage the mammoth vote. PM Narendra Modi is standing for a rare third term in power and has boldly declared he’s aiming for his coalition to win “400 seats” – a feat that’s only been managed once in the country’s 77-year history since independence. His main rival is Rahul Gandhi (grandson of former PM Indira) – but his Indian National Congress Party has struggled to deal with Modi’s popularity. And yep, you’ll need to wait a while to find out what happens – results come in on 4 June. 

D-day approaches for Ukraine funding

After months of stalling, legislation in the US Congress that would deliver Ukraine nearly $100 billion in military aid is set to be voted on in the House of Reps over the weekend. The Speaker Mike Johnson says he’s pushing forward with the bill despite opposition within his own Republican Party because “we have terrorists and tyrants and terrible leaders around the world like Putin … and they’re watching to see if America will stand up for its allies”. US President Joe Biden is urging members to put aside partisan differences to get the aid bill passed. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly warned his country will “lose the war” if America doesn’t fund more vital military supplies. Just a couple of days ago, 17 people died in the northern city of Chernihiv after a Russian missile attack – Zelensky said it wouldn’t have happened if Western allies had provided “sufficient air defence equipment”.

Cricket champ reveals private struggles

Former Australia cricket captain Meg Lanning has revealed she called time on her international career last year after battling an unhealthy relationship with food and exercise. The 32yo Lanning says she was running “85-90kms a week” and was “in denial” about her “over-exercising and under-fuelling”. She said she’d get “snappy” when anyone tried to talk to her, and she “was not in a place to be able to go on tour and play cricket”. Lannning says at her lowest point she’d only sleep a couple of hours a night and was struggling with her identity outside of cricket. She’s continued playing in the Women’s Big Bash League and the lucrative Women’s Premier League in India, but has decided against representing Australia again after becoming our youngest skipper at 21yo. 

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It’s that time again…

Heads up – the Swifties in your life might not come to the phone this weekend because Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD) drops at 2pm (AEST) today. The planned release hit a stumbling block yesterday with reports that the 17-track album had been leaked early. For those who haven’t had a sneak peek, here’s a good guide to what we know about the music genius’s next instalment. There hasn’t been much marketing behind it, but a surprise pop-up installation in Los Angeles and Easter eggs on Apple Music this week have fans amped up. And given the extreme heights of fame Swift has reached, TTPD is tipped to be her 14th album to sell at least 1 million copies. She sure is something… 

If you’re still trying to digest the “omnishambles” that was the Bruce Lehrmann defamation case, ABC’s intellect-at-large Annabel Crabb has written a piece on how Justice Michael Lee managed to find truth, fairness and reason in a messy situation. 

We were hankering for a good British crime drama at Easter (and don’t even start us on Vera returning to ABC TV with a new series – so good…). Surfing the streamers, we found CB Strike on Binge. There are 5 short series to enjoy, and we’re not even embarrassed to say we’ve watched all of ‘em. 

We’ve got a mate who grows zucchinis and after a bag was left on our doorstep, we decided we’d try a couple of sweet things. This chocolate zucchini loaf is moist and yummy. And if you wanna go all-in, these zucchini oatmeal cookies were also a hit. 

8.30am (AEST) – Westfield Bondi Junction reopens for trade – Sydney

2.00pm (AEST) – Taylor Swift’s new album The Tortured Poets Department drops

Motorsport: F1 – The Chinese Grand Prix starts today (until 21 April) – Shanghai

ABS Data Release – Agricultural commodities – crops, fruit/veg and livestock – for the financial year 2021/22

Coachella – 2nd weekend – Palm Springs

India’s general election begins (voting is open until early June)

National Garlic Day

Birthdays for Tim Curry (1946), Kate Hudson (1979), and Maria Sharapova (1987)

Anniversary of:

• Captain James Cook’s first sighting of Australia (1770)
• the deaths of Lord Byron (1824) and Charles Darwin (1882)
• Advance Australia Fair being proclaimed as Australia’s national anthem, and green and gold becoming the national colours (1984)