Squiz Today – Friday, 12 June

THREE MINUTE SQUIZ

“The spoken word conveys only half of any good story: the rest is inferred or purposefully left out or skipped over. A good storyteller will look for what they’re not being told and wonder why.”

Says one of Australia’s best storytellers/journos, Bryce Corbett. One of the media’s good guys, we’re lucky to say he’s been a key part of The Squiz right from the start. The news veteran's been with Nine’s 60 Minutes, the Australian Financial Review, and the Australian Women’s Weekly. He also wrote Turia Pitt and Rosie Batty’s books with them. And next week, he’s co-hosting the Squiz Today podcast. Please welcome Bryce to the Three Minute Squiz.

---

AUSSIE DIAMONDS READY TO SPARKLE

THE SQUIZ
The latest of the huge international sporting events taking place in the northern summer, the 2019 Netball World Cup kicks off tonight in the north-western UK city of Liverpool. Sixteen teams will take to the court to battle for the title of best in the world. As the rankings stand, the Aussie Diamonds go in as favourites with England, Jamaica, New Zealand and South Africa rounding out the top five. Held every four years, the World Cup is fast (and hopefully not too furious) - it takes place over 10 days with the final played on Sunday, 21 July.

WHAT’S THE BUZZ?
• Since the first World Cup was staged 56 years ago, it's only ever been won by Australia and New Zealand. This time around, New Zealand is ranked fourth, and England beat Australia at last year’s Commonwealth Games.

• Why are things so competitive? Many say it's due to the formation of Australia's premier league, the Suncorp Super Netball, which has no cap on international players.

• With more than a quarter of Super Netball’s 80 professional netballers coming predominantly from England, Jamaica, South Africa, and even New Zealand, some (like our national coach Lisa Alexander) say our system is developing other nations’ talent. Others, like former Diamonds captain Liz Ellis, reckon it’s going to make the World Cup the most interesting we’ve seen yet.

AND HOW MUCH OF A CHANCE ARE THE AUSSIES TO TAKE IT OUT?
The Diamonds are the reigning world champs, and they are vying for their third consecutive World Cup title. But last year's Commonwealth Games defeat is still raw. "We didn't get the result we wanted last year, so it makes us hungrier for this result,” said coach Lisa Alexander. And hungry they are, winning six of their seven most recent games. Look out for our captain Caitlin Bassett (C-Bass to her fans) who is our formidable GS (that’s goal shooter to the uninitiated…). Australia’s first game of the tournament is against Northern Ireland tonight, and it will be broadcast by 9Now.

---

SQUIZ THE REST

---

BRITISH TANKER’S CLASH IN THE GULF

The UK Government says three boats believed to belong to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard tried to stop a British tanker as it moved through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday. A Royal Navy ship was on hand after the threat level was raised earlier this week and got between them, forcing the boats to back off. The Brits have described Iran’s actions as "contrary to international law”. It’s the latest in a string of incidents in what is becoming a dangerous international flashpoint. Pundits say the ship could have been a target because the UK agreed with America that Iran was responsible for other recent attacks on commercial tankers. The Brits were also involved in the seizure of an Iranian tanker last week that was thought to be breaking EU sanctions. Iran has denied responsibility for any of the drama.

---

TELSTRA OUTAGE AFFECTS RETAILERS, BANKS

Eftpos machines didn’t work, and ATMs lost their cash-dispensing abilities. A Telstra outage late yesterday again reminded us how reliant we are on ‘the system' working. Many of the big retailers rushed to reassure after-work shoppers that they could process card payments manually, and for the two people in Australia with cash in their wallets, well they could relax. The systems meltdown was caused by the failure of a payments processing network operated by Telstra, and banks, supermarkets, petrol stations - you name it - were affected nationwide. Reports say it was situation normal by 7pm on the east coast.

---

RUSH UP THE ROCK

A whole lot of tourists have put their FOMO ahead of the wishes of the traditional owners and are scaling the Northern Territory’s Uluru in large numbers before a climbing ban comes into effect on 26 October. It’s been some time since the Anangu Aboriginal people expressed the preference that visitors stay off the World Heritage-listed site, which they consider sacred. When the ban was announced last year the park's chairman Sammy Wilson said; "It is an extremely important place, not a playground or theme park like Disneyland." Still, some are none too happy that the ban will soon be in place.

---

SUGARY DRINKS UP CANCER CONCERN

Drinking half a cup of sugar-laden soft drink or juice every day is enough to increase the risk of developing cancer by 18%, and breast cancer by 22%. A new study of 100,000 people led medicos to conclude that there are "statistically significant correlations between the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and risk of all cancers combined". Sugary drinks are also linked to obesity - a major risk factor for cancer. About 10% of the Aussie population consume these drinks every day, according to the Bureau of Stats.

And while we have you… Our regulator has recommended the ban of textured breast implants because of a link to cancer. Manufacturers have an opportunity to respond before any ban. Medical experts say the risk is low and there is no need for panic.

---

AND IN OTHER SPORTS NEWS…

AUSSIES MISS CRICKET WORLD CUP FINAL - We lost to England overnight. Actually, we were trounced… Batting first, our top order failed to fire, and at one point we were 3-14. Former captain Steve Smith was the standout making 85 runs. And with the Aussies out for 223 in 49 overs, England managed to outscore us in 32 overs. The tournament hosts are the favourites for the title match against New Zealand on Sunday - neither side has won a World Cup before.

WIMBLEDON’S POINTY END - The finalists for the women have been decided - get ready for a Serena Williams v Simona Halep showdown on Saturday night. Meanwhile, the men still have their semi-finals to play tonight - that’s between Roger Federer v Rafa Nadal, and Novak Djokovic v Roberto Bautista Agut. And Aussie Dylan Alcott is into Wimbledon's first ever quad wheelchairs singles final. He's on track to win all four majors in the same season, fingers crossed.

DAVID TO GALLOP OFF - Despite having a contract that lasts until the end of next year, David Gallop, the CEO of Football Federation Australia, will take off his shin guards in December. A former boss of the NRL, Gallop was a well-regarded sports administrator until the cluster disaster that was the FFA’s dismissal of Matildas’ coach Alen Stajcic earlier this year.

---

FRIDAY LITES - THREE THINGS WE LIKED THIS WEEK

Some might say tennis pro Maria Sharapova is a cheat, but she sure has lovely taste when it comes to interiors…

Next week will be flush with celebrations for the 50th anniversary of NASA’s historic Apollo 11 moon landing mission. To get a grip on what went down, we’ve been listening to the 13 Minutes To The Moon podcast by the BBC World Service - and we’re loving it. It’s very detailed, but the story is so compelling it has us hooked.

Need a bit of zhoosh to up your nibbles/dressing game? This has become a favourite of ours. This Greek Goddess Dip is good for carrot/celery sticks and crackers, and it makes a good drizzle sauce for salads and grilled meat/chicken/fish. Our tip - we’ve subbed out the mayo for a little more yoghurt, but you do you.

SQUIZ THE DAY

Friday
7.40pm (AEST) - Netball World Cup - Diamonds v Northern Ireland - 9Gem

10.00pm (AEST) - Wimbledon Men's Semi-Final - Novak Djokovic v Roberto Bautista Agut

ABS Data Releases - Overseas Arrivals and Departures, May; Household Income and Wealth, 2017-18

Anniversary of Julius Caesar’s birthday (100BC)

Saturday
12.00am (AEST) - Wimbledon Men's Semi-Final - Roger Federer v Rafael Nadal

5.45pm (AEST) - Netball World Cup - Diamonds v Zimbabwe - 9Gem

10.45pm (AEST) - Wimbledon Women’s Final - Serena Williams v Simona Halep

Sunday
7.30pm (AEST) - Cricket World Cup - England v New Zealand

10.45pm (AEST) - Wimbledon Men’s Final

11.45pm (AEST) - Netball World Cup - Diamonds v Sri Lanka - 9Gem

Bastille Day - France

Start of National Diabetes Week

UK PM Theresa May ‘celebrates’ three years in the top job