Friday, 28 February - I'm on top of the world

February 28, 2025

Good morning, it’s Friday, 28 February. In your Squiz Today…

  • A new airline partnership takes off

  • Tributes flood in for Gene Hackman

  • And a last-day-of-summer salad… 🍉

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“Alcohol was definitely involved.”

Said a spokesperson for the Rome police, who arrested a tipsy Kiwi man after he dived into the city’s Trevi Fountain this week. He was slapped with an $800 fine and banned from visiting the famous fountain for life. It didn't bring him much good luck…

A new partnership takes off

The Squiz

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has signed off on Qatar Airways’ bid to buy a 25% stake in Virgin Australia - meaning more long-haul flights between Oz cities and Doha, Qatar’s capital, could be on the way… Making the announcement yesterday, the outgoing Virgin Australia boss Jayne Hrdlicka said the investment from one of the world’s biggest airlines “is a huge vote of confidence in our business and Australian aviation”, while Chalmers said it’s “expected to strengthen competition”.

So does that mean cheaper flights?

It’s early days, but potentially… Hrdlicka’s called it “a major win for Australian consumers” - echoing a similar finding from our consumer watchdog on the acquisition this month. It’s timely because flight prices have been a hot topic since they began going up in the wake of the COVID pandemic - with airlines pointing to higher fuel costs and staffing issues. Aside from that, there’s also been concern over the lack of competition in Oz. That kicked up in 2022/23, when so-called “slot hoarding” problems (which you can read up on here) hit the headlines, with Transport Minister Catherine King rejecting Qatar's request for more take-off/landing slots to accommodate more flights to and from Oz. Now, the airline’s figured out a workaround…

So it’s all locked in?

There are a few other regulatory approvals to go through, but the Albanese Government’s stamp of approval was considered the biggest hurdle. Reports say the first long-haul flights (from Sydney, Brisbane and Perth to Doha) should start in June, with 28 new weekly return flights added. For travellers, it means the flights - booked through Virgin Australia - will use Qatar Airways’ planes and crews. As for Virgin’s main competitor in Oz, Qantas - CEO Vanessa Hudson (who was in a good mood as she shared the airline’s half-yearly results…) said she “welcomed the competition” and that it “makes us better”.

A chopping board worthy of a chef’s kiss

Supper Supply is revolutionising the kitchen scene with their new chopping board, designed to be the only board you'll ever need. Great for home chefs seeking a thick and sturdy option, this board is crafted to handle all your chopping tasks with ease - and it's kind on knives, dishwasher safe, and large enough to accommodate any culinary challenge. Visit Supper Supply's website to discover this chopping board and explore its full range of innovative kitchen gear.

Squiz the Rest

Tributes are flooding in for Gene Hackman…

The Oscar-winning actor was found dead, along with his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog, at their home in New Mexico. Police have opened an investigation and say the deaths are "suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation”. Hackman, who was 95yo, is described as “a Hollywood legend” and “an everyman actor with an edge”. You can read about his long and celebrated career here, but he was most known for the roles he won his Oscars for in The French Connection and The Unforgiven, along with his portrayal of Lex Luthor in the Superman movies of the 1970s/80s. Thousands of fans and his Hollywood peers have remembered him online, including director Francis Ford Coppola, who said Hackman was "a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity". 

A shaky ceasefire continues

The bodies of 4 Israeli hostages in Gaza have been sent home in exchange for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners. It's the final handover of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire's first phase - with 33 Israeli hostages returned and around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners/detainees freed. The 42-day first phase will expire tomorrow, meaning there are a lot of questions still being asked about phase 2 - which was due to get the remaining 59 hostages home and bring the war to a permanent end… Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, says negotiations have stalled - but he’s hopeful they’ll get back on track. Speaking of Trump, he’s facing criticism over an AI video of Gaza - including from those within his own voter base…

A tough tour for the Tillies

The Matildas will leave the US winless after losing their final game against Colombia in the SheBelieves Cup. The Tillies - who still don't have a full-time coach - couldn't mount a comeback after Colombia went 2-1 ahead in the 73rd minute. They'll be looking to improve significantly over the next year before Australia hosts the major Asian Cup tournament in March 2026. But they've still got plenty of support back home… Former Matildas' captain Melissa Barbieri says it's heartening to see how big the public reaction has been over radio host Marty Sheargold’s comments dissing the team - which led radio station Triple M to "part ways" with him - compared to what it would have been 10 years ago.

Welcome to the stacked parade

If you like stargazing and you like things organised, boy do we have an opportunity for you… The planetary parade is a rare event when multiple planets look like they’re in a straight line across the night sky. We mentioned it a few weeks back when 6 of the planets were in an alignment, but like a fashionable guest, Mercury has finally joined the party… Not only will all 7 of the planets be lined up over the next couple of weeks, but it’s the last time it’s likely to happen for 40 years. So if you’d like to carpe diem your chance to check them out - the best time is just after sunset - bring a telescope if you’d like to see Uranus and Neptune - and here’s a handy app and website you can use to know where to look - and what you’re talking about… 

Noodles to die for

A funeral home in the Chinese province of Guizhou makes noodles so good that some foodies have been masquerading as mourners to try them. The Erlong Funeral Home serves the noodles to mourners and guests, but after one of their dishes went viral on the Chinese social media app Rednote, demand went mad - so much so that the home is now offering 50 dishes for free just to meet the demand. As for what makes these particular noodle dishes so good, Guizhou is popular for its spicy and sour cuisine, and the minced pork and peanuts dish is said to be the funeral home's finest work. One diner said he "thought about how short life was, and got another bowl." That's some food for thought…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

A couple of fun highlights from the Screen Actors Guild Awards this week - firstly Kristen Bell doing a version of one of her songs from Frozen, where various nominees got their starts, Timothée Chalamet’s quest for greatness, and then Kieran Culkin’s funny and seemingly improvised speech on how heavy the award is… 

Fans of Good Will Hunting and the Bourne flicks will be right into Prime Target… It’s a thoughtful action watch about a brilliant maths student at Cambridge who finds himself in a spot of bother with some nasty types over his research… Oh, and it stars man of the moment Leo Woodall of One Day and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy fame…

Last week, Matt from Woolies told us in his fresh market update - which will be back in a jiffy - that watermelons were especially good right now… So, as we say bye to Summer, we’ll be taking his advice and serving up Nigella Lawson’s easy and tasty watermelon, feta and black olive salad with a barbie this weekend…

Squiz the Day

Friday
Launceston Cup - a public holiday for the city

7.30pm (AEDT) - NBL: Playoff series, game one of 3, Illawarra Hawks v South East Melbourne Phoenix - Wollongong, NSW, and watch on Kayo

8.00pm (AEDT) - Cricket: ICC Champions Trophy, Australia v Afghanistan - Pakistan, and watch on Amazon Prime Video

The ACCC is due to hand its final report into supermarket prices to the federal government

Company half-year results for Star Entertainment, Australia Post, Endeavour Group and TPG Telecom

Ramadan begins at sunset (on until 30 March)

And just after sunset, the planet parade will be visible on the horizon in Oz (until 2 March)

Enlighten Festival begins in Canberra (on until 10 March) 

Lhosar (Tibetan New Year) (on until 2 March)

Birthday for architect Frank Gehry (1929) 

Anniversary of:

  • Pope Benedict XVI stepping down due to illness, becoming the first leader of the Catholic church to resign since 1415 (2013)

  • Francis Crick and James Watson discovering the chemical structure of DNA (1953)

  • Egypt gaining independence from the United Kingdom (1922)

  • the flooding of northern NSW communities, including Lismore (2022)

Saturday
6.00pm (AWST) - Athletics: Perth track classic - Perth

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House

Phase one of the Israel/Hamas ceasefire expires

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade

The winners of the Razzies are announced

The World's Greatest Shave begins for the month of March 

St David's Day

World Compliment Day 

Birthdays for actor Lupita Nyong’o (1983) and singers Kesha (1987) and Justin Bieber (1994)

Anniversary of: 

  • Titanic becoming the first movie to gross US$1 billion

  • the start of the Salem Witch Trials in Salem, Massachusetts (1692)

  • Yellowstone becoming the world's first national park (1872)

  • Henri Becquerel's discovery of radioactivity (1896)

Sunday
7.00am (AEDT) - Brit Awards - London

8.30am (AEDT) - So Hot Right Now medical conference on menopause and hormone treatment (until 2 March) - Sydney

11.00am (AEDT) - NRL Season Opener in Las Vegas, Canberra Raiders v New Zealand Warriors - Las Vegas, US, and watch on Kayo

1.00pm (AEDT) - NRLW Season Opener in Las Vegas, Australia v England - Las Vegas, US, and watch on 9Now

7.00pm (AEDT) - Motorsport: Thailand MotoGP - Buriram, Thailand, and watch on Foxtel

35th Anniversary of Clean Up Australia Day

World Teen Wellness Day

Birthdays for singer Jon Bon Jovi (1962), PM Anthony Albanese (1963), arguably the best Bond Daniel Craig (1968), singer Chris Martin (1977), Treasurer Jim Chalmers (1978), and actor Rebel Wilson (1980)

Anniversary of:

  • the birthdays of Dr Seuss (1904), Lou Reed (1942) and Karen Carpenter (1950)

  • the release of The Sound of Music (1965)

  • Winx setting a world record for Group 1 wins by taking home the Chipping Norton Stakes in Sydney (2019)