Monday, 16 March - We'll never be royals

Good morning, it’s Monday, 16 March. In your Squiz Today…

• The Iran war enters a third week - and is expected to continue for at least a few weeks more

• The South Oz algal bloom has been going for a year now

• And it’s Oscars day, with a few Aussies in the mix for awards… 🎥

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said South Sydney Rabbitohs winger Alex Johnston, after being mobbed by fans - including PM Anthony Albanese - after he broke the league try-scoring record on Friday night in a loss to the Roosters. Not sure we would have made it to a minute…

A third week of war

The Squiz

There’s no sign of the conflict in Iran ending anytime soon, with US President Donald Trump saying he’s “not ready” to make a deal to end the war because “the terms aren’t good enough”. The US government says it could last another few weeks, and for Iran’s part, its Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says his country has “never asked for a ceasefire, and we have never asked even for negotiation.” The indications the war will continue for weeks come despite a rising death toll, and global economic pressure over oil prices, due to the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz shipping route…

No movement there?

Quite literally, with commercial ships continuing to avoid going through the Strait, cutting off about a fifth of the world’s daily oil supply. But Trump has asked other countries to help out with that - he’s called on the UK, France, China and others to send warships to the Strait, to help shepherd commercial oil tankers through. Those countries haven’t officially said yes yet, but some have flagged they’re considering it - and reports this morning say Australia hasn’t been asked to help out at this point. Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said that his country will continue to block the Strait, as a way of putting pressure on the US to end the war sooner rather than later.

Anything else?

Heaps, but one story continuing to make global headlines is the fate of the Iranian women’s football team, 7 of whom - 6 players and 1 staff member - were granted humanitarian visas to stay in Oz following the women’s Asian Cup over fears for their safety if they went home. Since that time, 5 of the team members who stayed have decided to go back to Iran, leaving only 2 remaining. Their reasoning isn’t public knowledge, but Iranian human rights activists say they believe some of their families were threatened by the Iranian regime if they didn’t return - AusIran founder Rana Dadpour says the women were coerced back to Iran because “their decision to seek asylum in Australia basically humiliated the regime on an international scale.”

Inflation - the word of the moment

Inflation. The word anyone who follows the news daily (like us here at Squiz HQ…) has become familiar with in recent years. But what does it actually measure, what doesn’t it measure, and why is it still too high? Or more tangibly, how does it impact your budget? Here’s an explainer from CommBank Newsroom to walk you through it.

Squiz the Rest

Banking on a rate rise

As we mentioned, the ongoing Iran war is putting pressure on economies around the world, and Oz is no different - Treasurer Jim Chalmers said yesterday that the government now expects inflation to tick over 4.5% in the coming months. The current rate is 3.8%, but the oil crisis caused by the issues in the Strait of Hormuz is expected to make things dramatically more expensive. That’s put even more attention than usual on this week’s Reserve Bank interest rate decision on Tuesday, when most economists are expecting a rise. It’s also creating intrigue about the level of tax reform the Albanese Government will take on at its May budget - Chalmers says the Iran war is not “a reason to go slower, but a reason to go further.” We’ll wait and see…

A media mogul is charged

Antony Catalano, the chairman of media group Australian Community Media (ACM), has been stood down from his role after police charged him with assault, false imprisonment and making threats to kill. The 59yo former boss of the Domain real estate brand was accused in court of dragging a woman through an apartment and swinging a clothes iron at her, and he may face jail time if the charges are upheld. And separate to those charges, more allegations of violence have emerged against him this morning, dating back to 2018 (paywall). ACM - which Catalano bought part of in 2019 and runs regional newspapers around Oz - said its co-owner has been put on “an immediate leave of absence” until the case has run its course - he’ll next be in court on 11 May.
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A bloom looms large in South Oz

Believe it or not, it’s now been a year since the toxic algal bloom was discovered in the state’s oceans - and it’s still not showing any sign of going away. As a reminder, an algal bloom (which usually only lasts a few weeks) is essentially a surge in algae - tiny organisms that live in the water - and while it’s only mildly physically inconvenient to humans, it has a devastating effect on marine life. Fish, sharks and rays have been washing up on beaches, which has had a flow-on effect on the state’s fishing and tourism industries - a recent Conservation Council report estimates it’s cost the state $250 million over the past year. It’s been an ongoing issue in the South Oz election campaign, too - although the polls indicate it won’t make much of an impact, with the incumbent Labor government on track for a big win this Saturday…

The Danes have a great time

Danish royal couple Queen Mary and King Frederik are continuing their royal tour around Oz today - they’re headed for Victoria and (where else) Tassie after a state dinner in Canberra last night. This visit isn’t just a lark - it’s aimed at helping with trade relations between the 2 countries - and Frederik and Mary kicked things off in the Northern Territory on Saturday, with a visit to the Muṯitjulu waterhole at the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. As we’ve mentioned, it’s been wet up north - but that didn’t dampen Queen Mary’s spirits, who said “It’s been a really great start to what will be an exciting visit”. If you’d like to relive the early days of Frederik and Mary’s romance, here’s a piece that does just that - ah, the memories…

Oscars day is here again

IIt’s the 98th go-round for the awards show today, with the ceremony proper kicking off at 10am (AEDT). And it’s 2 action-packed flicks that are tipped to take out the big award of Best Picture, with political thriller One Battle After Another and vampire epic Sinners duking it out in most expert predictions. For Oz viewers, we’ll be keeping a close eye on Best Actress, where Rose Byrne is an outside chance to upset frontrunner Jessie Buckley (here’s a bit more about her) and Best Supporting Actor, where Jacob Elordi is in the mix for his work in Frankenstein. US comedian and talk show host Conan O’Brien is back to host for his second time, there’s a new category for casting and of course, lots of anticipation for the red carpet. It’s all on Channel 7/7plus if you want to watch it live… 
*The Oscars are big business, and they’re making big changes - for more on that, check out our Squiz Shortcut…

Apropos of Nothing

A Romanian pet industry event is not just a phrase we’ve written for the first time, but also the location of a delightful pet costume parade over the weekend, featuring a cat in a see-through backpack and a pug in a beret. Pics ahoy… 

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot that’s been in the works for months has been rebuffed, with original star Sarah Michelle Gellar announcing that it was axed before it even made it to our screens. Gloomy times in Sunnydale… 

And it was a spectacular finish to rugby union’s Six Nations tournament yesterday, with France beating England 48-46 with a penalty kick after the final hooter to win the whole shebang. Quite the dénouement…

Squiz the Day

7.30am (AEDT) - RBA board meeting begins, ahead of tomorrow's announcement on interest rates (until 17 March)

8.00am (AEDT) - AFR Banking Summit, focusing on 'banking's great reset'. Speakers from the Big Four, banking CEOs and regulators - Sydney

9.00am (AEDT) - Candidate nominations and postal vote applications open in the Nepean state by-election in Victoria, the former seat of deputy Liberal leader Sam Groth, who resigned in February. The by-election is on 2 May - Victoria

10.55am (AEDT) - King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark will make a public appearance at the Australian War Memorial forecourt - Canberra 

11.00am (AEDT) - The 98th Academy Awards ceremony begins - Los Angeles, watch on 7plus 

11.30am (AEDT) - Mike Doustdar, CEO and president of pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, to address the National Press Club on 'How Australia Can Lead the World Against Chronic Disease' - Canberra

9.00am (AWST) - Mention hearing for Craig Silvey on child exploitation charges, he may be asked to enter a plea at this time, District Court of Western Australia - Fremantle

Harmony week (until 22 March) - celebrating Australian diversity

Start of Brain Awareness Week (on until 22 March) 

Anniversary of:

• the founding of Lifeline (1963)

• the My Lai massacre, which saw US soldiers kill unarmed Vietnamese citizens during the Vietnam War (1968)

• American figure skater Tonya Harding pleading guilty to obstruction of justice over a plot to seriously injure her rival Nancy Kerrigan (1994)

• the establishment of the UN Human Rights Council (2006)

• the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling by 2,997.10, the single largest point drop in history (2020)