Monday, 18 August - So tired of waking up tired

Good morning, it’s Monday, 18 August. In your Squiz Today…

• Zelensky’s set for round 2 at the White House

• Evacuations of Palestinians begin in Gaza City

• And a final goodnight to Home & Away’s Irene…

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Read one headline about our national Rugby side’s epic win over South Africa yesterday morning. Down 0-22, we took the game 38-22 to cement our first win in Johannesburg since 1963. They play again next weekend in Cape Town, so let’s hope that sub-editor knocked on wood…

Before we start:

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We hope that helps - it means you won’t miss the Squiz, and we don’t get sad. Everyone’s a winner….

Zelensky v Trump - round 2…

The Squiz

Ding ding ding… That bell you can hear is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky heading back into the White House ring for another bout/round of talks with US President Donald Trump… The Ukrainian leader was left out of the summit in Alaska between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, where Trump was hoping to secure an immediate ceasefire, but came away empty-handed. Trump’s now changed tack, saying he wants to skip the ceasefire part and go straight to striking a “lasting peace deal” between the 2 sides. But Zelensky is going in armed with his own terms for a peace deal with Russia, and this time, he’s bringing some of his European leader friends…  

Before we get into that, what’s the hot take on Alaska?

Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin on his first visit to the US since 2015, which commentators said was precisely the kind of endorsement he wanted after being put in the international sin bin for invading Ukraine 3.5 years ago… But the Alaska summit turned out to be a fizzer for securing peace. As for what was discussed, reports say Russia’s demands for ending the war include annexing parts of eastern Ukraine where there’s been fighting since 2014 and drawing new borders along the war’s frontlines. Before leaving Alaska, Trump told Fox News it’s now up to Zelensky to “make a deal”, prompting concerns the US President will back Russia’s proposal to get a quick deal done. 

What does Zelensky want?

Zelensky has been adamant all along that Ukraine won’t cede any territory, which could make tonight’s discussion another fiery one… He wants a “sustainable and reliable peace” backed by a security guarantee from the US, which Trump says he’s open to providing, and Putin is willing to accept. Zelensky’s also pushing for the safe return of Ukrainian children he says were “abducted” by Russia - something First Lady Melania Trump has called on the Russian leader to think about. Heading into tonight’s meeting, Zelensky will have the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the EU, and NATO chief Mark Rutte in his corner. They want him included in the next round of talks - and Trump says it could be on the cards. If the meeting goes well, he says it could lead to a summit between himself, Putin and Zelensky in the coming days. To be continued…

The skincare ingredient that sounds weird but works wonders

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Squiz the Rest

Evacuations begin from Gaza City

Israel is pushing ahead with plans to launch a new offensive to seize Gaza City, with reports saying PM Benjamin Netanyahu has set a 7 October deadline for the takeover. And yes, that’s the second anniversary of the Hamas attacks… Israel’s leader has described the city - formerly the territory’s most populated urban centre, and now home to an estimated 1 million people - as Hamas’s last stronghold. Over the weekend, the Israeli Defence Forces (the IDF) began evacuating civilians to southern Gaza “to ensure their safety”, saying they’ll be moved to “safe zones” with tents and temporary shelter. A United Nations humanitarian spokesperson welcomed the new supplies but warned that more relocations will only deepen Palestinians’ suffering. The UN and other agencies have long warned that no area in the Gaza Strip is safe.

Wild weather turns deadly

Specifically, the heavy rains/flooding in parts of Pakistan, India-administered Kashmir and Nepal over the past few days… More than 400 people are dead across that region, including 321 in northern Pakistan in just 48 hours. Hundreds of people are still missing. To give you an idea of how heavy the rain has been, one Pakistani student said it “felt as if an earthquake had struck - the whole ground was shaking”. India’s Meteorological Department called it a “cloudburst” event, with more than 100mm of rain falling in one hour. And it’s not over yet - more rain is expected this week. And if you’ve had a look at any of the American news sites in the last couple of days, you’d know that they’re tracking Hurricane Erin, one of the fastest-intensifying storms in Atlantic Ocean history… It’s not tipped to hit land, but flood warnings have been issued in parts of the Caribbean.

A democracy activist gains asylum

Ted Hui, a high-profile former Hong Kong lawmaker and pro-democracy activist, says he and his family have been granted protection visas in Oz. He’s notable because he had a leading role in the 2019 pro-democracy protests, after China’s new national security law, which was a crackdown on dissent and anti-China sentiment in the special administrative region. Hui was one of several activists targeted with arrest bounties earlier this year. The Albanese Government condemned that, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong saying “freedom of expression and assembly are essential to our democracy”. Hui has given his “sincere gratitude”, but urged the government to do more for jailed activists, including media mogul Jimmy Lai, whose latest national security trial hearing has just been delayed again…

Finding out a dollar figure

Today, we’ll find out how much Qantas will be fined for illegally sacking 1,800 workers during the pandemic, nearly 5 years after they were given their marching orders. Most were ground staff who were told at the time that their jobs were being outsourced - but the Federal Court later ruled the airline had fired them to prevent industrial action. Their union took legal action, and Qantas was ordered to pay more than $120 million in compensation. And today, Justice Michael Lee is tipped to hand our national carrier the biggest fine in history for breaching Australia’s industrial laws. Former CEO Alan Joyce - who last week gave his first major public speech since departing under a cloud in 2023 - defended the airline. He says “hard and painful decisions” had to be made during the pandemic.

Good night, Irene… 

It’s been a wild ride - she’s survived a bomb explosion, a kidnapping and being a murder suspect all while running the Summer Bay diner and raising foster kids - but after more than 4,400 episodes, it’s time to say goodbye to legendary Home & Away character Irene Roberts… This year’s Gold Logie winner Lynne McGranger will grace our small screens as Irene for the last time tomorrow night in the soap - and we won’t spoil it too much, but it’s not the ending many were fearing. If you can’t wait, here’s a review (paywall) of the final episode, but let’s just say she’s going on an adventure of sorts… And McGranger’s following suit - she’s off on a national tour starring in musical comedy The Grandparents Club 2. As Irene would say, “au revoir, darl!”

Apropos of Nothing

French Socialist pollie/former French families minister Laurence Rossignol is trying to have child-free resorts and hotels banned. The holiday option is growing in popularity - experts say holidaygoers don’t hate children, they need a rest. Or maybe it’s a little column A, a little column B… 

There were all the usual sports but not the usual athletes at China’s World Robot Humanoid Games over the weekend, where more than 280 teams from 16 countries competed in track and field, table tennis and football - but mostly for the best stack… 

Slightly smudged eye makeup, dark shadows, and pale grey cheekbones are the hallmarks of a new makeup trend made famous by Jenna Ortega - aka Wednesday Addams - called the ‘Tired Girl’ trend… Not to brag but we can do this one in our (disturbed) sleep…

Squiz the Day

9.00am (AEST) - Health, Innovation and Community Digital Health Conference begins, featuring 150 speakers including Dr Norman Swan (until 20 August) - Melbourne 

9.00am (AWST) - Submarine Institute of Australia conference, with nuclear-powered subs set to be a focus - Perth

9.30am - The Federal Court will hand down its decision on the penalty Qantas should pay for illegally outsourcing more than 1800 workers during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The maximum penalty is $121 million - Sydney

11.00am (AEST) - Vietnam Veterans’ Day memorial service - Sydney

12.30am (AEST) - Productivity Commission Chair Danielle Wood will address the National Press Club of Australia on “Growth imperative: How to fix our productivity problem” - Canberra

1.00pm (AEST) - Family members of veterans who have died by suicide will give evidence at a parliamentary inquiry looking into how to improve outcomes for current and former Australian Defence Force members - Canberra

5.30pm (AEST) - Over 500 delegates including Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Pat McConroy will be at the Pacific Infrastructure Conference (until 20 August) - Brisbane 

11.00pm (AEST) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House to further discuss ending the war with Russia - Washington DC

Lendlease, Ampol and Aurizon are due to release their FY2025 results

It’s the deadline for a peace agreement to be signed between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 after a Declaration of Principles brokered by mediators in Qatar was formalised on 21 July (although reports say things aren’t looking promising) - Doha, Qatar

National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence 

Hawaiian Shirt Day in the US

🍷 Pinot Noir Day

Birthdays for actors Robert Redford (1936), Edward Norton (1969) and Andy Samberg (1978), and Aussie basketball legend Liz Cambage (1991)

Anniversary of: 

• the death of Genghis Khan (1227)

• the withdrawal of the last Australian combat troops from South Vietnam, bringing our involvement in the Vietnam War to an end (1973)

• it coincides with the anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan - one of the most significant battles fought by Australians in the Vietnam War (1966)