Monday, 2 March - Crocodile rock

Good morning, it’s Monday, 2 March. In your Squiz Today…

• Iran’s Supreme Leader has been killed after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran over the weekend

• The Coalition enters its first parliamentary week with Angus Taylor as its new leader

• And the Tillies are off to a winning start…

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Squiz Sayings

Said Aussie singer Delta Goodrem, who was announced this morning as Australia’s 11th entrant into the Eurovision Song Contest. Whether she’ll become our first winner is an open question, but one thing’s for sure - she was Born to Try…  

US and Israeli strikes kill Khamenei

The Squiz

A war has broken out in the Middle East after Israel and the US launched a massive, coordinated attack on Iran on Saturday. It’s a huge story on its own, but one of the biggest aspects is that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been killed in the bombings along with hundreds of others. US President Donald Trump said Israel and the US launched the campaign because Iran was continuing to develop its nuclear weapons program, and the US “can’t take it any more”.

Catch me up, please…

As we’ve mentioned a few times this year, the US and Iran have been in negotiations over stopping Iran’s nuclear program, and despite some hopeful noises coming out of the latest talks, they tanked. On Saturday afternoon, Israel and the US launched a massive bombing campaign, hitting several Iranian cities and killing over 200 people. Iran’s state media says that the toll includes over 100 students at an elementary girls’ school near a military base. One of the strikes also hit Khamenei’s compound, killing the 86yo and several top military commanders. Iran says it’s working to appoint his successor, and has responded with missile strikes of its own on US/Israeli bases in the region… So far, 3 Americans and at least 9 Israelis have been killed in the fighting.

What are the chances this escalates?

High… Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says his military will “intensify” its attacks in the coming days, and Trump says the campaign will continue throughout this week at least. For Iran’s part, President Masoud Pezeshkian says it’s “taking action with power” and “will leave its enemies hopeless”, promising revenge for Khamenei’s death. Experts say whether this conflict escalates from a regional to a global war depends on the scale of Iran’s response and whether other countries are drawn in. Already, US military bases in nearby countries like Bahrain and the UAE have been hit, and the response of major powers like Russia and China is being watched… They’ve condemned the attacks, but whether they get involved at a military level is the question. It’s an evolving story - here’s a live blog for the latest…

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Squiz the Rest

And another war is brewing…

Fighting between Afghanistan’s Taliban government and Pakistan escalated over the weekend, with Pakistan declaring “open war”. You might remember they clashed last year when Pakistan accused the Taliban of supporting “anti-Pakistan terrorists” behind its recent suicide attacks, and the Taliban accused Pakistan of attacks killing civilians. A ceasefire was signed in October, but fighting didn’t completely stop - and after Pakistani strikes last week, the Taliban launched “retaliatory strikes” on Thursday night (local time). Pakistan called it “unprovoked fire on multiple locations” within its borders, and struck targets in Kabul, the Afghan capital, and along the border. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “deeply concerned” about the impact on civilians - he’s pushing for diplomacy…

A big week in Canberra

With everything happening in Iran, it might be hard to focus on domestic politics, but federal parliament is back this week - marking the first sitting week for new Coalition leader Angus Taylor. He’s got some good news, too, with the latest Newspoll (paywall) showing a slight uptick in the Coalition’s primary vote after his takeover from former leader Sussan Ley, including an improved position for preferred PM against Anthony Albanese. Likely topics up for discussion this week are inflation and tax reform, but one thing missing: the Liberal Party isn’t publishing its review of the 2025 election loss, which co-author Nick Minchin isn’t happy about. All that work…

Vale Makybe Diva

One of the most famous and successful horses in the history of Australian racing died on Saturday morning at 26yo. With jockey Glen Boss, she won 3 Melbourne Cups on the gallop between 2003 and 2005, the only horse ever to achieve that feat. You might remember Greg Miles’ famous call when she won her third Cup in 2005 - “a champion becomes a legend”. And she was a champion, alright, with victories in the Cox Plate, the Turnbull Stakes, a spot in racing’s Hall of Fame - you name it, she won it… Announcing her death from a short battle with colic, her owner Tony Santic said it was like losing a family member, and that the racehorse gave her owners “joy every single day”. She’s so beloved, there’s a statue of her at Flemington racecourse - which is just as majestic as you’d expect…

A whirlwind weekend of sport

There was heaps going on yesterday, so we’ll begin with the Tillies, who defeated the Philippines 1-0 in Perth to get their Women’s Asian Cup campaign off to a winning start. It wasn’t a perfect start, but an early header from hometown hero Sam Kerr was enough to get the job done - they’ll next face Iran on Thursday. Over in Las Vegas, the Bulldogs won a thriller over the Dragons, and the Knights beat the Cowboys to kick off the NRL season, which will pick up again on home soil (also on Thursday) when the Storm take on the Eels. In basketball, the Townsville Fire defeated the Perth Lynx in overtime to win its fifth WNBL championship, and in cricket, retiring legend Alyssa Healy capped off her one-day international career with a big century to help the Aussies to a win over India. Whew…

What a plate of croc

A pub in north Queensland is struggling to keep up with demand for an unexpected menu item - smoked saltwater crocodile. The El Arish Tavern is about 90 minutes south of Cairns, but plenty of people are making the trip to taste the croc, which owner Alex Muzic said started off as “a bit of a joke more than anything”. But that joke, combined with a thriving croc tourism industry in Queensland, has turned into quite the attraction, with the pub serving about 20 orders of it each week… Muzic reckons “the locals love it, the public loves it, so we’re running with it”. They source the meat from a local supplier/accredited crocodile farmers, who say demand is increasing year-on-year. And if you’re, like us, wondering what it tastes like, “a combination of chicken and pork” is how it’s described. The more you know…

Apropos of Nothing - Gorgeous galleries edition

After a heavy weekend of news, we’ve got some nice pics for you to look at - beginning with the glitter-filled extravaganza that was this year’s Sydney Mardi Gras parade. The theme for this year was Ecstatica, and judging by the faces in this gallery, it was an appropriate one… 

Here’s some red-carpet lewks from the weekend’s Brit Awards - the UK’s annual music awards night, which took place in Manchester (rather than London) for the first time in its 50-year history. 

And for a gander at a different type of gallery, check out the new look of the Newcastle Art Gallery, which reopened on Saturday with a brand new expansion. As if you needed an excuse for a trip to Newy, but here one is anyway…

Squiz the Day

7.20am (AEDT) - The Australian War Memorial will open a new HMAS Brisbane display in the ANZAC Atrium, to mark the 125th anniversary of the Royal Australian Navy - Canberra

10.00am (AEDT) - Federal parliament returns, with both houses scheduled to sit - it’s Angus Taylor’s first week as the leader of the Coalition

10.00am (AEDT) - A coronial inquest begins into the death of Krista Kach, who collapsed and died after she was tasered and hit in the chest with beanbag rounds following a stand-off with police on 15 September 2023 - Newcastle

10.00am (AEDT) - Parramatta Eels take legal action against NRL player Zac Lomax as he tries to secure an unconditional release to join the Melbourne Storm, Supreme Court - Sydney 

12.00pm (AEDT) - Actor Awards (formerly SAG Awards), stream it on Netflix

7.00pm (AEST) - Football - AFC Women’s Asian Cup Game 2 - Korea Republic v Iran - Gold Coast, watch it on Channel 10 and Paramount+

ABS data release: Business indicators, December; Australian Agriculture: Broadacre Crops, 2024-2025 financial year

Purim (celebrated from sunset until 3 March) - commemorate the salvation of the Jewish people from a genocide plot in ancient Persia, as told in the Book of Esther

The fish doorbell - a project to help fish migrate in the Netherlands - begins today

Paris Fashion Week for the Fall/Winter season begins (until 10 March)

Labour Day public holiday in Western Oz 

NSW Seniors festival begins (until 15 March)

Birthdays for singer Jon Bon Jovi (1962), PM Anthony Albanese (1963), actor Daniel Craig (1968), Cold Play frontman Chris Martin (1977), Treasurer Jim Chalmers (1978), and 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) 

• 30-year anniversary of the Howard government's 1996 federal election victory