Monday, 3 March - Baby you’re a firework

March 03, 2025

Good morning, it’s Monday, 3 March. In your Squiz Today…

  • Ukraine finds support in the UK after a blow up with the US

  • Australia’s defence spending is back in focus

  • And ding dong, the fish doorbell is back… 🐟

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

"If you had told me I'd be part of the first all-female crew in space, I would have believed you.”

Said singer Katy Perry, who'll join five other women, including Jeff Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sanchez, and presenter Gayle King - aka Oprah's bestie - on the first all-female mission into space, turning her teenage dream into a reality…

A tale of 2 meetings

The Squiz

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been welcomed with open arms by UK leader Keir Starmer and King Charles a day after a disastrous meeting with US President Donald Trump. Starmer hugged Zelensky in front of news cameras in London before announcing more than $4.5 billion in UK aid for Ukraine’s war against Russia. The Ukrainian leader was then whisked away ahead of a visit with the King at his Sandringham Estate. Analysts say the display of solidarity couldn’t be more different to what went down during Zelensky’s trip to Washington…

What happened?

It’s been described as “the most epic televised foreign policy row in history” - with this photo summing up how it went… Zelensky was meeting with Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other senior government officials over a potential minerals deal and ongoing US support in ceasefire negotiations with Russia, but those talks were derailed. Vance accused Zelensky of trying to “litigate” his case for aid in front of the media (which Zelensky pushed back against…) before questioning how grateful the Ukrainian leader was. Trump then said Zelensky had been disrespectful and was “gambling with World War III” - before kicking him out of the White House before a planned press conference and lunch.

Yikes…

Yep. Given how crucial US aid is in Ukraine’s war against Russia - and for European security more broadly - experts say it’s more than just a public spat. Zelensky has since offered an olive branch, but reports say Trump is still considering pulling US support. Ukraine’s Ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko says that’s a worst-case scenario… As for the rest of Europe, leaders have pledged their ongoing support for Ukraine at a UK summit with Zelensky. A 4-step plan was agreed to in which Europe “would do the heavy-lifting” and form “a coalition of the willing” to maintain peace. Starmer said the plan had US backing and would “yield a positive outcome in terms of ensuring that we move together.”

Squiz the Rest

Not up, up and away just yet…

There’s still no federal election date pencilled in, but that hasn’t stopped politicians from hitting the campaign trail over the weekend… Top of the list of announcements is the Coalition’s promise to spend $3 billion on 28 extra fighter jets - days after our defence capabilities came into focus as Chinese warships passed by. For context, the Albanese government scrapped plans to buy the jets last year, with the $2 billion it saved spent on other defence priorities. Coalition Home Affairs spokesperson James Paterson called that “a mistake”, saying “increased and faster defence spending” is needed. In response, Treasurer Jim Chalmers asked where the money would come from, but Paterson said he’ll share that closer to the election…

Caught in a storm

The Aussie military has been called in to check on 44yo Lithuanian rower Aurimas Mockus, whose plans to row from San Diego to Brisbane were ruined by Tropical Cyclone Alfred. Mockus used his emergency beacon on Friday night near Mackay after the storm became too much, and the navy has sent the HMAS Choules to go help him out. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli also had an update on Alfred yesterday - after loitering off the coast for the last week, he says there’s now a higher chance it will make landfall this week - possibly near Brisbane on Thursday. That’ll mean heavy rainfall and high winds, and he expects a tropical cyclone warning is on its way. Batten down the hatches…  

The Skype dies down

It's the end of an era - Microsoft is hanging up on Skype, the once pioneering force in online communication, in favour of its flagship Teams service. Skype, which was born in 2003 thanks to a bunch of Nordic engineers, quickly became a household name, connecting people across the globe. It's been passed around a bit - eBay snapped it up for a cool $2.6 billion in 2005, then a consortium of investors bought a big chunk before Microsoft took it off their hands for $8.5 billion in 2011. Skype's heyday was in 2016 with 300 million monthly users, but by 2023, that number had dropped to around 36 million. Fun fact: the name ‘Skype’ is a shortened version of ‘Sky peer-to-peer’, later trimmed to ‘Skyper’ and finally ‘Skype’ due to domain name availability. Make your last calls before it shuts down in May. 

The NRL kicks off in Vegas

The Canberra Raiders opened proceedings by belting the New Zealand Warriors 30-8 at Vegas’s Allegiant Stadium. Later on in the day, the Penrith Panthers beat the Cronulla Sharks 28-22 - and in between, our national women's team the Jillaroos were way, way, way too good for England, demolishing them 90-4. This is the league's second Sin City sojourn, and crowds improved on last year - 45,209 compared to the 40,000 that rocked up last year. The league will be starting things off in Vegas until 2028, but after that, reports say London - and the city's 90,000-seat Wembley Stadium - might be on the cards as the next step towards world domination… 

The return of the ring, ring

It’s fish doorbell season again - that’s not a scaly button on someone’s front door, but an online one that users can press to let Dutch fish go through an underwater gate. As part of their migration, the fish - or in Dutch, vis - are keen to go through a canal in the city of Utrecht, but there's an inconvenient gate - also called a lock - which allows ships and other craft to pass through that's blocking their way. That can put the fish in danger from predators, so a few years ago, a livestream was set up with a button website visitors could use to let the lock operators min-know they had some patient perch on their hands. Next minute, millions of people from around the world have visited the website - and it all kicks off again later today.

Apropos of Nothing

Superhero flop Madame Web was named worst film of 2024 at the Golden Raspberry awards - better known as the Razzies, which have been ‘honouring’ the worst in film since 1981. Madame Web joins the ranks of other greats like Showgirls, Cats and Diana the Musical. Congrats…?

A couple of thousand brave Czechs have broken the record for the largest polar bear dip - spending one minute in 3.5 degree water. Also known as the polar bear plunge, the previous record was 1799, but that was blown out of the, um, water by this group of 2,461.

Last week we mentioned the planetary parade - all 7 planets visible in a straight line from Earth - was happening this month, and some enterprising photographers have managed to capture some vision of exactly that - things are nice when they’re organised…

Squiz the Day

It’s a public holiday in WA for Labour Day

10.00am (AEDT) - A trial is set to begin for former test cricketer Stuart MacGill over an alleged drug deal that led to his kidnapping - Sydney 

10.15am (AEDT) - Former army lawyer David McBride is appealing his conviction for leaking sensitive information to the ABC about alleged crimes Aussie soldiers committed in Afghanistan - Canberra

11.00am (AEDT) - It’s eye candy time… the 97th Academy Awards (the Oscars) are on - LA, and watch on Channel 7 or 7Plus

2.00pm (ACDT) - The first meeting for creditors of Whyalla Steelworks is being held - Whyalla, South Australia

ABS data release - Business indicators, December

Paris Fashion Week begins (until 11 March)

International Children's Day of Broadcasting (UNICEF)

Mulled Wine Day

Birthdays for singer Ronan Keating (1977), actor Jessica Biel (1982), and singer Camila Cabello (1997)

Anniversary of:

  • The UK miners' strike ending (1985)

  • The Star-Spangled Banner becoming the USA's national anthem (1931)

  • The last remnant of the Ottoman Empire in Turkey being abolished (1924)