Monday, 9 March - Living in a material world

Good morning, it’s Monday, 9 March. In your Squiz Today…

• The Iran war is into its second week as the country gets closer to naming its new Supreme Leader

• Oscar Piastri has a disastrous day at the Australian Grand Prix

• And actor Timothée Chalamet is in hot water with the arts community

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said commentator Mark Howard as the Hollywood actor did his best goal umpire impression on the sidelines of the GWS/Hawthorn AFL clash on Saturday. Well, after spending all that time with a volleyball, you’d imagine a Sherrin would make a nice change of pace…

A new Supreme Leader emerges

The Squiz

As the Iran war enters its second week, Iranian state media says the country has selected a successor to the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They haven’t released a name yet, but most reports indicate that Khamenei’s 56yo son Mojtaba Khamenei will be the pick. Despite US President Donald Trump saying he wants a say in Iran’s new Supreme Leader, the country’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said it would make the decision itself - and if Mojtaba is confirmed, analysts say he’ll act largely in line with how his father ran things…

So not much will change…

It doesn’t seem that way, and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump both say the war will continue until Iran surrenders - they’ve both said they want a full change of regime, not just the leader. Over the weekend, Israel struck oil facilities in and around Iran’s capital of Tehran - leading to massive plumes of black smoke and fire over the city. In response, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says it will continue to launch strikes on US bases across the Middle East, including those within Gulf states like Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Those countries have reacted angrily to strikes within their borders - leading to multiple deaths - and Pezeshkian seemed to apologise for that on Saturday, before quickly changing his tune.

And we’re still not involved?

Not yet, but the Oz government has had a request from those countries in the Persian Gulf for military support. Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the government is considering providing that support, but she didn’t say exactly what that would involve (reports say it might be anti-drone/missile defences) and the Coalition’s defence spokesman James Paterson says he’s seeking more info. The Coalition is also pushing for the Iranian women’s football team to be granted asylum after their Asian Cup campaign came to an end - Wong wasn’t drawn on that, but says Australia stands in “solidarity” with the players. She did say the government is still working to get Aussies who have been caught up in the conflict on a plane home - several flights have made the trip so far, with more on the way… 

Trust, technology and the rules that matter

Artificial intelligence is already shaping how Australians consume information, learn and make decisions. In the past six months, 59% say they’ve seen content they couldn’t confidently identify as real or AI-generated, and 63% believe AI is moving faster than the safeguards designed to govern it. Australians see potential in AI, from productivity gains to better healthcare, but public trust remains fragile. That’s why Minderoo Foundation is calling for balanced, enforceable AI rules in Australia with clear standards, accountability when harm occurs, and closed regulatory gaps. See the research and learn more at safeai.org.au.

Squiz the Rest

A big wet in the Top End

Territorians are taking stock of some severe flooding over the weekend, with the town of Katherine experiencing its highest water levels since 1998. Several remote communities were evacuated and many schools, government offices and courts will be closed today. And the floods were only the beginning - NT authorities issued a warning yesterday morning for locals not to swim in the flood waters, because in the words of Acting Incident Control Commander Shaun Gill, “there are crocs absolutely everywhere”. The Bureau of Meteorology says the danger isn’t over - the Daly River is still rising and is predicted to hit its highest water level since 1957 over the next week - with parts of Queensland set to be hit as well. Stay safe, folks…

Nepal’s new leader can spit bars…

…because he’s a 35yo former rapper who is promising to take the mountainous country in a bold new direction. Following widespread anti-government protests in late 2025 and a general election on Thursday, Balendra Shah - known as Balen - is on track to be the next PM of Nepal and his centrist party RSP is set to take power. It’s a dramatic shift in Nepalese politics following an election dominated by the youth vote, with 800,000 voters turning out for the first time to help unseat the veteran politicians who have been running the show in recent decades. Balen was mayor of the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu for the last 4 years and a supporter of last year’s protests - he says he’ll be “the candidate for all of Nepal”. Here’s where you can check out some of his musical stylings…

The Kyle and Jackie O saga takes a turn

The end of the duo’s high-rating radio show is getting even messier, after Jackie ‘O’ Henderson denied that she ever quit the program. To backtrack a bit - on Tuesday night, the Australian Radio Network (which owns KIIS FM, the station they worked for) said that Henderson had told them she “cannot continue to work with Mr. Kyle Sandilands” following an on-air argument in February, so her contract had been “terminated”. But Henderson refuted that - saying she “did not quit or resign” and she’s talking to lawyers about her options. Reports say Sandilands - who is currently barred from commenting publicly - is doing the same, preparing to sue his employers for the remainder of his $100 million contract. We smell a miniseries…

Kerb your enthusiasm

Local hope Oscar Piastri’s day didn’t get going at yesterday’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne after he crashed out of contention on his way to the starting grid. Piastri hit a kerb on a reconnaissance lap, spun out and crashed, ruling him out of the race before it began. Mercedes’ George Russell ended up taking out the win before a slightly shell-shocked Melbourne crowd… It was a happier time for the locals in Sydney, where the Matildas scored a very late goal to draw with South Korea and finish second in their group heading into the finals. And para-snowboarder Ben Tudhope has won Australia’s first medal of the Winter Paralympic Games, managing to battle through a dislocated shoulder to win silver in the men’s snowboard cross SB-LL2 category. Go you good thing… 

Ballet v Chalamet

…that’s Best Actor Oscar contender Timothée Chalamet we’re talking about, who has found himself in hot water with the arts community over the weekend… In a town hall-style event with fellow actor Matthew McConaughey in February, Chalamet compared his work in film to those working in ballet and opera, which he said “no one cares about… anymore”. Though he quickly followed up with “all respect to the ballet and opera people” (perhaps because multiple members of his family studied ballet…) that didn’t stop the clip from going belatedly viral, with plenty of opera companies firing back. They included our own Opera Australia, which posted about opera moments people “care about” quite a lot. Given Chalamet’s own history in musicals, it might be solos at 10 paces… 

Apropos of Nothing

After the Spanish football team Celta Vigo put out a plea to find one of its shirts Madonna wore during her 1990 Blond Ambition tour, the pop music icon answered the call - she has the shirt, it’s safe and in her archives. Those archives must be quite the sight… 

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are heading our way once again - the couple have confirmed they’ll be visiting Oz in mid-April, though it’s just as private citizens this time, unlike their official royal tour of 2018. Ah, the memories… 

And look, no big deal, but we celebrated the Squiz’s 9th birthday on Sunday - it’s been 9 years of helping you stay informed, but not overwhelmed - so whether you’ve been with us for 9 years or 9 hours, it’s a heartfelt thank you from us. For a gift, maybe tell your friends about what we do - you’re the best…

Squiz the Day

8.00am (AEDT) - Climate Change/Energy Minister Chris Bowen will open Climate Action Week - the theme this year is ‘change happens locally’ - Sydney

4.00pm (AEDT) - Boxing: Zuffa Boxing Cruiserweight World Championship Jai Opetaia v Brandon Glanton, Meta Apex - Las Vegas 

6.00pm (AEDT) - Day 3 of the Winter Paralympic Games begins

9.00pm (AEDT) - Baseball: Australia v South Korea in the World Baseball Classic - Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, watch on Disney+ 

A public holiday for Victoria (Labour Day), ACT (Canberra Day), Tasmania (Eight Hours Day) and South Oz (Adelaide Cup Day)

UN Commission on the Status of Women (until 19 March) - New York

Newcastle Surfest - Australia's largest surfing festival (until 15 March), watch live at worldsurfleague.com

Commonwealth Day

World DJ Day

Anniversary of:

• the launch of the Barbie doll at the American Toy Fair in New York (1959)

• Soviet flight Sputnik 9 returning from orbit with a dog, frogs and a guinea pig (1961)

• the death of rapper The Notorious BIG (1997)

• NASA Space Shuttle Discovery making its final landing after 39 flights (2011)