Wednesday, 15 January - Come together, right now

January 15, 2025

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 15 January. In your Squiz Today…

  • Officials say a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is “closer than ever”

  • DFAT is looking into reports Melbourne man Oscar Jenkins has been killed

  • And an NFL star has your next book club recommendation…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“It is a relief to now be in remission.”

Said the Princess of Wales as she shared the good news 12 months after announcing she'd been diagnosed with cancer. The 43yo says she's now adjusting to “a new normal” and focusing on “a fulfilling year ahead”. Hear hear…

Closing in on a ceasefire

The Squiz

Negotiators are “on the brink” of locking in a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that would see an end to the war in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages, US President Joe Biden says. It comes after a midnight “breakthrough” in talks between the warring parties on Monday, with mediators giving representatives from each a final draft agreement to review and sign off on…

Haven’t we been here before?

Yes, but those in the know say this is the closest negotiators have been to a deal since talks began more than 12 months ago. Yesterday, a Palestinian official said representatives from the Israeli government and Hamas had conducted indirect talks from within the same building in Qatar for the first time. As for what we know about the deal, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it’s based on a framework Biden proposed last May. You can read up on it here. It involves 3 stages - starting with Hamas releasing 3 hostages on the first day and Israel beginning to withdraw troops, and goes from there. It's been welcomed by Gazan residents - 17yo Sanabel says people she’s spoken to are “feeling happy, cheerful, optimistic to see their best friends, to see their families who were displaced […] to start over again”.

Anything else to mention?

While we’re on the topic… Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus is on his way to Israel this week. Some political experts say the trip could be an attempt to mend relations between the Albanese and Israeli governments… Things have become tense in recent months, following several antisemitic attacks in our cities and after our reps backed a UN resolution demanding Israel end its presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. For his part, Dreyfus - the son of a Holocaust survivor - says he’ll convey “support for Israel’s security and its right to defend itself in the face of terrorism” but will also “restate Australia’s long-standing position that peace in the Middle East can only be achieved through a 2-state solution”. FYI - that’s the one Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected…

Turning water into shine

If you’ve turned a new/clean leaf for the new year, Skipper’s #1 just-add-water home and body care range is for you. Chuck one of their tablets into some water, and you can save some cash and reduce waste. The range includes universal cleaners, body washes, laundry sheets and more, and you can build your own bundle and get up to $120 off. Skip to it...

Squiz the Rest

Searching for answers

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is making “urgent enquiries” after reports that Melbourne man Oscar Jenkins has been killed by Russian forces. If his name rings a bell, it's because he's been in the news recently… Last month, DFAT said it was investigating a video on social media appearing to show Jenkins had been captured by Russian forces while fighting in Ukraine. The 32yo teacher was there as a volunteer soldier - and is believed to be the first Australian captured and held as a prisoner of war in the conflict. Yesterday, 7News reported his body has been found but hasn’t been formally identified. DFAT is still working to verify those reports, with Russia’s ambassador to Australia called on for information yesterday. Regardless, a DFAT spokesperson says there are “grave concerns for Mr Jenkins’s welfare”.

A high-risk day in LA

Officials say the next 24 hours are crucial in the battle to contain the fires in LA, as the Santa Ana winds - a major factor in the fires getting out of hand last week - are expected to be at their strongest. Today's peak isn't supposed to be as strong, and the winds are also likely to affect different areas, meaning the Pacific Palisades and Eaton regions - which have been some of the worst affected - aren't in as much danger this time around. Firies have been making progress on those - the Palisades fire is 17% contained and the Eaton fire is 35% contained, but 88,000 LA residents are still under evacuation orders as of this morning. As more headway has been made, photographers have been on the scene capturing the impact of the blaze - here’s a gallery of some of their work. 

A new pathway to inclusion

Our first National Autism Strategy has been rolled out this week - bringing us in line with countries like the UK, US and Canada. You can read up on it here, but the strategy - running from 2025 to 2031 - is aimed at improving the lives of Aussies with autism. That’s not a simple task, so it’s been split into phases, with the Albanese Government earmarking $42.3 million for the first steps. It starts with a study to understand the prevalence of autism in Australia, establishing a peer support program, developing guidance for policymakers, evaluating existing support programs and creating new community awareness initiatives. Education is also a big talking point - some advocates say it doesn't go far enough in that area yet… But Clare Gibellini, co-chair of the strategy oversight council, says breaking it up into phases will ensure action is taken.

A festival you can see from space

If you get stressed organising a dinner party, spare a thought for those in charge of the Hindu festival Kumbh Mela (also known as the festival of the Sacred Pitcher), which is underway in India. The religious and cultural festival is the biggest gathering of people recorded anywhere in the world, with 400 million expected to take part over the 45-day runtime. To look after that mass of humanity, organisers have built a tent city with 160,000 tents, 150,000 toilets and a water pipeline over 1,200km long - at a cost of $1.3 billion to the local government. It all started with a bathing ritual known as a Shahi Snan (royal bath), involving Hindu holy men known as Naga Sadhus diving into water where three holy rivers - the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati - meet. The photos are well worth a look…

Reading the play

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown was snapped on the sidelines of an NFL playoffs game this weekend, ignoring the game and doing some light reading instead. Yesterday, the book he was flipping through - Inner Excellence by former baseballer Jim Murphy - hit #1 on Amazon’s best-seller list. That's quite the achievement given that before Brown's mid-match literary exploits, it was #573,835 on Amazon's, uh, seller list. Brown denied that he was reading out of professional frustration (he had a quiet game, but the Eagles won), asking reporters, "Why do you always think I be frustrated? Dang. I like to read." Brown says it wasn't a one-off - he uses the book regularly to refocus on the sidelines. Move over, Oprah and Reese Witherspoon - there's a new book club in town…

Apropos of Nothing

A good day for Antipodean airlines as Air New Zealand and QANTAS topped a list by the website airlineratings.com of the safest airlines to fly in 2025. The site said the two carriers were tough to split, with only Air NZ’s fresher fleet giving them the edge…

Italian museums are offering free dog-sitting to coax locals through their doors. Organisers hope that some professional help might mean the humans will overcome any separation anxiety issues (not necessarily the dogs'...) and head out for a nice day of culture. 

Hopefully, you haven't postponed any major life events in the hope of seeing Comet C/2024 G3 because it hasn't been visible in the sky for 160,000 years... But NASA says you might finally catch a glimpse this week with the best views in the southern hemisphere.

Squiz the Day

10.00am (AEDT) - Vic Country Fire Association and the RSPCA will hold a press conference to highlight the importance of including pets in bushfire survival plans - Melbourne 

11.00am (AEDT) - The doctors union - Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation of NSW - will hold a press conference following psychiatrists’ resignation over pay - NSW Parliament House

🔎 Wikipedia Day

Birthdays for the rapper Pitbull (1981) and DJ Skrillex (1988)

Anniversary of:

  • of Henry VIII declaring himself head of the Church in England (1535), and of Elizabeth I becoming Queen of England (1559)

  • the eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai volcano, which was the largest this century (2022)

  • Nepal’s deadliest plane crash that killed 72 people (2023)