Wednesday, 19 March - Did you make it to the Milky Way

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 19 March. In your Squiz Today…

• The ceasefire in Gaza has broken

• But there’s light ahead for Ukraine

• And after 9 months in space, Butch and Suni are due for splash down… 🚀

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said Garrett Reisman - a friend of astronaut Suni Williams. She and her colleague Butch Wilmore are due to touch down later this morning off the coast of Florida - their first time on Earth after being stranded in space for 9 months. That first breath of fresh air will be sweet…

A ceasefire breaks in Gaza

The Squiz

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has launched its biggest round of airstrikes across northern, central and southern Gaza since the ceasefire began in January, killing more than 400. As the attacks began yesterday, the IDF said it was “conducting extensive strikes on terror targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation”. Early reports said that many women and children were among the victims, while other civilians were “​​trapped under the rubble of homes that were bombed”.

What about the ceasefire?

You’ll likely remember the first phase of the 3-part ceasefire drafted by former US president Joe Biden came to an end last month, with negotiations for phase 2 stalling in recent weeks. Israel wants to see all hostages returned immediately and began blocking food and humanitarian aid this month to dial the pressure up. Hamas says that, along with Israel’s refusal to withdraw troops from Gaza, violates the initial ceasefire agreement - and that with these new strikes, the truce is over. That was later confirmed by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who has instructed the IDF to act with “increasing military force”, and Defence Minister Israel Katz, who said, “tonight, we returned to fighting in Gaza”.

So what’s the plan?

Netanyahu says it’s about “achieving the war goals as determined by the political echelon, including the release of all our hostages - living and dead”. About 24 hostages are believed to still be alive in Gaza, along with the bodies of 35 hostages who have died there. Yesterday, a senior Hamas official said Netanyahu’s “decision to resume war is a decision to sacrifice the occupation’s prisoners and impose a death sentence on them”. So far, the IDF action has been restricted to airstrikes - but there are questions about whether ground troops will restart fighting in the Strip next.

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Squiz the Rest

The art of the deal

And while the ceasefire in Gaza has broken, the first steps towards peace in Ukraine have begun, with Russia agreeing to an immediate 30-day ceasefire on energy and maritime targets. The details were hashed out in a call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin early this morning. In addition to stopping attacks on power stations and maritime targets in the Black Sea, the agreement also involves prisoner exchanges, and the Kremlin has stipulated that Ukrainian forces neither mobilise nor rearm during the stay. The deal falls short of the full ceasefire Trump was pushing for, but Russia says it will only agree to that if Ukraine’s allies stop providing it with arms and intelligence. The details will be fine-tuned in the Middle East in the coming days…

A tricky economic time

After flagging that next week’s Federal Budget would feature a deficit (where we spend more than we earn), Treasurer Jim Chalmers has put a rough number on it - around $26.9 billion. That’s the amount the government forecast back in December and Chalmers confirmed in a speech yesterday - which was interrupted by climate protesters - that it’s still the case. Despite the deficit, Chalmers says he wants the economy to be “front and centre” during the upcoming election campaign. It’ll certainly be a talking point a week after the Budget, as that’s when it’s over to the Reserve Bank - it’s got another interest rate call to make on 1 April. Most experts aren’t predicting a change, but if there was ever a day to be made a fool of… 

More security measures at Westfield

The shopping centre’s guards will now be wearing body cameras to work as we approach one year since the stabbing attack at the Bondi Junction centre on 13 April 2024 that killed 6 people. The Scentre Group, which runs 40-plus centres here and in New Zealand, said yesterday the cameras would be added to the stab-proof vests guards have been wearing since last May. Experts say the number of companies around Oz turning to body cameras to help with security is on the rise, but they’re not necessarily effective unless people know they’re being used. On that note, Scentre says that from now on, when you go into a Westfield, there will be signs at the entrance letting you know body cams are in use. 

Between a rock and a hard plaice

One for the science/nature lovers… A 16 million yo fish fossil has been found in central NSW. And not just found, either - it’s in such good condition that scientists have been able to figure out exactly what it was doing in its last days (aside from, you know, swimming). The fossils were found in a material called goethite (named after the German philosopher, in case you were wondering…), which preserved them so well that researchers could identify what the fish had for lunch - larvae and small mussels, as it happens. And the find isn’t just notable for its interesting facts - the quality of the fossils will help us work out how ecosystems adapted when the environment went through rapid changes as well. Science is cool…

Conan O’Brien gets invited back

The US comedian got rave reviews and decent ratings for hosting the Oscars this year, and producers have immediately locked him in to do the job again. Having someone host twice in a row is pretty rare for the ceremony - only Jimmy Kimmel has done it in the last 25 years - so to get the call again is a big deal. O’Brien said the only reason he’s coming back was “to hear the end of Adrien Brody’s speech” - in case you missed it, Brody gave the longest acceptance speech in the history of the ceremony when he went for 5 minutes and 40 seconds after winning his second Best Actor gong for The Brutalist. Now to hope our own Hugh Jackman will also get another go after killing it in 2009 - revisit his epic opener here… 

Apropos of Nothing

Bit of an awkward moment for Bulgarian football club Arda Kadzhali after it held a minute’s silence for former player Petko Ganchev only to realise he was not, in fact, dead. The club quickly apologised for the pre-eulogy and wished him many more years of good health… 

The Princess of Wales has celebrated St Patrick’s Day in fine style with the Irish Guards regiment of the British Army. She drank some Guinness (just a sip, no splitting the G here) and got to pat their mascot, Seamus - who is, you guessed it, an Irish Wolfhound… 

And speaking of mascots, the new Tasmanian AFL club - which is set to join the league in 2028 - has launched its own, which is a - well, take a look for yourself... Rum’un the Devil is named after Tassie slang for an ‘odd or eccentric person’ and will be touring around Tassie in coming weeks terrifying entertaining young fans of the new team… 

Squiz the Day

8.30am (AWST) - Swearing-in ceremony for the WA Cook Government - Perth

7.57am (AEDT) - Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are due to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico after 9 months in space - Florida, and follow NASA’s livestream of their re-entry here

9.00am (AEDT) - Former nurses Sarah Abu Lebdeh and Ahmad Rashad Nadir are set to appear in court for the first time over charges relating to antisemitic comments they made in video footage recorded by an Israeli social media influencer - Sydney 

11.30am (AEDT) - Michele O'Neil, President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, will debate Andrew McKellar, Chief Executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the "Industrial Relations Election Debate" at the National Press Club - Canberra, and watch on ABC24

2.00pm (AEDT) - Australian Sports Commission CEO Kieren Perkins and others will address the parliamentary inquiry into the Australian Institute of Sport Revitalisation project - Canberra

7.30pm (AEDT) - Basketball: NBL grand final series game 4, Melbourne United vs Illawarra Hawks - Melbourne, and watch on Kayo

8.00pm (AEDT) - Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards - Livestreamed here

9.00pm (AEDT) - Baseball: 2025 Major League World Tour: Tokyo Series begins with Chicago Cubs v Hanshin Tigers - Tokyo, and watch on Kayo

Naw-Ruz (until 20 March)

📖 International Read to Me Day

National Tequila Day - Mexico

Birthdays for actors Glenn Close (1947) and Bruce Willis (1955)

Anniversary of:

• the first stone being laid for the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona...it is unfinished to this day (1882)

• the Lumière brothers recording the first footage ever using their newly patented cinematograph (1895)

• the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (1932)

• the beginning of the invasion of Iraq by American and British-led forces (2003)