It’s a bit of fun, it’s a bit festive, with a lot of laughs. Take a lighter look at the year that was 2024 by joining us for The Great Big Squiz Quiz! Can you beat Claire Kimball, Kate Watson, Alice Dempster, and Andrew Williams?

Keen to watch? Catch our episode on YouTube.

Friday, 20 December: Australia's household wealth is on the rise; A verdict in the Gisèle Pelicot trial; A new Hewitt enters the arena; And a Christmas glaze to amaze...

The Squiz is your shortcut to being informed. Get The Squiz Today newsletter in your inbox each weekday morning (links to all today’s stories, plus a dose of quirky news).

You can find the recipe for the Christmas ham glaze here.

And you can check out our Squiz Shortcut on Cyclone Tracy here.

Other things we do:

Squiz Kids - a news podcast for curious kids. Age-appropriate news without the nasties!

Newshounds, by Squiz Kids - a free media literacy program designed to teach primary-school students how to recognise misinformation and disinformation when they come across it.

Check out News Club - the place for conversations about the news hosted by Claire Kimball and Kate Watson - including the interview series, Newsmakers.

Sign up for the Saturday Squiz newsletter here - it's the news, weekend style.

Sign up for The Squiz Shortcuts newsletter here - a weekly explainer on big news topics

Support The Squiz by sharing our newsletters and podcasts with your friends.

We’re about to hit 50 years since Cyclone Tracy struck Darwin early on Christmas Day in 1974. It was one of Australia’s most devastating natural disasters and it prompted a lot of changes to keep Aussies safe. So in this Squiz Shortcut, we’ll get you across what happened, the response, and its legacy that lives on today.

Squiz Recommends

Listening: To Bill and Boyd’s song Santa Never Made it to Darwin…

Reading: This piece by Australian Geographic on the 50th anniversary - it tells some moving personal stories and has a collection of incredible photos.

Thank you for listening, as always… And that’s a wrap on Squiz Shortcuts for the year… We’ll be back with you in January. In the meantime, we’ll be putting a few of our favourite Shortcuts from this year into the feed for you to catch up on, so listen out for those.

Squiz Shortcuts is your back story to the big news stories…

Want the email version? Sign up for the Shortcuts newsletter here

Thursday 19 December: A gloomy economic outlook; Searching for survivors in Vanuatu; Alan Jones defends himself; And Tom Cruise gets a military honour...

The Squiz is your shortcut to being informed. Get The Squiz Today newsletter in your inbox each weekday morning (links to all today’s stories, plus a dose of quirky news).

Other things we do:

Squiz Kids - a news podcast for curious kids. Age-appropriate news without the nasties!

Newshounds, by Squiz Kids - a free media literacy program designed to teach primary-school students how to recognise misinformation and disinformation when they come across it.

Check out News Club - the place for conversations about the news hosted by Claire Kimball and Kate Watson - including the interview series, Newsmakers.

Sign up for the Saturday Squiz newsletter here - it's the news, weekend style.

Sign up for The Squiz Shortcuts newsletter here - a weekly explainer on big news topics

Support The Squiz by sharing our newsletters and podcasts with your friends.

Wednesday, 18 December: A major earthquake hits Vanuatu; A Russian general is assassinated; Victoria cracks down on protests; And why Popeye's in the headlines...

The Squiz is your shortcut to being informed. Get The Squiz Today newsletter in your inbox each weekday morning (links to all today’s stories, plus a dose of quirky news).

Other things we do:

Squiz Kids - a news podcast for curious kids. Age-appropriate news without the nasties!

Newshounds, by Squiz Kids - a free media literacy program designed to teach primary-school students how to recognise misinformation and disinformation when they come across it.

Check out News Club - the place for conversations about the news hosted by Claire Kimball and Kate Watson - including the interview series, Newsmakers.

Sign up for the Saturday Squiz newsletter here - it's the news, weekend style.

Sign up for The Squiz Shortcuts newsletter here - a weekly explainer on big news topics

Support The Squiz by sharing our newsletters and podcasts with your friends.

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, stepped away from official duties with the UK’s royal family in 2019, but that doesn’t mean he’s stopped causing them headaches. Last week, another of the Prince’s problematic relationships surfaced - this time with a businessman accused of spying for China. So in this Shortcut, we’ll take a look at how this relationship came to light and why it’s caused concern in the UK.

Squiz Recommends

Watching: The movie Scoop on Netflix, and/or if you’ve got a bit more time to invest, the series A Very Royal Scandal: Season 3 on Prime Video… They’re both absorbing, nail-biting dramatisations of the infamous 2019 Newsnight interview between Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew.

Squiz Shortcuts is your back story to the big news stories…

Want the email version? Sign up for the Shortcuts newsletter here

Tuesday, 17 December: Investigating another alcohol poisoning event; Israel moves on Golan Heights; A new-look Reserve Bank; And Guinness finds some Gen Z fans...

The Squiz is your shortcut to being informed. Get The Squiz Today newsletter in your inbox each weekday morning (links to all today’s stories, plus a dose of quirky news).

If you'd like to find out more about the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist, click here

Other things we do:

Squiz Kids - a news podcast for curious kids. Age-appropriate news without the nasties!

Newshounds, by Squiz Kids - a free media literacy program designed to teach primary-school students how to recognise misinformation and disinformation when they come across it.

Check out News Club - the place for conversations about the news hosted by Claire Kimball and Kate Watson - including the interview series, Newsmakers.

Sign up for the Saturday Squiz newsletter here - it's the news, weekend style.

Sign up for The Squiz Shortcuts newsletter here - a weekly explainer on big news topics

Support The Squiz by sharing our newsletters and podcasts with your friends.

Monday, 16 December: The last of the Bali Nine are back home; A heatwave hits; Prince Andrew's in trouble again; And a chess champion is crowned...

The Squiz is your shortcut to being informed. Get The Squiz Today newsletter in your inbox each weekday morning (links to all today’s stories, plus a dose of quirky news).

You can read up on how to stay well during a heatwave here.

And find your state/territory fire service - and their local fire warnings - here.

Other things we do:

Squiz Kids - a news podcast for curious kids. Age-appropriate news without the nasties!

Newshounds, by Squiz Kids - a free media literacy program designed to teach primary-school students how to recognise misinformation and disinformation when they come across it.

Check out News Club - the place for conversations about the news hosted by Claire Kimball and Kate Watson - including the interview series, Newsmakers.

Sign up for the Saturday Squiz newsletter here - it's the news, weekend style.

Sign up for The Squiz Shortcuts newsletter here - a weekly explainer on big news topics

Support The Squiz by sharing our newsletters and podcasts with your friends.

Friday, 13 December: Social media giants are told to pay up; Policing ramps up in Alice Springs; A big weekend for stargazers; And perfecting a puttanesca...

The Squiz is your shortcut to being informed. Get The Squiz Today newsletter in your inbox each weekday morning (links to all today’s stories, plus a dose of quirky news).

You can find out more about the Geminid Meteor Shower here.

You can read up on/watch the trailer for Black Doves here.

And for some pasta puttanesca inspo, look no further than this Italian nonna - and then you might like to give this recipe a whirl.

Other things we do:

Squiz Kids - a news podcast for curious kids. Age-appropriate news without the nasties!

Newshounds, by Squiz Kids - a free media literacy program designed to teach primary-school students how to recognise misinformation and disinformation when they come across it.

Check out News Club - the place for conversations about the news hosted by Claire Kimball and Kate Watson - including the interview series, Newsmakers.

Sign up for the Saturday Squiz newsletter here - it's the news, weekend style.

Sign up for The Squiz Shortcuts newsletter here - a weekly explainer on big news topics

Support The Squiz by sharing our newsletters and podcasts with your friends.

Thursday 12 December: Another antisemitic attack in Sydney; The US makes contact with Syrian rebels; Rex faces a lawsuit; And so does an influencer... 

The Squiz is your shortcut to being informed. Get The Squiz Today newsletter in your inbox each weekday morning (links to all today’s stories, plus a dose of quirky news).

You can take a look at the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Award winners here.

Other things we do:

Squiz Kids - a news podcast for curious kids. Age-appropriate news without the nasties!

Newshounds, by Squiz Kids - a free media literacy program designed to teach primary-school students how to recognise misinformation and disinformation when they come across it.

Check out News Club - the place for conversations about the news hosted by Claire Kimball and Kate Watson - including the interview series, Newsmakers.

Sign up for the Saturday Squiz newsletter here - it's the news, weekend style.

Sign up for The Squiz Shortcuts newsletter here - a weekly explainer on big news topics

Support The Squiz by sharing our newsletters and podcasts with your friends.

With a federal election due in the first half of next year and interest rates likely to influence the outcome, we’re taking a closer look at the number the Reserve Bank says is a major factor in the decisions it makes when determining the nation’s cash rate. It’s called the trimmed mean… We’ll look at what it is, why it’s important, and why the Reserve Bank watches it so closely. 

Squiz Recommends

Reading: The ABS explainer on inflation - Ok, we’re nerding out here but this is a fascinating look at how the prices of some items (like movie tickets) have changed significantly over time.

Squiz Shortcuts is your back story to the big news stories…

Want the email version? Sign up for the Shortcuts newsletter here