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...

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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.

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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

Wednesday, 11 December: A shooting suspect is charged; Rupert Murdoch loses a court battle; Modified mozzies are on their way; And a look into our search history... 

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).

Sponsored: For more information about the Global Plastics Treaty, visit globalplastictreaty.com.

You can find one of the viral recipes for cucumber salad here.

You can read up on the genetically modified mozzies 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.

Tuesday, 10 December: All eyes are on Syria; The synagogue attack is declared a terror incident; A big allegation against Jay-Z; And a deal for the record books...

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).

For the latest on the World Chess Championships (it's tied at 6-6), click here

Sponsored: For more information about the Global Plastics Treaty, visit globalplastictreaty.com.

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.

Ending Bashar al-Assad’s rule in Syria was almost unthinkable just a couple of weeks ago, but rebel fighters have made a big push against the regime, taking Aleppo and now the capital of Damascus. So to help you get your bearings, we’ll give you a quick reccy on Assad and his brutal regime. 

Squiz Recommends: 

Listening/reading: If you’d like some more background to the rebel uprising in Syria, we did a Shortcut last week on the civil war…

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

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

Monday 9 December: Police meet over the Melbourne synagogue attack; Assad jumps ship in Syria; Remembering the White Island victims; And a Raygun musical bites the dust...

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).

Sponsored: For more information about the Global Plastics Treaty, visit globalplastictreaty.com.

You can see the famous photo from the 1968 Olympics and more about the event and Peter Norman 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, 6 December: A murder in Manhattan; The French government runs into problems; The second Test gets underway; And a cheesy pasta...

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).

Sponsored: For more information about the Global Plastics Treaty, visit globalplastictreaty.com.

You can find the recipe for spinach ricotta stuffed shells here.

You can watch comedian Chris McCausland on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing 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.

A deal is underway between the Indonesian and Australian governments to transfer 5 Aussies serving life sentences for drug trafficking back home. They’re part of a group known as the Bali Nine who were caught trying to smuggle heroin into Australia in 2005. It was a huge story at the time, so in this Shortcut, we’ll get you across who the Bali Nine are, and what we know about the deal to bring them home.

Squiz Recommends

Reading: This interview piece by our very own Bryce Corbett, who flew to Bali to speak with Renae Lawrence in Kerobokan Prison in 2013 for The Australian Women’s Weekly. She tells him how she got mixed up in a bad circle, what was going through her mind when she was arrested, and how she survived daily life in a Bali prison. 

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

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

Thursday, 5 December: Chaos in South Korea, Australia breaks from the US over Israel, Commbank backtracks on new fees, and Beyonce is top of the pops...

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).

Sponsored: For more information about the Global Plastics Treaty, visit globalplastictreaty.com.

Here's a link to an explainer on a 2-state solution in the Israel-Palestine conflict

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, 4 December: A break in the Easey Street murders; Cracking down on dodgy texts; Vale Neale Fraser; And a deep sea mystery...

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).

Sponsored: For more information about the Global Plastics Treaty, visit globalplastictreaty.com.

Here's a link to Neale Fraser talking through moments from his playing career.

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.