5 September 2026 - Saturday Squiz

Ella Langley is on the brink of beating Mariah Carey for the record of most weeks topping the Billboard charts - just noting that ‘Choosin’ Texas’ was a Saturday Squiz recommendation a while back… This weekend, if you're planning a Father’s Day lunch, have b-boy/b-girl aspirations, or anything else you’d like to share, hit reply.

⏱️ Reading time: 8 minutes

🎧 Listen to the News Club with Claire Kimball and Kate Watson

This week’s top 5 news stories

The week’s most mentioned news stories in Australia across TV, radio and print, according to media analytics firm Streem.

1. There are 36 Aussies missing in Nepal - That was revised down from 38 yesterday after 2 people were located, but the government says “concerns deepen every day” for those still missing. A team of 15 specialist drone operators have been sent from Oz to support the mammoth search effort. PM Anthony Albanese also announced a further $3 million in humanitarian assistance to match local donations.

2. After a month of (relative) calm - We’re back here again… The US and Iran have exchanged strikes, with American assets in Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq targeted. The US has been clearing land mines in the Strait and say it’s open for business, with 18 million barrels of oil passing through with US military escort on Tuesday. That being said, post-strike oil prices are up (again), so you know the drill…

3. China gets a slap on the wrist - Leaders at this week’s Pacific Island Forum released a statement criticising China for its missile test launch a while back. Australia and Palau have been vocal in condemning China’s surprise missile test in the region, but some countries like Nauru and Kiribati haven’t been keen since getting cosier with Beijing.

4. Not-so-Secret Harbour - One Nation has secured its first seat in the Western Oz lower house with One Nation’s Luke Herdegen beating Labor in its own backyard. It’s been labelled ‘the orange tsunami’, with One Nation leader Pauline Hanson zeroing in on incumbent Labor governments. She says she’s all about “taking on the political establishment.”

5. Light me up... - The Coalition announced a plan to cut the tobacco excise by 80% and legalise vapes to stamp out the black market and organised crime. Australian Medical Association President Danielle McMullen says that would just “undermine Australia’s world-leading public health efforts to reduce smoking”. We wrote a Shortcut all about this not that long ago - you can check it out here…

It’s you against the news…

Reckon you know which football legend announced their retirement this week? Test your news knowledge from the last week with the Squiz Quiz.

Pic of the week

Inspired by Alaska’s Fat Bear Week, votes were in for the inaugural Fat Marmot Week on Monday - and take a look at this diva… Researchers say the winner named Dawn is “really humongous” - rude. The project is raising money for research on the species in Colorado.

In the Kitchen

Yotam Ottolenghi’s Double Lemon Chicken - this is up on the New York Times’ Cooking app, and it’s free to access. Even better - it’s bloody delicious. Chicken + a kick-butt sauce = a winner winner chicken dinner.

What we Shortcut for you this week

The rising concern over smart glasses - Smart glasses have been in development for years. But recently Kmart released a pair for $89, which triggered a rush of buyers, followed by a rush of privacy concerns. In this Squiz Shortcut, we unpick what smart glasses actually are and what the issue is for the public and regulators. Have a read here or listen up.

Why is Australia in debt? - A few weeks ago, Australia’s national debt reached $1 trillion for the first time just as America notched up US$40 trillion… So in this Squiz Shortcut, we’ll get you across what’s behind it and what it means for our economy. Read it here or listen to the pod.

Squiz the Week

Saturday - Triple J’s One Night Stand festival is on in Griffith - you can stream that on YouTube from 6pm. And we buried the lede - it’s International Bacon Day 🥓

Sunday - Happy Father’s Day (and BTW, Squiz Kids put out an episode all about dads and it’s a lot of fun…). At 7.30pm, Australia is playing Türkiye in the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Berlin - watch it on Kayo.

Monday - Federal Parliament resumes sitting. And at 7.30pm, Australia is playing Belgium in the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Berlin, which you can still watch on Kayo.

Tuesday - It’s the opening session of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York City.

Wednesday - King Harald of Norway’s funeral is on in Oslo.

Thursday - America’s premier football league - the NFL - kicks off a new season with an opener at 10.20am between the Seahawks and Patriots - watch that on ESPN on Disney+. At 12.30pm, former PM Kevin Rudd will address the National Press Club on 'Navigating Australia’s Future in an Uncertain World’. And check in on your mates - it’s R U OK? Day.

Friday - It’s the 25-year anniversary of 9/11.

*Times in AEST