News Club

Crown Resorts is in the news after an inquiry launched by NSW's gaming regulator found it unfit to operate a newly built casino in Sydney after allegations of money laundering emerged in 2019. In this episode of Squiz Shortcuts, we take a look at the company's history, its major shareholder James Packer, what came out at that independent inquiry, and what it all means for Crown. Check out The Squi...

The coup in Myanmar is the latest flex of military muscle in a nation that is 70 years into a fight for democracy. In this episode of Squiz Shortcuts we cover Myanmar's chequered democratic history, the rise of its popular de facto civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and what led to the coup on 1 February. Check out The Squiz Today email and podcast - published 6 am each weekday, it's your shortcut...

The coronavirus pandemic is not just a health crisis - it’s also delivered a once-in-100-years economic blow. We talk a lot about the health issues, so in this Squiz Shortcut, we focus on the other side of the equation. We'll get acquainted with the commonly used economic terms, look at the state of play, and outline 3 things to look out for this year. Check out The Squiz Today email and podcast...

In the past few months, there's been a bit happening in the United States... Democrat Joe Biden is now the president and there's been a lot of talk about what he will change, and what needs to be done to unify the nation after the turmoil of Donald Trump's stint in office. In this Squiz Shortcut, we look at Biden's top priorities, how he plans to tackle them, and why Trump still looms large. Chec...

As the founder and former boss of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, Jack Ma is one of the most powerful people in the world. Which means he's drawn the eye of the Chinese government, with the planned launch of Ma’s financial services giant Ant Group on the Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchanges was cancelled last year after Ma criticised them. In this episode of Squiz Shortcuts, we take a look at...

After the assault on the US Capitol by Donald Trump supporters last week, Twitter decided to permanently suspend the President's account. It wasn’t alone - with Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit and even Pinterest making moves to restrict his presence on their platforms. In this episode of Squiz Shortcuts, we take a look at why these decisions have been taken, the rise of alternative social media platfor...

Discussion about our national anthem Advance Australia Fair was a big part of the start of 2021. That's because our PM announced that the song's second line, 'for we are young and free' would be officially changed to 'for we are one and free'. So in the first episode of Squiz Shortcuts for 2021 we dig into the background of our anthem, how it came to be the song for our nation, and what changes ha...

In the third and final episode of our three-part Year in Review series, we revisit the big local and international stories that shaped September through to December, as well as the most clicked links in the Squiz Today email. The Squiz is your shortcut to being informed. You can find a written version of the content here: Episode notes: Wedding announcement goes wrong Princess Mary's eldest son Pr...

In the second episode of our three-part Year in Review series, we revisit the big local and international stories that shaped May through to August, as well as the most clicked links in the Squiz Today email. The Squiz is your shortcut to being informed. You can find a written version of the content here: Episode notes: Crabs on the baggage carrier Kiwi pornography public service announcement Lock...

In the first episode of our three-part Year in Review series, we revisit the big local and international stories that shaped January through to April, as well as the most clicked links in the Squiz Today email. The Squiz is your shortcut to being informed. You can find a written version of the content here: Episode notes: An unlikely parrot love story  Dog training academy fail  The story behind t...

2020 - it was a big one. In our final Squiz Shortcut for the year, we're aiming to achieve one thing - to catch you up on where some of the big issues are so you can impress your friends and family over the Christmas break. So we'll take you through the fall out from the bushfires, where things are at with coronavirus around the world, what's the latest between Australia and China, how our economy...

It's a bit of fun, it's a bit festive, with a lot of laughs. Take a lighter look at year that was 2020 by joining us for The Great Big Squiz Quiz. See /privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Australia is set to become the first place in the world where Google and Facebook will have to pay for news content, with the mandatory bargaining code currently up for debate in Parliament. In this episode of Squiz Shortcuts we'll set the scene for how we got to this point, the problem news organisations have with big tech platforms, the counterarguments from Facebook and Google and what the code...

This year, there have so far been eight fatalities from shark attacks - the most in nearly a century - and a total of 23 attacks. So with summer upon us, public pressure is mounting to find out why this is the case. In this episode of Squiz Shortcuts, we take a look at Australia's history of shark attacks, why they seem to be becoming more prevalent, and what experts are suggesting we can do to pr...

Pop star Taylor Swift was MIA from the recent American Music Awards, saying she was busy re-recording all of her old music. Her fight to own the masters of her first six mega-hit albums is big news in the music industry. In this Squiz Shortcut we’re going to take a look at what master recordings are, the power relationship between a record label and an artist, and how this battle has played out be...

In this episode of Squiz Shortcuts we dive in to the events leading up to the release of the Brereton Report - which looks into allegations that members of our special forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan between 2005 to 2016 - as well as what we know about the report's findings, and what happens next. Defence All-Hours Support Line: 1800 628 036 / Open Arms: 1800 011 046 Check out The Squi...

As we come down from a frantic week of wall-to-wall US election talk, this final episode in our shortcut on the US elections covers how it all went down. We take a look at how America voted; how the House and the Senate vote played out, and what happens in the lead up to Joe Biden's inauguration on 20 January. Squiz Shortcuts gives you the backstory to the big stories. Check out The Squiz Today em...

In Part 4 of our Squiz Shortcut series in the lead up to the US election, we arm you with handy information that'll help as you tune into the see the results. We take a look at the important numbers, how demographics play a part, what the key battleground states are, when you can expect a results and finally, what's being predicted. Squiz Shortcuts gives you the backstory to the big stories. Check...

If you've been tuning into to news about the US election it would be easy to think the race to the White House is only about character. So in Part Three of our four-part Squiz Shortcuts series in the lead up to the US election, we take a step back from the personality contest, and look at the what each candidate will bring to to the table on policy issues including foreign affairs, climate change,...

In the second episode of our four-part Shortcuts series in the lead up to the US election we tackle the Presidential Race - so we're talking the electoral college system and how a the President actually wins the election.  Squiz Shortcuts gives you the backstory to the big stories. Check out The Squiz Today email and podcast - published 6 am each weekday, it's your shortcut to the news: https://ww...

This is the first in our four part series in the lead up to the US Election on 3 November. We're going to start though outside of the presidential race itself, and have a look at the other important races that are being run on the same day - and thats the US Senate and the House of Representatives. So strap yourself in for round one, as we take a look at the implications these elections have for g...

Thailand has a particularly turbulent political history. It's got a lot of beautiful beaches, but it's also got military coups and a monarchy that's central to its national character. It's also one of the few places in the world with lèse majesté laws, which is tricky because their current king is quite a colourful character... A recent protest movement has been in the news a bit lately, and in th...

The lockdown of our national border along with state and territory borders, have become some of the most contentious issues of the coronavirus crisis. In this episode of Squiz Shortcuts, we look at why our borders closed in the first place, how it has unfolded and the impact it has had. Squiz Shortcuts gives you the backstory to the big stories. Check out The Squiz Today email and podcast - publis...

It seems like every week, there's a new low in the Australia-China relationship. From trade disputes to diplomatic arguments - these have been some of the biggest news stories of the year. But it wasn't always like this. So in this episode of Squiz Shortcuts, we're taking a look at how Australia's ties with China were established, how we've thrived together - and how we've recently hit some very c...

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, is in the news a lot. Whether it's on the diplomatic trail, in dealings with the US and other big nations, or in relation to the poisoning of political opponents, he's someone worth knowing a bit more about. In this episode of Squiz Shortcuts, we take a look at who he is, how he came to be the leader, his broad agenda and how he is using his increasing powe...