Friday, 14 February: A big change to donation laws; A NSW Health probe continues; An influencer makes headlines; And celebrating a comedic icon...

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).

The list of the 50 best SNL sketches is here.

Adam Liaw's Marry Me Chicken recipe is 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.

The new Netflix series Apple Cider Vinegar has brought the story of Belle Gibson back into the headlines. If you’ve heard about or been watching the show, you might be wondering about the true story of the young Aussie wellness influencer who claimed that she cured herself of brain cancer through natural therapies and a healthy diet - before being revealed as a fraud in 2015.

So, in this Squiz Shortcut, we’ll take a look at why Belle Gibson was so influential, how her lies were uncovered, and why so many people are still talking about her… And to help us out, we’ve got our very own Bryce Corbett who worked on the story at the time. Bryce is the Director of Squiz Kids and someone we’ve been lucky enough to work with since our inception for his deep experience in journalism… 

Squiz Recommends:

Reading: This profile piece from the Australian Women’s Weekly, which Bryce worked on with his colleague at the Weekly, Clair Weaver.

Reading: The Woman Who Fooled the World by journalists Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, which the Netflix series Apple Cider Vinegar is based on.

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

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

Thursday, 13 February: Outrage over antisemitic footage; Modi visits Trump; Rex gets a lifeline; And a top dog 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 take a look through the best of the best at the Westminster Dog Show 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.

Wednesday, 12 February: A new ceasefire deadline; Kerr's found not guilty; Disney's streaming play; And a big success story...

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.

A major humanitarian crisis is happening in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the most populous and mineral-rich nations in Africa. Nearly 3,000 people have died and millions have been forced to leave their homes since fighting between militia and the Congolese military broke out in recent weeks, but it’s part of a conflict that’s been going on for decades. So in this Squiz Shortcut, we’ll get you across the background to the conflict, who’s involved, and what’s at stake…

Squiz Recommends:

Watching: If you want to get a bit more up to speed on the Rwandan genocide, the movie Hotel Rwanda is an excellent film about that period in history with a wonderful performance from Don Cheadle.

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

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

Tuesday, 11 February: Steel tariffs on the cards; Richard White in more hot water; An Aussie's big win; And a fatberg strikes...

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 watch Serena Williams at the Super Bowl 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, 10 February: A warning sign for Labor; Another ceasefire swap; Queensland's supply issue; And some brew-tiful bags...

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.

Reckon you're full bottle on everything that happened in January, from political slogans to corpse flowers? Well, time to test your mettle on the Squiz Quiz of the month! Quizmaster Andrew Williams is joined by the Weekly Wrap team of Claire Kimball and Kate Watson to take on the challenge. Can you beat our Squiz news experts in the studio?

Here's a quick scoring guide if you're playing along at home:

The quiz has 10 questions.

Each question is worth 2 points (for a total of 20).

The final round is worth a maximum of 5 points - Andrew will read 5 quotes about a news story - the faster you identify the story, the more points you get!

The final score is out of a possible 25 points.

Friday, 7 February: Questions over the caravan plot; A poisoning probe stalls; Putricia's back; And a passionfruit pie...

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 passionfruit and Anzac crumb crust here.

And once you've got a slice of that, you might like to check out the new Disney+ show Paradise.

Or if you're into science, you can read up on the research into Putricia's corpse-like smell.

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.

Late last year, thousands of New Zealanders protested against a bill that would see the Treaty of Waitangi - a founding agreement signed by Maori and the British - reinterpreted. Large protests are expected again today on Waitangi Day, so in this Squiz Shortcut we’ll get you across the history of the treaty and why the bill has Kiwis so divided. 

Squiz Recommends:

If you’d like to dive into this a little deeper, the ABC’s Global Roaming podcast did a great episode on this topic with the Māori News Editor at Radio New Zealand. 

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

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