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- 31 October 2026 - Saturday Squiz
31 October 2026 - Saturday Squiz
Your shortcut to a good weekend
It’s Halloween, and we’re excited that Heidi Klum is almost certainly defrosting her annual crazy costume as we speak…
If you’re eating your weekend pastry wondering ‘who is Sophie?’, then surprise, this is the person who’s been writing Saturday Squiz for the last 9 months - with oversight from Squiz founder and fellow hockey-romance enjoyer Claire Kimball.
You’ll notice we’ve made a few tweaks to Saturday Squiz so you still get a touch of news, but also a bit more on our recommendations and what we’re putting on our socials, because we know that sometimes hearing too much about the state of the world is frankly not the vibe on the weekend, when your biggest stress should be what takeout to order…
We hope you like it, share it with your mates or get in touch with any thoughts or feedback. Happy weekend…
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NEWS
This week’s top stories
Israel headed to the polls this week for a highly anticipated Knesset election. Neither current PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and its allies, nor his main opposition, Gadi Eisenkot’s party and his bloc, are on track for the 61 seats needed to form government. Next steps: President Isaac Herzog will invite a party leader to attempt to form a governing coalition. But the opposition won’t be able to form government without support from the Arab-Israeli parties (something Eisenkot promised not to do).
On Monday, the company behind Claude, Anthropic, filed its prospectus (the document that you have to put out to sell shares that explains all the pros and cons) to list on the US tech share market. It’s 335 pages long, about a quarter of which is risk. Some are standard - like competition - others are more to the tune of existential threat to humanity. Reports say it could be valued at up to $2.85 trillion (which is about 10 times CBA’s value), and it’ll be the first big test of the cash up for grabs for a standalone AI company…
The latest inflation numbers were released this week, and all signs are now pointing to an interest rate rise next week. Underlying inflation (which is what the Reserve Bank looks at when making decisions about the cash rate) is at 3.6%, which is over the 2-3% target range. Headline inflation hit 4.3%, with housing and transport (thanks to fuel prices) the biggest contributors, and there’s ongoing conversation about the role of government spending. We’ll find out about interest rates at 2.30pm on Tuesday, but it’s pretty much a shoo-in they’ll be going up.
SQUIZ RECOMMENDS
For your weekend
 | / Movies - Wildwood, an animated fantasy film directed by Travis Knight and starring Carey Mulligan and Richard E. Grant. It’s the new film from Laika Studios, also behind the cult classics Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings. |
What’s it about? A teenage girl called Prue who finds herself in an enchanted forest while looking for her missing baby brother. Our News Director Andrew Williams went to see it last weekend, and he described it as kind of like if The Wind in the Willows and The Lord of the Rings had a baby…
Why do we like it? Andrew said it was the kind of film where you can see the attention to detail and effort that went into every frame, with its stop-motion animated aesthetic making it look and feel different from other modern animated films. And a special shout-out to Carey Mulligan, who gives a fantastic vocal performance as a mysterious antagonist. But word of warning - with its dark themes, it’s not for kids under 12yo (a bit like social media in Oz).
 | / Shopping - The Two Broke Chicks’ Click Frenzy Sales Cheat Sheet is a big spreadsheet published during the major sales seasons throughout the year, and there’s a new one out now. |
What is it? If you’re not familiar, Two Broke Chicks is an Aussie podcast hosted by Sal and Al, where they share all things shopping tips and life lessons. Our Chief Organiser Laura Chetty follows their socials and loves a good bargain, so we can always trust her to let us know when a new cheat sheet is out.
Why do we like it? Laura had a New Year’s resolution to cut her spending this year, but keeping track of the sales period can be overwhelming. We’ve found that seeing what brands are actually offering a good bargain and when the sale starts and ends can help you plan your spending a little more thoughtfully.
 | / Book - Blockers, by Michael Lewis. Which tells the story of the US bureaucrats who tried to stand in the way of the Department of Government Efficiency (or the DOGE). Lewis also wrote The Big Short and Moneyball (just to name a few)… |
What’s it about? ‘Blockers’ is the term that Elon Musk used to describe those who stood in the way of the DOGE. He used it as a putdown, but Lewis sees these people as the unsung heroes of the US civil service and tells their story. Our News Club host Eliza Harvey read it recently and really enjoyed it.
Why do we like it? You might not think that a story about bureaucrats in the US government would be a thriller, but Eliza reckons it is. The US is headed back to the polls for the midterm elections on Tuesday, so it’s especially relevant to what happens next in US politics.
EAT
In the Kitchen
The weather is warming up, and tomato season has begun… For a comforting Spring meal, this tomato risotto is cheap and cheerful. Risotto sounds intimidating, but it just needs a little care and attention. Top it with some fresh basil and balsamic glaze if that’s your jam - delicious…
SCROLL
Double-Tapping
Super secret pics of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding at Madison Square Garden were revealed this week, so this is us manifesting that the dress is to come…
