Friday, 17 July - It's a cruel summer

July 17, 2026

Good morning, it’s Friday, 17 July. In your Squiz Today…

  • Our universities’ treatment of Jewish students and staff is in focus at the Royal Commission into antisemitism

  • It’s a Spain v Argentina final in the World Cup

  • And an unforgettable pumpkin ravioli…

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🙋🏻‍♀️ This newsletter was written by Larissa Huntington, Andrew Williams, Anna Pykett and Sophie Felice

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

"The scale and scope here is, frankly, jaw-detaching."

Said Empire film critic John Nugent about The Odyssey, director Christopher Nolan’s new blockbuster that opened in cinemas yesterday and apparently takes jaw-dropping action to a new level. Sounds excellent - and painful…

Assessing antisemitism in our unis

The Squiz

In its fourth block of public hearings, held in Melbourne this week, the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion shifted its focus to universities. The inquiry, which was called in the wake of the terror attack last December on Bondi Beach, has been looking at how Jewish students and staff have been treated on campuses, and how university leaders handled pro-Palestinian protest camps set up on their grounds between April and August in 2024 over the war in Gaza.  

Catch me up

The inquiry has heard the personal accounts of students who were called “baby killer” and “genocide supporter” by protestors, and a teacher subjected to nazi salutes in class. Students have also told of being spat at on campus, and becoming so anxious that they were afraid to set foot on the uni grounds. The leaders of the Australian National University, the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney all appeared at the inquiry and said their antisemitism and racism policies have improved. The ANU’s Interim Vice-Chancellor Rebekah Brown said Jewish students and staff “have an absolute right to feel safe, respected and heard on our campus”, adding "I've committed in my role … to do better”. But some civil rights groups argue that the right to peaceful protest should be upheld and that unis are increasingly restricting free speech.

Where is the RC up to?

The fifth block of public hearings will begin on Monday, again in Melbourne, looking at how the Jewish community in Oz is being kept safe and whether security measures are up to the job. It'll focus on protections for schools, synagogues, community events and leaders, as well as the role of Community Security Groups in Oz and how those groups work with police. Funding and whether police are collecting the right data to assess threats will also be in focus. Once that wraps up, there's a sixth block of hearings which will look at education policies in schools, healthcare and government; then it'll begin reviewing the thousands of public submissions received before drafting a final report, which is due by 14 December. So we've got a way to go yet…

Squiz the Rest

A development in the Laos methanol case 

Authorities in Laos are set to lay more charges today over the deaths of 19yo Australians Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles as the case winds up. You’ll remember the teenagers died along with 4 other international travellers after allegedly drinking shots tainted with methanol at a hostel during a trip around South East Asia in November 2024. Reports say officials are expected to charge those responsible (paywall) from the alcohol company with 2 offences that carry a collective penalty of a year in jail and a maximum fine of $1,600. It comes after 10 hostel staff were fined in January for destroying evidence. The teenagers’ fathers say they’re “furious” and they’ve called on the government “to insist that some form of genuine justice is served”. 

Burnham down the house

As of Monday, the UK is set to have a new Prime Minister - former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. We’ve talked about him a few times, and all week he’s been securing support to take over the job, after outgoing PM Keir Starmer resigned a few weeks ago. You can get an idea of his vibe here - but once he does take over the job, Burnham will have a few things on his plate: dealing with US President Donald Trump (who had a rocky relationship with Starmer), and managing the fallout from the Iran conflict. Domestically, he’ll be dealing with debates over welfare, tax and immigration - and a group of pollies jostling for plum gigs in the UK government. He’d want to enjoy a challenge… 

The bell tolls for our last manganese smelter

Tassie’s Liberty Bell Bay is set to down tools for good after administrators couldn’t find a buyer. Manganese is used to make things like steel, alloys and batteries, FYI... The smelter was due to be sold - but one of the main financial backers pulled out, and the deal fell through. The trouble started in May last year, and at the time the Tasmanian Government said it was down to a loss of ore supply caused by a cyclone. It gave it a loan - hoping the smelter would restart operations, but it got placed into voluntary administration in March. Both the State and Federal Government say it’s “deeply difficult news for the workers of Liberty Bell Bay”, where unions say 217 people were employed. They’ll find out more about redundancies next week… 

Turns out it’s not coming home

Spain and Argentina are the last teams standing in this year’s FIFA World Cup, after defeating France and England respectively to make the final… While Spain defeated France 2-0, it was a heartbreaking exit for the English - they were ahead 1-0 before Argentina scored 2 spectacular goals to make their second consecutive World Cup final. The decider will take place at 5am AEST Monday morning in New Jersey. Along with the football, the crowd will also be treated to a half-time show featuring Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira and BTS - so many acts that it’s set to go for over 20 minutes instead of the usual 15 (and tbh with those artists, we’d want it longer…). You can watch it on SBS… We don’t know about you, but our socials won’t be the same without the WC… 

Falling for the latest fashion

It’s not unusual for trends to make headlines, but a style of flowy wide-leg pant has gone viral for being dangerous to wear. They're made by the fast-fashion chain Zara and they've taken off amid heat waves in Europe and the US. But their breezy style comes with a lot of material - and it's getting caught in shoes and escalators, causing (if you believe TikTok) at least 2,000 people to fall and injure themselves. Now, we're as guilty at giggling over a footpath stack as the next juvenile, but some people have been hospitalised after these falls. The trousers are being called “death pants” online, a label that’s caught on faster than millennials can say ‘bring back skinny jeans’. Luckily for us in Oz, it’s a bit too cold for flowy pants right now. Stay safe, wear trackies…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

We’re enjoying the series Landman on Paramount+, about a Texas oil executive played by Billy Bob Thornton. It was inspired by the podcast series Boomtown, and it’s a look into the workings of major oil companies in the US - which is kinda timely…

As we’ve mentioned, it’s winter and hibernation wardrobes are in full force, but did you know scientists are looking into how hibernation could help astronauts reach Mars? We enjoyed reading all about it - maybe space uggs could be a thing (you heard it here first)...

We went to a long lunch recently that featured a share platter of roast pumpkin and ricotta ravioli with burnt butter and crispy sage leaves - and we’re still thinking about it. Here’s the closest riff on it we can find - using fresh lasagne sheets for the win…

Squiz the Day

Friday
11.45am (AEST) - Football: The women's A-League team Canberra United will announce its new ownership - Canberra 

Darwin Fringe begins (until 26 July)

Katherine Show Day (until 18 July) 

Gracie Abrams' Daughter From Hell album released 

World Emoji Day - here are some of our favourite emojis to celebrate 🤗😋💃🥔 

Birthdays for Queen Camilla (1947) and former Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel (1954)

Anniversary of:

  • the execution of Russian Czar Nicholas II, his wife and their 5 children by Bolsheviks (1918)

  • the opening of the first Disneyland in Anaheim, California (1955)

  • the death of singer Billie Holiday (1959)

  • the downing of MH17 over Ukraine (2014)

Saturday
10.00am (AEST) - Cycling: BMX Racing World Championship (until 25 July) - Brisbane, watch on SBS 

11.05am (AEST) - Rugby: Super Rugby Women semi-final, Fijian Drua v Queensland Reds - Fiji, watch on Stan 

4.00pm (AEST) - Rugby: Super Rugby Women semi-final, Western Force v NSW Waratahs - Perth, watch on Stan

6.00pm (AWST) - Rugby union: Wallabies v Italy in the Nations Championship - Perth, watch on 9Now

Nelson Mandela International Day on the anniversary of his birthday (1918)

Birthdays for former Aussie cricket great Dennis Lillee (1949), business magnate Richard Branson (1950), Aussie comedian and actor Shaun Micallef (1962), actor Vin Diesel (1967), author Elizabeth Gilbert (1969) and actor Kristen Bell (1980)

Anniversary of:

  • the death of Jane Austen (1817) 

  • the birthday of Nelson Mandela (1918) and astronaut and politician John Glenn (1921)

  • the debut of Play School (1966)

  • Nadia Comăneci getting the first perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics history (1976)

Sunday
7:00am AEST - Football: men's FIFA World Cup third-place play-off France v England - Miami, watch on SBS

6.00pm (AEST) - Golf: The Open Championship final round, Royal Birkdale - Southport, watch on Kayo

11.00pm (AEST) - Motorsports: Formula One Belgian Grand Prix - Belgium, watch on Kayo 

8.50pm (AEST) - 7NEWS Spotlight’s Liam Bartlett to interview Pauline Hanson about her British tour, including her meeting with UK far-right figure Tommy Robinson, watch on 7Plus

World Heritage Committee meeting begins (until 29 July) - South Korea 

Athletics: Diamond League meet - London, watch on 7Plus

Start of National Farm Safety Week (on until 25 July) 

Birthdays for Queen guitarist Brian May (1947) and actor Benedict Cumberbatch (1976)

Anniversary of:

  • the death of Matthew Flinders, the cat-loving leader of the first circumnavigation of Australia (1814)

  • the birthday of inventor and businessman Samuel Colt (1814)

  • the first US women's rights convention being held in Seneca Falls NY, organised by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott (1848) 

  • the first appearance of Tom and Jerry under their own names in the cartoon The Midnight Snack (1941)

  • the first GPS signal being transmitted (1977)

  • the premiere of Mad Men (2007)

  • an archaeological dig in Kakadu National Park extending Indigenous Australians' time in Oz from 65,000 to 80,000 years ago (2017)

Monday 
5.00am (AEST) - 2026 FIFA World Cup final Spain v Argentina - New Jersey, watch on SBS