Friday, 21 August - Go play a video game

August 21, 2026

Good morning, it’s Friday, 21 August. In your Squiz Today…

  • A confusing end to the search for Lily Hooper

  • Prince Harry prepares to move back to the UK

  • And the US army offers 4 days of video game leave… 🎮

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

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“Me think me know this song”.

Said the Cookie Monster, as he hummed the Indiana Jones theme tune alongside Harrison Ford, while the 2 chomped on cookies (of course)... The 84yo’s ‘duet’ comes as he’s set to don his archaeologist fedora once more and feature as part of an attraction at Disney World in Florida next year…

A tragic end to a search

The Squiz

The body of 18yo Lily Hooper was found in bushland yesterday after an extensive 8-day search in the NSW Southern Highlands. There was a lot of confusion when the story broke - Lily’s family were initially told she’d been found alive, but NSW Police later confirmed the hiker they’d found dead was believed to be that of the missing young woman and "unreservedly" apologised for the "miscommunication”.

Take it back a step

Lily left her family home on the morning of 12 August to go for a hike in the Nattai National Park, south-west of Sydney. She’d been in touch with them throughout the morning, but when she wasn’t home by 10pm, her parents reported her missing. Her car was found near a walking trail, which led to a massive multi-agency search effort, involving the army, police, as well as hundreds of SES volunteers, along with Lily’s friends and family. Thermal-imaging helicopters and drones searched the park from the air, while officers on horseback and motorbikes scoured the bushland through difficult terrain and at times, challenging weather conditions. Police also looked at her phone data to try and track her last movements. But after more than a week, a body was found yesterday morning.

Then what happened?

This is where it gets complicated… Police say there was a communications error that meant for about 10 minutes Lily's family believed she’d been found alive. NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon apologised, saying the incorrect update "may have passed through a number of hands" given her body was found in a remote location. NSW Premier Chris Minns even announced it during a parliamentary hearing, and multiple news outlets reported the search had come to a happy conclusion… But then Minns was passed a note saying Lily had died, and apologised, saying he was “profoundly sad for her family and for all those concerned”. A police investigation into the comms blunder has been launched, and a report’s being prepared for the coroner.

More’s possible with Google AI

One in five Australians live with some form of hearing loss, and it can be deeply isolating. Part of the problem is that people with traditional hearing aids don’t like wearing them. They don’t isolate sounds - they just turn up the volume on everything. To solve this and improve hearing devices, researchers are using Google AI to isolate clear speech from background noise in real-time. By replicating how the human ear naturally filters sound, this technology can help restore vital human connections. When medical research joins forces with Google AI - more's possible.

Squiz the Rest

Relations with Israel get tense

The Oz Foreign Minister Penny Wong had words with Israel's Ambassador Hillel Newman yesterday, after the Israeli military cleared its troops of criminal charges over the death of Aussie aid worker Zomi Frankcom, telling him the decision “falls far short of the accountability we expect”. Frankcom was killed in an IDF strike on an aid convoy in Gaza in 2024, and while Israel says the strike was a mistake, it wasn’t found to be criminal misconduct. Wong said the Oz government wasn’t notified and she wasn’t able to inform Frankcom’s family, which she said was “especially insulting and hurtful to Zomi's loved ones, to humanitarians, and to Australians”. Newman defended the 2-year Israeli investigation, but Frankcom’s family are calling for an independent investigation.

We’re in how much debt?

A bit… The Federal Government hit a new record yesterday when the nation’s debt passed $1 trillion. FYI, this doesn’t include the $650 billion in debt owed by state and territory governments. And much like if you forget to pay off your credit card bill at the end of the month and then get charged interest, experts say that over this financial year, taxpayers will spend $29.6 billion on interest. The Coalition’s Tim Wilson called it one of the "saddest days in our nation's history" - but Treasurer Jim Chalmers was having none of it - saying "under the Liberals and Nationals, gross debt would have crossed the trillion-dollar mark 3 years ago". But if you think these numbers sound high - debt topped $US40 trillion in the US yesterday for the first time, with analysts pointing out it’s now spending more on interest payments than on national defence…

A new melanoma vaccine

Scientists have developed a drug that they say can reduce the chances of one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer from spreading to other organs. The jab uses the same mRNA technology used in some COVID shots, which trains the immune system to recognise pathogens, allowing the body to fight them off down the track. US pharmaceutical companies Merck and Moderna produced it, and the news sent the markets soaring. Melanoma is highly prevalent in Oz - thousands of people are diagnosed with the disease every year, and in terms of what happens now… Moderna President Stephen Hoge says thousands of patients who have had surgery to remove skin cancer could get the new treatment as soon as next year, if regulators approve the vaccine.

Prince Harry’s moving back to Blighty

The Sussexes are preparing to say bon voyage to sunny California 6 years after Harry stepped back as a “working royal”. Reports say the Duke and Duchess and their 2 children will live in a non-royal residence outside London for an “extended period”, and at this stage, we don’t know what’s prompted the decision (surely not the weather…?) but apparently it’s partly to do with how much they enjoyed their holiday to the UK last month. In July, Harry met with his dad, King Charles, along with his wife and kids, who hadn’t seen their grandfather for 4 years, after a period of pretty frosty relations - and it seemed like things were back on track. Prince Archie, who’s 7yo, and 5yo Princess Lilibet are thought to be enrolled in British schools, with the new term set to begin next month.

A recruitment game plan

We’re a few months away from the release of Grand Theft Auto VI, one of the most anticipated video games of all time - a game so big that the US Army is using it as a recruiting tool. It’s promised some soldiers on active duty a 4-day break to play GTA VI when it gets released on 19 November, as long as they reenlist for 2 years. And it’s working - 20 of the 130 eligible soldiers have signed up as a direct result of the perk. And in case you’re wondering why this game is such a big deal, it’s been 13 years since the launch of Grand Theft Auto V, which is considered the most profitable entertainment product ever, generating over $15 billion in revenue. That level of success has allowed developer Rockstar Games to take its sweet time making the sequel - meaning gamers have waited through 3 US elections, 4 FIFA World Cups, and a pandemic to get here…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

If you enjoy a sports doco, Netflix has done a great job of telling the story of one of soccer’s most successful managers, Jose Mourinho. He’s a fiery Portuguese powerhouse - with a heaving trophy cabinet to boot - it’s worth a watch for some of the throwback pitchside footage alone…

We’ve been enjoying Ride or Die, starring Hannah Waddingham - who many will know from Ted Lasso - and Octavia Spencer, who play besties, Judith and Debbie. But Debbie doesn’t know Judith is an assassin - until her MP husband gets murdered. It’s a comedy with female friendship at its core. Find it on Prime Video.

We’ve got a road trip this weekend, and to save us from fast-food regret, we’re making BBQ chicken burritos to take along as a portable dinner. They’re based on ones from San Francisco that combine meat, rice, avocado, cheese, beans and salsa in a jumbo tortilla - all wrapped in foil to keep them hot. Are we there yet? No, here’s a burrito…

Squiz the Day

Friday
9.00am (AEST) - Federal Parliamentary inquiry into the value of skilled migration - Melbourne

10.00am (AEST) - The National Photographic Portrait Prize winner for 2026 is set to be announced - Canberra 📸

10.30am (AEST) - Sydney Swans AFL Coach Dean Cox and captain Callum Mills are scheduled to speak at a press conference this morning following the club's recent player suspensions - Sydney

11.00am (AEST) - The Million Dollar Lunch charity event is on to raise funds for children with cancer and their families, celebrating its 21st year - Melbourne 

12.00pm (AEST) - The Children's Book Council of Australia is set to announce its Book of the Year winners and celebrate the 80th year of the award. Check out the shortlist here - Sydney 

14.30pm (ACST) - Crime Scene Victor Harbor - which brings together Oz crime journalists, podcasters, authors and investigators to explore some of the nation's most enduring criminal mysteries and investigations - Victor Harbor, South Oz

Shinju Matsuri begins (until 6 September) - Broome, West Oz

Gurindji Freedom Day festival begins (until 23 August), commemorating the 1966 Wave Hill Walk Off and the start of the Aboriginal Land Rights movement - Wave Hill 

Birthdays for retired sprinter Usain Bolt (1986) and country singer Kacey Musgraves (1988)

Anniversary of:

  • Hobart being proclaimed a city (1842)

  • the Mona Lisa being stolen from the Louvre (1911)

  • the marriage of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo (1929)

  • the release of Walt Disney’s Bambi (1942)

  • Hawaii becoming the 50th state of America (1959)

  • the death of Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky (1940)

Saturday
3.00am (AEST) - Athletics: Lausanne Diamond League meet - Switzerland, watch on YouTube

5.00am (AEST) - Football: The English Premier League begins, with a match between Arsenal and Coventry - London, watch on Stan

9.00am (AEST) - Sydney Cat Lovers Festival and Dog Lovers Festival begin (until 23 August) - Sydney 

10.00am (AEST) - Cricket: Second test between Australia and Bangladesh begins - Mackay, watch on 7Plus

Book Week begins (until 28 August) 📖

Birthdays for actor Ty Burrell (1967), actor and comedian Kristen Wiig (1973), comedian James Corden (1978) and singer Dua Lipa (1995)

Anniversary of:

  • James Cook’s expedition landing on the east coast of Australia and declaring it for the British Empire (1770)

  • the adoption of the first Geneva Convention by 12 nations, which established the standards of international law for humanitarian treatment in war (1864)

  • Althea Gibson becoming the first African American to compete in a US national tennis tournament (1950)

  • Huey Newton, the founder of the Black Panther Party, being murdered (1989)

Sunday
11.00pm (AEST) - Motorsport: Formula One Dutch Grand Prix - The Netherlands, watch on Kayo 

Start of Speech Pathology Week (until 29 August) 

'A Very Laufey Day’ - Icelandic singer Laufey curates itineraries for her fans around the world 

National Flag Day in Ukraine 🇺🇦

Anniversary of:

  • the Battle of Stalingrad – 40,000 died in the WWII battle (1942)

  • the World Wide Web being opened to the public (1991)

  • the release of Jeff Buckley’s only studio album Grace (1994)

  • the first use of the hashtag in a tweet by US product designer Chris Messina (2007)

  • the birthdays of dancer and actor Gene Kelly (1912), actor River Phoenix (1970) and basketball player Kobe Bryant (1978)

  • India becoming the 4th country to successfully land on the moon (2023)