Friday, 23 January - Let the memory live again

January 23, 2026

Good morning, it’s Friday, 23 January. In your Squiz Today…

  • Australia mourns the victims of the Bondi terror attack

  • The Coalition officially calls it quits, again

  • And a perfect pasta for a summer weekend… ☀️🍝

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Squiz the Weather

A quick heads-up…

…that we’ll be off for Australia Day on Monday, but the regular Squiz Today newsletter and podcast will be back on Tuesday morning for all your news needs. Don’t miss us too much…

Squiz Sayings

"7 Best Hot Springs Tasmania Experiences for 2026."

Is how travel site Tasmania Tours describes Weldborough Hot Springs, in Tassie’s northeast. The only thing? Weldborough doesn’t have hot springs. The firm behind the site says its AI tech “messed up”, leaving the local publican dealing with some very confused tourists…

Remembering those we lost at Bondi

The Squiz

Australia paid tribute to victims of December’s antisemitic terror attack at Bondi Beach during a national day of mourning yesterday, with several of our leaders speaking at a memorial service at the Sydney Opera House. In his address, PM Anthony Albanese praised the Jewish community for its message of unity in the wake of the attack, and said he was “deeply and profoundly sorry that we could not protect your loved ones from this evil”. NSW Premier Chris Minns spoke about the police, surf lifesavers and paramedics who worked to save lives that night - and told the Jewish community “you are not alone as you mourn”.

What else happened?

Flags were flown at half-mast, there was a minute’s silence at 7.01pm, and fifteen “pillars of light” - one for each victim of the attack - were illuminated across the country as part of the day’s theme of Light Will Win. At Bondi Pavilion - near where the attack took place - mourners built a memorial of stones, many with messages of support written on them. In Jewish tradition, stones are placed on graves to honour the dead by letting others know the grave has been visited, and also because stones (unlike flowers) do not wilt or die - so they serve as a long-lasting tribute. Sydney Rabbi Eli Feldman said the national day was important because if “the country is coming together and giving (the Jewish community) a national hug, that’s very beautiful and very comforting”.

Anything else to know?

We mentioned some of the political fallout yesterday, and Nationals leader David Littleproud has been criticised for announcing that he’s pulling his party out of its Coalition with the Liberals on the national day of mourning. Yesterday, Littleproud said the split between the 2 parties over their response to new hate speech legislation passed in the wake of the Bondi attack had made the relationship “untenable” and the Nats couldn’t stay in the Coalition if Sussan Ley remained leader. But given the importance of the day, Ley - who also spoke at the memorial last night - refused to respond yesterday. With her position under pressure, she’s likely to speak today - but reports say regardless of whether she stays or goes, the parties might actually go it alone for a while this time after their 2025 breakup only lasted for a week…

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Squiz the Rest

Deadly landslides in New Zealand

The search is on for several people missing after heavy rains across New Zealand’s North Island triggered landslides yesterday morning. At least 2 people are confirmed dead after a home was hit at Welcome Bay, southeast of Auckland, while local reports say at least 6 people, including children, are missing at a nearby holiday park at Mount Maunganui. The landslide there hit campervans and a shower block just after 9.30am, and rescue teams - including sniffer dogs - have been working since to locate survivors. One young Australian at the park, Sonny Worrall, was swimming when it began, leading to a caravan crashing through a cinder block wall and narrowly missing him. PM Christopher Luxon, who’s visiting affected areas today, said the country is “heavy with grief” after the tragedy.

An important meeting is on the cards…

…this weekend, with Russian, Ukrainian and US teams to meet in the United Arab Emirates. It’s the first time that representatives from all 3 countries have been in the same room since the war began, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made the announcement this morning at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The trilateral meeting will follow a chat between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump at Davos, where Zelensky says the 2 worked out an agreement on security guarantees - though that hasn’t been signed yet. For Trump’s part, he says he’s told Russian President Vladimir Putin that the war, which is approaching the 4-year mark, “has to end”. US special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet with Putin later today, before the 3 countries gather together in the coming days…

And Trump has made a U-turn…

…on his threats to impose tariffs on European nations that were opposing his plan to acquire Greenland. A few hours after his speech at the World Economic Forum yesterday (during which he said he wasn’t backing away from the Danish territory…), he announced on social media “the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland” was settled during talks with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Cue some sighs of relief from EU leaders - including Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who said “the day ended better than it started”. But Trump’s comments haven’t eased everyone’s concerns, with some Danish MPs critical that Greenland reps weren’t at the negotiating table. Rutte is also wary of calling it a win - he says there’s still “a lot of work to be done”.

The unemployment numbers are in

And they show the Aussie jobs market is in a better position than many economists predicted… The Bureau of Stats data shows our national ​​unemployment rate fell from 4.3% to 4.1% in December, thanks in part to an increase in the number of young people (15-24yos…) gaining jobs. In simpler terms, 65,000 people across Oz gained employment last month - 55,000 in full-time work, and 10,000 in part-time jobs. When we say those numbers are better than expected, KPMG chief economist Brendan Rynne says they show a “quite significantly stronger” jobs market. There’s already speculation about what it could mean for interest rates - and with the Reserve Bank board meeting on 2-3 February to work through that, all will be revealed…

Winners are Sinners

We’ve got 2 Aussies in the running for major acting gongs at the Academy Awards, with Aussies Rose Byrne and Jacob Elordi picking up Oscar nominations overnight. Byrne followed up her Golden Globe win from last week with a Best Actress nod for her role in psychological comedy-drama If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, and Elordi’s role as The Creature in Frankenstein netted him a Best Supporting Actor nomination. If you haven’t seen vampire flick Sinners yet, now might be a good time - it broke the all-time record for most nominations in a single ceremony with 16 - beating the previous mark set by Titanic, La La Land and All About Eve. Here’s the full nomination list, which you’ve got plenty of time to get across - the ceremony itself is on 16 March. Time to get rolling on those Oscar parties…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

We love a good data dump, and with Triple J’s Hottest 100 being unveiled tomorrow, this deep dive by the ABC into the numbers around the annual countdown has some interesting tidbits. The hot tip to top the list tomorrow, by the way, is Olivia Dean’s Man I Need… 

Almost 10 years after the first season, John Le Carre adaptation The Night Manager is back on Prime Video for a second season, with lots more Tom Hiddleston spycraft to check out… The first ep features a lot of twists and turns, so that’s a good sign for the rest…. 

What pairs better with a weekend binge than a summery pasta? That’s a rhetorical question… This one-pan orzo with spinach and feta is quick, flavour-packed, easy to customise - and bonus: it holds up well in the fridge for leftovers, too…

Squiz the Day

Friday
10.30am (AWST): Memorial service for Labor strategist Tim Picton, who was killed after an alleged attack - Perth, you can stream the service here 

7.15pm (AEDT): Cricket - Big Bash League 'The Challenger' final Sydney Sixers v Hobart Hurricanes - Sydney, stream it on 7plus 

8.00pm (AEDT): Flickerfest opening night screenings begin in Bondi for the 35th International short film festival, which goes until 1 February 

ABS data release - Employee earnings and hours, May

The Kiama Show begins on the South Coast 

Anniversary of:

  • the Shaanxi Earthquake, the deadliest ever recorded that killed 830,000 in Shaanxi Province, China (1556)

  • the first musicians being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, and Elvis Presley (1986)

Saturday
12.00pm (AEDT): Triple J's Hottest 100 Countdown, listen on Triple J radio or on the app 

BTS world tour tickets go on sale, good luck to everyone trying to get their hands on those…

⛵It’s the Festival of Sails in Geelong, which goes until 26 January 

International Day of Education - which is a UN day to celebrate the role of education in peace and development

It’s Global Belly Laugh Day - it’s tradition for people to laugh out loud at 1.24pm local time

A birthday for Neil Diamond (1941)

Anniversary of:

  • the birthday of Sharon Tate (1943)

  • the launch of ABC Classic… it’s celebrating its 50th year on air (1976)

  • Apple Computer Inc unveiling its revolutionary Macintosh personal computer (1984)

  • the release of Adele's second studio album 21 (2011)

  • former US Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar being sentenced up to 175 years in prison after being found guilty of molesting over 150 girls (2018)

Sunday
4.30pm (AWST): Cricket - Big Bash League 'The Final' Perth Scorchers v either Sydney Sixers or Hobart Hurricanes - Perth, watch it on 7plus

7.30pm (AEDT): 2026 Australia Day Honours announced and Australian of the Year announced - Canberra, stream it on ABC iView 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿It’s Burns Night in the UK - a celebration of the life and legacy of Scotland's National Bard, Robert Burns. Traditionally, a Burns Supper involves bagpipes and haggis 

A birthday for Ukrainian President/comic actor Volodymyr Zelensky (1978)

Anniversary of:

  • Antarctica being identified as a new continent by Charles Wilkes' American naval expedition (1840)

  • the Beatles hitting #1 in the US for the first time with I Want to Hold Your Hand (1964)

  • the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Australia, from a returning traveller from Wuhan, China (2020)

  • Chris Hipkins being sworn in as New Zealand's prime minister (2023)

Monday
Australia Day 

Yabun Festival is on in Sydney at Victoria Park. It’s the largest community-led celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in Australia. 

Australia Day Citizenship ceremony - it’s the most popular one of the year, where thousands will pledge to become new Australian citizens

A baggy green cap worn by Sir Donald Bradman goes up for auction, and could fetch up to a million dollars

Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day 

A birthday for comedian/talk show host Ellen DeGeneres (1958)

Anniversary of:

  • the Rum Rebellion, the only successful armed takeover of government in Australian history (1808)

  • the deaths of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and 7 others in a helicopter crash (2020)