Friday, 28 August - Supermassive black hole

August 28, 2026

Good morning, it’s Friday, 28 August. In your Squiz Today…

  • At least 35 Aussies reported missing in Nepal

  • NASA prepares to launch a telescope into space

  • And a crowd-pleasing chocolate cake… 🎂

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

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

"Dots come flying everywhere - on my dress, the floor, ⁠things ​I'm carrying, throughout the house, ​the ceiling. And I paint them."

Said renowned Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who has died aged 97yo. Her distinctive polka dot paintings and sculptures depicting hallucinations - including the piece Dancing Pumpkins - fetched among the highest prices for female artists. Vale to a woman who made the world brighter…

Dozens of Aussies missing in Nepal

The Squiz

Rescue teams are continuing to search for at least 35 Oz tourists caught up in the deadly flash floods in the border region between Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday. More than 390 people have been killed, and more than 1300 are still unaccounted for, mostly on the Nepalese side of the border. Chinese officials say there’s a “high risk” that more flooding could be on the way, because satellite images show that a river has been blocked and a lake is developing behind a Nepalese dam, which could breach in the days to come.

What do we know?

The wave of mud carried bridges, homes and roads away - but the exact number of people killed and missing is hard to pin down - yesterday Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said getting information out of Nepal has been difficult because it’s a “developing country” that “doesn't have the resources that an event like that would have in Australia.” Officials say thick mud (that's more than a metre deep) and ongoing rain are making rescue efforts harder. Reports say people inside and outside of Nepal are struggling to contact loved ones who are believed to have been in the area when the landslide took place. The area is popular with hikers, tourists and pilgrims for trekking, as well as a hotspot for spiritual reasons, with people who like yoga and meditation retreats.

What about the missing Aussies?

The US tour company Himalayan Glacier Adventures has confirmed a group of 15 Aussies on a pilgrimage in Nepal are unaccounted for, ranging from 11yo to 64yo, with reports saying most are from Sydney. Six others were travelling with the Kailash Journeys tour group, and 11 were on a pilgrimage. The whereabouts of one traveller with Kathmandu Holiday Tours and Travel and 2 other Oz travellers are still unknown. Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the government is deploying DFAT personnel to the region, but that because it’s a remote area, "access and information are very limited given the scale of disaster.” She’s reminded Aussies in impacted areas to follow the advice of local officials, and encouraged people who are worried about friends or family to contact its 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre.

It starts with a conversation…

For many people experiencing financial abuse, recognising what’s happening can take time and reaching out for support can feel overwhelming - especially when money and relationships are deeply connected. But there is support, and even learning more about available options can be important. CommBank’s Next Chapter program connects people with free and confidential support through specialist services, even for those who don’t bank with CommBank. You can find out more here, or call 1800 222 387 Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm (AEST).

Squiz the Rest

A mother on trial

Jury deliberations have begun in the US to decide the fate of a mother accused of murdering her 3 children, in a case that experts say has started conversations around postpartum mental illness. The case hinges on whether 36yo Lindsay Clancy - who admits to strangling her children, aged 3, 5, and 8mo in 2023 at their Massachusetts home - was suffering from psychosis at the time. Her lawyers argue that’s what happened, and that she was a “darn good mother” who shouldn’t be held criminally responsible for her actions on that basis. But the prosecution says she took deliberate actions and the murders were premeditated. The trial has sparked a huge debate in the US - and hundreds of women have taken to wearing pink outside the court in support of Clancy. If she’s convicted, she’ll face life in prison - if she’s found not criminally responsible, she’ll be committed to a state psychiatric hospital.
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Showdown in Secret Harbour

Tomorrow night, the Western Oz electorate of Secret Harbour will be the centre of political attention - it’s holding a by-election to replace longtime state Labor MP Paul Papalia. Now, ordinarily a state by-election in what has been a safe Labor seat wouldn’t make national news - but the chance that Pauline Hanson’s One Nation might pinch the seat off the dominant Labor government is creating some interest… Secret Harbour is an outer metropolitan seat south of Perth, and locals say housing and cost of living are the big issues. It’s promising to be a 3-way fight between Labor, One Nation, and the Liberal Party - and if One Nation gets up, this Harbour won’t be much of a secret any more…

Plane packaging

Qantas has announced that it’ll be saying hooroo to its fleet of Airbus A380s from 2028 - 4 years earlier than planned - as it switches to a more efficient suite of planes. It announced its full-year company results yesterday, and CEO Vanessa Hudson said the airline had taken a hit from the war between the US, Israel and Iran - to the tune of $420 million for the year. So it’s looking to change tack from the old A380s, which have been operating since 2008, to Airbus A350-1000s and Boeing 787 Dreamliners. These planes carry fewer passengers, but they have a larger share of premium seats, which is Qantas’ focus going forward. The other thing on the horizon for the flying kanga is Project Sunrise, its non-stop flights to London/New York which will launch next year.

Take a walk on the wildcard

The AFL men’s finals series begins tonight, but it’s going to look a little different this year… For the first time, the league has introduced a wildcard round, where the teams that finish 7th-10th on the ladder play each other for the chance to make the final 8 teams. It’ll add an extra week to what has traditionally been a 4-week finals series, and supporters of the move say it keeps the season exciting for longer because more teams get a chance to play finals. But detractors argue it’s just rewarding mediocrity… One way or another, the first-ever wildcard final is tonight between the Western Bulldogs and Collingwood, while Melbourne and Carlton will play tomorrow night. Then it’s into the finals proper…  And if you’re wondering when the NRL will have its turn, there’s still a couple of weeks to go - that’ll kick off on 11 September. 

Scope opera

On Sunday night, US space agency NASA will launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a $5.6 billion project. The telescope, which is named after the US astronomer who was also the first female NASA executive, will blast off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on a SpaceX rocket and then spend the next 5 years or so using its powerful infrared cameras surveying deep space. Its main job is to map parts of space we don’t know much about, which might help us understand concepts like dark matter and dark energy. It could also shed more light on the accuracy of Einstein’s theory of relativity - that space and time are linked - which is a pretty big deal given that’s been a foundational part of physics since he came up with it in the early 20th century. It’s set to launch around 9.26pm AEST - here’s a link to NASA’s website so you can watch along.

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

We’ve been enjoying Furious on Disney, which follows the hunt for a female serial killer. Not one to watch with any little people in your household (it’s a bit gory) - but it’s a thriller that has bagged rave reviews if you need a new series to binge over this final winter weekend…

If romance is more your thing, check out the 6-part Netflix adaptation of Miles Franklin’s classic novel My Brilliant Career starring Philippa Northeast and Christopher Chung (who you might recognise from Slow Horses). It’s whimsical, fun and shamelessly romantic.

If you’re in the mood for a chocolate cake (or you have a birthday cake to bake), we can recommend this one from American cook Sarah Kieffer. It’s called Black Magic Cake, and it’s been our go-to for a decade. Topped with frosting and sprinkles, it’s always a crowd favourite.

Squiz the Day

Friday
8.00am (AEST) - Australian Medical Association National Conference 2026 (until 29 August) - Melbourne 

10.00am (AEST) - One Nation leader Pauline Hanson is set to hold a press conference to announce the party’s leading candidates for the 2027 NSW state election - Singleton 

10.00am (AEST) - Sentencing due for Nicky Winmar, the former AFL player found guilty of assaulting a woman in northern Victoria - Bendigo

11.00pm (AEST) - Hockey: FIH World Cup the Kookaburras take on England - Netherlands, watch on 7Plus

Thousands of FedEx workers are set to hold 2-hour work stoppages throughout the day. Nationwide delays are expected in deliveries and logistics

Aussie rules: AFL Finals Series begins 

Harvey Norman, Australia Post, Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand full-year financial results released 

Birthdays for singer Shania Twain (1965), Aussie TV presenter Sonia Kruger (1965), former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg (1969) and actor Jack Black (1969)

Anniversary of:

  • pharmacists John Lea & William Perrins inventing Worcestershire sauce (1837)

  • Reverend Martin Luther King Jr delivering his 'I have a dream' speech (1963)

  • Prince Charles and Princess Diana divorcing (1996) 

  • the death of actor Chadwick Boseman (2020)

Saturday 
​​1.00pm (AEST) - The Victorian State Schools Spectacular. The 2026 show 'This Is Me' features 40 musical numbers. A second show will begin at 6.30pm (AEST) - Melbourne

Polling day in the Secret Harbour by-election in Western Oz 

Deaf Festival - Sydney

Iceland will hold a referendum on whether to restart membership talks with the European Union

A birthday for actor Lea Michele (1986)

Anniversary of:

  • Great Britain and China signing the Treaty of Nanking, ending the First Opium War (1842)

  • the founding of Netflix by Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings as an online DVD rental business (1997)

  • the birthday of Casablanca actress Ingrid Bergman (1915), Michael Jackson (1958), and One Direction singer Liam Payne (1993)

Sunday
6.30am (AEST) - Sydney Marathon begins 

The 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting - the 2026 theme is 'Building Economies: Life. Action. Unity' (until 4 September) - Palau 

🤿 World Bog Snorkelling Championships - Wales

Legacy Week begins (until 5 September)

International Cabernet Sauvignon Day 

Birthdays for investor Warren Buffett (1930), actor Cameron Diaz (1972), Australian swimmers Leisel Jones (1985) and Eamon Sullivan (1985)

Anniversary of:

  • the birthday of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley (1797)

  • the founding of Melbourne, Australia (1835)

  • the death of Mikhail Gorbachev (2022)

Monday
1.00am (AEST) - Tennis: First main draw matches of the US Open begin - New York City, watch on 9Now