Thursday, 16 October - If I could turn back time

October 16, 2025

Good morning, it’s Thursday, 16 October. In your Squiz Today…

  • Hamas militants move into Gaza

  • Google rolls out AI mode in Oz

  • And the Wildlife Photographer of the Year winners…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

"Laurence Alon Aloy Watkins.”

Is the thankfully short version of the longest name in the world, which belongs to a NZ-born Sydneysider. Mr Watkins (as we’ll call him for the sake of brevity…) set out to hold the Guinness World Record - and with a total of 2,253 names, he’ll be hard to beat…

Hamas makes moves in Gaza

The Squiz

After graphic footage surfaced online of Hamas militants appearing to publicly execute people accused of being “collaborators” with Israel, US President Donald Trump has vowed to disarm the terror group. That was already part of his peace plan - and key to achieving a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza - but with the latest videos, Trump is pushing for it sooner rather than later. He says “if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them … and it’ll happen quickly and perhaps violently”. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu agrees - he says Hamas should hand over its weapons or otherwise, “all hell breaks loose”.

Isn’t the fighting supposed to be over?

In theory… Under the ceasefire deal, Israeli troops have partially withdrawn from Gaza, but in their place, Hamas militants have moved in. Reports say they’ve been fighting long-standing rival groups/clans who oppose Hamas over the past few days, leaving dozens dead so far. Adding to that are the executions in the video published yesterday, with 7 captives shot dead. Elliott Abrams, a Middle East expert at US think tank the Council on Foreign Relations, says an international stabilisation force proposed in Trump’s plan to provide security in Gaza until its future governance is decided could help - but might take too long to be deployed. He says “I worry now about the lack of law and order… I’m afraid it isn’t anarchy, it’s Hamas reasserting control”.

What else is happening?

Trump says the ceasefire is now in its second phase, but has also pointed out that Hamas still hasn’t released all of the dead Israeli hostages’ bodies. In a statement posted online, he said “a big burden has been lifted, but the job is not done. The dead have not been returned, as promised”. That came around the same time that the group transferred the remains of another 4 hostages to the Israeli military - meaning 8 bodies have been released during this ceasefire. But Israel says one of the bodies doesn’t match any of the hostages. That leaves 20 hostages who are presumed dead yet to be handed over. Hamas says that locating them in Gaza’s rubble is difficult, but Israeli officials aren’t sympathetic - they’ve threatened to restrict aid flow into the Strip until the bodies are turned over. That move has been criticised by the UN who says aid “is not a bargaining chip”.

Bulk gift cards without the admin headache

If wrangling gift cards for team birthdays or customer thank-yous falls to you, GroupTogether just launched bulk eGift cards. Upload a spreadsheet with the names and amounts, and send up to 1,000 digital gift cards in one go. Recipients get an AnyCard with access to 100+ big-name retailers. Check out GroupTogether's bulk eGift cards solution because, let’s be honest, it’s probably easier than your current process...

Squiz the Rest

A new ‘Bali 3’...

An Australian trio have been charged with the murder of Melbourne man Zivan Radmanovic in a suspected underworld hit in Bali. You might remember hearing about this in June… The 32yo was staying in a luxury villa near the tourist hotspot of Canggu when 2 men broke in and shot him dead before escaping. Underworld figure Sanar Ghanim was allegedly also injured. Balinese authorities have accused 22yo Mevlut Coskun and 26yo Paea I Middlemore Tupou of being responsible for the killing, and 27yo Darcy Jenson is accused of helping to plan the murder/aiding with getaway vehicles. If they're found guilty of premeditated murder, it carries the death penalty… They're being held in Bali’s Kerobokan Prison (the one Schapelle Corby spent 9 years in…) until a court appearance next month.

Vis-a-vis visas

The ability to come to Australia was in the spotlight yesterday, with 2 big visa-related stories floating around… First, right-wing US commentator Candace Owens was appealing Immigration Minister Tony Burke’s decision to ban her from the country in October last year, due to fears that her views might “incite discord” in Oz society. Yesterday, the High Court backed Burke’s decision - saying he did act appropriately when banning Owens from entering the country. Also not happy with our border security is British social media personality and fast-food reviewer “Big John” Fisher, who was planning on a tour of the country but ran into visa trouble as well. He says he was questioned by the Australian Border Force for 4 hours and then deported back to London. That’s a long round trip, and a lot of airline food to review…  

Google’s search for better answers

Google has finally rolled out ’AI Mode’ in Australia after launching it around the world - it means that rather than getting a list of websites, Google’s AI provides the answer to your search and a small selection of resources. Experts say it’s the biggest change to the interwebs since Google’s arrival, but businesses that rely on the traffic that comes from a list (now under an ‘All’ tab) worry that it will evaporate. News publishers also have concerns - News Corp boss Michael Miller says we’re at risk of losing our national identity to AI - and that big tech should be made to jump through more hoops if they want to operate in Australia. Team Albanese is already battling Google over its upcoming social media ban for under-16yos and the News Media Bargaining Incentive, so why not add a third… 

Rugby league puts its foot down…

…over any players who might be considering jumping ship to a rebel rugby union competition called R360. R360 has reportedly been offering million-dollar contracts to high-profile league players, but yesterday the Australian Rugby League Commission has followed the lead of most rugby union-playing countries and said any player that goes as far as negotiating with R360 will cop a 10-year ban. So they’ve been warned… And while we’re on sport deals, the AFL’s trade period wrapped up last night - and some of the late high-profile moves include the Sydney Swans picking up Charlie Curnow, and Christian Petracca heading to the Gold Coast Suns. Hawthorn wasn't as lucky - they didn't manage to make a deal for Zach Merrett, so for now, he's staying with Essendon. Time to get used to all the new guernseys… 

Flying into the record books

While some of us at 15yo were setting records for bad fringes, Queensland’s Byron Waller has just become the youngest supported pilot to fly around the world. After taking off on 9 August, the teen covered 45,000km and 19 countries before touching back down in Brisbane yesterday. According to tracker FlightRadar24, his was the most tracked flight in the world on that last leg, and waiting for him were his family and dog. Setting records is becoming a yearly tradition - last year, he became the youngest person to fly around Oz. In the same year, he was diagnosed with the inflammatory condition Crohn's disease, but his mum Jeni Langdon said flying had given him "something to strive for". As for Byron, he says he couldn't wait to get back to his room, his bed, and "get a good night's rest". Teens will be teens…

Apropos of Nothing

US President Donald Trump is not happy with Time Magazine - though the mag published a glowing tribute to his work on the Middle East ceasefire, Trump says the cover picture is unflattering - in fact, he says it’s the Worst of all - you guessed it, Time… 

Feast your eyes on the winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards, with South African photographer Wim van den Heever taking out the top prize for his haunting shot of the rare brown hyena in Namibia. It’s no laughing matter… 

And here’s some important red circles to put on your calendar - Australia Post’s Christmas gift deadlines. The short version: 22 December for intrastate deliveries, 19 December for interstate deliveries, and late November for international deliveries. Don’t be a straggler…

Squiz the Day

8.00am (AEDT) - Former US Vice President Al Gore and Climate Change Authority Chair Matt Kean will speak at the Investor Group on Climate Change’s annual summit - Sydney 

9.30am (AEDT) - The NSW Supreme Court will hand down its judgment in Palestine Action Group’s case against the NSW Government over anti-protest laws - Sydney  

11.30am (AEDT) - Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke will address the National Press Club to outline the Labor Government’s approach to home affairs - Canberra 

11.30am (AEDT) - Reserve Bank Assistant Governor (Financial Markets) Christopher Kent will speak at the CFA Society Australia Investment Conference - Sydney

11.30am (ACDT) - The 10th annual Tarnanthi Festival begins, celebrating contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art - Adelaide

12.30pm (AEDT) - The Guardian’s Australian Bird of the Year will be announced - online

2.00pm (AEDT) - Chief of Joint Operations, Vice Admiral Justin Jones, will provide an update on the Australian Defence Force’s operations and activities - Bungendore, NSW

8.30pm (AEDT) - Cricket: Australia v Bangladesh in the ICC Women's ODI Cricket World Cup - Visakhapatnam, India, watch free on Prime Video

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s flagship biennial report Australia’s welfare 2025 is out online

ABS data release: Labour Force, September 2025

Virgin Australia’s pets in cabins trial begins

Good luck to all the NSW students beginning their HSC written exams today

Birthdays for Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea (1962), motorcyclist Casey Stoner (1985), and tennis player Naomi Osaka (1997)

Anniversary of:

  • the death of Marie Antoinette (1793)

  • Oscar Wilde’s birthday (1854)

  • the foundation of the Liberal Party of Australia (1944)

  • the publication of CS Lewis' novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950)

  • the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)