Wednesday, 17 September - The way we were

September 17, 2025

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 17 September. In your Squiz Today…

  • Israel launches a ground offensive on Gaza City as a UN report accuses it of genocide

  • Charges have been laid over Charlie Kirk’s murder

  • And so long to the Sundance Kid…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“I think that bronze is something I’m really, really proud of.”

Said Oz sprinter Jessica Hull after finishing third in the 1,500m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, which was won by Kenyan champion Faith Kipyegon. Given it’s our first-ever medal in the event, pride seems like the right emotion… 

‘Gaza is burning’

The Squiz

Just as a United Nations commission of inquiry released a report yesterday that says Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, it has launched a major offensive in Gaza City overnight. The ground operation and Israel’s intensifying aerial bombardment risk deepening the humanitarian crisis in Gaza that has already killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, experts say. Last night, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed the action, saying the words in the headline… “We will not relent or turn back - until the mission is complete,” he added. 

What exactly has happened overnight?

Israel has been preparing for this offensive on Gaza City for several weeks, and it’s in focus because they say it’s "the main stronghold of Hamas at the moment". Hamas, of course, is the terror organisation responsible for the attacks on Israel almost 2 years ago that saw it respond with all-out war. And last night our time, the Israeli military (IDF) confirmed a "gradual" movement into the Gaza Strip's largest urban area from the outskirts of the city, where they are expecting to meet resistance from up to 3,000 Hamas and allied fighters. As for civilians, reports say the IDF reckons 40% of the estimated 1 million population of the city have left after Israeli evacuation orders, but aid organisations say there is nowhere safe to go. Tess Ingram from UNICEF said the options are to “stay in danger or flee to a place that they also know is dangerous.” 

And what did that UN report say?

That Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, and PM Benjamin Netanyahu incited these acts. The 72-page report, led by former International Criminal Court judge Navi Pillay, cites evidence including the scale of civilian deaths in Gaza, aid blockages, forced displacement and the destruction of medical facilities. To say Israel strongly rejects the findings is an understatement - its UN ambassador is calling the report "scandalous", "fake," and authored by "Hamas proxies." While the commission has no enforcement powers and doesn't officially speak for the UN, it adds to the mounting international pressure. Israel is already fighting a separate genocide case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, maintaining its right to self-defence following the 7 October Hamas attack. To be continued…

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Squiz the Rest

Charges have been laid over Charlie Kirk's murder

Prosecutors in Utah say they’ll seek the death penalty for 22yo Tyler Robinson over last week’s shooting of the 31yo US conservative activist. They’ve laid 7 charges against Robinson, who is alleged to have shot Kirk with a rifle from a nearby building while the latter was speaking at an event on a Utah college campus, before surrendering to police. Those charges include aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, and committing violent crime when children are present. Speaking this morning, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said that he didn’t take the decision to seek the death penalty “lightly”. He also confirmed that a key piece of evidence was a note Robinson left under his keyboard which said he had “the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I'm going to take it”. Robinson is being held without bail, and a memorial service for Kirk will be held on 21 September. 

Trump targets the Times…

…We’re talking the New York Times, which US President Donald Trump has accused of defamation and libel, announcing he’ll launch a $22 billion lawsuit against the US media giant. This is linked to articles and an editorial leading up to last year’s Presidential election which claimed Trump was unfit for office. The lawsuit has accused the paper of being “a leading, and unapologetic, purveyor of falsehoods against President Trump”. The publication says the lawsuit “has no merit” and is an attempt “to stifle and discourage independent reporting”. The President was short with journalists as he left for a trip to the UK overnight, taking aim at the ABC’s Americas Editor John Lyons when he asked about his business dealings. Trump responded by saying Lyons was “hurting Australia”. One thing to come from the exchange - the President hinted that he’d meet PM Anthony Albanese next week...

So long to the Sundance Kid…

Hollywood fixture Robert Redford has died at 89yo at his home in Utah. Way more than a good lookin’ fella with some acting chops, Redford was an Oscar-winning director, and activist for many causes - although he never liked to be called an activist, his New York Times obituary (paywall) says… Redford decided early that a creative life was for him, and after slugging it out for years in minor roles, he hit superstardom with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (with good friend Paul Newman), The Way We Were, All the President’s Men - and so many more. The Sundance Institute and festival dedicated to nurturing emerging talent was another passion. “There are not many people who have dedicated themselves so completely to their ideals as Bob Redford,” said late industry heavyweight Frank Pierson. Enjoy this gallery of pics from an incredible career… 

It’s all in the paint molecules…

Speaking of artistic pursuits, a team of scientists in the US reckon they’ve IDed the origins of the blue colour used in Number 1A, 1948, a Jackson Pollock painting. You might be more familiar with one of his other works - Blue Poles, the painting that caused a scandal when the Australian Government forked out $1.4 million for it in 1973. But for decades, it’s Number 1A, 1948 that’s stumped scientists as they analysed the colours used by the abstract artist - particularly the rich turquoise blue. But now, using scrapings of the paint, and a technique with lasers (best explained by the experts…), they've confirmed it's manganese blue. It's a pigment once commonly used by artists and in swimming pool cement, but it was phased out in the 1990s due to environmental concerns. So there you have it - mystery solved…

A lotus blooms in France

After a less-than-successful Emmys and a few poison-free piña coladas, HBO's Casey Bloys confirmed that The White Lotus season 4 is heading to France. Ooh la la… No other deets have been forthcoming, but speculation is already rife… The series has always been filmed at Four Seasons hotels, which narrows it down to Paris, the Alps, or the Côte d'Azur. The smart money's on avoiding another climate extreme after Thailand’s heat, which could rule out the ski slopes… Plus, creator Mike White has hinted that the next season will explore fame, possibly around a film festival (hello, Cannes vibes). Whether it's entitled Americans being awful to each other in the City of Light or on the Riviera, we're here for it. Just don't expect to see it until 2027…

Apropos of Nothing - Tasty edition

Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos is heading to Peru to present the country with a golden frying pan for winning his World Cup of Breakfasts, a competition he ran online. Peru’s Pan con Chicharron, a pork and sweet potato roll, was the victor. Take that, Eurovision… 

The US town of New Haven, Connecticut, has broken the record for the world’s largest pizza party, serving up 10,000 slices to 4,000 people in the process. New Haven was already famous for its pizza, but it’s taken things to a whole new level… 

And Nigerian chef Hilda Baci has set a new record for the largest pot of jollof rice ever cooked last week in Lagos. It took 9 hours to make the hefty 8,780kg dish which broke not only a record, but also the pot as it was hoisted onto a crane to be weighed…

Squiz the Day

7.45am (AEST) - Surfing: The Bioglan Bells Beach Longboard Classic begins (until 21 September) - Bells Beach, Victoria, stream it live here

9.00am (AWST) - Former AFL player Shannon John Cox will be sentenced at the Supreme Court of Western Australia over a fatal crash that killed 2 elderly women - Perth

11.30am (AEST) - Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Climate Minister Chris Bowen will hold a press conference to announce the Albanese Government’s investment of $1.1 billion into Australia’s low-carbon liquid fuels industry - Brisbane 

11.30am (AEST) - Leading wildlife scientist Dr Vanessa Pirotta will address the National Press Club on ‘Australia’s Scientific Future’ - Canberra

11.30am (AEST) - Reserve Bank Assistant Governor of Financial Systems, Brad Jones, will speak at Financial Technology Festival, Intersekt 2025 - Melbourne

12.00pm (AEST) - Coalition leader Sussan Ley will deliver her first major economic speech as Leader of the Opposition at an event hosted by CEDA - Melbourne

9.15pm (AEST) - Athletics: Gout Gout will race in the men’s 200m sprint at the 2025 World Athletics Championships - Tokyo, Japan, watch on SBS On Demand

PM Anthony Albanese is expected to sign a landmark security pact with Papua New Guinea that will “integrate” the defence forces of our 2 countries and “elevate” PNG to the same treaty status as that of the US and New Zealand - Port Moresby

The Tasmanian Planning Commission will deliver its final report on whether or not the Macquarie Point Stadium should be built, with Tassie’s Parliament to have the final vote - Hobart

🦇 Batman Day 

Birthdays for Indian PM Narendra Modi (1950) and film director Baz Luhrmann (1962)

Anniversary of:

  • Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek becoming the first to report the existence of bacteria (1683)

  • the debut of the Looney Tunes characters Wile E Coyote and Road Runner in the cartoon show Fast and Furry-ous (1949)

  • the premiere of the TV series M*A*S*H (1972)

  • the signing of the Camp David Accords, frameworks for peace in the Middle East and between Egypt and Israel (1978)