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Interested in what’s going on in the world but annoyed by the assumed knowledge? Squiz Shortcuts is the backstory to the big news stories. Out Tuesdays and Thursdays, Squiz Shortcuts will get you across complex situations, big personalities and issues in less than 15 minutes, presented by Andrew Williams, Anna Pykett and Alice Dempster.
Showing 1–10 of 305 episodes
29 Oct 2026 • 18 min
The federal government’s biggest renewable energy project, Snowy Hydro 2.0, has been back in the news lately due to a massive cost blowout. It’s now set to come online in 2029 - 8 years later than planned - so in this Squiz Shortcut we thought we’d get you across the Snowy Hydro Scheme, how Snowy Hydro 2.0 fits into the government’s energy plans and why it’s become so costly.
22 Oct 2026 • 21 min
Coffee is a bit of an Aussie obsession - and it's no secret that we think we do it pretty well. Each year, 6 billion cups of it are consumed here, we’re the home of the flat white, and this weekend Australia will be defending its crown at the World Barista Championships in Panama. So we thought we’d have a look at how the competition works, why and how Australian coffee got so good, and why it can be so hard to find a decent cup overseas.
19 Oct 2026 • 11 min
Independent MP Helen Haines was critically injured on Monday afternoon when she was struck by a car outside her electorate office in Wangaratta in Victoria’s northeast. While the story around that incident is still evolving, we thought it might be helpful to give you an idea of who Helen Haines is, her journey into parliament, and what she’s best known for.
15 Oct 2026 • 20 min
The winter footy leagues might be done for the year, but the footy is far from over… The 2026 Rugby League World Cup kicks off today here in Australia, co-hosted with New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. It's a tournament with a long but patchy history, a stolen trophy, and a format that's unlike any other world championship. So in this Squiz Shortcut, we'll take a look at how the Rugby League World Cup came to be, why this one almost didn't happen, and which teams and players to keep an eye on…
13 Oct 2026 • 12 min
One of the biggest stories in the US over the last few weeks has been the case of the Cornell 7, a group of college students accused of sexual assault at a prestigious American university. It’s started a huge debate - not just in the US, but across the world - about consent and college culture, and shone a spotlight on how institutions respond to cases like this. So in this Squiz Shortcut, we’ll take a look at the allegations, why the case has struck such a nerve, and how it’s turned into a full-blown culture war in the US.
8 Oct 2026 • 15 min
Australia and countries around the world have just marked 3 years since the October 7 attacks that saw Hamas launch its major terror attack on Israel. This anniversary comes just weeks before Israel holds its next national election, which has been described as one of the most consequential votes in its history. So in this Squiz Shortcut, we’ll have a look at how Israeli elections work, how the Hamas attacks are shaping the upcoming vote, and who the key contenders are.
6 Oct 2026 • 12 min
You might’ve seen headlines about a super El Niño developing over the past few months. Scientists say it’s going to be a record-breaker in terms of high ocean temperatures in the Pacific, and it’s set to impact the climate, food supply and the global economy. So in this Squiz Shortcut, we’ll take a look at what El Niño is, what it could bring and what we can expect here in Australia.
1 Oct 2026 • 13 min
SpaceX has gone from a scrappy rocket startup to the biggest launch provider on the planet, a telco giant, an AI player, and the record holder for the most valuable IPO of all time. And it all comes down to one idea: rockets you can fly again and again. So in this Squiz Shortcut, we'll take a look at how reusable rockets changed everything, what Starlink and Starship actually are, and why Wall Street thinks SpaceX is worth so much…
29 Sept 2026 • 13 min
We’ve been hearing a lot about artificial intelligence over the past few weeks, including multiple incidents where OpenAI agents took it upon themselves to access restricted parts of government websites. One of those was our Medicare system here in Australia, and being the first known case of an AI system infiltrating a government website in the world, it got a lot of attention and raised a heap of questions. So in this Squiz Shortcut, we’ll take a look at what an AI agent is, how they work, and what might happen next.
24 Sept 2026 • 15 min
A new film about Ted Kaczynski, an American man who went from a teenage maths genius to a serial bomber, is about to be released on Netflix. He came to be known as ‘the Unabomber’ and his 17-year campaign against the advancement of modern technology killed 3 people and injured dozens more. So with the case back in the news, we thought it might be helpful in this Squiz Shortcut to get you across who the Unabomber was, how he was unmasked, and why there’s been some criticism of the new movie… Presented by Andrew Williams and Larissa Huntington
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The place to go for conversations about the news. With long-time Squiz hosts Claire Kimball, Kate Watson and Eliza Harvey, it’s the week in news and what’s coming up.
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