It's Friday! Here are this week's big stories and some that you might have missed
- The US Democrats have taken control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the midterm elections in what has been described as "a blue wave". The party secured 252 seats in the House and 54 seats in the Senate, flipping long-held Republican states like Texas, South Carolina and Ohio. President Donald Trump said the war in Iran was likely a key reason behind the results.
- The Reserve Bank of Australia has raised the cash rate for the fifth time this year in ongoing attempts to curb inflation. The latest rise sets the official cash rate at 4.85 per cent, which is the highest level it has been in 18 years.
- Software company Canva has announced major restructures that will affect around 20 per cent of its workforce. The changes come as Canva struggles with slowing economic growth and working with "new technology". The 1,271 employees affected will either be asked to relocate or change positions, while others will become redundant.
What else happened this week?
NSW gun buyback scheme starts
NSW and ACT are the only states committed to the buyback / Pexels
Thousands have lined up to hand over their firearms following the official start of the NSW government’s Gun Buyback Scheme official start on Monday. Some owners will receive up to $1000 depending on the type of gun they hand in, with the NSW and Federal government set to split these costs to support the scheme.
Nine people killed in private plane crash
Audio from the flight was released showing panic from the pilot / Shutterstock
Nine people aboard a private jet on its way to the Bahamas were killed on Monday after it crashed in a Southern Florida neighbourhood. Investigators believe the aircraft broke apart mid-flight after plane parts were found four miles from the crash site.
Man charged with creating deepfake pornography avoids jail
Yeates is the first to be sentenced under Australia’s deepfake federal laws / Pexels
William Yeates, the 20-year-old charged with non-consensual creation and sharing of sexually explicit deepfake content, has avoided jail. Instead he received a fine and a three-year good behaviour bond. Yeates was originally sentenced to two years and three months behind bars, but was resentenced after the judge found he did not have “a malicious motive.”
Antonelli claims F1 title
Antonelli is only in his second year of driving in the F1 / Wikimedia Commons
Kimi Antonelli has become the youngest F1 champion after coming third in the Mexico City Grand Prix on Monday. Defending world champion Lando Norris praised the 20-year-old Mercedes driver, saying: “I feel like people are not giving him enough credit for what he’s achieved this year.”
Armed police start new patrols in Sydney
The ARC consists of 250 specialised officers / Shutterstock
New South Wales police launched its new Armed Response Command (ARC) on Sunday. The new patrol focuses on deploying heavily armed officers to high-risk areas across Sydney following December's Bondi terror attack.
Hyrox athlete wins first race back after faecal disaster
The 24-year-old took out the Elite 15 win in Hamburg last week / Unsplash
Melbourne athlete Joanna Wieterzyk returned to the Hyrox field this week, after a controversial incident at a Beijing race last month. Wieterzyk has apologised since her last race, saying she made “the wrong decision” by continuing to compete after a bout of incontinence, and saying the subsequent backlash saw her go through “a very, very low period mentally and emotionally”.
Word of the year is "mogging"
"Mogging" had a 210 per cent increase in its usage in 2026 / Pexels
"Mogging" has become Collins English Dictionary’s word of the year. The term, which means to outshine or outperform someone or something, mogged other title contenders including "carspreading", "Manchesterism" and "firewave".
New surveillance tech trialled in Western Australia
The vans have now been removed to undergo internal evaluation / Shutterstock
Over a million faces have been scanned in Western Australia during a five-month trial of AI-assisted facial recognition technology in crime detection. WA police made 122 arrests due to the cameras, which were set up in vans in 43 locations across the state.
Young Germans protest cost of living and education
Germany is the latest to take part in the protests spreading across European nations / Shutterstock
European protests about the cost of living and education have spread to Germany, with tens of thousands of young people taking to the streets. The protesters have been condemned by German officials after demonstrations turned violent, with looting and riots breaking out in major cities.
And now for some good news
New Australian songbook with classic songs
Ten songs were chosen for the initiation of the songbook / Shutterstock
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia and APRA AMCOS have come together to commemorate Australian music through the curation of a national songbook. The collection of songs celebrates the cultural impact that the 10 songs and their songwriters had on the nation. Songs like Midnight Oil’s Beds are Burning, My Island Home by Neil Murray, and Waltzing Matilda by Banjo Paterson and Christina Macpherson were included.
