It's Friday! Here are this week's big stories and some that you might have missed
The big headlines:
- Sydney's protests against Israeli prime minister Isaac Herzog’s visit to Australia turned violent on Monday, with police officers filmed using pepper spray and beating protestors to disperse crowds. NSW premier Chris Minns has supported the police response and said clips of police violence circulating online were taken out of context. Herzog is visiting Australia to support the Jewish community following the December attack in Bondi. Protestors also gathered in Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart and Melbourne.
- Angus Taylor is the new leader of the Liberal party after defeating incumbent Sussan Ley in a spill motion this morning. Jane Hume was named deputy leader. The change in leadership comes after the Liberal and National parties reformed the Coalition on the weekend and in the wake of poor polling results this week.
- The 2026 Winter Olympic Games began in Milan and Cortina on the weekend. Cooper Woods claimed Australia’s only medal after winning gold in moguls on Thursday night. Skiier Jakara Anthony (above) was favoured to win gold in the moguls, but toppled to eighth place after spinning out in the final. Australia has suffered several injuries throughout the team, including snowboard cross veteran Cam Bolton who was ruled out of the games with a broken neck.
What else happened this week?
Israel announces plans to expand control over the West Bank
Israel intends to expand control over the occupied West Bank.
Shutterstock
Australia is among the countries opposing Israel’s plans to expand control of the occupied Palestinian territory, which would allow for more settlements. Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said the plans were for "deepening our roots in all regions of the Land of Israel and burying the idea of a Palestinian state".
Christchurch shooter set to reverse guilty plea and appeal sentence
The Christchurch shooting in 2019 was described as "one of the darkest days" in New Zealand's history.
Shutterstock
The Australian white supremacist, who originally pleaded guilty to murdering 51 people at two mosques in 2019, has claimed harsh prison conditions caused "nervous exhaustion" at the time and led him to admit to the crimes.
Whooping cough cases in Australia reach 35-year high
There's been a dramatic rise in whooping cough cases.
Pexels
New data from the Federal Government’s Productivity Commission showed 82,513 cases of whooping cough in 2024 and 2025. It also showed that the number of children fully immunised had reached a 10-year low.
National plan to address domestic violence against Indigenous women introduced
Indigenous women are 32 times more likely to be hospitalised for injury associated with violence than non-Indigenous women.
Pexels
The plan to address domestic violence was co-designed with Indigenous people. It will deliver crisis response teams, emergency accommodation, therapeutic support and education programs.
One dead and five hospitalised at Sydney techno music festival
The Dreamstate Festival features a line up of techno and trance music
Pexels
A man in his 40s died while attending Dreamstate Festival at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday night, while five others were taken to hospital after suffering medical episodes.
Roblox questioned by Australian government about child safety
Roblox is one of the most popular gaming apps among Australian children and teens.
Shutterstock
Federal communications minister Anika Wells has demanded popular video game Roblox explain how it is managing inappropriate content amid reports of child grooming occurring on its online platforms.
Illegally modified ebikes to be seized and destroyed by NSW police
There has been a surge in ebike purchases in recent years, with some modified illegally.
Unsplash
New laws are set to be introduced in NSW that allow police to seize and crush ebikes that do not cut power assistance at 25km/h. Data released by Sydney's St Vincent’s hospital shows that their ebike related hospitalisations in 2025 had doubled from 2024.
Washington Post publisher steps down amid widescale layoffs
The legendary Washington Post published the Watergate investigation
Shutterstock
The departure of Will Lewis, the WaPo publisher, comes just three days after the newspaper announced it was laying off one third of its staff, resulting in the closure of its sports section and the loss of its photography staff. The US publication is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
South Korean cryptocurrency exchange accidentally gives away $40bn in bitcoin
Many of those who erroneously received the bitcoin withdrew it from their accounts.
Shutterstock
Bithumb, South Korea’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange, had intended to send 620,000 WON in prizes to customers, but sent 620,000 bitcoins instead. Around $9m remains unrecovered from customers who sold or withdrew their funds before the error was detected.
And now for some good news
Actual wedding takes place during Bad Bunny's Super Bowl show
Bad Bunny pictured at No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí residency
Wikimedia Commons
Those watching Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX’s half-time show earlier this week witnessed a real wedding. Eleisa Aparicio and Thomas Wolter tied the knot onstage after the Puerto Rican superstar invited them to participate in his performance, which was broadcast to 128 million television viewers around the world.
