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More than 2,000 firearms are set to be handed over to police in the coming weeks, as one state's gun buyback scheme gets underway today.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns announced the scheme following the mass shooting at Bondi Beach in December, which killed 15 people and injured dozens more.
So far, only NSW and the ACT have signed onto the national gun buyback - a measure recommended in the interim report of the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion.
Only registered guns are eligible for the scheme, but unregistered guns can be handed over as part of a federal amnesty scheme.
Chris Minns says many people in the state have come forward for the buyback scheme.
"(I am) pleased to report that nearly all the vacancies for the next month have been taken up. And we anticipate 2,430 firearms in just the next month will be surrendered to authorities. Now, we believe this is a necessary and important step to keep the people of New South Wales safe by taking guns off our street."
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has rejected criticism from the Coalition that the prime minister shouldn't be overseas, as the Reserve Bank prepares to hand down its interest rate decision tomorrow.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua at the invitation of King Charles.
It is the first time an Australian prime minister has visited the Caribbean since 2009.
Mr Marles says the prime minister's trip is in the national interest.
"He will be meeting the king, but he will also be meeting Andy Burnham, the prime minister of the UK; Mark Carney, the prime minister of Canada, and other heads of government from the Commonwealth. It is an important international engagement. It has always been attended by Australian prime ministers. I don't think anyone is seriously suggesting that he shouldn't be there. And obviously, the timing of this meeting has not been set by the Australian government. It has been set by the Commonwealth itself. And that is why the prime minister is attended it now."
United States President Donald Trump has praised Democratic US Representative Haley Stevens for endorsing Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers in Michigan just days before midterm elections.
Ms Stevens lost the Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed by a narrow margin after a bitterly contested race.
Her endorsement of Mr Rogers gave Republicans an unexpected boost in a state seen as crucial to Democratic hopes of retaking the Senate.
Trump described Stevens as brave despite never having met her.
"I don't know her. I've never met her. But I have great respect for her. I will tell you. And she put up a great race, you know, she was supposed to lose by like 25 points, and she ended up losing by half a point. She almost won. In fact a lot of people thought she won. So I have a lot of respect for her."
Democrats have expressed shock, with Chuck Schumer calling Stevens' move a betrayal.
Sydney's biggest cultural project since the Opera House is days away from opening its doors.
The 915 million dollar Powerhouse Parramatta opens on November 7, with five exhibitions, and more than 20,000 visitors expected to attend across its launch weekend.
The last of more than 3,000 objects, including an F1 Rocket were installed on Sunday - in a final dress rehearsal overseen by Arts Minister John Graham.
"People would have walked past and seen it from the outside. They will have seen the pictures, but now is the chance to see it from the inside, see these exhibitions, and they really are remarkable. Over the course of this weekend, the Powerhouse team has been doing testing. They've welcomed in 3,000 of the people who've been involved in building this remarkable institution. That's the exhibitions, but also the building itself. That testing's gone smoothly. We'll make a couple of adjustments as we head towards the weekend."
But the excitement has been marred by controversy, with a formal misconduct investigation underway into allegations over poor governance and procurement practices.
The museum's chief executive Lisa Havilah, who spearheaded the project for seven years, was suspended over the allegations in August , but has denied she acted improperly.
Elvira Espinosa has became the first Ecuadorian swimmer to win an Olympic medal at any level.
The 17-year-old clinched gold in the Women's 400m Freestyle on the opening day of swimming at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar.
South Africa's Leah Markgraaff secured silver, while Belgium's Célya Paquestook bronze.
Dakar 2026 is the first-ever Olympic competition held on African soil.
Around 2,700 athletes are competing across 25 sports, with the Games scheduled to run until 13 November.
