Lottery boss reveals big change for Powerball, Australia hits back at Netanyahu spray, BoM 'concerned' over forecast

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a day ago

Hello and welcome to Yahoo's live news blog this Wednesday. Lottery bosses say a Powerball ticket will jump in price so the game can offer even bigger prizes.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has launched a personal attack on Anthony Albanese, branding him a "weak politician" for declaring Australia will recognise a Palestinian state.
The Bureau of Meteorology says it is "concerned" over the amount of rain falling this week over large parts of the east coast. Flooding is expected in the northern and eastern parts of the state, while Sydney is in the middle of a multiple-day stretch of rain.
Follow along as we bring you regular updates throughout the day.
Price of Powerball ticket to go up
Lottery bosses have revealed they plan on hiking the price it costs to play the Powerball.
"Subject to regulatory approval, we intend to refresh our Powerball game with a price change enabling increased prizes across all divisions," The Lottery Corporation Managing Director and CEO Sue van der Merwe said.
"This will enhance Powerball as Australia's most popular premium jackpot game."
The price of one game will rise from $1.20 to $1.40 and is planned for November. The Lottery Corporation says it will lead to larger prizes offered to players and bigger commissions for retailers.
The Lottery Corporation said performance across its games has been resilient for 2024 and participation remained healthy despite spending constraints for Australians. Last year, Powerball offered three separate $100 million jackpots.
Twist after Daryl Murphy sentenced to jail
Former MP Daryl Maguire was earlier sentenced for misleading a corruption probe about potential profits from a major property deal, but has now been released on bail about an hour later.
Best known for his secret relationship with Gladys Berejiklian while she was NSW premier, Maguire was sentenced to a non-parole period of five months on Wednesday.
The former NSW MP was found guilty of giving misleading evidence at an Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry into a Sydney council in 2018.
But Maguire was granted bail about an hour after being taken into custody on Wednesday.
An appeal has been launched against his conviction and the sentence imposed.
Read more from AAP here.
Methanol tragedy survivor now blind
One of the survivors of the mass methanol poisoning in Laos last year that claimed the lives of two Australian teens has revealed he's blind
The tragedy in November 2024 left six people dead and made headlines around the world. Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, two best friends from Melbourne, were among those who lost their lives.
Brit Calum Macdonald was one of the hostel guests to drink free shots in the party town of Vang Vieng. A day later arriving in Vietnam, he knew something was seriously wrong.
"We were sitting in the hotel room, my friends and I, and I said to them: 'Why are we sitting in the dark? Someone should turn a light on.'" The lights were already on," he told the BBC.
Calum, like other survivors, is now pushing for increased awareness about methanol poisoning, which can occur when corners are cut in the production of spirits.
Queensland considering licence change for learners
The Queensland government is weighing up changes to how young people in the state obtain their driver's licence, saying the 100-hour supervised driving rule is leaving some at a disadvantage.
"Many young people are disadvantaged because they don't have access to be able to do those 100 hours. We're looking at that piece of work at the moment," Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg said, the ABC reported.
Drivers under 25 are required to complete 100 hours of supervised driving before they obtain their provisional licence.
With fulfilling the requirement reliant on someone's access to a vehicle, Mickelberg said the government was keen to ensure everyone who wants a licence had a viable path to do so.
Daryl Maguire jailed over misleading evidence at inquiry
Disgraced ex-MP Daryl Maguire has been jailed after he was found guilty of giving misleading evidence to ICAC.
Maguire, 66, appeared at Sydney Central District Court on Wednesday after he was in June found guilty by a magistrate of one count of giving false or misleading evidence at a public inquiry.
The former Wagga Wagga MP had pleaded not guilty to the charge, which related to his evidence before the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in July 2018.
On Wednesday, Magistrate Clare Farnan sentenced him to a 10-month jail term. He was soon put in handcuffs and taken into custody. He will be eligible for parole in January.
In sentencing, Ms Farnan told the court the misleading evidence given by Maguire concerned his dealings with a multimillion-dollar property development.
'The evidence there was nothing in it for him was misleading … and he was to receive a commission if the property was to be sold,' she said.
Ms Farnan said Maguire was 'clearly trying to protect his reputation among other things'.
'The community is entitled to expect that those who hold power will conduct themselves with integrity,' she said.
Read more from NewsWire here.
WA Police defends attempts to catch criminals by leaving e-scooters around
WA Police has defended placing e-scooters at shopping centres as part of an operation to catch thieves.
A police spokesperson told the ABC the e-scooters were previously seized or forfeited, and that the tactic in Perth was "lawful".
"WA Police use a range of lawful tactics to deter and detect crime through covert and overt means aimed at reducing theft and keeping the community safe," they said.
But human rights law expert Dr Hannah McGlade said the operation was "very questionable policing practice".
"Why would the police be trying to encourage people to actually commit an offence of stealing?" she asked when speaking with the public broadcaster.
Australia hits back at scathing Netanyahu attack
Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Tony Burke has unleashed on Benjamin Netanyahu after the Israeli leader called Anthony Albanese a 'weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews'.
Burke, who is at the centre of the diplomatic stoush, was one of the first senior government officials to front media on Wednesday.
He said that Netanyahu's definition of 'weak' was off.
'Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry,' Burke told the ABC.
'Strength is much better measured by exactly what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has done, which is when there's a decision that we know Israel won't like, he goes straight to Benjamin Netanyahu.
'He has the conversation.'
The 'conversation' Mr Burke referred to was a phone call the Prime Minister had with his Israeli counterpart before announcing he would recognise Palestinian statehood.
The call did little to soften the blow, with the Israeli government saying the decision 'rewarded' Hamas — the Palestinian Islamist group that runs Gaza.
- NewsWire
Fans' one big question as Lynne McGranger farewelled
Home and Away bid farewell to one of its most beloved characters in Tuesday night's episode as Irene Roberts, played by Lynne McGranger, left Summer Bay for good.
But after 33 years on the show, some viewers were left feeling a little underwhelmed, suggesting more big names should have turned up in the final episode.
'Is it just me, or are others disappointed in who was there to say goodbye. I thought a lot more of the cast would have been included. Lot of strange faces but not a lot of Irene's friends,' one person wrote.
Read more from Yahoo's Lachlan Guertin here.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Ada Nicodemou (@adanicodemou)
BoM 'concerned' by amount of rain
Well its another wet morning for millions across Australia's east coast.
And the Bureau of Meteorology says its "concerned" by the sheer amount of rain falling in some parts.
Senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said increasing rain across parts of NSW and Queensland would become more widespread over the coming days as weather systems combined.
'That is two to three days of rainfall in areas that are already wet and saturated,' he said.
'We can see widespread falls across much of northern NSW in that 50 to 100mm range, with isolated falls in excess of 150mm which is why we're concerned."
Netanyahu blasts Albanese as 'weak'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has escalated tensions with Australia by branding Anthony Albanese a "weak politician".
It comes after Albanese declared Australia would recognise a Palestinian state in response to large-scale civilian suffering in Gaza which he said needed to end.
"History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews," Netanyahu said in a scathing attack on the prime minister.
While not the first criticism of Albanese's decision from Israel, it is a significant blow to rapidly-deteriorating ties between the two countries.
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Price of Powerball ticket to go up
Lottery bosses have revealed they plan on hiking the price it costs to play the Powerball.
"Subject to regulatory approval, we intend to refresh our Powerball game with a price change enabling increased prizes across all divisions," The Lottery Corporation Managing Director and CEO Sue van der Merwe said.
"This will enhance Powerball as Australia's most popular premium jackpot game."
The price of one game will rise from $1.20 to $1.40 and is planned for November. The Lottery Corporation says it will lead to larger prizes offered to players and bigger commissions for retailers.
The Lottery Corporation said performance across its games has been resilient for 2024 and participation remained healthy despite spending constraints for Australians. Last year, Powerball offered three separate $100 million jackpots.
Lottery bosses have revealed they plan on hiking the price it costs to play the Powerball.
"Subject to regulatory approval, we intend to refresh our Powerball game with a price change enabling increased prizes across all divisions," The Lottery Corporation Managing Director and CEO Sue van der Merwe said.
"This will enhance Powerball as Australia's most popular premium jackpot game."
The price of one game will rise from $1.20 to $1.40 and is planned for November. The Lottery Corporation says it will lead to larger prizes offered to players and bigger commissions for retailers.
The Lottery Corporation said performance across its games has been resilient for 2024 and participation remained healthy despite spending constraints for Australians. Last year, Powerball offered three separate $100 million jackpots.
Twist after Daryl Murphy sentenced to jail
Former MP Daryl Maguire was earlier sentenced for misleading a corruption probe about potential profits from a major property deal, but has now been released on bail about an hour later.
Best known for his secret relationship with Gladys Berejiklian while she was NSW premier, Maguire was sentenced to a non-parole period of five months on Wednesday.
The former NSW MP was found guilty of giving misleading evidence at an Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry into a Sydney council in 2018.
But Maguire was granted bail about an hour after being taken into custody on Wednesday.
An appeal has been launched against his conviction and the sentence imposed.
Read more from AAP here.
Former MP Daryl Maguire was earlier sentenced for misleading a corruption probe about potential profits from a major property deal, but has now been released on bail about an hour later.
Best known for his secret relationship with Gladys Berejiklian while she was NSW premier, Maguire was sentenced to a non-parole period of five months on Wednesday.
The former NSW MP was found guilty of giving misleading evidence at an Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry into a Sydney council in 2018.
But Maguire was granted bail about an hour after being taken into custody on Wednesday.
An appeal has been launched against his conviction and the sentence imposed.
Read more from AAP here.
Methanol tragedy survivor now blind
One of the survivors of the mass methanol poisoning in Laos last year that claimed the lives of two Australian teens has revealed he's blind
The tragedy in November 2024 left six people dead and made headlines around the world. Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, two best friends from Melbourne, were among those who lost their lives.
Brit Calum Macdonald was one of the hostel guests to drink free shots in the party town of Vang Vieng. A day later arriving in Vietnam, he knew something was seriously wrong.
"We were sitting in the hotel room, my friends and I, and I said to them: 'Why are we sitting in the dark? Someone should turn a light on.'" The lights were already on," he told the BBC.
Calum, like other survivors, is now pushing for increased awareness about methanol poisoning, which can occur when corners are cut in the production of spirits.
One of the survivors of the mass methanol poisoning in Laos last year that claimed the lives of two Australian teens has revealed he's blind
The tragedy in November 2024 left six people dead and made headlines around the world. Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, two best friends from Melbourne, were among those who lost their lives.
Brit Calum Macdonald was one of the hostel guests to drink free shots in the party town of Vang Vieng. A day later arriving in Vietnam, he knew something was seriously wrong.
"We were sitting in the hotel room, my friends and I, and I said to them: 'Why are we sitting in the dark? Someone should turn a light on.'" The lights were already on," he told the BBC.
Calum, like other survivors, is now pushing for increased awareness about methanol poisoning, which can occur when corners are cut in the production of spirits.
Queensland considering licence change for learners
The Queensland government is weighing up changes to how young people in the state obtain their driver's licence, saying the 100-hour supervised driving rule is leaving some at a disadvantage.
"Many young people are disadvantaged because they don't have access to be able to do those 100 hours. We're looking at that piece of work at the moment," Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg said, the ABC reported.
Drivers under 25 are required to complete 100 hours of supervised driving before they obtain their provisional licence.
With fulfilling the requirement reliant on someone's access to a vehicle, Mickelberg said the government was keen to ensure everyone who wants a licence had a viable path to do so.
The Queensland government is weighing up changes to how young people in the state obtain their driver's licence, saying the 100-hour supervised driving rule is leaving some at a disadvantage.
"Many young people are disadvantaged because they don't have access to be able to do those 100 hours. We're looking at that piece of work at the moment," Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg said, the ABC reported.
Drivers under 25 are required to complete 100 hours of supervised driving before they obtain their provisional licence.
With fulfilling the requirement reliant on someone's access to a vehicle, Mickelberg said the government was keen to ensure everyone who wants a licence had a viable path to do so.
Daryl Maguire jailed over misleading evidence at inquiry
Disgraced ex-MP Daryl Maguire has been jailed after he was found guilty of giving misleading evidence to ICAC.
Maguire, 66, appeared at Sydney Central District Court on Wednesday after he was in June found guilty by a magistrate of one count of giving false or misleading evidence at a public inquiry.
The former Wagga Wagga MP had pleaded not guilty to the charge, which related to his evidence before the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in July 2018.
On Wednesday, Magistrate Clare Farnan sentenced him to a 10-month jail term. He was soon put in handcuffs and taken into custody. He will be eligible for parole in January.
In sentencing, Ms Farnan told the court the misleading evidence given by Maguire concerned his dealings with a multimillion-dollar property development.
'The evidence there was nothing in it for him was misleading … and he was to receive a commission if the property was to be sold,' she said.
Ms Farnan said Maguire was 'clearly trying to protect his reputation among other things'.
'The community is entitled to expect that those who hold power will conduct themselves with integrity,' she said.
Read more from NewsWire here.
Disgraced ex-MP Daryl Maguire has been jailed after he was found guilty of giving misleading evidence to ICAC.
Maguire, 66, appeared at Sydney Central District Court on Wednesday after he was in June found guilty by a magistrate of one count of giving false or misleading evidence at a public inquiry.
The former Wagga Wagga MP had pleaded not guilty to the charge, which related to his evidence before the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in July 2018.
On Wednesday, Magistrate Clare Farnan sentenced him to a 10-month jail term. He was soon put in handcuffs and taken into custody. He will be eligible for parole in January.
In sentencing, Ms Farnan told the court the misleading evidence given by Maguire concerned his dealings with a multimillion-dollar property development.
'The evidence there was nothing in it for him was misleading … and he was to receive a commission if the property was to be sold,' she said.
Ms Farnan said Maguire was 'clearly trying to protect his reputation among other things'.
'The community is entitled to expect that those who hold power will conduct themselves with integrity,' she said.
Read more from NewsWire here.
WA Police defends attempts to catch criminals by leaving e-scooters around
WA Police has defended placing e-scooters at shopping centres as part of an operation to catch thieves.
A police spokesperson told the ABC the e-scooters were previously seized or forfeited, and that the tactic in Perth was "lawful".
"WA Police use a range of lawful tactics to deter and detect crime through covert and overt means aimed at reducing theft and keeping the community safe," they said.
But human rights law expert Dr Hannah McGlade said the operation was "very questionable policing practice".
"Why would the police be trying to encourage people to actually commit an offence of stealing?" she asked when speaking with the public broadcaster.
WA Police has defended placing e-scooters at shopping centres as part of an operation to catch thieves.
A police spokesperson told the ABC the e-scooters were previously seized or forfeited, and that the tactic in Perth was "lawful".
"WA Police use a range of lawful tactics to deter and detect crime through covert and overt means aimed at reducing theft and keeping the community safe," they said.
But human rights law expert Dr Hannah McGlade said the operation was "very questionable policing practice".
"Why would the police be trying to encourage people to actually commit an offence of stealing?" she asked when speaking with the public broadcaster.
Australia hits back at scathing Netanyahu attack
Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Tony Burke has unleashed on Benjamin Netanyahu after the Israeli leader called Anthony Albanese a 'weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews'.
Burke, who is at the centre of the diplomatic stoush, was one of the first senior government officials to front media on Wednesday.
He said that Netanyahu's definition of 'weak' was off.
'Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry,' Burke told the ABC.
'Strength is much better measured by exactly what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has done, which is when there's a decision that we know Israel won't like, he goes straight to Benjamin Netanyahu.
'He has the conversation.'
The 'conversation' Mr Burke referred to was a phone call the Prime Minister had with his Israeli counterpart before announcing he would recognise Palestinian statehood.
The call did little to soften the blow, with the Israeli government saying the decision 'rewarded' Hamas — the Palestinian Islamist group that runs Gaza.
- NewsWire
Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Tony Burke has unleashed on Benjamin Netanyahu after the Israeli leader called Anthony Albanese a 'weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews'.
Burke, who is at the centre of the diplomatic stoush, was one of the first senior government officials to front media on Wednesday.
He said that Netanyahu's definition of 'weak' was off.
'Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry,' Burke told the ABC.
'Strength is much better measured by exactly what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has done, which is when there's a decision that we know Israel won't like, he goes straight to Benjamin Netanyahu.
'He has the conversation.'
The 'conversation' Mr Burke referred to was a phone call the Prime Minister had with his Israeli counterpart before announcing he would recognise Palestinian statehood.
The call did little to soften the blow, with the Israeli government saying the decision 'rewarded' Hamas — the Palestinian Islamist group that runs Gaza.
- NewsWire
Fans' one big question as Lynne McGranger farewelled
Home and Away bid farewell to one of its most beloved characters in Tuesday night's episode as Irene Roberts, played by Lynne McGranger, left Summer Bay for good.
But after 33 years on the show, some viewers were left feeling a little underwhelmed, suggesting more big names should have turned up in the final episode.
'Is it just me, or are others disappointed in who was there to say goodbye. I thought a lot more of the cast would have been included. Lot of strange faces but not a lot of Irene's friends,' one person wrote.
Read more from Yahoo's Lachlan Guertin here.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Ada Nicodemou (@adanicodemou)
Home and Away bid farewell to one of its most beloved characters in Tuesday night's episode as Irene Roberts, played by Lynne McGranger, left Summer Bay for good.
But after 33 years on the show, some viewers were left feeling a little underwhelmed, suggesting more big names should have turned up in the final episode.
'Is it just me, or are others disappointed in who was there to say goodbye. I thought a lot more of the cast would have been included. Lot of strange faces but not a lot of Irene's friends,' one person wrote.
Read more from Yahoo's Lachlan Guertin here.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Ada Nicodemou (@adanicodemou)
BoM 'concerned' by amount of rain
Well its another wet morning for millions across Australia's east coast.
And the Bureau of Meteorology says its "concerned" by the sheer amount of rain falling in some parts.
Senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said increasing rain across parts of NSW and Queensland would become more widespread over the coming days as weather systems combined.
'That is two to three days of rainfall in areas that are already wet and saturated,' he said.
'We can see widespread falls across much of northern NSW in that 50 to 100mm range, with isolated falls in excess of 150mm which is why we're concerned."
Well its another wet morning for millions across Australia's east coast.
And the Bureau of Meteorology says its "concerned" by the sheer amount of rain falling in some parts.
Senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said increasing rain across parts of NSW and Queensland would become more widespread over the coming days as weather systems combined.
'That is two to three days of rainfall in areas that are already wet and saturated,' he said.
'We can see widespread falls across much of northern NSW in that 50 to 100mm range, with isolated falls in excess of 150mm which is why we're concerned."
Netanyahu blasts Albanese as 'weak'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has escalated tensions with Australia by branding Anthony Albanese a "weak politician".
It comes after Albanese declared Australia would recognise a Palestinian state in response to large-scale civilian suffering in Gaza which he said needed to end.
"History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews," Netanyahu said in a scathing attack on the prime minister.
While not the first criticism of Albanese's decision from Israel, it is a significant blow to rapidly-deteriorating ties between the two countries.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has escalated tensions with Australia by branding Anthony Albanese a "weak politician".
It comes after Albanese declared Australia would recognise a Palestinian state in response to large-scale civilian suffering in Gaza which he said needed to end.
"History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews," Netanyahu said in a scathing attack on the prime minister.
While not the first criticism of Albanese's decision from Israel, it is a significant blow to rapidly-deteriorating ties between the two countries.