Widower's bittersweet $3.3m Lotto win, Trump announces 'total reset' with China, Sussan Ley's promise as new Liberal leader

Yahoo

13-05-2025

Yahoo's live news blog for Tuesday, May 13 has now concluded. A Queensland widower has claimed $3.3 million on the Gold Lotto – a game he continued playing after years of buying tickets with his late wife.
Sussan Ley has been confirmed as the new Liberal Party leader. She defeated Angus Taylor in a close party room vote and has promised to do things "differently" as the party looks to rebuild following a disastrous election.
Donald Trump has announced the US has agreed a "total reset" with China following the countries' tit-for-tat trade war. Both sides will pause tariffs for 90 days and Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to discuss trade levies soon.
See all of the day's updates below.
We'll finish up for today with this great photo from police in Far North Queensland.
Officers were conducting an RBT operation when a cassowary passed by. Enjoy.
Coles has followed in the footsteps of rival supermarket Woolworths by slashing prices on hundreds of popular grocery items in a bid to ease cost-of-living pressures for Australian families.
Just two days after Woolworths revealed it would reduce the cost of almost 400 essential products in a move it said was not just a short-term offer, Coles announced it had lowered the prices of more than 680 items across its stores and online, claiming average savings of 21 per cent.
Read more from NewsWire here.
There were a fair amount of people in the party to vote against Sussan Ley in this morning's leadership vote but she won't be holding any grudges.
She stressed those who voted for Angus Taylor will take up key roles for the party.
"I will say this — my shadow cabinet will include people who did support me in this room this morning, and people who did not," she told reporters.
While Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was set to run for deputy leader if Taylor won the vote, Ley said Price was warmly welcomed into the party room after shifting from the Nationals.
Sussan Ley was pressed on her predecessor's refusal to standi in front of the Aboriginal flag, and while she didn't go as far as Peter Dutton, she said she believed Australia would benefit from having one flag.
"We should unite under the one Australian flag. That is my firm view. Of course I'm happy to stand in front of the flag," she told reporters.
Ley was also asked about Welcome to Country and whether it could be overdone at times. She said being able to justify its place in Australian life was "simple".
"If it's meaningful, if it matters, if it resonates, then it's in the right place."
Sussan Ley has revealed she thought Sunday might have been the last time she saw her mother, just 48 hours out from learning whether she'd become the next leader of the Liberal Party.
Ley said her mother is in end-of-life care and visited her on Mother's Day. "Before I came up here, I called in to see her and I thought that it might be the last time that I did," she told reporters.
"After I've taken all of your questions exhaustively, I will be heading home to be by her side. And my mum grew up in wartime Britain, and the values of resilience, self-reliance, and persistence that I believe I have today come from her. So, thank you, Mum."
Sussan Ley is now addressing the media for the first time as Liberal Party leader, saying it is an "enormous privilege" to be the party's first federal female leader.
"I want to do things differently and we have to have a fresh approach," she told reporters.
"I want to harness the talents of every single person in our party room going forward to develop the clear, articulate policy agenda that does meet Australians where they are."
She stressed Angus Taylor, who she defeated in a close leadership vote on Tuesday morning, will have a vital role in the Opposition, praising him for his contributions to the party over many years.
A mother has been charged with murder after a horror house fire that ended up killing three of her children.
The 36-year-old woman had been airlifted to a Brisbane hospital in a critical condition and placed under police guard after the family home went up in flames.
Neighbours helped six people escape the Toowoomba home west of Brisbane when it burst into flames in the early hours of May 7.
A body, believed to be the woman's nine-year-old son, was found in the charred remains.
Two of the woman's daughters, aged four and seven, later died of their injuries after being airlifted to a Brisbane hospital.
A 34-year-old man - the father of some of the children - and the woman's two other sons - aged 18 and 11 - managed to escape the fire.
The man underwent surgery for serious arm injuries while the 18 and 11-year-olds were treated for minor injuries.
The mother remains in hospital in a critical condition, police said on Tuesday.
The woman has been charged with three counts of murder and attempted murder along with one court of arson following an extensive investigation into the "suspicious" fire, police said.
"Police are not looking for anyone else in connection to this incident," a police statement said.
The matter is expected to be mentioned in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday and adjourned to a future date.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
Lifeline 13 11 14
We've now heard from Angus Taylor, who lost a close battle with Sussan Ley to become the next Liberal Party leader.
He congratulated Ley who he said has led a "remarkable life".
"Becoming the first woman to lead the Liberal Party is a milestone for Sussan and our party," he said in a statement.
As did many of the MPs filtering out of the voting room this morning, Taylor called for unity to ensure the party "back in the fight" with Labor.
Statement on the Liberal Party leadership. pic.twitter.com/i7l6Dr29Xf
— Angus Taylor MP (@AngusTaylorMP) May 13, 2025
Plenty of you out there often tell us you're fed up with your council's lack of spending when it comes to fixing potholes.
Well the NRMA's recent Council Backlog report has revealed which Sydney councils have the biggest bills when it comes to the cost of repairs needed and it's not great if you live in the city's west.
Topping the list is Blacktown, with an $84 million backlog of repair work. It's followed by Canterbury-Bankstown ($77m), Parramatta ($75m), Liverpool ($55m) and Penrith ($54m).
But those totals are nothing on regional NSW councils, with Clarence Valley topping that list with a whopping $390 million backlog. That's nearly double the $215m Mid-Coast needs to spend to fix their roads in second place.
NRMA says the overall total ballooning to $3.4 billion, up from $2.8 billion the year before, is due to "unprecedented" wet weather events that have ripped up parts of the road network.
Australians have been urged to temper their expectations after the treasurer warned that an overnight de-escalation in US-China trade tensions is temporary.
Both countries have agreed to a 90-day pause on tariffs, with the United States committing to dropping 145 per cent levies on China to 30 per cent and Beijing lowering its 125 per cent rates on American imports to 10 per cent.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers welcomed the development but noted many issues remained unresolved.
"Australia has got a lot to lose from a trade war between the US and China in particular, so we want to see these trade tensions de-escalated permanently, not temporarily," he told ABC radio on Tuesday.
"There's a lot of uncertainty, unpredictability, and volatility in the global economy."
Read more here.
Outgoing Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds says she is "delighted" with Sussan Ley being elected the first female leader of the Liberal Party.
"Australia spoke very clearly to the Liberal Party. We've listened and we've acted and we're united," she told reporters in Canberra as she left the voting room.
A handful of female Liberals left the room together and while only Reynolds spoke, it was clear they were happy with the vote results.
There was also a vote for the party's deputy leader. Ted O'Brien has defeated Phil Thompson 38 votes to 16.
O'Brien and newly-appointed Liberal Leader Sussan Ley, the party's first ever female leader, will front the media later today.
Well there you have it.
Sussan Ley will become the new leader of the Liberal Party following Peter Dutton's exit from parliament, the ABC reports. She defeated Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor in a leadership vote on Tuesday morning. She won with 29 votes to Taylor's 25.
A lack of female ministers within the party has been highlighted as one of the party's key issues, with Ley's appointment a step towards fixing that problem.
Yet Liberal MP Andrew Wallace said her gender was far from the sole reason she won the vote, saying she had a wealth of experience in Canberra and was extremely well placed to step up after serving as the party's deputy leader.
OK, let's just have a recap of what's gone down between the US and China since Donald Trump made the Asian powerhouse one of his main trade war targets.
Scroll through the below graphic to see the tit-for-tat measures across what has been a whirlwind six weeks.
Anthony Albanese announced his new-look Cabinet on Monday but the fallout from booting two frontbenchers last week continues, and Treasurer Jim Chalmers has admitted this morning it's been "messy".
"I do think it was unfortunate, and I think it was messy," he told ABC News Breakfast of the decision to remove Mark Dreyfus and Ed Husic from key portfolios.
"I think that's self evident. This is what happens when you've got more good people than you can fit into cabinet or a ministry in the broader ranks."
Another big change yesterday was taking the environment portfolio from Tanya Plibersek and making her Minister for Social Services. Albanese insisted Plibersek welcomed the news however speculation of tensions between the two continues to linger.
NSW's government is promising "sensible" new road laws for e-bikes and e-scooters as community concern continues to fester across the state.
While many fear the issue has been neglected by authorities, Transport Minister John Graham stressed the NSW government "recognises the community's concerns".
"We believe a sensible set of rules will promote the health and lifestyle benefits of e-bikes and e-scooters while protecting the safety of riders and everyone else sharing the paths and roads with them," he said.
NSW will on Tuesday table its response to a parliamentary inquiry into the use of the e-mobility devices, which was told their accessibility advantages must be balanced with severe safety risks.
The government will propose e-scooters can be ridden on shared paths with a default speed limit of between 10 and 20km/h.
On roads signposted at 50km/h, they would be limited to 20km/h.
Riders would need to be at least 16, consistent with all Australian jurisdictions except the ACT - and European recommendations.
The government does not intend to speed-limit e-bikes, as their motors are not the only source of power. It will however review the formal definition of an e-bike within NSW's road rules.
With AAP
Well after both countries promised to stand strong and not back down just weeks ago, we now have a 90-day pause on tariffs in the US's trade war with China.
Donald Trump is calling it a "total reset" with tariffs dropping by 115 percentage points on both sides.
"I think it's going to be great for unification and peace. We're not looking to hurt China. China is being hurt very badly," he told reporters.
The US president said he'd likely speak to China's president Xi Jinping at some point in the coming days.
Read from from Yahoo's Washington Correspondent Ben Werschkul here.
While one Queensland man is over the moon he's won $3.3 million, he wishes one person could be by his side to enjoy it.
'I'm a widower. My late wife and I have a set of numbers that we used to play together," the Toowoomba winner told The Lott after sharing the Gold Lotto division one prize over the weekend.
"Ever since she passed away, I decided to continue to play them.
'The only bummer about it is that she's not here to celebrate the win with me. It would've been nice to share this moment with her, but she's looking down on me."
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We'll finish up for today with this great photo from police in Far North Queensland.
Officers were conducting an RBT operation when a cassowary passed by. Enjoy.
Coles has followed in the footsteps of rival supermarket Woolworths by slashing prices on hundreds of popular grocery items in a bid to ease cost-of-living pressures for Australian families.
Just two days after Woolworths revealed it would reduce the cost of almost 400 essential products in a move it said was not just a short-term offer, Coles announced it had lowered the prices of more than 680 items across its stores and online, claiming average savings of 21 per cent.
Read more from NewsWire here.
There were a fair amount of people in the party to vote against Sussan Ley in this morning's leadership vote but she won't be holding any grudges.
She stressed those who voted for Angus Taylor will take up key roles for the party.
"I will say this — my shadow cabinet will include people who did support me in this room this morning, and people who did not," she told reporters.
While Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was set to run for deputy leader if Taylor won the vote, Ley said Price was warmly welcomed into the party room after shifting from the Nationals.
Sussan Ley was pressed on her predecessor's refusal to standi in front of the Aboriginal flag, and while she didn't go as far as Peter Dutton, she said she believed Australia would benefit from having one flag.
"We should unite under the one Australian flag. That is my firm view. Of course I'm happy to stand in front of the flag," she told reporters.
Ley was also asked about Welcome to Country and whether it could be overdone at times. She said being able to justify its place in Australian life was "simple".
"If it's meaningful, if it matters, if it resonates, then it's in the right place."
Sussan Ley has revealed she thought Sunday might have been the last time she saw her mother, just 48 hours out from learning whether she'd become the next leader of the Liberal Party.
Ley said her mother is in end-of-life care and visited her on Mother's Day. "Before I came up here, I called in to see her and I thought that it might be the last time that I did," she told reporters.
"After I've taken all of your questions exhaustively, I will be heading home to be by her side. And my mum grew up in wartime Britain, and the values of resilience, self-reliance, and persistence that I believe I have today come from her. So, thank you, Mum."
Sussan Ley is now addressing the media for the first time as Liberal Party leader, saying it is an "enormous privilege" to be the party's first federal female leader.
"I want to do things differently and we have to have a fresh approach," she told reporters.
"I want to harness the talents of every single person in our party room going forward to develop the clear, articulate policy agenda that does meet Australians where they are."
She stressed Angus Taylor, who she defeated in a close leadership vote on Tuesday morning, will have a vital role in the Opposition, praising him for his contributions to the party over many years.
A mother has been charged with murder after a horror house fire that ended up killing three of her children.
The 36-year-old woman had been airlifted to a Brisbane hospital in a critical condition and placed under police guard after the family home went up in flames.
Neighbours helped six people escape the Toowoomba home west of Brisbane when it burst into flames in the early hours of May 7.
A body, believed to be the woman's nine-year-old son, was found in the charred remains.
Two of the woman's daughters, aged four and seven, later died of their injuries after being airlifted to a Brisbane hospital.
A 34-year-old man - the father of some of the children - and the woman's two other sons - aged 18 and 11 - managed to escape the fire.
The man underwent surgery for serious arm injuries while the 18 and 11-year-olds were treated for minor injuries.
The mother remains in hospital in a critical condition, police said on Tuesday.
The woman has been charged with three counts of murder and attempted murder along with one court of arson following an extensive investigation into the "suspicious" fire, police said.
"Police are not looking for anyone else in connection to this incident," a police statement said.
The matter is expected to be mentioned in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday and adjourned to a future date.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
Lifeline 13 11 14
We've now heard from Angus Taylor, who lost a close battle with Sussan Ley to become the next Liberal Party leader.
He congratulated Ley who he said has led a "remarkable life".
"Becoming the first woman to lead the Liberal Party is a milestone for Sussan and our party," he said in a statement.
As did many of the MPs filtering out of the voting room this morning, Taylor called for unity to ensure the party "back in the fight" with Labor.
Statement on the Liberal Party leadership. pic.twitter.com/i7l6Dr29Xf
— Angus Taylor MP (@AngusTaylorMP) May 13, 2025
Plenty of you out there often tell us you're fed up with your council's lack of spending when it comes to fixing potholes.
Well the NRMA's recent Council Backlog report has revealed which Sydney councils have the biggest bills when it comes to the cost of repairs needed and it's not great if you live in the city's west.
Topping the list is Blacktown, with an $84 million backlog of repair work. It's followed by Canterbury-Bankstown ($77m), Parramatta ($75m), Liverpool ($55m) and Penrith ($54m).
But those totals are nothing on regional NSW councils, with Clarence Valley topping that list with a whopping $390 million backlog. That's nearly double the $215m Mid-Coast needs to spend to fix their roads in second place.
NRMA says the overall total ballooning to $3.4 billion, up from $2.8 billion the year before, is due to "unprecedented" wet weather events that have ripped up parts of the road network.
Australians have been urged to temper their expectations after the treasurer warned that an overnight de-escalation in US-China trade tensions is temporary.
Both countries have agreed to a 90-day pause on tariffs, with the United States committing to dropping 145 per cent levies on China to 30 per cent and Beijing lowering its 125 per cent rates on American imports to 10 per cent.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers welcomed the development but noted many issues remained unresolved.
"Australia has got a lot to lose from a trade war between the US and China in particular, so we want to see these trade tensions de-escalated permanently, not temporarily," he told ABC radio on Tuesday.
"There's a lot of uncertainty, unpredictability, and volatility in the global economy."
Read more here.
Outgoing Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds says she is "delighted" with Sussan Ley being elected the first female leader of the Liberal Party.
"Australia spoke very clearly to the Liberal Party. We've listened and we've acted and we're united," she told reporters in Canberra as she left the voting room.
A handful of female Liberals left the room together and while only Reynolds spoke, it was clear they were happy with the vote results.
There was also a vote for the party's deputy leader. Ted O'Brien has defeated Phil Thompson 38 votes to 16.
O'Brien and newly-appointed Liberal Leader Sussan Ley, the party's first ever female leader, will front the media later today.
Well there you have it.
Sussan Ley will become the new leader of the Liberal Party following Peter Dutton's exit from parliament, the ABC reports. She defeated Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor in a leadership vote on Tuesday morning. She won with 29 votes to Taylor's 25.
A lack of female ministers within the party has been highlighted as one of the party's key issues, with Ley's appointment a step towards fixing that problem.
Yet Liberal MP Andrew Wallace said her gender was far from the sole reason she won the vote, saying she had a wealth of experience in Canberra and was extremely well placed to step up after serving as the party's deputy leader.
OK, let's just have a recap of what's gone down between the US and China since Donald Trump made the Asian powerhouse one of his main trade war targets.
Scroll through the below graphic to see the tit-for-tat measures across what has been a whirlwind six weeks.
Anthony Albanese announced his new-look Cabinet on Monday but the fallout from booting two frontbenchers last week continues, and Treasurer Jim Chalmers has admitted this morning it's been "messy".
"I do think it was unfortunate, and I think it was messy," he told ABC News Breakfast of the decision to remove Mark Dreyfus and Ed Husic from key portfolios.
"I think that's self evident. This is what happens when you've got more good people than you can fit into cabinet or a ministry in the broader ranks."
Another big change yesterday was taking the environment portfolio from Tanya Plibersek and making her Minister for Social Services. Albanese insisted Plibersek welcomed the news however speculation of tensions between the two continues to linger.
NSW's government is promising "sensible" new road laws for e-bikes and e-scooters as community concern continues to fester across the state.
While many fear the issue has been neglected by authorities, Transport Minister John Graham stressed the NSW government "recognises the community's concerns".
"We believe a sensible set of rules will promote the health and lifestyle benefits of e-bikes and e-scooters while protecting the safety of riders and everyone else sharing the paths and roads with them," he said.
NSW will on Tuesday table its response to a parliamentary inquiry into the use of the e-mobility devices, which was told their accessibility advantages must be balanced with severe safety risks.
The government will propose e-scooters can be ridden on shared paths with a default speed limit of between 10 and 20km/h.
On roads signposted at 50km/h, they would be limited to 20km/h.
Riders would need to be at least 16, consistent with all Australian jurisdictions except the ACT - and European recommendations.
The government does not intend to speed-limit e-bikes, as their motors are not the only source of power. It will however review the formal definition of an e-bike within NSW's road rules.
With AAP
Well after both countries promised to stand strong and not back down just weeks ago, we now have a 90-day pause on tariffs in the US's trade war with China.
Donald Trump is calling it a "total reset" with tariffs dropping by 115 percentage points on both sides.
"I think it's going to be great for unification and peace. We're not looking to hurt China. China is being hurt very badly," he told reporters.
The US president said he'd likely speak to China's president Xi Jinping at some point in the coming days.
Read from from Yahoo's Washington Correspondent Ben Werschkul here.
While one Queensland man is over the moon he's won $3.3 million, he wishes one person could be by his side to enjoy it.
'I'm a widower. My late wife and I have a set of numbers that we used to play together," the Toowoomba winner told The Lott after sharing the Gold Lotto division one prize over the weekend.
"Ever since she passed away, I decided to continue to play them.
'The only bummer about it is that she's not here to celebrate the win with me. It would've been nice to share this moment with her, but she's looking down on me."