Grandad lands $31m Powerball jackpot, young Aussie found dead at Thai hotel, Trump's tribute after Hulk Hogan's death

Yahoo

25-07-2025

Hello and welcome to Yahoo's live news blog this Friday. Lottery officials have identified the sole winner of the $31 million Powerball jackpot last night, with a Queensland grandfather taking home the top prize.
US President Donald Trump has paid tribute to Hulk Hogan after the iconic wrestler died at the age of 71. Hogan was rushed to hospital after suffering a medical emergency at his home.
A young Australian man has died in a hotel in Phuket, with authorities trying to determine what happened.
Follow along as we bring you regular updates throughout the day.
Grandad's selfless response after landing $31 million Powerball jackpot
A Queensland grandfather has claimed the Powerball's $31 million jackpot and he's revealed his selfless plans with the prize.
The Brisbane man says he's done most of the things he wished in life so doesn't have much use for the money himself.
'I'm retired myself. I've lived a happy life, and I've been lucky enough to tick most things off my bucket list, so this will be used more for helping others," he told lottery officials.
'This does so much for my family. It'll set up my kids and grandkids."
Police trying to work out how fatal jet ski crash happened
Police detectives are appealing for CCTV vision as they try and determine what exactly happened in a fatal jet ski crash that left a teen boy dead in Sydney's south earlier this week.
Police had said they believe 15-year-old Mitchell Irvine and 14-year-old Noah Watkins crashed into an 'obstacle', throwing individuals into the Georges River on Tuesday evening.
Mitchell was killed while Noah was hospitalised in a serious condition with a severed arm.
Family friends have speculated a lack of light caused them to miss an object under Tom Uglys bridge as they passed through.
Addressing media on Wednesday, Superintendent Donald Faulds said there was 'a lot of debris' in the water following the incident, and he 'main part' of the jet ski had not yet been recovered.
He said the water was 'very murky' and the conditions were 'very, very scary' when the first responders arrived at the scene.
Driver ditches Tesla in car park
Has Tesla's struggles prompted this driver to ditch their vehicle?
The EV giant's popularity has plummeted in recent months in part thanks to its CEO Elon Musk and now one Adelaide appears to have given up on their vehicle.
A white Tesla has been left on charge at Burnside Village shopping centre for a couple of weeks with confusion over who owns it, 7 News Adelaide reported.
Management has resorted to fencing the vehicle off as they search for the owner.
Questions over old planes as 48 killed in crash
An Antonov An-24 passenger plane carrying 48 people crashed in Russia's far east on Thursday as it was preparing to land, killing everyone on board in an incident that spotlighted the continued use of old, Soviet-era aircraft.
The burning fuselage of the plane, which was made in 1976, was spotted by a search helicopter after it disappeared from radar screens. It had been attempting to land for a second time after failing to touch down on its first approach, the Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.
Operated by the privately owned Siberian regional airline Angara, it had been en route from the city of Blagoveshchensk near the Chinese border to Tynda, an important railway junction in the Amur region. It was carrying 42 passengers, including five children, and six crew.
The regional governor and federal investigators confirmed that everyone on board had been killed.
Investigators said they had opened a criminal case into the suspected violation of air traffic and air transport rules, resulting in the death of more than two people through negligence. The plane had recently passed a technical safety inspection, Russian news agencies reported, and had been involved in four apparently minor incidents since 2018.
The crash is likely to raise new questions about the viability of continuing to fly such old planes in far-flung corners of Russia at a time when Western sanctions have crimped Moscow's ability to access investment and spare parts.
Read more here.
Trump leads tributes for wrestler Hulk Hogan
US President Donald Trump has led tributes for iconic wrestler Hulk Hogan, who has died at the age of 71 after a medical emergency.
"We lost a great friend today, the 'Hulkster. Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way – Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
"He gave an absolutely electric speech at the Republican National Convention, that was one of the highlights of the entire week. He entertained fans from all over the World, and the cultural impact he had was massive.
"To his wife, Sky, and family, we give our warmest best wishes and love. Hulk Hogan will be greatly missed!"
Hogan said he became a vocal supporter of Trump following the failed assassination attempt on him, labelling Trump a "hero".
Strange detail as young Aussie found dead in Thai hotel room
Mystery surrounds the death of a young Australian man found lifeless in a Thai hotel room — with a mobile phone placed on his chest and an active call still running.
The man, believed to be in his early 20s, was discovered by staff on Wednesday morning, days after reportedly being involved in a motorcycle crash. Local authorities are investigating the circumstances, as questions grow around what led to his sudden death on the popular island of Phuket.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Thanom Thongpaen said the man was still on a call when the body was discovered. "The line hadn't been disconnected, and he had died like that. There were no signs of struggle or anything suspicious," he told Reuters.
"It appeared he had been on the call for about 12 hours. The phone screen had gone dark, but we could still see the call duration and confirm he was on a call."
Thongpaen said there had been no signs of assault or a break-in in the room. "We don't know who he was talking to," he said.
"I tried speaking into the phone, but there was no response. The line remained active, but there was no voice on the other end. The phone was locked so that we couldn't examine it further."
Read more here.
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A Queensland grandfather has claimed the Powerball's $31 million jackpot and he's revealed his selfless plans with the prize.
The Brisbane man says he's done most of the things he wished in life so doesn't have much use for the money himself.
'I'm retired myself. I've lived a happy life, and I've been lucky enough to tick most things off my bucket list, so this will be used more for helping others," he told lottery officials.
'This does so much for my family. It'll set up my kids and grandkids."
Police trying to work out how fatal jet ski crash happened
Police detectives are appealing for CCTV vision as they try and determine what exactly happened in a fatal jet ski crash that left a teen boy dead in Sydney's south earlier this week.
Police had said they believe 15-year-old Mitchell Irvine and 14-year-old Noah Watkins crashed into an 'obstacle', throwing individuals into the Georges River on Tuesday evening.
Mitchell was killed while Noah was hospitalised in a serious condition with a severed arm.
Family friends have speculated a lack of light caused them to miss an object under Tom Uglys bridge as they passed through.
Addressing media on Wednesday, Superintendent Donald Faulds said there was 'a lot of debris' in the water following the incident, and he 'main part' of the jet ski had not yet been recovered.
He said the water was 'very murky' and the conditions were 'very, very scary' when the first responders arrived at the scene.
Police detectives are appealing for CCTV vision as they try and determine what exactly happened in a fatal jet ski crash that left a teen boy dead in Sydney's south earlier this week.
Police had said they believe 15-year-old Mitchell Irvine and 14-year-old Noah Watkins crashed into an 'obstacle', throwing individuals into the Georges River on Tuesday evening.
Mitchell was killed while Noah was hospitalised in a serious condition with a severed arm.
Family friends have speculated a lack of light caused them to miss an object under Tom Uglys bridge as they passed through.
Addressing media on Wednesday, Superintendent Donald Faulds said there was 'a lot of debris' in the water following the incident, and he 'main part' of the jet ski had not yet been recovered.
He said the water was 'very murky' and the conditions were 'very, very scary' when the first responders arrived at the scene.
Driver ditches Tesla in car park
Has Tesla's struggles prompted this driver to ditch their vehicle?
The EV giant's popularity has plummeted in recent months in part thanks to its CEO Elon Musk and now one Adelaide appears to have given up on their vehicle.
A white Tesla has been left on charge at Burnside Village shopping centre for a couple of weeks with confusion over who owns it, 7 News Adelaide reported.
Management has resorted to fencing the vehicle off as they search for the owner.
Has Tesla's struggles prompted this driver to ditch their vehicle?
The EV giant's popularity has plummeted in recent months in part thanks to its CEO Elon Musk and now one Adelaide appears to have given up on their vehicle.
A white Tesla has been left on charge at Burnside Village shopping centre for a couple of weeks with confusion over who owns it, 7 News Adelaide reported.
Management has resorted to fencing the vehicle off as they search for the owner.
Questions over old planes as 48 killed in crash
An Antonov An-24 passenger plane carrying 48 people crashed in Russia's far east on Thursday as it was preparing to land, killing everyone on board in an incident that spotlighted the continued use of old, Soviet-era aircraft.
The burning fuselage of the plane, which was made in 1976, was spotted by a search helicopter after it disappeared from radar screens. It had been attempting to land for a second time after failing to touch down on its first approach, the Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.
Operated by the privately owned Siberian regional airline Angara, it had been en route from the city of Blagoveshchensk near the Chinese border to Tynda, an important railway junction in the Amur region. It was carrying 42 passengers, including five children, and six crew.
The regional governor and federal investigators confirmed that everyone on board had been killed.
Investigators said they had opened a criminal case into the suspected violation of air traffic and air transport rules, resulting in the death of more than two people through negligence. The plane had recently passed a technical safety inspection, Russian news agencies reported, and had been involved in four apparently minor incidents since 2018.
The crash is likely to raise new questions about the viability of continuing to fly such old planes in far-flung corners of Russia at a time when Western sanctions have crimped Moscow's ability to access investment and spare parts.
Read more here.
An Antonov An-24 passenger plane carrying 48 people crashed in Russia's far east on Thursday as it was preparing to land, killing everyone on board in an incident that spotlighted the continued use of old, Soviet-era aircraft.
The burning fuselage of the plane, which was made in 1976, was spotted by a search helicopter after it disappeared from radar screens. It had been attempting to land for a second time after failing to touch down on its first approach, the Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.
Operated by the privately owned Siberian regional airline Angara, it had been en route from the city of Blagoveshchensk near the Chinese border to Tynda, an important railway junction in the Amur region. It was carrying 42 passengers, including five children, and six crew.
The regional governor and federal investigators confirmed that everyone on board had been killed.
Investigators said they had opened a criminal case into the suspected violation of air traffic and air transport rules, resulting in the death of more than two people through negligence. The plane had recently passed a technical safety inspection, Russian news agencies reported, and had been involved in four apparently minor incidents since 2018.
The crash is likely to raise new questions about the viability of continuing to fly such old planes in far-flung corners of Russia at a time when Western sanctions have crimped Moscow's ability to access investment and spare parts.
Read more here.
Trump leads tributes for wrestler Hulk Hogan
US President Donald Trump has led tributes for iconic wrestler Hulk Hogan, who has died at the age of 71 after a medical emergency.
"We lost a great friend today, the 'Hulkster. Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way – Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
"He gave an absolutely electric speech at the Republican National Convention, that was one of the highlights of the entire week. He entertained fans from all over the World, and the cultural impact he had was massive.
"To his wife, Sky, and family, we give our warmest best wishes and love. Hulk Hogan will be greatly missed!"
Hogan said he became a vocal supporter of Trump following the failed assassination attempt on him, labelling Trump a "hero".
US President Donald Trump has led tributes for iconic wrestler Hulk Hogan, who has died at the age of 71 after a medical emergency.
"We lost a great friend today, the 'Hulkster. Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way – Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
"He gave an absolutely electric speech at the Republican National Convention, that was one of the highlights of the entire week. He entertained fans from all over the World, and the cultural impact he had was massive.
"To his wife, Sky, and family, we give our warmest best wishes and love. Hulk Hogan will be greatly missed!"
Hogan said he became a vocal supporter of Trump following the failed assassination attempt on him, labelling Trump a "hero".
Strange detail as young Aussie found dead in Thai hotel room
Mystery surrounds the death of a young Australian man found lifeless in a Thai hotel room — with a mobile phone placed on his chest and an active call still running.
The man, believed to be in his early 20s, was discovered by staff on Wednesday morning, days after reportedly being involved in a motorcycle crash. Local authorities are investigating the circumstances, as questions grow around what led to his sudden death on the popular island of Phuket.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Thanom Thongpaen said the man was still on a call when the body was discovered. "The line hadn't been disconnected, and he had died like that. There were no signs of struggle or anything suspicious," he told Reuters.
"It appeared he had been on the call for about 12 hours. The phone screen had gone dark, but we could still see the call duration and confirm he was on a call."
Thongpaen said there had been no signs of assault or a break-in in the room. "We don't know who he was talking to," he said.
"I tried speaking into the phone, but there was no response. The line remained active, but there was no voice on the other end. The phone was locked so that we couldn't examine it further."
Read more here.
Mystery surrounds the death of a young Australian man found lifeless in a Thai hotel room — with a mobile phone placed on his chest and an active call still running.
The man, believed to be in his early 20s, was discovered by staff on Wednesday morning, days after reportedly being involved in a motorcycle crash. Local authorities are investigating the circumstances, as questions grow around what led to his sudden death on the popular island of Phuket.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Thanom Thongpaen said the man was still on a call when the body was discovered. "The line hadn't been disconnected, and he had died like that. There were no signs of struggle or anything suspicious," he told Reuters.
"It appeared he had been on the call for about 12 hours. The phone screen had gone dark, but we could still see the call duration and confirm he was on a call."
Thongpaen said there had been no signs of assault or a break-in in the room. "We don't know who he was talking to," he said.
"I tried speaking into the phone, but there was no response. The line remained active, but there was no voice on the other end. The phone was locked so that we couldn't examine it further."
Read more here.