Oz Lotto makes history with $100m win, grim news for first-time buyers, Australian fears after Trump's latest move

Plus Australia could reach 50C as another heatwave sweeps the country.

albo xi trump
Australia looks set to be caught in the middle of a trade war between China and the US. Source: Getty

Yahoo's live news blog for Wednesday, February 5 has now concluded. Oz Lotto made history last night with its highest ever prize given to one player. A NSW woman thought she was being pranked when informed about her $100 million win.

It's bad news for Australians looking to get onto the property ladder, with a survey of Australian agents revealing the a huge majority expect prices to rise over 2025. They believe a slight dip in the market currently will be short-lived.

There are fears Australia could suffer as a result of tit-for-tat sanctions China has slapped on the US, with concerns a trade war could materialise.

See all of the day's updates below.

LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER15 updates
  • Featured

    Trump reveals audacious Gaza plan

    We're quickly learning nothing is off the table with Donald Trump, but even his latest announcement has led to a great deal of shock around the world.

    The US president declared on Tuesday (local time) that the US would take over the war-ravaged Gaza Strip after a separate plan for Palestinians to be resettled elsewhere.

    While details of his ambitious plan were sparse, he said he planned on developing it economically at a joint press conference with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    "We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site," Trump said.

    "If it's necessary, we'll do that, we're going to take over that piece, we're going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs, and it'll be something that the entire Middle East can be very proud of."

    Asked who would live there, Trump said it could become a home to "the world's people" and predicted it might become "the Riviera of the Middle East."

    Read more from Reuters here.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference with President Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time). Source: AP
  • Car owner's expensive mistake

    A Gold Coast couple are reeling after their insurer refused to pay out for their stolen $40,000 car despite it being locked up inside their garage.

    Their mistake? They left the keys inside the car. Budget Direct said that was a breach of the policy's regulations, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported.

    Owner Guy Broadbent argues the car was not unattended. “It is no different to them (thieves) breaking into the house, grabbing the car keys off the bench or out of a hand bag and stealing it," he said. But his appeals were rejected and remains out of pocket.

    So what do you think? Has he only got himself to blame?

  • Liz Hayes to leave Channel 9

    In some news just in, Channel Nine veteran Liz Hayes is leaving the network after 44 years.

    “I leave Nine grateful for the decades of experience, the wonderful friendships that have endured and deeply appreciative to the many people who trusted me to tell their stories," she said in a statement.

    Nine’s director of Television, Michael Healy called Hayes, 68, a TV legend.

    SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 30: Liz Hayes attends the 63rd TV WEEK Logie Awards at The Star, Sydney on July 30, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Wendell Teodoro/Getty Images)
    Liz Hayes pictured in 2023. Source: Getty
  • Suburbs north of Sydney told not to drink water straight from tap

    Residents north of Sydney have been told to boil their tap water after E. coli was detected in a local reservoir.

    Several Central Coast suburbs, including Copacabana where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last year purchased a $4.3m home, were told by council it was important those residents adhered to the instruction, including bathing children with sponges if they could not guarantee the water would avoid the mouth.

    The bacteria can cause diarrhoea and food poisoning while can also lead to more serious issues like pneumonia.

    Terrigal, North Avoca, Avoca Beach, Picketts Valley, Erina, Erina Heights, MacMasters Beach and Kincumber are the other suburbs instructed to boil their water.

  • Albo pressed on Trump's Gaza plan

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reiterated Australia’s commitment to a two-state solution in Gaza but stopped short of condemning extraordinary claims by US President Donald Trump to “take over” and “level” the Gaza Strip.

    Following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr Trump committed to do “what is necessary” to redevelop the site, including military deployment, and claimed the US would “supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area”.

    “The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” he told reporters alongside Mr Netanyahu.

    “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site.”

    Peppered with questions following Mr Trump’s announcement, Mr Albanese maintained Australia supported a ceasefire, and refused to offer a “running commentary” on Mr Trump’s political agenda.

    While he confirmed he has not received “any request regarding the rebuilding of Gaza,” he did not rule out the possibility of Australia providing military assistance to the US.

    “What I would say is that Australia’s position is the same as it was this morning, as it was last year, and it was 10 years ago, and it was under the Howard Government,” he said.

    “The Australian Government support on a bipartisan basis a two state solution in the Middle East.”

    During the tense press conference, Mr Albanese was careful not to give an opinion on Mr Trump’s call, and said his job was to “support Australia’s position”.

    “We have supported a cease fire. We have supported hostages being released, and we have supported aid getting into Gaza. There is a need to do that, and Australia is willing to assist getting aid into Gaza to provide that support,” he said.

    - NCA NewsWire

  • Famous tourist spot unrecognisable as visitors flee

    It's normally one of the busiest locations in Europe, with tourists jostling in idyllic coastal towns to get the perfect social media shot.

    But Santorini is a ghost town, with only a handful of people remaining after a series of earthquakes rocked the Greek island.

    Locals, workers and most tourists left the island on ferries and flights with fears the quakes could continue for several weeks.

    SANTORINI, GREECE - FEBRUARY 03: Residents and tourists scramble to leave Greek island on ferries and planes after 'barrage' of tremors in Santorini, Greece on February 03, 2025. Earthquake fears have prompted people to flee Santorini, as Greece's most popular island destination continues to be hit by what scientists described as a
    It's famous cliffside communities are basically empty. Source: Getty
    People queue on the platform to embark a ferry as they prepare to leave in the wake of recurring earthquakes, on the Greek Island of Santorini on February 4, 2025. Fresh overnight tremors shook Greece's top tourist island Santorini, media reports said, prompting people to sleep outdoors and others to leave by plane or ferry. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
    People queue to get off the island. Source: Getty
  • Expat blasts Aussies over train behaviour

    A Canadian expat has got Australians talking after she suggested etiquette on Perth trains is non-existent.

    Taking to Reddit, she said people repeatedly crowd the exits, no one takes their bags off to make room, people are reluctant to move as others pass and people don't give up seats to those who need them.

    The post resonated with many, who lamented the behaviour of others on public transport.

    Some suggested offenders were often oblivious and people had not yet caught up with Perth's rapid development. However others said the issue is widespread across the country.

    So are we that bad on public transport? Have your say below.

  • Bombshell claim after nurse convicted of murdering babies

    There's been a bombshell development in the case of Lucy Letby, the British nurse who was last year convicted of murdering seven babies.

    At a press conference in London, Canadian retired neonatologist Dr Shoo Lee, said his panel of 14 experts from six countries spent days, and in some cases weeks, looking through each case in which Letby was accused of killing or harming infants at the Countess of Chester hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.

    Of each case, he said: “We did not find any murders. In all cases, death or injury were due to natural causes or just bad medical care.”

    CHESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 3: In this frame from a police body-camera video provided by Cheshire Constabulary, Lucy Letby is arrested on July 3, 2018 in Chester, England.  Letby, a former nurse at Countess of Cheshire Hospital, was convicted on August 18, 2023 of murdering seven babies, and attempting to murder six more, in the hospital's neonatal ward between 2015 and 2016. She was found not guilty of two counts of attempted murder, while the jury did not reach verdicts on six further counts of attempted murder. (Handout photo by Cheshire Constabulary via Getty Images)
    Lucy Letby pictured on police bodycam during her arrest. Source: Getty

    Crucially, the panel - who delivered their assessment pro-bono and agreed to publish their findings even if it did not work in Letby's favour - said there was no evidence of a key murder method alleged by the prosecution – that she killed newborn babies by injecting them with air.

    Painting a picture of inadequate staffing, a lack of teamwork, misdiagnosis of babies and disregard for warnings about infections at the neonatal ward where Letby worked, Lee said that if some of these incidents had happened in a hospital in Canada "it would be shut down".

    Tuesday's conference comes one day after 35-year-old Letby's lawyers made an application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), in a bid to get her case back in the Court of Appeal, following two failed attempts to overturn her conviction.

    Read more from our UK team here.

  • Elon Musk triggers warning for Aussies

    Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young is calling for safeguards to stop tech billionaires gaining greater influence in Australian politics, calling the “control” the likes of Elon Musk wield over the Trump administration “scary”.

    Donald Trump tasked Mr Musk, the world’s richest person, with cutting back on government spending after the tech baron carried out a charm offensive on the US President in the lead-up to last year’s election.

    Since Mr Trump entered the White House for a second time last month, several of Mr Musk’s ideas have been given legs.

    Elon Musk has taken aim at Australia. Source: Reuters
    Elon Musk's influence on US politics should be a concern to Australians, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says. Source: Reuters

    Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has scrapped fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram in the wake of Mr Trump’s election in a move also broadly seen as favouring the new administration.

    Senator Hanson-Young, who is also her party’s communications spokeswoman, has long called for greater regulation of big tech.

    She has backed Labor’s proposals for a digital duty of care and a levy on social media companies to pay for news consumed on their platforms.

    But she warned on Wednesday that Labor and the opposition were “starting to crab-walk away from stronger regulations”.

    She also said the Albanese government appeared to be “following tune with the billionaires of just wanting to suck up to Donald Trump rather than taking on the agenda”.

    “I am concerned that Australia is trying to hide behind the couch and hope that Donald Trump and Musk and Zuckerberg and all of Donald Trump’s billionaire bros don’t notice us,” she told the ABC.

    “It’s not the type of politics we need here in Australia.

    “This creeping in of Trumpian policies into Australia and the type of the control that billionaires have over politics in the US right now is scary and it can’t be allowed to happen here.”

    - NCA NewsWire

  • Albo to list new $4.3 million home

    It's the $4.3 million house that made national headlines last year, and it's now up for rent.

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reportedly listed his recent Central Coast purchase for rent. The home sits in a prime cliffside spot in Copacabana and could earn him $1,000 a week, the Today show reported.

    At the time of the purchase, Albanese was accused of being out of touch with the everyday Aussie, with the country struggling with cost-of-living pressures.

    But Albanese defended the purchase, saying it was a home for him and wife-to-be Jodie Haydon, who grew up in the area.

    The home boasts unrivalled views of the Pacific. Source: McGrath
    The home boasts unrivalled views of the Pacific. Source: McGrath
  • Australia could reach 50C

    We've had some pretty punishing heat so far this summer but nothing compares to what could come to WA this week with a chance the mercury could top 50C.

    Weatherzone said extreme heat was forecast for the Pilbara and Kimberley districts, with possible readings of 50C on Friday.

    The forecaster said a combination of “stagnant or slow-moving weather systems” was allowing heat to built up.

    “To the southwest of WA lies a strong high pressure system, which has been directing furnace-like air from Australia’s interior towards the WA coast for several days and will continue to do so,” Weatherzone said.

    “In waters off northwest WA, Tropical Cyclone Taliah is also playing a part by warming nearby areas of the atmosphere as it releases latent heat energy.”

  • Australia likely to suffer from latest Trump move

    Australia is watching developments in the US and China very carefully after both slapped trade tariffs on each other.

    China retaliated to Trump's 10 per cent tariff on Chinese exports with a targeted response, including a 15 per cent levy on US coal and 10 per cent tariff on crude oil and some vehicles.

    While Labor has said it is confident Australia is in a good position when it comes to the US. But even if Australia avoids direct punishment from Trump, his move on China could well hurt us, Scott French, Senior Lecturer in Economics at UNSW wrote for The Conversation.

    "If Trump’s tariffs further slow the already sluggish Chinese economy, this will reduce demand for the goods it buys from Australia," he said.

    "If China’s demand for iron ore falls significantly, this will not only hurt the Australian mining sector, but it could trigger a fall in the Australian dollar, making the things Australians buy from abroad more expensive."

    albo xi trump
    Albanese is well aware Australia could get caught up in a US-China trade war. Source: Getty
  • Grim prediction for Aussie hopefuls

    Well this is not the news young Aussies wanted to hear. Those looking to get onto the property market are being told prices are only going to rise throughout 2025 despite a slight dip giving hope to first-time buyers.

    The vast majority of the 2400 real estate professionals surveyed by Corelogic say values will rise this year, although not as quickly as 2024.

    One in four agents believe the rise will be more than five per cent. Just 12 per cent believe a drop in the market will materialise.

    There are concerns a series of interest rate cuts will fuel competition as buyers are granted more borrowing capacity.

  • Woman makes Oz Lotto history

    Oz Lotto history has been made after a NSW woman became the recipient of the biggest prize ever received in the game's 31-year history.

    The woman initially thought she was being pranked on Tuesday night after The Lott officials got in touch about her $100 million win.

    "What the hell! Can you repeat that? Oh my god. Don’t lie to me. You better not be pranking me! I don’t know whether to believe you or not," she said.

    Read all about her win here.

  • Toddler dies after being left in car

    A one-year-old girl has died after she was left inside a car outside a childcare centre for what police believe was “an extended period of time”.

    Emergency services were called after the baby was found unresponsive in the vehicle on Mararna Rd, Earlwood about 5.35pm on Tuesday.

    “This is an absolute tragedy - the death of a one-year-old baby girl ... this is a most traumatic event,” Superintendent Christine McDonald, Commander of Burwood Police Area Command told reporters.

    The cause of death is yet to be determined, but NSW Police believe she was left inside the vehicle. Temperatures in the area reached almost 30C on Tuesday afternoon.

    Superintendent McDonald said all lines of inquiry were being investigated by detectives from Burwood Police Area Command.

    - NCA NewsWire

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