Weekly News Roundup

Record $100m Powerball jackpot on offer — there were two winners

TWO entries have grabbed a $50 million slice of the equal-largest division one lottery prize pool in Australian history.

However, as desperate punters rushed to find out whether they would win the cash last night, the Oz Lotteries website crashed.

Minutes before the draw was aired on TV, the site’s error page declared: “It’s not you, it’s us!”

A ticket sold in Sydney and another online to someone in Victoria were the only two to get a taste of the $100 million Powerball jackpot by correctly selecting 3, 13, 27, 31, 32, 33, 35 and the powerball 3.

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Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, dead at 76

LEGENDARY singer Aretha Franklin has died at home in Detroit, aged 76.

The music icon, who influenced generations of singers with unforgettable hits such as Respect (1967), Natural Woman (1968) and I Say a Little Prayer (1968), was surrounded by family and friends when she died at 9.50am on Thursday local time.

“It is with deep and profound sadness that we announce the passing of Aretha Louise Franklin, the Queen of Soul,” her family said in a statement issued by her publicist.

“In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart.

“We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family. The love she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins knew no bounds.”

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Italy launches probe over bridge collapse

The Italian government has launched an investigation into toll road operator Autostrade per l’Italia following the collapse of a bridge in Genoa which claimed at least 38 lives.

The ministry of transport said on Thursday it had given the company 15 days to show it had previously met all its contractual obligations to ensure the proper functioning of the bridge to avoid accidents.

If the justifications provided by the company, a unit of infrastructure group Atlantia, were judged inadequate, Rome would consider it a breach of the terms of the group’s toll-road concession.

A section of the bridge gave way on Tuesday in busy lunchtime traffic, plunging dozens of vehicles 50 metres below.

In a statement, the transport ministry said it wanted the Atlantia unit to immediately commit to rebuilding the bridge at its own expense and within a limited amount of time.

It also called on the company to foot the bill for work to restore the buildings and areas damaged by the accident.

Atlantia, controlled by the Benetton family, owns around 88 percent of Italy’s biggest toll-road concessionary.

This weekly news roundup is curated with stories from news.com.au