Afternoon Update: Ley fends off leadership speculation; Musk’s $1tn pay plan; and 2025’s best Australian architecture

Good afternoon. Less than 24 hours after the Liberal party confirmed it would nail down its net zero emissions position next week, speculation was swirling around whether Sussan Ley will be the person to announce it. The opposition leader told reporters “I’m not going to comment on commentary” after senior Liberal senator Sarah Henderson claimed Ley was “losing support” among their colleagues. Other Liberal MPs insisted Ley’s position is safe for now, and Angus Taylor said he “absolutely” wasn’t planning a challenge. Meanwhile, the former Liberal leader John Hewson did not hold back in his assessment of Ley and the party she leads. Top news Chris Bowen agrees with UK PM that the ‘consensus is gone’ on fighting climate change ‘Long on talk and short on action’: Papua New Guinea leader criticises Cop climate summits ahead of Brazil meeting Qantas releases images of ultra long-range Airbus that will fly non-stop from Sydney to London and New York Tesla shareholders approve US$1tn pay package for Elon Musk Israel carries out wave of airstrikes on southern Lebanon Manchester United teenager James Overy handed shock Socceroos call-up In pictures More than 40 projects were recognised in Australia’s National Architecture awards, identifying contemporary designs that offer solutions to critical national issues, including housing shortages, affordability and the climate crisis. What they said … *** “Thanks, guys.” – Elon Musk Chants of “Elon” erupted after Tesla shareholders approved a US$1tn compensation plan for the carmaker’s CEO. It would be the largest corporate payout in history if the world’s richest person meets the goals necessary to receive it. Podcast Why net zero is dividing parliament, with climate minister Chris Bowen The minister for climate change and energy speaks to Guardian Australia’s political editor, Tom McIlroy, about Labor’s free solar power scheme for some homes and the Coalition’s continued infighting on emissions targets. Listen to the episode here. Before bed read As divorce rates rise and the cost of living bites, single mothers in China are looking for a new kind of partner – other single mothers. Helen Davidson meets Zhu Danyu and Fei Yuan, both single mothers, who now run a joint business and household. Daily word game Today’s starter word is: COO. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply. Sign up If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know with our Morning Mail newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland.