Pat Cummins and David Warner have landed back in Australia from India via the Maldives.(Brendon Thorne - Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
Good morning folks and welcome to another week.
1. Australian cricketers and support staff have begun touching down in Sydney after fleeing the COVID-19 crisis in India via the Maldives. David Warner and Pat Cummins are among the group of more than 30 people on the flight, after the Indian Premier League was shutdown and players began testing positive earlier this month.
2. Israel could be moving towards a ceasefire with Hamas, after it reportedly achieved 'several key military objectives' in the bloody conflict. The recent fighting has claimed the lives of more than 180 Palestinians and 10 Israelis.
3. Bill Gates might remain one of the world's most powerful people, but his divorce may have opened up the floodgates for leaks into his work and personal life. The New York Times reports Gates made employees at both Microsoft and his philanthropic Foundation uncomfortable, as he openly pursued female workers while still married. Gates denies all allegations.
4. Would you use your super to buy a home? Nearly one in two young Australians say they would dip into retirement savings to purchase a property, as the Coalition increasingly considers such policies. Economists and opponents have warned the extra cash will only push prices up, but there's clearly a strong appetite among those who feel priced out altogether.
5. The University of Sydney has warned Australia cannot live as a 'hermit nation' as the education sector begins to publicly lobby the government to open international borders this year. While the Morrison government threw universities a $1 billion rescue package for their research arms, they claim there will be a multi-billion dollar hole in the economy if international students don't return. "We must accept that global elimination of COVID-19 is unlikely. Australia needs a roadmap to safely reengage with the world with the same success as we closed down," Mark Rigotti, chair of the taskforce in charge of the report, said.
6. Occupying some of its most prime real estate, Sydney's latest luxury apartments are going to cost you. After the penthouse went for an incredible $140 million, Sydney Harbour One has begun opening up sales to the public starting at $2 million a pop. Here's an inside look at what all the fuss is about.
7. The buy now, pay later sector is headed for a day of reckoning, according to one of its biggest Australian players. Humm CEO Rebecca James acknowledged "there are questions about the pathway to profit" and the future sustainability of some Australian companies competing in the crowded field. "We are going to start to see - especially if these market conditions remain - the pointy end of this BNPL run," she said.
8. Donald Trump's new foray into blogging has gotten off to a stumbling start. The former US President's site crashed after he posted more unverified claims of election fraud in the democratic race that removed him from the White House. Critics have claimed he's simply "shouting into the void" in an attempt to "maintain celebrity status and keep selling new merchandise".
9. NFTs entered horse racing over the weekend. The 100-year-old Preakness Stakes in the US became one of the first professional sports event to hold a real-time minting of a digital collectible. Basically, you'll get to buy footage of the race directly after for presumably millions of dollars. What an opportunity.
10. A self-driving future might be a little further away after a taxi got out of control over the weekend. Going rogue with a YouTuber in the backseat, the car blocked traffic and evaded officials for 20 minutes, all of it captured on video of course.
BONUS ITEM
A 28-year-old woman has been charged after entering a US high school to promote her Instagram. It's alleged she dressed up as a high schooler, complete with a backpack and skateboard and began handing out fliers promoting her social media account. You know, just as any 15-year-old might.
Uncanny.