Good morning, it's Tuesday, April 26. Here's what you need to get going today.
One thing to know right now: Elon Musk is buying Twitter
After lots of back and forth it's official: The world's richest man will own the social media platform Twitter. Here's the lowdown:
- The billionaire will stump up a lot of cash to make it happen — $61 billion ($US44 billion)
- Discussions over the deal, which last week appeared uncertain, accelerated over the weekend after Mr Musk wooed Twitter shareholders with financial details of his offer. Twitter had initially rebuffed the billionaire's approach
- Here's what he had to say this morning as the deal was announced:
- Shares in Twitter rose 6 per cent, to $52 per share. On April 14, Mr Musk had announced his offer to buy the social media platform for $54.20 per share. While the stock is up sharply since his offer, it is well below the high of $77 per share it reached in February 2021
- And *just* in case you're wondering, former president (and prolific tweeter) Donald Trump has already said he won't return to Twitter, even if his account is reinstated
- Mr Trump told Fox News that he will formally join his own Truth Social startup over the next seven days as planned, saying:
One thing you’ll be hearing about today: UN chief to visit Russia, Ukraine
- Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is scheduled for a Russia visit on Tuesday, and is expected to meet Vladimir Putin, followed by a visit to Ukraine
- However, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticised the Secretary-General for visiting Moscow before going to Kyiv. A spokesperson for the UN has said about the visit:
- And in news this morning, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Ukrainian conflict would end with an agreement but its content would depend on the military situation
- Meanwhile, Finland and Sweden will begin NATO application in May, according to local media reports. Tabloid newspapers Iltalehti in Finland and Expressen in Sweden cited sources close to the matter, saying they planned to meet from May 16.
And in election news:
- Labor is due to today unveil a major package designed to boost Australia's relationship with Pacific island countries
- It includes an increase to development assistance in the region, ADF training for Pacific defence and police force members, as well as more money for maritime surveillance and $8 million annually over four years for the ABC broadcasting in the Pacific.
News while you snoozed
Let's get you up to speed.
- And, in more Donald Trump news, the former president has been ordered to pay $US10,000 a day until he complies with a New York judge's ruling to produce documents in a civil probe. It's part of a civil investigation into his business dealings
- The US medicines regulator has granted the first full approval for a drug treating COVID-19 in children — Remdesivir has been authorised for those aged 28 days and older. It's a big step towards treating severe infection for young children, in the absence of an age-appropriate vaccine
- The ABC can reveal Australia's top defence official, Defence Department Secretary Greg Moriarty, will visit the UK for talks on Ukraine and inspect the British Type 26 program, which Australia's future warships will be based on. However, independent senator Rex Patrick says the trip shows the frigate program is in trouble:
The news Australia is searching for
- Melissa Lucio: Overnight, an appeals court has delayed her Texas execution so a lower court can review the case, amid growing doubts about whether she fatally beat her 2-year-old daughter, in a case that has garnered the support of lawmakers, celebrities and even some of the jurors who sentenced her to death
- New Zealand Warriors: That'd be the absolute rout in the NRL's Anzac Day match, when the Melbourne Storm posted a record 70-10 win.
One more thing: Would you switch to ground-up flies for dinner? It might help the planet
A study by scientists in Finland has found there could be huge environmental benefits from consumers switching their diets towards so-called "novel foods".
The proposed diets would replace animal meat with edible algae or meat grown in a laboratory — and the scientists looked at things like protein powders made from mushrooms and egg whites from lab-grown chicken cells.
Their research says the diet changes could have enormous impacts on the planet, such as saving water, freeing up land for forests and wildlife, and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
That's it for now
We'll be back later on with more.
ABC/wires
