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10 things you need to know this morning in Australia

Good morning!

1. The Aussie dollar tripped at the finish line on Friday, after hopeful US-China trade negotiations failed to lift the Aussie's spirits. China's Q4 GDP data will be released today, hopefully stimulating some positive activity. Don't forget, US markets are closed for Martin Luther King day.

2. A Netflix for gaming is in the works. Microsoft sees a gaming future that could kill the gaming console in the way that Netflix killed the DVD player. Players can stream blockbuster gaming experiences straight to the device of their choice.

3. Living on a farm while running a global tech company -- sounds pretty great, huh? The CEO behind anti-malware company Emsisoft has no offices and he's never met his employees in real life. He checks in with tech teams across Asia, Europe and the US with a pause to feed the sheep and chickens on his farm. He's nailing work-life balance.

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4. Brexit pundits are still waiting to see which way Brexit will swing now that May's deal has been viciously shut down. Both pro-Europe and pro-Brexit parties voted the deal down in hopes that they could gain more territory in the intervening weeks, but it's looking as though any new deals would have a more gentle departure for the UK.

5. Finally! A sign that Trump could be helping US stock markets, simply by surviving long enough to enter his third year of presidency. The third year has previously had the strongest financial results in the term, as the US government gears up for an election year. While there is no guarantees, the US markets could use a little good news.

6. Roger Federer is out. The 20-time major singles tennis champ has been knocked out of the Australian Open by 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek, who has been studying Federer's game since he was six, said "My idol today became pretty much my rival," after his stunning four-set victory over the Swiss. Meanwhile, Aussie Ashleigh Barty has clinched her first-ever grand slam quarter-final appearance with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over former world No.1 Maria Sharapova in Melbourne. Go Barty!

7. Vietnam is preparing to host a meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un next month. After their first meeting at the Singapore Summit in 2018 the two leaders are reportedly keen to meet again, despite disagreements over denuclearisation. The location, chosen by the White House, is an interesting backdrop to the meeting given the echoes of the Vietnam war.

8. The internet was born flawed. But if it hadn’t been, it might not have grown into the worldwide phenomenon it’s become. That’s the take of Vint Cerf, widely considered to be one of the fathers of the international network and helped officially launch it in 1983. Here are the two big problems that even if Cerf had to do it all over again, he probably wouldn't fix.

9. The Canadian border in upstate New York has become an attractive path for asylum seekers who are leaving the US for Canada. It comes amid Trump's recent deal to end the US government shutdown was firmly rejected.

10. Being rich has very little to do with your paycheck. This researcher has studied 600 millionaires in the US to build a snapshot of wealth and discovered a common misconception along the way.

BONUS ITEM: This video has gone viral after an American gymnast scored a perfect 10/10 for her performance. The video received support from the likes of Janet Jackson to Molly Ringwald to Rev Jesse Jackson.

https://www.facebook.com/UCLAGymnastics/videos/378804782683119/

You can also watch the original here.


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