10 things you need to know this morning in Australia

Folks! We made it to Friday. You may be surprised to hear I have a number of stories for you, which are either directly or indirectly related to the coronavirus.

More than 1.3 million Australians are on the Jobseeker Allowance, according to official figures, as the economy haemorrhages jobs

Nearly one million Australians have applied for JobSeeker in the last six weeks, the government's unemployment support payment and the successor to Newstart, according to government figures.

13cabs has partnered with Woolworths to deliver groceries, following a significant drop in demand for taxis

13cabs has teamed up with Woolworths to let its drivers conduct online delivery services. This will be done under 13cabs' delivery service 13things.

Woolworths posted its strongest quarterly sales growth in more than a decade, but warned of a coming cost blowout

Woolworths posted its strongest quarterly sales growth in more than a decade, with group sales rising 10.7 per cent to $16.5 billion in the March quarter, but warned that a cost blowout and big monthly losses in hotels would offset some of the benefits.

NAB's latest coronavirus hardship measure threatens to hurt customers more than it helps them

NAB has automatically reduced all minimum repayments for credit card customers, regardless of circumstance. The policy, while seeming generous, threatens to cost customers more in the long-run as interest, at rates as much as 19.99%, continue to accumulate.

The ACCC has greenlit the merger of Gumtree and the parent company of Carsguide

The ACCC has approved the merger of Gumtree and Cox Media, the parent company of Carsguide and Autotrader. Carsguide and Autotrader provide online vehicle classifieds.

Ola is now offering 'super-sanitised' rides in the most confusing coronavirus feature yet

Ola has launched a new offering called Ola Pro, promising a "super sanitised" version of its rideshare service. Users will be separated with a platic "hygiene screen" from their drivers, who in turn will be supplied with a kit containing hand sanitiser, gloves, antibacterial wipes and face masks.

Warren Buffett's favourite stock-market indicator hits record high, signalling a crash could be coming

Warren Buffett's preferred stock-market gauge hit a record high, signalling stocks are overvalued and a crash could be coming. The "Buffett indicator" divides the total value of publicly traded stocks by quarterly GDP.

Amazon's Q1 profit misses Wall Street estimates even as sales jump on a surge in consumer demand

Amazon reported its first-quarter earnings on Thursday after the bell. Amazon's sales grew faster than expected as more people shopped online amid COVID-19.

Spotify surges 17% after reporting 31% jump in paid subscribers amid coronavirus lockdowns

Spotify surged as much as 17% on Wednesday after reporting a 31% jump in paid subscribers amid the coronavirus lockdown. The Swedish company said "Every day now looks like the weekend" as consumer listening habits change dramatically due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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10 things you need to know this morning in Australia

Hello team, and welcome to Thursday. At least, I think it's Thursday. Days don't really carry a lot of meaning at the moment.

Coles and Woolworths are axing purchase limits on items like toilet paper and tissues, as customer demand continues to ease

Woolworths and Coles are lifting some of their product restrictions once again. Woolworths is ditching restrictions altogether on tissues, frozen veggies, pasta, baby wipes, canned spaghetti, baked beans, paper towels and disposable gloves.

Coles reported a 13% upswing in sales thanks to coronavirus panic buying – the strongest sales growth in the company's history

Supermarket giant Coles has reported a massive 13 per cent upswing in sales over the first three months of the year as coronavirus panic buying saw people rush into its stores.

Some retailers are turning their shops into 'dark stores' as consumers turn to online shopping. Here's what experts say about the trend.

With Australians ramping up their online shopping during the coronavirus pandemic, some retailers have turned to 'dark stores'. These stores are not opened to the public and instead have staff that pick inventory that is then sent to those who order online.

Australia Post is hiring 600 additional casual workers as demand for parcel delivery rises

Australia Post has started recruiting 600 casual workers to help with its parcel delivery demand. Deliveries have averaged nearly 2 million parcels a day since before Easter.

These are the most popular skills Australians are learning as they adjust to working from home

Australian professionals are increasingly dedicating their time at home to upskill online, with LinkedIn Learning seeing 15% growth during the month of April.

Australia has enraged China after backing Trump's call for an investigation into how the coronavirus pandemic started

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called for an independent investigation into the coronavirus pandemic, describing it as a "very reasonable and sensible course of action."

LIVE: Facebook shrugs off coronavirus concerns to report 'stability' in ad revenue, sending stock soaring 10%

Facebook announced its Q1 2020 earnings on Wednesday. Its user numbers surged, while its revenue was better than Wall Street was expecting. The results pushed the company's stock up 10% in after-hours trading.

17 tech gadgets that make my life easier — from a $17 cable to a $1,819 iPad Pro

I've tried a ton of great tech over the past two and a half years, but some gadgets stand out way more than others. These are 17 gadgets and accessories I rely on all the time, from cheap cables to Apple's latest iPad Pro.

With so many mixed messages circulating during the COVID-19 outbreak, here are 3 important points for workers and business owners

The way Australians are working has changed dramatically during the global coronavirus pandemic. Those who can work remotely are finding the best ways to adjust their lives accordingly, while business owners are working out how to navigate the challenges ahead and adapt to a "new normal".

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