A high-profile lawyer remains in intensive care following an alleged assault in Whanganui’s CBD. Mark John Bullock was seriously injured and was flown to Wellington Hospital in the early hours of Saturday morning where he remains…

Elon Musk's looming acquisition of Twitter has the potential to make him "immense amounts of profit", one fund manager has claimed.

This morning Twitter confirmed its board had unanimously agreed to Mr Musk's US$44 billion ($61 billion) offer to acquire the platform after he had acquired funding.

The deal means Twitter will become a private company, meaning investors will receive US$54.20 ($75.60) per share that they own.

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Gareth Brown is the Co-Portfolio Manager for Forage Funds' International Shares Fund, which has a stake in Twitter on behalf of Australian retail investors.

He describes Twitter as "the one that got away", saying that despite the offer giving investors a "decent premium" Twitter never realised its true value as a public company.

"Musk has bought Twitter on a platform of delivering free speech to the world. With a bit of nous, he's going to make immense amounts of profit too," Mr Brown said.

"Likely hundred of billions of dollars. Unfortunately, our own investors will see almost none of it."

READ MORE: Elon Musk to buy Twitter

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1518623997054918657https://twitter.com/btaylor/status/1518664708177362944

Mr Brown said Twitter had a "gaping wide gulf" between its current value and the value it could be under ideal management and execution.

"Executing Twitter's difficult turnaround after years of falling short of potential while paying out immense, undeserved riches to staff via stock based compensation? That's now somebody else's problem," Mr Brown said.

"But more strongly, I feel disappointment. I'm disappointed that, over the years, the Twitter board couldn't do more to exploit that colossal gulf in value between what Twitter is and what Twitter could be.

"And now, opting to hand the baton to Musk, that same board has done little to extract blood from the new owner to pay the old owners for all that unrealised potential."

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Since news of the deal went public Twitter's stock rose by almost 6 per cent, ending trade at US$51.70.

Ben Laidler, Global Markets Strategist at social investment network eToro, said the surprising speed at which Twitter's board accepted the offer likely means many felt Twitter's stock was on the verge of a downward spiral.

"Such a quick capitulation by the Twitter board for a $54 per share bid, 30 per cent below the stock's price high of last year, likely reflects the tough outlook for the social media sector and the only gradual turnaround impact of CEO Parag Agrawal," Mr Laidler said.

"A successful Twitter bid may also raise concerns for Tesla (TSLA) shareholders, with its CEO becoming involved in yet another time-consuming venture and potentially selling down part of his 9.1 per cent stake, which is valued at over US$90 billion."

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It appears that time-consuming ventures are Mr Musk's forte.

At present, the South-African born entrepreneur is the co-founder and leader of several companies including Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink and The Boring Company.

Hi personal net worth as estimated by Bloomberg currently sits at US$257 billion ($357.71 billion), making him the richest man in the world by a gap of more than $120 billion – the equivalent GDP of European country Hungary.

It's also important to note that Mr Musk's net worth is not liquid – while he can buy anything for sale in the world, he does not have a single bank account with nine zeros after the figure.

His wealth is heavily tied into the stock options he owns in his own companies.

He is famously paid a salary of $0 by Tesla.

A second woman allegedly involved in the violent armed robbery of a Kmart store has been arrested.Sharice Walker-Grace made a brief appearance in the Hamilton District Court this morning on five charges including aggravated injury…

Superyachts linked to billionaire Russian oligarchs are still scrambling the world's oceans for safety, with some vessels using extreme tactics to disappear and avoid being seized.

According to Bloomberg data, at least nine Russian superyachts have broken international maritime guidelines by turning off their AIS transponders, a boat's satellite tracking signal, to "go dark" while trying to reach safe havens.

While the transponders are off, the superyachts have invariably sailed for the Russian port of Vladivostok or other friendly harbours, typically in the Middle East or Maldives.

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Two of Roman Abramovich's superyachts – the $820 million, 162-metre Eclipse and $808 million, 140-metre Solaris – are currently lingering in and around the Mediterranean coastline of Turkey, which has imposed no sanctions against Russia.

Meanwhile, Russian business tycoon Alisher Usmanov, who has a net worth of almost $25 billion, is desperately trying to stop his $417 million megayacht Alaiya being seized in the aftermath of losing his most prized marine asset, the $830 million Dilbar.

Two weeks ago, Germany authorities snared Dilbar, the world's largest superyacht, after they unpicked what agents described as a complex financial web which eventually revealed the giant ship was owned by Mr Usmanov's sister.

In an attempt to avoid sanctions, authorities claimed Mr Usmanov has shifted assets and cash into the names of his sisters.

READ MORE: Elon Musk to buy Twitter

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Yesterday, marine tracking websites showed Mr Usmanov's 111-metre Alaiya raising anchor in the Maldives' atolls, south-west of India.

It is not clear where the Alaiya could now be headed.

The high stakes, cat and mouse game between oligarch superyachts and global law enforcement agencies is unfolding in oceans and ports around the globe.

Last week, on behalf of the US, Fjiian authorities seized luxury superyacht the Amadea, which is believed to be owned by Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov.

It is thought the 106-metre Amadea, worth $436 million, was trying to sail across the Pacific to Vladivostok, when it docked in Fiji.

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https://twitter.com/OligarchYacht/status/1517915329594376192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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One superyacht which successfully made that journey was the 140-metre Nord, a $690 million vessel owned by steel billionaire Alexei Mordashov, now safely anchored in Vladivostok after departing the Maldives in March.

Some ships will "go dark" to try and avoid detection, Gur Sender of Windward, a marine surveillance and intelligence firm, told 9news.com.au.

"Sometimes vessels can intentionally and manually turn off their AIS and engage in what's referred to as dark activities," he said.

"Vessels engaging in such a behaviour are usually trying to conceal their real location or who they are meeting with."

READ MORE: The secretive state where Russia's oligarchs are fleeing

https://twitter.com/OligarchYacht/status/1518435643965288448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

There are a few instances when vessels can switch off their AIS transponders, Mr Sender said, such as when they are under threat of piracy, otherwise international regulations require all passenger ships to broadcast their positions.

As well as Mr Usmanov's Dilbar, numerous superyachts have been seized since financial sanctions were announced by the West, to punish Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Italy have seized an $808 million superyacht, called Sailing Yacht A, owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko.

Authorities have also detained Gennady Timchenko's Lena in the coastal city of Sanremo and Alexei Mordashov's Lady M has been impounded in Imperia.

Superyachts linked to Igor Sechin, Sergei Chemenov, Alexander Mikheev, Dmitrievich Pumpyansky have been seized in Spain and Gibraltar.

A further 33 people have died across New South Wales and Victoria as the states recorded an increased in COVID-19 cases.

Of the deaths, 18 were recorded in NSW and 15 in Victoria.

NSW recorded 9849 new coronavirus infections, an increase from yesterday's 7985; the day which marked the state's new reporting system.

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Victoria reported 9265 infections, which is a increase from yesterday where 7643 where recorded.

Hospitalisations have slightly increased across the two states.

The figures come as students in Victoria and NSW prepare to return for Term Two with eased restrictions this week.

In Victoria, the mask mandate for grades three to six have been scrapped, while those deemed close contacts no longer have to isolate.

READ MORE: Severe weather warnings in place across three states

The seven-day isolation rule for those close contacts and household contacts will be wound back in NSW.

However, daily rapid-antigen tests will still need to be taken.

Queensland

Queensland has recorded one death and a further 5142 COVID-19 cases.

This marks an increase in infections from yesterday, when 4639 cases were recorded.

Hospitalisations have also slightly increased, with 484 admission recorded. Thirteen people are in ICU.

Grabbing a shark by the tail and pushing it into water is not a task for the faint-hearted.

But a group of brave beachgoers proved they were up for the job, helping rescue one that washed ashore a Perth beach on Sunday.

The species, believed to be either a mako shark, was spotted swimming close to shore at Quinns Rocks in the afternoon before it became stuck.

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In videos, the distressed shark was seen thrashing in the shallow water while opening and closing its mouth.

At least seven men helped push the shark back into the ocean.

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The rescue comes a week after a WA family had a close encounter with a big great white shark off the coast.

The three- to four-metre beast attacked the motor of the Tuckerfields' boat and circled them for over an hour.

READ MORE: What we know about shark attack occurrences around Australia

In Australia there are two great white populations: an eastern population and a southern-western population.

Australia's leading scientific research body CSIRO said the size of the south-western population is "not yet determined".

However, it estimates there are about 1460 adults cruising the waters from western Victoria to north-west Western Australia.

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