Cricket Australia has reached out to Cameron Bancroft to see if he has "new information" about the sandpaper scandal after newspaper comments.

Sky News host Andrew Bolt says to get to the point of opening the borders, slowly, carefully and after the venerable have been vaccinated in Australia, our leaders must start planning now. Mr Bolt said our leaders must now start "preparing the public" for this change. "Convince them that yes, there is a risk, but it is a small one, a worthwhile one, one that we can manage, and we should manage," Mr Bolt said. "The prime minister today missed that chance to start talking of what he's going to be doing to be able to open our borders". "But here's my worry. The next federal election is likely this year or early next. "Does anyone really think this very poll-focused prime minister will dare to open the borders before then." "Now the prime minister does want Australia to stay under the doona".

“It’s a great time to be an American tourist.”

Such a statement would have been nonsensical a year ago, when the COVID-19 surge in the United States was so grim that Americans, who are accustomed to traveling most places without issue, were considered personae non gratae across much of the rest of the world. But Tom Jenkins, the CEO of the European Tourism Association, stands by it: When European countries reopen their borders to tourists—as they expect to do this summer—they hope Americans will be at the front of the line.

Not only is the U.S. one of the most important countries for European tourism, but it’s also now one of the most vaccinated in the world. Yet the idea that Americans would be desired, or even preferred, guests in Europe runs in stark contrast to a more long-standing stereotype—that of the “ugly American” tourist. You know the type: loud (especially on public transportation), bumbling, boorish, and often sporting the quintessential uniform of socks and sandals, a baseball cap, and a backpack worn on the front. “Our correspondents felt American tourists had few social graces,” the humorist Art Buchwald wrote in 1957 about how Americans were perceived across the Atlantic. “They objected to Americans ‘taking moving pictures of them,’ ‘throwing around money,’ ‘talking loudly,’ [and] ‘bragging about the American way of life.’”

Popular culture is awash with examples of the ugly American tourist, perhaps none more apt than Clark Griswold in the 1985 film National Lampoon’s European Vacation. In one scene, Griswold (portrayed by Chevy Chase) and his family find themselves trapped in a London roundabout, seemingly unable to navigate driving on the left side of the road. In another scene, a lederhosen-clad Griswold joins a German folk dance that, thanks to his lack of coordination, quickly descends into chaos. In true tourist fashion, the family has complaints about European food and the rudeness of Parisians. “We’re the ambassadors of America here,” Griswold tells his kids on the Paris leg of their trip, in an attempt to boost morale. “If we want to be accepted here, we’ve got to try to fit in, speak the language, wear French clothes. And that’s why I got us all berets!” The Griswolds may be the stars of the show, but they are also the butts of an international joke.

Americans have largely internalized the ugly-American caricature. Maybe that’s because, at one point or another, we’ve all been one. I am no exception: On a trip to Rome, I jokingly asked my college friends if the Colosseum was modeled after the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum back home. They laughed. A tour guide who was unfortunately within earshot (remember: American tourists are loud), however, did not. Her glare was enough to make me realize that, in that moment, I was being that American. I spent the rest of the day trying to quietly blend in.

[Read: The declining power of the American passport]

This isn’t to say that American tourists are unwelcome in Europe. If anything, they are more important than ever. According to the European Travel Commission, the European Union received 30 million American visitors in 2019 alone—more than the number of tourists from China, Canada, and Australia combined.

When I asked people working in Europe’s tourism industry about the ugly-American cliché, they told me that Americans give it more credence than locals do. “The perception of the American tourist is a little self-made,” Ettore Bellardini, a tour guide who works with English-speaking audiences in Rome, told me, noting that apart from some lighthearted jokes about American culinary habits (the propensity for ordering cappuccinos with dinner and ketchup with pasta being among the strangest), Italians have nothing but love for their American guests. “We can’t wait for Americans to come back.”

“Only in America do you have the idea of the ugly American tourist,” said Jenkins, from the European Tourism Association. “Nobody hates tourists more than a fellow tourist. Running into a compatriot abroad is an acutely painful experience. It’s a bit like hearing your own voice.”

Real or imagined, if ever there was a time to send the ugly-American trope packing, it’s this summer. Americans already have the privilege of being more widely vaccinated than people from most other countries. Many also have unspent vacation days. And those lucky enough to have saved money during the pandemic are suddenly finding themselves with disposable income. This, at least, is what European countries are counting on. Tourism makes up 10 percent of the continent’s GDP, and significant shares of the economies of tourist destinations such as Italy, Greece, and Spain. While the sector may survive one lost summer season, the millions of people who work within it can’t afford to lose another. The return of American tourists, even if in modest numbers compared with pre-pandemic years, could play a huge role in its recovery.

[Read: For one glorious summer, Americans will vacation like the French]

But if Americans aren’t careful, they could do more harm to their reputation than good—particularly if they bring with them U.S. culture wars over the coronavirus and fail to adhere to COVID-19 restrictions in place abroad. So far, they haven’t been off to the best start: mainland American tourists in Puerto Rico have reportedly flouted many of the island’s public-health protocols, including its mask mandate and midnight curfew. Although many European countries are in the process of reopening their economies, some still have restrictions in place. And while the EU’s vaccination program has picked up speed in recent months, a European Commission spokesperson told me that the bloc isn’t projected to have enough doses to inoculate 70 percent of its adult population until July, which means that many Europeans could still be unvaccinated by the time tourists arrive.

“I’m watching the news from here, and I know there’s a pretty big anti-mask movement ... in the United States,” Sarah May Grunwald, a sommelier who leads wine tours and tastings in Rome, told me. “I just hope that people who visit don’t bring that mentality here.”

Sky News host Peta Credlin says thousands of Victorian families are set to be slugged by increases to stamp duty and land tax. "Jobs will be hit in industries under pressure," Ms Credlin said. Ms Credlin spoke to the Victorian Executive Director of the Property Council of Australia, Danni Hunter. "There is no doubt in our mind that this is a tax on Victorian families, a tax on Victorian jobs and a tax on Victorian investment," Ms Hunter told Sky News. "In so many ways this tax will hit families, will hit workers, will hit investment and new projects through land tax hikes, the stamp duty increases and also the new tax on investment".

With people unable to travel overseas, business is booming for Gerry Ryan’s Jayco caravans business as holiday-makers hit the road around Australia.

The acting Israeli Ambassador to Australia, Jonathan Peled, says there is an "obsession" and an "anti-Israeli wave" which is based on a lot of disinformation. "People who are really ignorant and don't know the facts obviously like to side with the weaker side," Mr Peled told Sky News. He said those people are "not getting the story true". Me Peled spoke of various aspects of the escalating Israel-Palestine conflict. "I hope very much that we can bring this to a very speedy end within the next couple of days".

Sky News host Chris Kenny says journalists who gave Australians “anti-Israel bias” in their reporting are now looking for more support in their anti-Israel campaigning. Mr Kenny said he has shown how the ABC is “misreporting and misrepresenting events in the Middle East" as he spoke of the unfolding events in the Israel-Palestine conflict and its portrayal in the media. He discussed a recent push among some journalists in Australia, “with the encouragement of the journalists’ union,” who are signing up to an open letter complaining about coverage of these issues. “Not because of its anti-Israel bias but because they don't think it is sufficiently pro-Palestinian,” Mr Kenny said. “Apparently dozens of journalists have signed this in Australia. No doubt many from the ABC,” he said. “So, journalists who give us anti-Israel bias in their reporting are now looking to get more support for their anti-Israel campaigning, and they even demand immunity from criticism for their bias. “They reckon they ought to be able to campaign against Israel, instead of being objective journalists, but be free from any sanction professionally over this. “Just more proof that the journalists’ union is a big part of the problem in this era of fake news.”

Bruce Beresford is one of Australia’s best known and most versatile film directors. The films range from those early classic renditions of David Williamson’s Don’s Party and The Club to Breaker Morant, with its dazzling courtroom drama, and Driving Miss Daisy, which won the Oscar for best film.

Virgin Australia’s chief executive has likened COVID-19 to the flu and says she wants the international border to reopen soon even if it unfortunately means “some people may die” from the virus.

Australia Food & Fibre – a joint venture between the Robinson family and PSP Investments has purchased Australian cotton producer Auscott.