Latest news with #BiancaDeMarchi
Perth Now
01-07-2025
- Climate
- Perth Now
‘Stay indoors': NSW bomb cyclone arrives
Experts warn of a powerful storm cell that is set to smash the East Coast, millions of residents urged to prepare now. A fast-approaching and intensifying weather event dubbed a 'bomb cyclone' is on the doorstep of the NSW coast, with almost the entire State's eastern coastline under warning from the SES and the NSW Government. From midday, Sydneysiders near the coastline were told to 'stay indoors' by the NSW SES. Intense rain in city areas has begun, with regional areas copping an aggressive lashing of rain and wind. Residents across an 800km stretch of coastline are bracing for severe weather that's due to dump up to 200mm of rain. Credit: Bianca De Marchi / AAPIMAGE On Tuesday, the NSW SES raised the alarm over dangerous winds and intense rain. 'The NSW SES is advising people in the following areas to STAY INDOORS due to damaging winds, destructive winds: Coastal Areas between Bulli and Collaroy,' one warning said. NSW SES warning on July 1. Credit: NSW SES In the Greater Sydney area, warnings are in place in areas including Liverpool, Milperra, Penrith, Wallacia, Windsor, North Richmond and Camden 'Flash flooding is a high risk throughout the East Coast, where heavy rain could cut roads without warning. If you do need to be on the roads, drive with caution as we are expecting to see flash flooding by the afternoon commute,' the SES said. The system, however, stretches far beyond Greater Sydney. Surfers are seen in the water at Bronte in Sydney, Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Credit: Bianca De Marchi / AAPIMAGE From Bega on the NSW south coast, to Coffs Harbour on the north, residents are being warned of 'rapid' rain bursts. 'This system is fast-moving, different to recent events, and will bring rapid, heavy, short and sharp rain bursts,' NSW SES Deputy Commissioner Debbie Platz said on Tuesday. The BOM (Bureau of Meteorology) has warned of 120mm falling in just six hours in parts of Sydney and the Illawarra, and has told coastline residents to brace for 125km/h winds. 'A severe weather warning is current for Heavy rainfall, which may lead to flash flooding, is developing in the Illawarra south of Wollongong later today, extending southwards to reach Bega in the South Coast by evening,' the BOM said on Tuesday morning. Emergency services are reminding Australians not to drive, walk, swim or play in floodwater. 'People should stay away from flooded drains, rivers streams and waterways,' the NSW SES said on Tuesday. As the 'bomb cyclone' weather front ramps up, safety officials have forced Sydney Airport to scale back to one operational runway amid flight cancellation chaos. Millions of residents are being affected by the massive storm front that is hammering large areas of the east coast as Virgin and Jetstar cancel flights and commuters are warned by the SES about the afternoon journey home. Airservices Australia, the government body responsible for making air traffic safety calls, made the call to shut all but one runway. 'Airservices Australia has now enacted single runway operations at Sydney Airport due to strong south-westerly winds,' a statement said. 'This adheres to our International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) safety regulations for runway usage amid inclement weather. 'Safety is Airservices' No.1 remit; this decision is purely weather and safety-related to safeguard the travelling public.' Dubbed a 'bomb cyclone,' the system is technically known as bombogenesis, which is a rapidly developing storm that forms when atmospheric pressure drops sharply over a short period, creating an unstable air mass. The exact threshold for this pressure drop varies with latitude. In the Tasman Sea, it ranges from a fall of 18 hectopascals in 24 hours near Tasmania to 13 hectopascals closer to the NSW-Queensland border. This particular system is forecast to drop between 22 and 24 hectopascals per day, easily surpassing the bombogenesis threshold. The result? Torrential rain, destructive winds, and dangerous surf conditions across much of NSW. The Bureau's Community Information Lead, Angus Hines, said that the current event is shaping to bring most of the rainfall south, but warned it could take a subtle shift to bring some heavier rain into the mid north coast.
Courier-Mail
30-05-2025
- Business
- Courier-Mail
Commonwealth Bank customers experiencing issues with PayID, BSB transfers
Don't miss out on the headlines from Money. Followed categories will be added to My News. Commonwealth Bank customers have been left frustrated this afternoon after a system issue disrupted transfers via NetBank and the CommBank app. Commbank confirmed the problem in a statement released on Friday, reassuring customers it was working to fix an issue affecting outgoing payments. 'You may be unable to make transfers between your accounts or pay someone using PayID or BSB and account number in NetBank and the CommBank app,' the statement read. 'Thanks for your patience. We are sorry for the inconvenience.' The bank later released a statement saying the issue had been resolved at 2pm. Commonwealth Bank customers have been left frustrated this afternoon after a system issue disrupted transfers via NetBank and the CommBank app. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi The bank confirmed the problem in a statement released on Friday, reassuring customers it was working to fix an issue affecting outgoing payments. Users trying to transfer money have reported seeing a pop-up message saying: 'Something's gone wrong. Try again a little later.' The outage has triggered a spike in complaints, with around 400 users logging issues on tracking site DownDetector. Despite the disruption to digital transfers, CommBank said customers are still able to use their cards for payments and access cash via ATMs. Commbank informed the issue 'was restored at 2pm'. 'We have fixed an issue affecting some transfers from CommBank accounts,' a statement read. 'Customers can now make transfers between accounts and pay using PayID or BSB and account number in NetBank and the CommBank app. Payments using cards and ATMs were not affected. We are sorry for the inconvenience and thank customers for their patience.' Nevertheless, criticism has been flooding in online, with some customers declaring they will be switching banks. 'So over Commonwealth Bank, I've lost track of how many times this has happened over the years,' one woman wrote on Facebook next to a picture of an error message on her Netbank. 'This time I'm changing banks, not being able to access my own money when I need to pick my car up from the mechanics is infuriating. I'm out in the cold with a baby ffs. They were having problems last night too, Commonwealth Bank, fix your sh**!' There were many more angry customers commenting under a post on Commonwealth Bank's Facebook page. 'Commbank down again, do you people have an IT department, or just winging it? Total disgrace,' he said. 'Standing in line trying to transfer money, bloody over it,' another wrote. Originally published as Commonwealth Bank customers furious after widespread issues with PayID, BSB transfers
Herald Sun
30-05-2025
- Business
- Herald Sun
Commonwealth Bank customers experiencing issues with PayID, BSB transfers
Don't miss out on the headlines from Money. Followed categories will be added to My News. Commonwealth Bank customers have been left frustrated this afternoon after a system issue disrupted transfers via NetBank and the CommBank app. Commbank confirmed the problem in a statement released on Friday, reassuring customers it was working to fix an issue affecting outgoing payments. 'You may be unable to make transfers between your accounts or pay someone using PayID or BSB and account number in NetBank and the CommBank app,' the statement read. 'Thanks for your patience. We are sorry for the inconvenience.' The bank later released a statement saying the issue had been resolved at 2pm. Commonwealth Bank customers have been left frustrated this afternoon after a system issue disrupted transfers via NetBank and the CommBank app. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi The bank confirmed the problem in a statement released on Friday, reassuring customers it was working to fix an issue affecting outgoing payments. Users trying to transfer money have reported seeing a pop-up message saying: 'Something's gone wrong. Try again a little later.' The outage has triggered a spike in complaints, with around 400 users logging issues on tracking site DownDetector. Despite the disruption to digital transfers, CommBank said customers are still able to use their cards for payments and access cash via ATMs. Commbank informed the issue 'was restored at 2pm'. 'We have fixed an issue affecting some transfers from CommBank accounts,' a statement read. 'Customers can now make transfers between accounts and pay using PayID or BSB and account number in NetBank and the CommBank app. Payments using cards and ATMs were not affected. We are sorry for the inconvenience and thank customers for their patience.' Nevertheless, criticism has been flooding in online, with some customers declaring they will be switching banks. 'So over Commonwealth Bank, I've lost track of how many times this has happened over the years,' one woman wrote on Facebook next to a picture of an error message on her Netbank. 'This time I'm changing banks, not being able to access my own money when I need to pick my car up from the mechanics is infuriating. I'm out in the cold with a baby ffs. They were having problems last night too, Commonwealth Bank, fix your sh**!' There were many more angry customers commenting under a post on Commonwealth Bank's Facebook page. 'Commbank down again, do you people have an IT department, or just winging it? Total disgrace,' he said. 'Standing in line trying to transfer money, bloody over it,' another wrote. Originally published as Commonwealth Bank customers furious after widespread issues with PayID, BSB transfers
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
Forced landing 8 hours into Qantas flight
A Qantas flight direct from Perth to London has had to make an unexpected stop in the Maldives following a medical emergency on board. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi A Qantas flight direct from Perth to London has had to make an unexpected stop in the Maldives following a medical emergency on board. Flight QF9, which departed Perth airport at 6:35pm on Monday, was forced to divert from its course after flying for about eight hours. A Perth to London Qantas flight has unexpectedly grounded after an on-board incident. The 17 hour and 45 minute direct flight usually tracks across the Indian Ocean, over the Middle East and Eastern Europe before arriving at London Heathrow Airport. But the Boeing 787 aircraft had to make an unexpected stop in Malé, the capital city of the Maldives, at about 11:30pm after someone on board the aircraft suffered a medical emergency. ADVERTISEMENT The diversion resulted in operating crew reaching their duty limit, so the flight could not continue. Flight QF9 was forced to divert from its course and land in the Maldives following an on-board incident. Qantas staff from London have been flown to the Maldives to assist passengers who have been stranded. A Qantas spokesperson said the company apologised to impacted customers for the disruption to their journey and thanked them for their understanding. 'Earlier this morning our Perth to London service diverted to Malé in the Maldives due to a medical incident on-board,' they said. 'We're working with customers to rebook them on alternate flights out of Malé.' Qantas said customers are expected to be re-accommodated on other flights out of Malé within 24 hours.
SBS Australia
01-05-2025
- SBS Australia
'AI agents' to the rescue: How to work in a world with a distraction every two minutes
Microsoft's annual Work Trend Index shows nearly 47 per cent of Australian bosses are asking their employees to do more. Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi For Farid (not his real name), every notification that flashes on his screen while he's at work reinforces an "extreme stress". "[The notifications] were very annoying ... When I tried to focus on my task, they broke my focus and I had to jump to another task, even if it was just reading the first sentence of the notifications," he said. "Being distracted is not a good reason to give to your manager ... So I always try my best to finish my work, even if that sometimes means staying [on] after hours." That is why the IT engineer has chosen to disable notifications on his work device. Farid is among tens of thousands of Australian workers who have similar experiences every day. According to Microsoft's annual Work Trend Index, during a typical 9-to-5 workday, employees are interrupted every two minutes by "meetings, emails, or pings", averaging 275 interruptions a day. The recent report is based on data from 31,000 workers across 31 countries, including 1,000 from Australia. Herman Tse, professor of Leadership and Organisational Behaviour at Monash University, said: "constant emails, instant messengers, meetings, and live streams" are the main sources of distraction. "They're constantly bombarded by these kinds of instant demands from different sources: boss, peers, subordinates, requests and everything," he told SBS News. "Constant disruptions or distractions [will] reduce our cognitive attention ... The more these kinds of situations happen, the less likely we are to concentrate deeply on our work." The Microsoft report shows that in Australia, nearly half (47 per cent) of bosses are asking employees to do more, while almost 80 per cent of employees say they lack "the time or energy to keep up". This is what Microsoft's head of modern work, Lucy Debono, describes as a "capacity gap". "Essentially, we're not running out of work to do, but potentially we're running out of human capacity to do it," she told SBS News. There are several traditional solutions to help workers stay focused and deal with the 'capacity gap'. Tse suggests that office workers "don't attend redundant meetings" all the time, and could shift from "time management to attention management". "Try to block 90 minutes every morning, maybe from 9am to 10.30am — this is what we call the focus time. During this window, turn off the notifications of any digital devices and delegate the routine. "Without a clear structure of what I call a compass, an internal compass to focus on attention rather than only on time management, people will feel more fatigued." However, the modern-day workplace has access to new techniques to handle work distractions and improve efficiency. Enter artificial intelligence (AI). These methods are used in "frontier firms," companies that work based on human and AI teams. "AI can help to bridge this capacity gap," Debono said. "Turning to AI as that thought partner, like you would talk to a colleague, a friend, a teammate, that's where you start to get the real sort of value and return from an interaction. "Asking an AI [agent] to help organise your day, to summarise your emails, to prioritise your tasks, really helps you to stay much more focused on what you need to deliver and not to get distracted." The Microsoft research shows that 40 per cent of employees in Australia use AI as a thought partner, which is 12 per cent less than the average in Asia-Pacific countries. According to Microsoft, AI agents are an AI-powered system that can reason, plan and act to complete tasks or entire workflows autonomously, with human oversight at key moments. The Work Trend Index report predicts that in future, we will "see the rise of the agent boss — someone who builds, delegates to, and manages [AI] agents to amplify their impact". Debono said: "The research tells us that many leaders today see agents as a means to address the issue and help reduce the level of distraction in various ways. "What we see from this research is where human and agent teams come together, that's where we're going to have the most impact, the highest efficiency and human skills." The Microsoft report also shows that 40 per cent of business leaders report they are already using AI agents to fully automate their workstreams. Seventy-five per cent say they will use these agents in the next 12 to 18 months. However, a significant number of people say they don't trust using AI. A 2023 study by the University of Queensland found that only 34 per cent of Australians are willing to trust AI. "[Australian companies] are not [at] that forefront right now ... They're still concerned about whether they should trust AI [and] whether [it] will expose their information and will put them into danger," Tse said. "They still have a strong, what we call, psychosocial risk. That means wherever they rely more on AI, they show their employees that the human value of a job becomes less important. "They'd be afraid that they were more likely to be replaced by AI sooner rather than later."
