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Drunk couple forces emergency landing after mid-air meltdown

<p>A Ryanair flight to Ibiza had to be diverted after a drunk couple allegedly assaulted cabin crew and other passengers. </p> <p>The plane, carrying holiday-makers from Manchester to Ibiza had to make an emergency landing in Toulouse, where police hauled the intoxicated passengers off the plane. </p> <p>A British traveller on the flight, who asked to remain anonymous, recalled the man "swigging duty free vodka" on the first hour of the flight, before he started arguing with a male cabin crew member and punched him in the face. </p> <p>As they tried to restrain him, the intoxicated man assaulted another passenger and spat at a woman, hurling verbal abuse at her. </p> <p>“He was kicking off with everyone, he was out of control,” the witness said.</p> <p>Flight attendants reportedly warned him that the flight would have to be diverted if he didn't calm down, but he replied: “I don’t give a f***.” </p> <p>The altercation lasted for about 40 minutes until Flight FR2626 had to land in Toulouse, and 12 police officers took him away in custody. </p> <p>Video of the attack showed the man shouting and swearing at the police, before assaulting another traveller as he was being escorted off the flight. </p> <p>After he left the plane, his partner started harassing another traveller, hitting him and calling him a "paedo". </p> <p>In another video, police were filmed physically restraining the woman, before removing her from the plane. </p> <p>The flight spent just over an hour and a half on the tarmac at the Toulouse-Blagnac Airport before continuing its journey to Ibiza.</p> <p>Just last week Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary called for flyers to be limited to two drinks at airports to crack down on disorderly behaviour on flights. </p> <p>“We don’t want to begrudge people having a drink," he said. </p> <p>“But we don’t allow people to drink-drive, yet we keep putting them up in aircraft at 33,000ft.</p> <p>“In the old days, people who drank too much would eventually fall over or fall asleep. But now those passengers are also on tablets and powder.</p> <p>“It’s the mix. You get much more aggressive behaviour that becomes very difficult to manage.”</p> <p>The airline has started carrying out hand luggage checks to stop passengers on flights to Ibiza and the Greek islands from smuggling duty-free alcohol on-board. </p> <p>A Ryanair spokesperson has apologised for the incident saying:  “This flight from Manchester to Ibiza diverted to Toulouse after a small group of passengers became disruptive in-flight." </p> <p>“The crew called ahead for police assistance, who met the aircraft upon landing at Toulouse and offloaded two passengers before this flight continued to Ibiza.</p> <p>“We sincerely apologise to passengers for any inconvenience caused as a result of these unruly passengers’ behaviour, which was beyond Ryanair’s control. This is now a matter for local police.”</p> <p><em>Image: news.com.au</em></p>

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Novak Djokovic’s “disgusting” meltdown

<p><span>Novak Djokovic has been unceremoniously called out by fans and Australian Open viewers after throwing an ugly tantrum that resulted in a destroyed racquet and a code violation.</span><br /><br /><span>The world no. 1 has battled his way into the semi-finals, but not without smashing his racquet into pieces – forcing a ball girl to sweep debris off the court.</span><br /><br /><span>Djokovic dealt with a gruelling slugfest for almost four hours, against German Alexander Zverev, but did go on to win their quarter-final 6-7 (8-6) 6-2 6-4 7-6 (8-6) on Tuesday night.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a>: Novak Djokovic took his frustrations out on his racquet, leading to a code violation. The World No.1's outburst was so explosive that a ballgirl was forced to pick up the debris minutes afterwards with a dustpan. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/9Today?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#9Today</a> <a href="https://t.co/ChRYdFWKwO">pic.twitter.com/ChRYdFWKwO</a></p> — The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTodayShow/status/1361757870325383173?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><br /><span>It was during his third that he was set off and obliterated his racquet. The spark of frustration seemed to kickstart him to comeback in the set however, after falling behind 4-1 in the third.</span><br /><br /><span>"It was a relief for me, but I wouldn't recommend this kind of relief channelling," Djokovic said.</span><br /><br /><span>"I'm not proud of these kind of moments....I have my own demons that I have to fight with, and I'm sure everybody else has them too."</span><br /><br /><span>Djokovic is currently recovering from an abdominal strain, saying he has “never experienced this kind of injury during a grand slam and (been able to) keep going.”</span><br /><br /><span>"The positive thing is that I actually felt the best from the beginning of the second set until the end of the match that I have since when the injury happened.”</span><br /><br /><span>Fans were less than impressed with Djokovic's outburst, and took to Twitter to share their frustrations.</span><br /><br /><span>“Djokovic cannot behave himself. After all his success he is still a jerk and if he's injured well all players deal with injuries,” one user wrote.</span><br /><br /><span>Another said: “Players smashing their racquet in frustration in tennis is rubbish. Tell them they have to keep using it.”</span><br /><br /><span>Some defended the abrasive move though, with one person writing: “Handling emotions is tough. Not saying that it is acceptable, but it is a normal human behavior when someone is ultra competitive.”</span><br /><br /><span>A second person went on to add: “These people are way too soft to be following any sports in general.</span><br /><br /><span>“Djokovic said after the match that he doesn't recommend smashing a racquet but it happens in the heat of the moment and so many players smash racquets yet he is the only one who gets crucified for it.”</span></p>

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How to stop the COVID-19 stress meltdown

<p>Let’s face it: We’re all under stress right now. The uncertainty and constant health threats surrounding the coronavirus pandemic have upended our lives.</p> <p>We may need two vaccines: one to protect us from the coronavirus and another from the toxic effects of too much stress. Could we train our brains to prevent this stress from becoming lodged in our brains, so we can bounce back faster from stress – and even collect a kernel of wisdom from the experience?</p> <p>Perhaps. <a href="https://www.ebtconnect.net/ebt_hypothesis.pdf">Neuroscience research</a> points to the stress-reactive circuits in the emotional brain as a trigger of toxic stress. These circuits are made of neurons that can guide us to respond ineffectively to stress. Once triggered, they unleash a cascade of stress chemicals. Instead of the brain orchestrating a symphony of effective self-regulatory processes and moderation, we have a garage band of dysregulation and extremes, which can cause chronic stress and rising rates of emotional, behavioral, social and physical <a href="http://doi.org/10.1177/1745691613506907">health problems</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=JmgNEGsAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">As a health psychology professor</a>, I work on <a href="https://www.ebtconnect.net/science">emotional brain training</a> to help people deactivate and rewire the circuits that cause this <a href="http://doi.org/10.1177/1745691613506907">stress overload</a>.</p> <p><strong>A new crisis in emotional health</strong></p> <p>Scientists have been exploring these issues for over a century. Some 100 years ago, the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud speculated that <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00071">pathways in the brain</a> caused emotional and behavioral problems. Tom Insel, as director of the National Institutes for Mental Health from 2002 to 2015, called for revolutionizing psychiatry with neuroscience to focus on <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/faulty-circuits/">faulty circuits</a>. The <a href="https://braininitiative.nih.gov/">White House BRAIN initiative</a>, launched in 2013, has been busily mapping the brain’s billions of neurons and their connections to improve understanding of and treatments for a number of disorders.</p> <p>Then came COVID-19, and suddenly 70% of the U.S. population was identified as moderately to severely distressed in a <a href="http://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/wc8ud">nationally representative study</a> in April. That was up from 22% just two years earlier.</p> <p>With a <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-study-shows-staggering-effect-of-coronavirus-pandemic-on-americas-mental-health-137944">crisis in emotional health</a> upon us, people can benefit from learning to take charge of these stress-reactive circuits and switch off the toxic stress chemical cascade they activate.</p> <p><strong>Understanding the emotional brain</strong></p> <p>Most of us aren’t aware that the neural circuits in our emotional brain – the <a href="https://qbi.uq.edu.au/brain/brain-anatomy/limbic-system">limbic system</a> and subconscious memory systems in what’s sometimes referred to as the “<a href="http://doi.org/10.19080/PBSIJ.2018.08.555738">reptilian brain”</a> – are the major controllers of our emotional responses in daily life.</p> <p><iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jcrWPo_s6EE?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p>When a stimulus arrives in the brain, it activates either stress-resilient circuits, the internal calmers and healers, or stress-reactive circuits, the rabble-rousers that spiral us down into toxic stress.</p> <p>The brain activates the strongest circuit, which then controls our responses. If it triggers a reactive circuit, that unleashes strong emotions that are challenging to process, especially since stress compromises the functioning of the part of our brains responsible for higher-level thinking and planning. The brain struggles to untangle those stuck emotions, and we become stressed out.</p> <p>It gets worse. The longer these stress-reactive wires are activated, the more likely they are to activate other stress-reactive wires. One circuit can trigger another and another, which can cause an emotional meltdown of anxiety, numbness, depression and hostility which can overwhelm us for hours or days.</p> <p>These problematic stress-reactive circuits are encoded during <a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.08.019">adverse childhood experiences</a>, and later experiences of stress overload. The social isolation from sheltering in place and financial and health uncertainty has strengthened these faulty wires, turning the pandemic crisis into a virtual incubator for making our brains even more reactive and setting us up for a crisis in emotional health.</p> <p><strong>How to retrain the stressed brain</strong></p> <p>The stress wires in the emotional brain change through <a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2011.04.011">experience-dependent neuroplasticity</a> – the brain learns to be resilient by being resilient. It takes becoming stressed, then using <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Whats-number-Question-Unlocks-Happiness/dp/1893265013/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2JIUYUH01IX20&amp;dchild=1&amp;keywords=laurel+mellin+whats+my+number&amp;qid=1591263479&amp;sprefix=laurel+mellin%2Caps%2C215&amp;sr=8-1">emotional techniques</a> to discover and change the unreasonable expectations and unwanted drives stored in that circuit.</p> <p>Here’s one technique: First, briefly complain about what’s bothering you. For example: “I can’t stop beating myself up for all the things I have done wrong.” This activates the reactive wire that has encoded a faulty response and makes rewiring possible.</p> <p>Then, rapidly express emotions. Start with a burst of anger, which decreases stress and keeps the stressed “thinking brain” from becoming stuck in ruminating, zoning out or overanalyzing. Notice that you can then stay present to your strong, stress-fueled negative emotions, which will then flow rapidly. You can talk yourself through them by finishing phrases like “I feel sad that …”; “I feel afraid that …”; or “I feel guilty that …”</p> <p>That simple emotional release can ease your stress, and the previously unconscious unreasonable expectation encoded in the circuit will appear in your conscious mind. With the wire unlocked, you can then change the expectation into a reasonable one. For example, change “I get my safety from being hard on myself” to “I get my safety from being kind to myself.” The unwanted drive that amplifies your stress fades.</p> <p>In small but important steps to release stress day by day, you train your brain for resilience.</p> <p><strong>Stress resilience as a social responsibility</strong></p> <p>Research has shown that emotions transmitted during social dialogue can eventually become <a href="http://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-50770-4">large-scale group emotions</a>. We can spread stress to others, and much like secondhand smoke, secondhand stress is becoming a concern.</p> <p>I’ve been surprised in my clinical practice at how quickly individuals link stress with social responsibility. One technology company executive said, “Switching off my stress is good for me, keeps me from triggering stress in my family, and it’s something I do for our country. We are a stressed nation, and I want to be part of the solution.”</p> <p><strong>Stress resilience as a foundation for health</strong></p> <p>Even though stress overload is a root cause of many <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robert-Paul_Juster/publication/26887860_Juster_RP_McEwen_BS_Lupien_SJ_Allostatic_load_biomarkers_of_chronic_stress_and_impact_on_health_and_cognition_Neurosci_Biobehav_Rev_35_2-16/links/5a5cb9290f7e9b4f78395e83/Juster-RP-McEwen-BS-Lupien-SJ-Allostatic-load-biomarkers-of-chronic-stress-and-impact-on-health-and-cognition-Neurosci-Biobehav-Rev-35-2-16.pdf">health problems</a>, the current model of treating the symptoms of stress rather than <a href="http://doi.org/10.1177/2470547017692328">rewiring the brain’s stress response</a> is not sustainable.</p> <p>At some point, <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/Reforming-Americas-Healthcare-System-Through-Choice-and-Competition.pdf">health care’s addiction</a> to using medications and procedures to treat the health problems caused by stress will require detox. A new emphasis on training the emotional brain for resiliency may emerge.</p> <p>If we could reboot our brains for the high-stress times in which we live, just about every aspect of life would improve. Resiliency could provide a needed <a href="http://doi.org/10.1177/1559827609335152">internal health safety net</a>.</p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/laurel-mellin-239264"><em>Laurel Mellin</em></a><em>, Associate Professor Emeritus of Family &amp; Community Medicine and Pediatrics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-california-san-francisco-689">University of California, San Francisco</a></em></span></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/want-to-stop-the-covid-19-stress-meltdown-train-your-brain-138785">original article</a>.</em></p>

Mind

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Former royal employees reveal Prince Andrew’s huge ego and massive meltdowns

<p>Following a painfully awkward interview with the BBC where Prince Andrew said a number of odd things, royal ex-staffers have come forward to talk about his “incredibly rude” demeanour and arrogance.</p> <p>The Duke of York has reportedly burnt many bridges throughout the years, including with one former aide to the British family, who confided to<span> </span><a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/"><em>The Sun</em></a> they’d seen the royal treat his staff in a shocking, appalling way.</p> <p>“He’s been incredibly rude to his personal protection officers, literally throwing things on the ground and demanding that they ‘f***ing pick them up’. No social graces at all.”</p> <p>The anonymous source may not have come forward with their name, but other ex-staff members have, including a former royal protection office, Paul Page.</p> <p>Page said Prince Andrew likes to get his own way, even if it means hurling abuse at innocent bystanders or well-meaning staff, and recalled a moment where the royal screamed at a member of security after investigating an intruder in the corridor near the Queen’s bedroom – whereupon finding the shadowy figure, consequently found out it was actually the Duke.</p> <p>“This is my f***ing home, I can go where I want, now f**k off,” he allegedly yelled into the face of a number of officers.</p> <p>Unfortunately, these are not the only people to face the royal’s wrath.</p> <p>Sir Ivor Roberts, an ambassador to Rome between 2003 and 2006, revealed Prince Andrew “rubbed people up the wrong way.”</p> <p>According to Roberts, when a head of a major fashion house introduced herself, he rudely responded: “Never heard of you.”</p> <p>Sir Ivor said it was down to his team to clear up the mess Prince Andrew had made.</p> <p>The Duke of York is not in the good graces of people he is supposed to be courting either, including Tatianna Gfoeller, Washington’s ambassador to Kyrgyzstan in 2008.</p> <p>In 2010, Wikileaks revealed a secret cable from a US ambassador who described Prince Andrew’s bad behaviour that “verged on rude” during an official engagement.</p> <p>Gfoeller had written of “rude language a la British” and stated how the royal had  railed against the Senior Fraud Office and journalists.</p> <p>Not only does he have enemies on the ground though, it appears he has offended people for his rude habits in the air too.</p> <p>Dubbed “Air Miles Andy,” for his incessant jetting around the world, the Duke apparently had a meltdown in Melbourne Airport in 2005 and refused to go through the normal security procedures like everyone else did.</p> <p>Thankfully, airline officials did not step down and later complained of his attitude.</p> <p>“Who does he think he is? What a pompous prat,” an indignant official told reporters after the ordeal.</p> <p>“Everyone has to go through security screening. He should be happy to do so and set an example.”</p>

Travel Trouble

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Mother travelling with autistic child touched by airline’s moving gesture

<p>A mother with an autistic son has thanked her fellow United Airline passengers for their empathy and compassion as her four-year-old Braysen had a meltdown mid-flight.</p> <p>Mum Lori Gabriel took to Facebook to share her experience on the three-and-a-half-hour service from San Diego to Magnolia.</p> <p>"So my little flyer (he's autistic but normally loves to fly) didn't have such a good flight home," she wrote on Facebook.</p> <p>"Trying to get him to stay seated was impossible he wanted to sit on the floor in the hall and in first class."</p> <p>Gabriel told<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/mom-of-boy-with-autism-says-airline-touched-our-hearts-during-sons-meltdown-185043597.html" target="_blank">Yahoo</a></em><span> </span>that she didn’t think it would end this way.</p> <p>“I figured he would sleep on the plane,” Lori explained.</p> <p>“I didn’t think it would turn out this way.”</p> <p>It was a battle to keep Braysen seated, as he was in the middle of a meltdown.</p> <p>“He was screaming, hitting and kicking me, and pulling my hair. I thought, ‘Everyone must hate us,” Lori said.</p> <p>This turned out to be false.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Flori.gabriel.77%2Fposts%2F3478719012141863&amp;width=500" width="500" height="789" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></p> <p>There was an unexpected amount of support that came from unlikely places, including fellow passengers and crew members who were highly accommodating.</p> <p>"To the man in first class seat 6C you rock thanks for playing with Braysen and not minding him kicking your seat or messing with you! He loved your high fives!" Lori shared in a Facebook post.</p> <p>However, it was a note from an off-duty airline staff member that meant the most to the Gabriel family, which she included in the Facebook post.</p> <p>"Do not<span> </span><u>EVER</u> let anyone make you feel as though you are an inconvenience or a burden. He is a blessing. God bless your patience, you love, your support, and your strength. Continue to be super woman. And know you and your family are loved and supported."</p> <p>The note is signed: "United Family".</p>

Mind

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Couple causes Twitter meltdown for not having a "side of the bed"

<p><span>The Internet has continued to make us re-evaluate our daily habits – from <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/home-garden/do-you-wash-this-body-part-in-the-shower-simple-question-sparks-huge-online-debate/">whether we should wash certain body parts in the shower</a> to <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/home-garden/what-is-the-correct-amount-of-towels-to-own-man-sparks-heated-online-debate/">how many towels we should own</a>.</span></p> <p><span>Now, a new online debate has been sparked after <em>Washington Post</em> reporter Jeff Stein shared that his friends, who are in couple, sleep on different sides of the bed each night.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">Several months ago, a couple we are friends with said they don’t sleep on the same side of the bed every night. As in, every night when they get into bed, they don’t know who will sleep on which side. Still blows my mind</p> — Jeff Stein (@JStein_WaPo) <a href="https://twitter.com/JStein_WaPo/status/1154939533156409344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 27, 2019</a></blockquote> <p><span>“Several months ago, a couple we are friends with said they don’t sleep on the same side of the bed every night,” Stein wrote on Twitter. “As in, every night when they get into bed, they don’t know who will sleep on which side. Still blows my mind.”</span></p> <p><span>He went on to explain that the couple only has one nightstand, but there is a window ledge on the other side where a water bottle can be placed.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">UPDATE: The man in the couple in question confirms via DM that they only have 1 nightstand. (However, he appropriately chides me for not fact-checking first.) He also says there is a window ledge on the other side w/ space for a water bottle, while the nightstand holds the phones</p> — Jeff Stein (@JStein_WaPo) <a href="https://twitter.com/JStein_WaPo/status/1155562864893149184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2019</a></blockquote> <p><span>The tweet quickly went viral, having amassed more than 84,000 likes at the time of writing. People expressed surprise at the couple’s habit, with many pointing out how unusual it was to not have a designated side of the bed.</span></p> <p><span>“Not only do we sleep on the same side of the bed every night, the dogs also sleep in pretty much the exact same spots every night,” one shared.</span></p> <p><span>“If my wife is out of town I still sleep on my side of the bed,” another added.</span></p> <p><span>“I’m anxious just reading this. I sleep alone in a California King &amp; still wouldn’t dream of sleeping on the other side of it,” one wrote.</span></p> <p><span>“Who the F do these people think they are? They think they are fun and interesting because they change their sleeping side every night? Be boring and predictable like the rest of us and pick a side!” one chimed in. </span></p> <p><span>Some suggested that the habit may be more common than people thought. “Totally normal. Whoever gets in the bed first wins. Only one side has a phone charger,” one commented.</span></p> <p><span>“My parents with five kids who were happily married for over 60 years changed sides after 30 years of marriage. When asked why, they said they said it was one way to mix it up for the next 30 years!” another shared.</span></p>

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The moment "livid" Australian Open player "absolutely snaps" in dramatic on-court meltdown

<p>Spanish tennis player Pablo Carreno Busta has issued an apology after he had stunned spectators with his on-court meltdown and yelling at the chair umpire.</p> <p>The No. 23 decided to wreak havoc after a stunning, five-hour match against Japanese player Kei Nishikori, who defeated Busta and progressed into the quarterfinals.</p> <p>Busta started off the match with a calm demeanour, but it soon turned ugly after the umpire awarded a controversial point to Nishikori during a tense fifth set tie-break.</p> <p>The lengthy match had people on the edge of their seats as both players were even before Busta completely lost it towards the end.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">Crucial time for a crucial call, and Carreno Busta is NOT HAPPY about this.<br /><br />WATCH LIVE: <a href="https://t.co/9yBwzk2qyQ">https://t.co/9yBwzk2qyQ</a> <br />FOLLOW LIVE: <a href="https://t.co/d5QpFbIguD">https://t.co/d5QpFbIguD</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/9WWOS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#9WWOS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> <a href="https://t.co/o3OuXJlQgB">pic.twitter.com/o3OuXJlQgB</a></p> — Wide World of Sports (@wwos) <a href="https://twitter.com/wwos/status/1087323361951178752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">21 January 2019</a></blockquote> <p>Nishikori kept his cool, despite the events unfolding in front of him and the fact that he was down 8-5.</p> <p>The match took a drastic turn once the chair umpire announced the controversial decision following a late linesman’s call, which claimed that Busta would not have returned a Nishikori backhand.</p> <p>Using his best efforts, Busta attempted to convince the umpire that he had stopped playing due to the overruled line call, but the point was still given to Nishikori.</p> <p>Chair umpire Thomas Sweeney refused to let Busta replay the point, causing the tennis player to launch a lengthy tirade.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">No mercy! <br /><br />WATCH LIVE: <a href="https://twitter.com/Channel9?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Channel9</a> <br />FOLLOW LIVE: <a href="https://t.co/d5QpFbIguD">https://t.co/d5QpFbIguD</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/9WWOS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#9WWOS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> <a href="https://t.co/g13kLSQ98Q">pic.twitter.com/g13kLSQ98Q</a></p> — Wide World of Sports (@wwos) <a href="https://twitter.com/wwos/status/1087338879907127296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">21 January 2019</a></blockquote> <p>The 27-year-old was booed off the court on Margaret Court Arena, as he refused to shake Sweeney’s hand after the match. He did however congratulate Nishikori as he exited the stadium.</p> <p>During his post-match conference, Busta issued an apology, saying his behaviour was uncalled for.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">Pablo Carreño Busta devastated after he bowed out of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/9WWOS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#9WWOS</a> <a href="https://t.co/FFUrCGwCkD">pic.twitter.com/FFUrCGwCkD</a></p> — Wide World of Sports (@wwos) <a href="https://twitter.com/wwos/status/1087361659549683712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">21 January 2019</a></blockquote> <p>"The way I left the court was not right, and I'm so sorry, because that's not me," he said through tears.</p> <p>"I am very sad because after five hours of fighting the way that I leave from the court wasn't correct.</p> <p>"I think that the referee missed. And when I tried to leave as fast as posible, I lost the head. It's tough for me to leave the Australian Open like this because I thought I played really well. It's tough to leave like this."</p> <p>Were you watching the match? Do you agree with Busta’s outburst? Let us know in the comments.</p>

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Princess Margaret’s 19-year-old grandson sends fans into meltdown with shirtless photo

<div> <div class="replay"> <div class="reply_body body linkify"> <div class="reply_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>In a surprising snap from a member of the royal family, Princess Margaret’s grandson Arthur Chatto, 19, has posed shirtless in the Scottish Highlands.</p> <p>As many of us are not used to seeing such behaviour from the royal family, it’s safe to say that the snap has sent his 94,000 Instagram followers into meltdown.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BnBu1wRAVVx/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BnBu1wRAVVx/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Arthur Chatto (@artchatto)</a> on Aug 28, 2018 at 8:09am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Fans of the royal have been commenting, “Wow, here’s to the new bond” and “Prince Harry who?”</p> <p>The image has been a hit, racking up over 22,000 likes and counting.</p> <p>Arthur Chatto's mother is Lady Sarah Chatto, who just so happens to be 23rd in line to the throne.</p> <p>However, fans were disappointed to discover that the royal has a girlfriend, which he confirmed in an Instagram snap.</p> <p>A friend previously told the<span> </span><em>Daily Mail, </em><span>“They hit it off straight away. </span><span>She's really sweet and they make a very nice couple. He took her to Royal Ascot this summer as his date.”</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn8iGjAAhmU/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn8iGjAAhmU/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Arthur Chatto (@artchatto)</a> on Sep 20, 2018 at 4:13am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div></div>

Family & Pets

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All grown up! Internet goes into meltdown over Barron Trump's staggering height

<p><span>The son of US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania has appeared to have grown up overnight, after he was pictured over Thanksgiving. </span></p> <p><span>The 12-year-old, who was pictured walking into the White House alongside his parents, has grown noticeably taller and appears to tower over</span><span> his 6ft 2in (190cm) tall </span><span>dad</span><span>. </span></p> <p><span>Is it just an optical illusion created by the angle of the photo?</span><span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 500px; height: 333.203125px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7822168/1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/23372c578ea1453a8e90632721bda653" /></p> <p><span>Barron's sudden growth spurt has taken many by surprise, with the youngest Trump already being taller than his model mum who is 5ft 11in (180cm) tall. </span></p> <p><span>After seeing the holiday photos, one Twitter user wrote: "So handsome and TALL!"</span></p> <p><span>"I haven’t slept since I found out Barron trump is 6 ft tall," another wrote. </span></p> <p><span>For Barron's age, the average height for a boy is around 147cm, reported </span><em>Livestrong</em>. </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 500px; height: 355.46875px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7822169/2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/1759a2d2df2847ab8486729a999a5d08" /></p> <p><span>This means that Barron will be significantly taller than most of his peers at school. </span></p> <p><span>However, tall genes are very evident in the Trump family with son Don Jr coming in at 185cm and his sibling Eric towering over his dad by almost 6cm. </span></p> <p><span>Barron is the last of Trump's five children to live at home. </span></p> <p><span>Before the family transitioned into the White House, First Lady Melania explained that taking care of her son with Donald would be her first priority. </span></p> <p><span>In the President's first six months of office, Melania and Barron stayed in New York so that he could finish his school year without moving state. </span></p> <p><span>Barron is the first boy to be living in the White House since JFK was in office.</span></p>

News

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Aussies left fuming as My Health Record phone lines go into meltdown

<p>Those hoping to opt out of the government’s My Health Record initiative have been left furious after having zero access to phone lines due to a technical meltdown.</p> <p>With the opt out deadline originally ending tomorrow, the Senate has come together to extend the due date until January 31, 2019 after many people missed the chance of removing their name from the scheme.</p> <p>One Nation leader Pauline Hanson proposed the idea to the Senate and it didn’t take long for the government to agree with her sentiments.</p> <p>The news is welcomed by Australian’s around the country who were unable to opt out this morning.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">I've just tried calling the 1800 number and it doesn't even ring.</p> — Jon (@Jon00073511) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jon00073511/status/1062479780900102144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">13 November 2018</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/MyHealthRec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MyHealthRec</a> This is a shambles. I can't opt out and the phone lines are crashing long before being able to speak to anyone. <a href="https://t.co/scWEnlhc4L">pic.twitter.com/scWEnlhc4L</a></p> — Daniel Bevan (@DanielCBevan) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanielCBevan/status/1062467641569243136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">13 November 2018</a></blockquote> <p>According to Adelaide resident, Ben, he and his wife had attempted to contact the phone line for days before the due date but had no luck.</p> <p>“My wife has been on hold for an hour and it has just dropped out,” he said to <em><a href="https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/lastditch-push-to-delay-my-health-record-deadline/news-story/eba3f460b22b8b9795a85a5b0e9ee7dc">news.com.au</a>.</em></p> <p>“I’ve been on hold a couple times and it has dropped out, including this morning. I was on hold for 15-20 minutes before it dropped out.”</p> <p>Meanwhile, others claim that they received an automated message as soon as they called, saying “your call cannot be completed at this time” and asked those trying to get in touch to call back later.</p> <p>A spokesman from the Australian Digital Health Agency denied the reports saying that the system was not operating.</p> <p>“The opt out website and the My Health Record Help Line are both operational. We are experiencing high demand, which has slowed the system down, and some people have experienced difficulties opting out this morning. These issues have now been resolved,” he said.</p> <p>“The Agency anticipated higher call volumes and has increased the number of help line operators available to support callers.</p> <p>“A call back feature has been enabled allowing people to leave their details for a customer service representative to return their call and process their request to opt out.</p> <p>“If a person leaves their details for a call back, the help line will return the call over the coming days to opt the person out. No record will be created for individuals in this circumstance.”</p> <p>But despite these statements, Ben and one of his sons had first tried to opt out online through the website provided and were successful, but when it came to his wife and other son, they received an error message.</p> <p>“We’ve been trying for a couple of weeks (to get through on the phone line) but particularly in the last few days,” he said. “It’s obviously very frustrating.”</p> <p>And it wasn’t only Ben who was frustrated by the whole process, as many others have complained about the same thing, saying they’re having issues getting through to the phones.</p> <p>Sydneysider Anton Francis told <em>news.com.au</em> that he’s been calling the number provided at least seven times since 10:08am this morning, but still hasn’t been able to reach the other side.</p> <p>Another resident Elena experienced the same problems as she tried calling “quite a few times” and also attempted to get through on the website but it “just did not work”.</p> <p>“It is unbelievable how disorganised this process is,” she said.</p> <p>“The online system does not work and when you try to phone, it just hangs up on you. There is no automated message or any sort of system in place that can cope with demand.</p> <p>“I’m really against my records being on the system and I am unable to opt out. This is just ridiculous and makes me feel angry and helpless and not in control of my information.”</p> <p>Around 4 per cent of the population have already opted out of the controversial health system to date and it is expected that 17 million Australians will be automatically added when the deadline passes.</p> <p><em>If you wish to opt out, visit <a href="http://www.myhealthrecord.gov.au">www.myhealthrecord.gov.au</a>, or call 1800 723 471.</em></p>

Caring

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The Project host snaps in on-air meltdown: "It's disgusting"

<p class="p1"><span class="s1">In an explosive exchange on <em>The Project</em> last night, things got personal when hosts Peter Helliar and Steve Price bitterly disagreed about the controversial plans to advertise the Everest Cup horse race on the sails of the Sydney Opera House.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Radio broadcaster Price said he was perplexed at the controversy, saying he didn’t see what “the big deal” was, and referenced imagery that had appeared in the past on the sails for the Wallabies, reported <em><a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/current-affairs/the-project-hosts-clash-over-opera-house-racing-controversy-youre-a-wer/news-story/77701e67eb3d84af3d52f5d10f5e9d97"><span class="s2">news.com.au</span></a></em>.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">“It’s a few lights flashed up on the sails briefly, there’s no graffiti, it’s not advertising, it’s promotion of a NSW sporting event,” he said.</span></p> <p class="p1"> </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">“I don’t know what the big deal about this is!” Pricey shares his two cents on the Opera House controversy and explains where else he’s shared his cents! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheProjectTV?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheProjectTV</a> <a href="https://t.co/z0k22xljon">pic.twitter.com/z0k22xljon</a></p> — The Project (@theprojecttv) <a href="https://twitter.com/theprojecttv/status/1049216328853204993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2018</a></blockquote> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">But things really got nasty when Price claimed he’d paid for the Opera House. According to <em><a href="https://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/the-project/personalities/steve-price"><span class="s2">tenplay.com.au</span></a></em>, the radio host lives between Sydney and Melbourne.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">He questioned why Helliar would be so outraged at the plans to advertise horse racing on the world-famous landmark when he lives in Melbourne.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"> </span><span class="s1">“You’re so obsessed with this story. You don’t even live in Sydney. You didn’t even pay for the Opera House – I did!” he said.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"> </span><span class="s1">A bemused Helliar fired back:</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"> </span><span class="s1">“You’ve made me angry. You paid for the Opera House? There’s your headline. You’re a w***er.”</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"> </span><span class="s1">Helliar also had plenty to say about Price’s 2GB colleague, the influential radio host Alan Jones, who he accused of “bullying” Louise Herron, chief executive of the Opera House, in an interview on his radio show. Jones had said he could have Herron fired if she didn’t toe the line on the advertising plans.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"> </span><span class="s1">“This isn’t about gambling, it’s the fact that the Sydney Opera House have a charter, and they’ve been forced to change that charter and that interview with Alan Jones – and it’s almost a side issue – but that was disgusting,” said Helliar.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">“That was so disgusting. To hear a woman bullied.”</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">The comedian said that NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian should not have bowed to Jones’ demands to advertise on the Opera House and should have “changed her mind to send a message.”</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"> </span><span class="s1">Price said he wouldn’t “pass judgement” on his colleague, nor would he do so of his The Project co-hosts. But Helliar wasn’t about to back down.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">“So you’re comfortable with it, yeah?”</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Host Waleed Aly stepped in and summed up the confrontation quipping: “Oooh, the ice from Pete!”</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Over 245,000 people have signed an <a href="https://www.change.org/p/defend-our-opera-house-support-louise-herron-4ebd912c-e760-43f1-a396-3e7468869056"><span class="s2">online petition</span></a> so far, saying the Opera House should be protected from Jones and his “gambling mates.”</span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"> </span></p>

News

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“I’m failing as a mum”: Studio 10 star Sarah Harris’ emotional meltdown

<p>Being a working mother is no easy feat, just ask <em>Studio 10</em> star Sarah Harris, who – while raising two young boys – is juggling her commitments with Channel Ten.</p> <p>The 37-year-old admitted to <em><a href="https://www.who.com.au/">WHO</a> </em>magazine that she recently suffered a “meltdown” as she struggled to find the balance between work and parenting.</p> <p>Sarah said that she felt like she was “failing as a mum” and things were becoming “too much” for her.</p> <p>“You reach a point where you feel like you’re failing at everything and sometimes it all gets too much,” Sarah said.</p> <p>“You think, ‘I’m just failing as a mum at the moment.’”</p> <p>Speaking to the magazine, Sarah mentioned that she had a meltdown two months ago when she and her husband Tom Ward were living to work and pay off their mortgage.</p> <p>She said she desperately needed a break.</p> <p>She told Tom: “What happens if one of us gets sick or one of us dies tomorrow – what have we got to show for it?”</p> <p>But the couple is in a much better place now, as the pair have booked a family trip to Queensland for a well-deserved break.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BnDeE3MgufB/?utm_source=ig_embed_loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BnDeE3MgufB/?utm_source=ig_embed_loading" target="_blank">Happy chaps 🤗</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/whatsarahsnapped/?utm_source=ig_embed_loading" target="_blank"> Sarah Harris 📺🌮</a> (@whatsarahsnapped) on Aug 29, 2018 at 12:21am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Sarah and Tom have two sons together – Harry who is eight months and Paul who is three years old.</p> <p>Sarah sat down with <em><a href="http://www.kiis1065.com.au/shows/kyle-jackie-o/">KIIS FM’s Kyle and Jackie O</a></em> and revealed how she was shamed after her son Paul locked himself inside a confessional box at church, and firefighters were called to get him out.</p> <p>“He was stuck in there for 10 minutes and by all reports, it was like he was channelling Damien from <em>The Omen</em>,” she said.</p> <p>“He was losing his mind because he was in this teeny, tiny dark room with no window. They called the firies [fire brigade] and the police to come and break the door down to get him out.</p> <p>“Everyone was trying to calm him down and kind of ‘talk him off the ledge’.</p> <p>“They used an axe to break the door down.”</p> <p>She went on to say: “When the firies came and they knocked the door down they were making all these completely inappropriate but hilarious jokes like, ‘Well this is probably the first time anyone has come out of the closet in this place, am I right guys?’”</p> <p>Sarah admitted to facing criticism due to the incident.</p> <p>“I've already had people ringing up saying I should control my kids and that I'm an absent mother, and if I was home more this wouldn't happen,” she said.</p>

Family & Pets

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Kmart fans meltdown as cult favourite disappears from shelves

<div>Kmart fans have expressed their dismay after one of the discount retailer's most sought after kitchen appliances has disappeared from shelves. </div> <div>The $29 pie maker, that even has its own Facebook page with over 16,000 members, is currently unavailable in stores because of its sheer popularity. </div> <div>The affordable and versatile pie maker can be used to create pies, scones, quiches and even doughnuts all under 10 minutes.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 500px; height: 300px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7819826/kmart-pie-maker.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/9e4e2164b6c54d36a18547ae41781f08" /></div> <div> "When your 3 Kmarts in the area are sold out of pie makers and they don't know when the next delivery is -- why?!" one shopper wrote on the Kmart Pie Maker Recipes Australia Facebook page. </div> <div>"The pie maker continues to be sold out. Kmart has even removed it from their website now!" another added. </div> <div>"Kmart have them for $29 but most stores are sold out and I believe from comments today online they have disappeared?" one fan wrote. </div> <div>According to <a href="http://www.news.com.au"><strong><u>news.com.au,</u></strong></a> Kmart has confirmed that the pie maker has sold out but the retailer hopes to have them back on shelves in September. </div> <div>"Due to popular demand the Kmart pie maker is currently sold out," the spokesman said. </div> <div>"Deliveries of stock will arrive in stores across the next six weeks with a larger shipment due in September. We thank our customer for their patience."</div> <div>Last month, one Kmart shopper revealed how she used her pie maker to create Nutella filled doughnuts only using eight ingredients. </div> <div>Others have shared their creative recipes using the pie maker, which include making cupcakes, muffins and quiche. </div> <div>Do you own the Kmart pie maker? If so, share how you use it in the comments below. </div>

Money & Banking

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Woolies in meltdown: What went wrong

<p>Woolworths has issued an official apology for the technical glitch that left thousands of shoppers around the country stranded on Monday afternoon.</p> <p><a href="http://www.news.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>News.com.au reports</strong></em></span></a> registers at hundreds of Woolies outsets across the country shut down just after 4pm yesterday, in an unexpected outage that latest just over 30 minutes.</p> <p>Signs were promptly put up at the stores, apologising for the “system fault”.</p> <p>Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci was quick to address the error and issued a statement.</p> <p>“This was related to an update to our IT systems,” Mr Banducci said.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Check outs at <a href="https://twitter.com/woolworths?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@woolworths</a> Crows Nest aren’t working due to a technical issue apparently. Around 100 people told to leave the store, many leaving full trolleys behind <a href="https://t.co/a9EEBkD6wE">pic.twitter.com/a9EEBkD6wE</a></p> — Joshua Louder (@JoshuaLouder) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshuaLouder/status/985766518255304704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>“Our systems ultimately self-corrected themselves and we were back and open for trade across most stores by 4.30pm, with all stores now operational.</p> <p>“This type of incident should not occur and we apologise unreservedly to our customers and store teams for the inconvenience caused.”</p> <p>Social media posts showed frustrated scenes at Woolies outlets affected by the outage, with shoppers banked up in the stores with their trolleys, unable to move.</p> <p>Some were told to leave stores, leaving full trolleys behind.</p> <p>Some stores even pulled their shutters down, but this is believed to be a temporary measure to prevent more frustrated customers from entering the outlets.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fwoolworths%2Fposts%2F2004499159622205&amp;width=500" width="500" height="594" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></p> <p>Shoppers were quick to express their rage on social media, with Virginia Johnstone from Sydney posting on Facebook: “Woolworths you are having a laug ... I just spent 45 minutes shopping with 3 kids and your registers go down and you tell me (quite rudely) that I need to leave the store without my groceries.</p> <p>“Good customer service would have been to let everyone currently in the store have their trolley load for free. But no ... you throw everyone out on school holidays with nothing for dinner. Bad form... I’ll stick to Aldi.”</p> <p>Woolworths has 995 stores across Australia, and it’s believed close to 500 were affected.</p> <p>What are your thoughts? Do you think Woolworths handled the incident well? Were you caught up at a Woolies outlet yesterday? Let us know in the comments section.</p> <p><em>Hero image credit: Twitter / Joshua Louder</em></p>

Technology

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Sydney Airport meltdown – travellers told to stay away

<p>Sydney Airport is in a state of chaos, with major technical problems throwing a spanner in the works for holidaymakers at two of the airport’s major terminals.</p> <p>Hundreds of passengers have seen their travel plans thrown up in the air by the issue, which affected the T1 international and T2 domestic terminal. The T3 Qantas domestic terminal and inbound flights to Sydney have not been affected.</p> <p>After some frustration, passengers have slowly started to move through the check-in desks but both terminals have massive queues and the sheer backlog of passengers still waiting to be processed is expected to cause delays throughout the day.</p> <p>Sydney Airport confirmed this in a statement on Twitter.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">UPDATE: We are now processing passengers at Sydney Airport. We are working hard to catch up any delays. Please contact your airline for flight status. We appreciate your patience this morning.</p> — Sydney Airport ✈️ (@SydneyAirport) <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyAirport/status/971849397469290496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>Virgin Australia has also responded to passenger concerns, saying there were currently being processed by at a significantly “reduced capacity”.</p> <p>“Due to a technical issue at Sydney Airport’s domestic and international terminals, guests are being processed through security at a reduced capacity,” the airline said.</p> <p>“We are holding flights to minimise any disruption to passengers, and working to re-accommodate affected guests.”</p> <p><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sydney-airport-chaos-after-technical-issue-leaves-passengers-stranded-20180309-p4z3jc.html" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Fairfax reports</strong></em></span></a> a power outage is believed to be behind the issue.</p> <p>Passengers have been advised to contact their airlines to confirm flight schedules, but many in line are the terminal are starting to lose patience with the situation.</p> <p>“Calling people for the first 4 flights to ‘proceed immediately to security’,” said one passenger at the T2 domestic terminal.</p> <p>“Like there’s 10,000 people ahead of them. They need to clear a priority lane, but the cops and security guards are standing at the back of the crowd and shrugging their shoulders.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Scenes of chaos in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SydneyAirport?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SydneyAirport</a> as flights are delayed due to technical fault. Poor communication from <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyAirport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SydneyAirport</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sydney?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sydney</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/airport?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#airport</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/delays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#delays</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/abcnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@abcnews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/10News?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@10News</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/7NewsSydney?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@7NewsSydney</a> <a href="https://t.co/p2yqYGtFHo">pic.twitter.com/p2yqYGtFHo</a></p> — Mathew Jones (@mathewlj) <a href="https://twitter.com/mathewlj/status/971815168282804224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>Friday is traditionally one of the busiest travel days at Sydney Airport, adding to the frustration of thousands of passengers passing through he check-in gates.</p> <p>“So much for a developed city, can’t solve a security screening issue since the last 3 hours,” Nishank Kotain tweeted, venting on social media.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Epic delays at Sydney airport domestic. <br />The security cameras aren't working so security ain't open... <br />Fun <a href="https://t.co/xbh7lqVFG3">pic.twitter.com/xbh7lqVFG3</a></p> — Feenicks (@feenicks) <a href="https://twitter.com/feenicks/status/971821621936766976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>Earlier today, Sydney Airport’s general manager of corporate affairs, Sally Fielke talked to <a href="https://www.2gb.com/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Alan Jones on 2GB</strong></em></span></a> and asking passengers to be patient while they resolve the issue.</p> <p>“We’ve got the IT and technical teams working at the moment with the software provider,” she said.</p> <p>“Our key priority is we’ve got to get this glitch fixed. What it means at the moment is we can’t process outbound passengers.</p> <p>“People who have booked flights to head out this morning… we are unable to process them.</p> <p>“We’re asking passengers: you’re going to have to be a little bit patient this morning.”</p> <p>What are your thoughts? Do you think Sydney Airport has handled the situation well?</p> <p><em>Hero image credit: Twitter / Nishank Kotain </em></p>

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