Optus coverage gradually restored after outage caused havoc for millions of Australians, Vigils in Israel mark one month since the deadly attack by Hamas, and Pat Cummins praises Glenn Maxwell's batting which helped Australia secures a spot in the world cup semi-finals.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Optus coverage gradually restored after outage caused havoc for millions of Australians.
- Vigils in Israel mark one month since the deadly attack by Hamas.
- And in cricket, Pat Cummins praises Glenn Maxwell's batting which helped Australia secures a spot in the world cup semi-finals.
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Optus mobile and internet services are gradually being restored after a nationwide outage left millions of Australians disconnected for close to nine hours.
The network dropped out at about 4AM on Wednesday, causing havoc for customers and businesses unable to connect to the internet or make calls.
An Optus spokesman has confirmed some of its services were being restored from about 1PM but said it could take hours to return to full coverage.
Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin has admitted to ABC Radio the company is unsure what caused the outage.
"Our team is still pursuing every possible avenue. We had a number of hypotheses and each one, so far, that we've tested and put in place new actions for, has not solved the fundamental issue. So we're still working on it and when we have an identified root cause and a time for restoration, we'll be updating everybody as soon as we can."
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland says Optus needs to prioritise transparency in their messaging to customers.
"I would urge Optus to utilise other mechanisms, including broadcasting, radio and television, to get these messages out. As long as people know something is happening, that people are on the job and they have some expectations, then I think that will allay some concerns that are there right now."
Last year, close to 10 million Optus customers had their personal information stolen when the company's data system was breached.
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Vigils have been held in Israel to mark one month since Hamas militants killed at least 1,400 people and took about 240 hostages back to the Gaza Strip in an unprecedented cross-border raid.
Four hostages have been released since October 7, but Israel says Hamas is still holding at least 240 people captive in Gaza, which has been battered by thousands of Israeli bombs.
Hundreds of family members of hostages joined supporters outside the Western Wall in Jerusalem to sing and pray, calling for the release of their loved ones.
Rachel Goldberg, the mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin who was injured and taken hostage, has told the crowd 32 days of captivity is too long.
"I cry out to every single person here and every single person on the planet to make it your mission to free these souls. 240 souls, they are from 33 different countries, their ages range from 9 months to 85 years old. They are Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists – they are human beings and they need you.”
In Gaza, the Palestinian death toll in the war surpassed 10,300, including more than 4,200 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
In the West Bank, more than 160 Palestinians have been killed in adjacent violence.
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Torres Strait Islander Elders are in Melbourne fighting for their lands, culture and existence in the first climate class action brought by Australia's First Nations people.
Pabai Pabai and Paul Kabai are arguing the federal government owes a duty of care to Torres Strait Islander people, to protect them from harms caused by rising sea levels and effects of climate change.
The Federal Court case was launched in October 2021 and has since held on-country hearings on Badu, Boigu and Saibai Islands, as well as Cairns.
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Australia Captain Pat Cummins says he has witnessed one of the greatest ever innings in one day international cricket, after team-mate Glenn Maxwell led a World Cup victory against Afghanistan.
After slumping early with 7 wickets to 91 runs, Maxwell and Cummins turned Australia's luck around with an unbeaten 202-run stand.
It was Maxwell who scored over 68 per cent of Australia's runs in the game, securing a spot in the semi-finals against South Africa.
Cummins has praised the performance by Maxwell, who revealed he had seriously considered retiring hurt due to cramps, before pulling off the history-making innings.
“When I went out there, I thought, ‘if we can somehow scratch the 200, our net run rate should be pretty good for the semis’. When Maxi got his 100, I kind of thought, 'wow, we're within 120 or something'. And then I still thought, 'no way'. So, I reckon it wasn't until the spinners were just about done and there was maybe 40 off 40 or something where I thought, 'okay even if Maxie gets out here, I reckon the other guys can get it done'. But yeah, literally within the last 20 minutes was about the only time.”
