Staff at one of Australia’s leading banks have been offered financial incentives for re-diverting customers to ATMS instead of tellers.
Managers at Commonwealth Bank have been encouraged to tell customers wanting to withdraw a sum under $2000 to use an ATM. Similarly, customers wanting to cash a cheque, withdraw money or cash deposits are being directed away from tellers and towards self-serve machines.
The news comes as the Bank has doubled their daily limit for ATM withdrawals, reducing the need to use the teller desk.
A ‘customer service specialist’ will greet customers entering a branch and determine their needs instead, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Staff annual bonuses will be partially determined by their ability to educate customers on using the teller machines.
The bank is certainly not the only giant slowly eroding the role of customer-facing staff. Supermarket chains, Woolworths and Coles, have also dramatically reduced checkout staff after the widespread adoption of self-scan machines.
A Bondi man has had two layers of skin burnt off his thigh after a “one in one million” accident saw his phone explode in his back pocket.
Gareth Clear was riding around the Manly Dam bike track on Sunday when he came off his bike and landed awkwardly on his iPhone 6 in his pocket, reports The Daily Telegraph.
Moments later Mr Clear felt his skin burning as he saw smoke coming from his phone before it exploded.
Even though the 36-year-old burnt his hands trying to remove the phone quickly it melted through his pants and stripped away two layers of skin on his upper right thigh.
Gareth Clear: Bondi cyclist whose iPhone exploded when he fell on it while riding around Manly Dam. pic.twitter.com/LzG0kjVQkS
Mr Clear has undergone skin grafting at the Royal North Shore Hospital and his recovery is expected to take weeks as he has to remain in a drip to prevent infection.
Mr Clear, originally from Winchester in the UK, told reporters that the six-month-old phone did not spontaneously combust.
“It was a one in one million chance I hit a part of the phone which pierced the lithium battery and it exploded,” Mr Clear said.
Dr Da-Wei Wang from the UNSW faculty of chemical engineering told the Daily Telegraph that the explosion of lithium ion batteries in mobile phones is not uncommon.
“I think many examples show that, if you search on Google there are many images of mobile phones which have been overcharged, which may cause it to be overheated,” he said.
Dr Wang pointed to overheating and a design flaw as a possible cause for the incident.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Mr Clear said Apple yesterday told him they would investigate the incident but an Apple spokeswoman declined to comment on the story.
Sonia Kruger landed herself in hot water again yesterday when she said on Today Extra that scholarships targeted towards students from the LGBTQI community were an example of ‘reverse discrimination’.
“I don’t think it should have anything to do with the awarding of a scholarship,” Kruger said. “I think scholarships should be given on merit.”
The scholarship in question is provided by the Australian Business and Community Network Scholarship Foundation (ABCN) and awards a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex identifying Year 10 student with financial assistance of up to $7000 during their studies, The Australian reports.
A group of fourth grade students from Deception Bay North School have fallen ill after mistaking blue coloured crystals for popping candy.
The chemical found in the crystals consumed was Mystical Fire, used to alter the colour of open flames.
Paramedics were called to the Queensland school after students experienced nausea, vomiting and burning throats.
Four students have been hospitalised, while twenty one others were treated at the scene.
The Department of Education has said the school is currently investigating how the mix-up occurred.
“The principal is investigating the cause of the incident and if necessary, will take appropriate disciplinary action in line with the school’s Responsible Behaviour Plan for Students,” a statement said.
Queensland Police said the substance was probably brought onto school grounds by students.
“It’s suspected it was introduced into the school through students. The school is conducting their own investigation and they’re yet to determine exactly how it was brought in,” Inspector Lee Jeffries told 9 News.
The Sydney publicist will undergo surgery this week to have a portion of the cancerous lump removed from her left breas.
The Daily Telegraph reports that her “partial removal” surgery was originally set to go ahead last month, but was delayed for further testing.
“[The cancer] is larger than first suspected, so more testing is required,” the mum-of-two bravely told the publication at the time of the diagnosis.
The Sweaty Betty founder revealed her cancer diagnosis in July, just three weeks after her husband Oliver Curtis was sentenced to a year in jail, for conspiring to commit insider trading in 2007 and 2008.
This week, he celebrated his first birthday behind bars.
To mark the somewhat tainted occasion, the 36-year-old shared a video of her two little ones wishing their daddy well.
“Unlikely you will get this but you might hear about it,” she captioned beside the video, which you can see for yourself in the player below.
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Over the weekend the blonde beauty, who is now the sole carer for the couple’s two children Pixie, four, and Hunter, two, was spotted at Sydney’s iconic Taronga Zoo, accompanied by Nine Network’s 60 Minutes camera crew.
The upcoming episode is expected to focus on the young family’s tough start to 2016, giving viewers a rare, candid look into the couple’s seemingly glamourous life.
The family enjoyed a day at the Zoo alongside the show’s camera crew.
And while it’s no doubt been a rocky few months, the brave businesswoman is getting through the storm with the help of her mother, who battled her own breast cancer a decade ago.
“Having my mum by my side who has suffered breast cancer and a mastectomy and come through fighting fit also makes things easier,” she admitted to The Daily Mail.
“Fear isn’t an option, I have my Pixie and Hunter to look after so a clear mind and a proper plan of attack to get over this is the only thing that I think about.”
With the help of her mum, Roxy hopes to stay strong for her family in this difficult time.
As she prepares to leave the White House and begin life as a college student at the ivy league school, Harvard, Malia let off some much needed steam at the Chicago music festival.
The 18-year-old was filmed twerking and acting like a teenager… because she is a teen!
Engaging in the timeless tradition of rocking out at a music festival, the President’s eldest looked euphoric as she jammed with her friends to Mac Miller’s set.
Watch the fun moment in the player below! Post continues…
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Twitter went loco with the sighting of the teen, who blended in with the crowds at the music festival – with the exception of her standout squad, plaid-wearing the Secret Service.
One user, @idkdalia, posted a snap with the caption: “so malia obama was next to me at lolla today”.
The President recently spoke about Malia’s graduation, admitting he was just like any other dad watching his little girl enter the real world.
“Some of you may know that on Friday, my elder daughter Malia graduated from high school.”
“And I sat in the back and wore dark glasses,” Obama told the audience at the United States of Women Summit.
The teen was just another attendee at the music festival.
“And I only cried once, but it was, I made this weird sound because I was choking back, and people looked at me. People sitting in front of us turned back, and then I suppressed it.”
With a sound head on her shoulders, Michelle and Barack couldn’t be prouder of the 18-year-old.
Following the end of her secondary education, joining her mum and sister Sasha, the trio traveled to Liberia, Morocco and Spain as part of the Let Girls Learn international initiative.
How time flies! The Obama girls have grown up in the spotlight, maintaining their dignity!
“When I first elected to this office, Malia was just ten and Sasha was seven. And they grow up too fast,” the 54-year-old dad mused during a state dinner. “Now Malia is going off to college… And I’m starting to choke up.”
Malia was just 10-years-old when her father became America’s first black president.
The family, including her younger sister Sasha moved into the White House in 2008, and the pair have grown-up in the spotlight.
Many fans have noticed how relaxed and likeable the girls are – often laughing at their father’s “dad jokes” and always acting their age.
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Earlier this year, we got a rare insight to the siblings.
A snap, that of course went viral, showed Malia giving her little sister a double-thumbs up while she spoke to Ryan Reynolds at a State Dinner at the White House… Watch the moment in the player below!
Set to attend Harvard next year, we say, “Keep on dancing Malia!”
The actor is thrilled after his son’s extended sentence is cut short.
Michael Douglas’s son Cameron has finally been let out of prison after nearly seven years of being locked up.
The eldest son of the actor wasn’t supposed to be released until next year, but Page Six reports that his sentence has been cut short.
Cameron Douglas with father Michael Douglas and stepmother Catherine Zeta-Jones.
The 37-year-old was arrested back in 2009 for possessing and selling drugs, and was sentenced to five years.
His term was then extended after he was caught smuggling drugs into prison.
Actor Kirk Douglas and wife Anne Douglas and actor Michael Douglas, wife Diandra Douglas and son Cameron Douglas in 1991.
What made a bad situation worse for Cameron’s family is that his two-year extension was to be served in solitary confinement, meaning he could have no visitors.
Michael’s son with his ex-wife Diandra Luker is reportedly planning on writing an expose book on his time in the correctional facility.
“Cameron will talk about his struggle being the son and grandson of Hollywood icons, and then his bad decisions which led him to jail, and then solitary confinement,” a source close to the family confessed.
“He is staying low-key after his release and plans to spend time with his father and mother. He believes this is a new start, and a chance at a new life.”
Michael Dougla and wife Catherine Zeta-Jones arrive at the Provo Airport with children Carys, Dylan, and Cameron Douglas and his girlfirend Kelly Sott in 2007.
Michael spoke about his son’s treatment at the hands of the prison system in his 2013 acceptance speech for Behind the Candelabra.
“At first I was certainly disappointed with my son, but I’ve reached a point now where I’m disappointed with the system,” he said.
“If you happen to have a slip, they punish you. In my son’s case, he has spent almost two years in solitary confinement.”
Cameron talks about his strong bond with his dad in the video below.
Pippa Middleton is engaged — so what will she wear on her big day?
In a new interview, the co-designer of Princess Diana’s iconic wedding dress suggested Pippa, 32, should steer clear of a gown that resembles the dress her older sister, Kate Middleton, donned at her 2011 royal wedding to Prince William.
“I personally, would put her in something very soft, perhaps chiffon, with a train of course because it’s dramatic. Possibly a little lace bodice, soft and fluid, I mean she’s got a great shape,” David Emanuel told the Daily Mail.
“And I would say the complete opposite of Kate just so she makes her own statement really. Soft and pretty,” he added.
In another interview, style expert Hilary Alexander revealed Pippa will likely choose a British designer to create her wedding gown. “She could go for something lavish and romantic by Marchesa or upmarket luxe by Ralph & Russo,” Alexander said.
Pippa announced her engagement to hedge fund manager James Matthews, 40, on Sunday, July 17. We can’t wait to see what she wears on her wedding day!
But before her big day, let’s look back at her time in white at her sister’s royal wedding in 2011 – click through to see more!
But rumours swirl the royal was fired, after she turns her back on her fourth job in five years.
Princess Beatrice has reportedly resigned from her New York job to make a bid at launching her own start-up company.
The daughter of Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson Duchess of York has grand plans to become a business consultant and has given up her steady job to branch out on her own.
It’s the fourth job she’s left in the past five years, but this time she reportedly has a firm plan in place to embrace her “entrepreneurial ambitions”.
But not immediately, as the Princess is currently holidaying in the Greek Islands with a group of friends, following a previous sojourn a few weeks ago to the south of France.
It was reported in June that the 27-year-old had actually been let go from her New York position, but this was denied by her aides who said she’d only been in Britain because of a “work project” and to attend Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday celebrations.
But the Daily Mail revealed recently that Beatrice had not been to her work for two months and her employers Sandbridge had said she was no longer with the company.
Close insiders have now revealed the young royal is pursuing her start-up business with the full backing of her former workplace and bosses.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York,Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice at a National Service of Thanksgiving as part of the 90th birthday celebrations this year.
“She is creating a start-up consultancy backed by, and in association with, the group she worked with.
“She and some other people have set up a consultancy business under the auspices of Sandbridge Capital,” the source confessed.
How she’s grown! Watch the hilarious moment 18-year-old Beatrice tells her mum she plans to do better than her in business. Post continues.
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The friend of the Princess reiterated that she had not been sacked, saying: “She was working, she resigned and is now concentrating her efforts on this start-up.
“She wanted to be more entrepreneurial, so she has set up her own unit within the group, but as a separate unit.”
Another friend lashed out people gossiping about the job status of the Queen’s granddaughter.
“Beatrice is a young girl making her own way in the world and finding her feet,” the friend explained. “She should be applauded for striking out on her own, not vilified.”
As far as painful moments on television go, we reckon this one rates pretty highly.
Rebecca Judd snubbed a kiss from her co-host Tony Jones live on air, turning her cheek and recoiling at the last second.
The Channel Nine presenter, who is expecting twin boys in October, had been getting a send off from colleagues Peter Hitchener and Tony Jones, when the weird moment occurred.
A heavily pregnant Rebecca had been listening to well wishes from Peter and Tony when the latter decided to put his arm around her.
Rebecca looks calm here, but she’d just about jumped out of her seat two seconds beforehand!
The mother of two jumped when he touched her arm, only to flinch right away when Tony leant in for a “good luck” kiss on the cheek.
She yelped, before breaking into fits of embarrassed laughter.
That awkward moment…
Tony clearly felt the awkward moment deeply, blushing, before regaining his composure, crossing his arms and saying “OK, good. This is going well,” in a sarcastic tone.
Peter attempted unsuccessfully to diffuse the situation. “You’re funny,” he said, having a chuckle with the 33-year-old wife of Chris Judd, before continuing with his bulletin.
She’s about to be a mum of four! See how Rebecca juggles modelling and motherhood below. Post continues!
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Chris and Rebecca can’t wait to add two more to their family.
The riotous laughter only continued, and the trio could be seen giggling into the break, with Tony doubled over with embarrassment.
Rebecca took to Instagram to address the odd moment.
“’Okaaaaaaaaay then. Final weather bulletin before maternity leave didn’t quite go to plan but as always, thanks to my wonderful @9newsmelbourne family for the laughs. @phitchener9 @tonyjones9,” she posted, next to a photo of herself with the pair.
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