Australians could soon see fewer bananas on supermarket shelves, as ongoing floods in North Queensland  wreak havoc on transport routes. This is a big deal because North Queensland produces over 90%  of the country's bananas, supplying major cities like Sydney and Melbourne  via the Bruce Highway. But with parts of this vital route underwater, getting bananas to the rest of the country has become a major challenge. Supermarkets Scrambling to Manage the Shortage Supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths  are already working to manage supply issues. A Woolworths spokesperson told 9News  that customers may notice fewer bananas in stores for a while. "We’re working closely with our Queensland suppliers and doing everything we can to get bananas back on shelves as soon as possible,"  they said. Some bananas have already made it out of the region, but with roads still cut off, alternative routes are being explored —though these could also be at risk if heavy rains continue. Will Banana Prices Go Up? History suggests they might. Back in 2011 , Cyclone Yasi  devastated Queensland’s banana crops, sending prices soaring to $14 a kilo . If supply continues to struggle, a price hike could be on the horizon. More Rain, More Problems The Bureau of Meteorology  is warning that even more heavy rain is on the way, pushing further inland and putting alternate truck routes at risk. Meanwhile, some farmers have already started culling flood-damaged crops , adding to concerns about long-term shortages. For now, Aussies might need to brace for fewer bananas and possible price increases —so if you see some in your local supermarket, you might want to grab them while you can!

SriLankan Airlines විසින් පාරිභෝගික සහාය වැඩි දියුණු කිරීමට සහ ගුවන් සේවය සමඟ මගීන් අන්තර් ක්‍රියා කරන ආකාරය පරිවර්තනය කිරීමට නිර්මාණය කර ඇති ‘යානා’ නමින් ක්‍රීඩාව වෙනස් කරන කෘතිම බුද්ධි (AI) චැට්බෝට් එකක් හඳුන්වා දී ඇත. උසස් AI සහ ස්වභාවික භාෂා සැකසුම් (NLP) තාක්ෂණයන් උපයෝගී කරගනිමින්, Yaana විසින් පුළුල් පරාසයක මගී විමසීම් කාර්යක්ෂමව හසුරුවයි. CodeGen International (Pvt) Ltd. සමඟ සහයෝගීව සංවර්ධනය කරන ලද Yaana දැන් ශ්‍රී ලංකන් ගුවන් සමාගමේ ආයතනික වෙබ් අඩවියේ සජීවීව පවතී. ගුවන් ගමන් කඩාකප්පල් කිරීම් වලදී චැට්බෝට්ගේ හැකියාවන් විශේෂයෙන් වටිනා වනු ඇත, මගීන්ට ඉක්මනින් විකල්ප ගමන් විකල්ප සොයා ගැනීමට උපකාර කරයි. Yaana හි බහුභාෂා ක්‍රියාකාරීත්වය ශ්‍රී ලංකන් ගුවන් සමාගමේ ගෝලීය පාරිභෝගික පදනම වෙත ප්‍රවේශ විය හැක. SriLankan Airlines හි තොරතුරු තාක්ෂණ සමූහ ප්‍රධානී චාමර පෙරේරා මහතා, නව පද්ධතිය පිළිබඳ තොරතුරු බෙදාහදා ගනිමින්, “Yaana විශේෂාංගී වන්නේ GPT-4 තාක්‍ෂණයෙන් බල ගැන්වෙන generative AI virtual Assistant, උසස් නැවත ලබාගැනීමේ හැකියාවන්ගෙන් සමන්විතය. එය විශ්වාසදායක, ගැලපෙන තොරතුරු ලබා දීම සඳහා ප්‍රතිපත්ති ලේඛන සහ ගුවන් ගමන් කාලසටහන් ඇතුළු තත්‍ය කාලීන දත්ත හරස් යොමු කිරීම මගින් වේගවත්, නිවැරදි සහ සන්දර්භීය වශයෙන් අදාළ ප්‍රතිචාර සහතික කරයි. ලෝක ව්‍යාප්ත විකුණුම් සහ බෙදාහැරීම් ප්‍රධානී දිමුතු තෙන්නකෝන්, Yaana හි කාර්යක්‍ෂමතාවය ඉස්මතු කරමින් කියා සිටියේ, "යානා දියත් කළ දා සිට විමසීම් 12,000 කට ආසන්න ප්‍රමාණයක් හසුරුවා ඇති අතර ඒවායින් 88% ක් ස්වයංක්‍රීයව විසඳා ඇත. පරිමාණය සමඟ, එය වත්මන් පරිමාව මෙන් පස් ගුණයක් කළමනාකරණය කිරීමට අපි බලාපොරොත්තු වෙමු. 24/7 සහය, තත්‍ය කාලීන බාධා කිරීම් යාවත්කාලීන කිරීම්, විධිමත් වෙන් කිරීම් සහය සහ සංකීර්ණ විමසුම් සඳහා පුද්ගලාරෝපිත ප්‍රතිචාර පිරිනමමින් Yaana පාරිභෝගික සේවය විශාල ලෙස වැඩිදියුණු කිරීමට සූදානම් වේ.

Far North Queensland is in for another wet and wild weekend, with residents being warned to brace for more dangerous, life-threatening flooding. It’s not the news locals wanted to hear, especially those from Ayr to Tully—including Townsville—who’ve already been hammered by floods over the past week. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning, predicting heavy rainfall from tonight, with some areas expected to cop up to 250mm  in just 24 hours. The heavy rain also brings the risk of landslides and debris blocking roads, adding to the challenges many communities are already facing. Flood warnings are in place for several areas, including Townsville, Palm Island, Ingham, Ayr, Giru, and Lucinda . The good news? The rain should start easing by Monday. Some Relief as Power Slowly Returns Amid the chaos, there’s a glimmer of hope—power is one step closer to being restored for many residents. Crews from energy provider Ergon  have managed to bring the Ingham substation  back online, marking a major step in reconnecting homes and businesses to electricity. Over the coming hours, workers will be checking lines and carrying out emergency repairs in flooded areas. For residents in Ingham who’ve been in the dark for days, this means they’ll finally be able to charge their phones, do laundry, and keep their food cold again . Yesterday, Ergon was able to restore power to 700 homes , but some smaller communities— like Halifax and Macknade —are still cut off, with locals desperately needing food, medical supplies, and other essentials . ADF Steps In with Emergency Bridge There’s more good news on the recovery front—the Australian Defence Force  has finished building a temporary bridge  on the Bruce Highway at Ollera Creek . This single-lane bridge will serve as the only road access  into flood-affected areas like Ingham and Hinchinbrook Shire from the south. However, authorities have made it clear: this bridge is strictly for emergency service vehicles . It’ll be a lifeline for getting much-needed supplies and support into isolated communities. For now, residents are doing their best to pick up the pieces, but with more rain on the way, the tough times aren’t over just yet. Stay safe out there, North Queensland! 4o

The Australian share market had a strong day on Thursday, with the main index creeping closer to the record high it set just last month. The big movers were the major banks, leading the charge, while News Corp saw a nice bump after posting solid results. Over in the U.S., things were a bit mixed. Alphabet, Google's parent company, saw its stock dip after committing more funds to AI, which raised some concerns. On the flip side, Nvidia had another great day as investors seemed to put the DeepSeek drama behind them, sending the stock higher. Overall, it was a bit of a rollercoaster, but a lot of positive energy in the markets!

සංචාරක ක්ෂේත්‍රය සඳහා 2025 සඳහා ශක්තිමත් ආරම්භයක් සනිටුහන් කරමින් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව සිය ඉතිහාසයේ ජනවාරි මාසය සඳහා වැඩිම සංචාරක පැමිණීම් සංඛ්‍යාවක් වාර්තා කර ඇත. නිල දත්ත වලට අනුව, පසුගිය මාසයේ 250,000 කට අධික නරඹන්නන් පිරිසක් මෙරටට පැමිණ ඇත්තේ පෙර වාර්තා අභිබවා යමිනි.

Train driver salaries have been a hot topic in NSW lately, with strikes causing major disruptions as workers push for better pay. While the state government has promised a wage increase, how do train driver salaries compare across Australia? Let’s break it down. Sydney Train Drivers Sydney Trains drivers earn an average salary of $128,196 , including overtime and allowances, according to Transport for NSW. After weeks of industrial action, the government offered rail workers a 15% pay rise over four years , though unions are pushing for 32%  instead. Melbourne Train Drivers Melbourne’s metro train drivers take home around $110,124  per year on average. But for those with more experience, that figure can climb as high as $182,000 . Brisbane Train Drivers In Queensland’s capital, train drivers earn about $100,000  annually. Factor in overtime and penalty rates , and that number can rise significantly. Some Queensland Rail drivers report salaries as high as $153,000 , according to Indeed. Perth Train Drivers If you’re starting out as a train driver in Perth, expect a base salary of $83,304 —before penalties and overtime. Canberra Tram Drivers Canberra runs a tram network  rather than a train system, with light rail drivers earning around $78,000  a year. Adelaide Train Drivers Adelaide’s metro train drivers earn $65,728  on average—a fair bit lower than those in bigger cities. Private Sector Train Drivers Not all train drivers work for public transport networks—some work in private rail , which can mean higher pay . Aurizon , Australia’s largest freight rail operator, pays its drivers about $120,000  per year. Rio Tinto  offers one of the best pay packets in the industry, with drivers earning around $178,000  annually. The Verdict? Train driver salaries vary a lot  depending on where you work and who you work for. Public transport drivers in Sydney and Melbourne  tend to earn more than those in smaller cities, but private rail jobs —especially in the mining sector—often come with the biggest paychecks.

විදේශ ගමන් බලපත්‍ර මුද්‍රණය කඩිනම් කිරීම සහ ප්‍රමාදය අවම කිරීම සඳහා අතිරේක කාර්ය මණ්ඩලයක් යෙදවීමට රජය අනුමැතිය ලබා දී ඇත. දැනට පවතින විදේශ ගමන් බලපත්‍ර හිඟය විසඳීම සඳහා කැබිනට් මණ්ඩලය විසින් පත් කරන ලද කමිටුවේ නිර්දේශ අනුව මෙම පියවර ගෙන ඇත. ඒ අනුව ආගමන හා විගමන දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවේ විශ්‍රාමික පිරිස් කොන්ත්‍රාත් පදනම මත සේවයට බඳවා ගැනීමේ යෝජනාවකට අමාත්‍ය මණ්ඩල අනුමැතිය හිමි විය. කැබිනට් ප්‍රකාශක අමාත්‍ය නලින්ද ජයතිස්ස මහතා පැවසුවේ “P” කාණ්ඩයේ චිප් කාවැද්දූ විදේශ ගමන් බලපත්‍ර පොත් පිංච මිලියන 1.1ක් අත්පත් කර ගැනීමේ ප්‍රසම්පාදන ක්‍රියාවලිය ආරම්භ කර ඇති බවයි. නිකුත් කිරීමේ ප්‍රමාදයන් තුරන් කිරීම සඳහා, දිනකට විදේශ ගමන් බලපත්‍ර 4,000 ක් නිකුත් කරමින් 24/7 ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීමට විගමන හා ආගමන දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව සැලසුම් කරයි. ඒ අනුව රාජ්‍ය සේවා කොමිෂන් සභාවේ සහ රාජ්‍ය පරිපාලන අමාත්‍යාංශයේ අනුමැතිය ඇතිව විශ්‍රාමික දෙපාර්තමේන්තු නිලධාරීන් කොන්ත්‍රාත් පදනම මත බඳවාගෙන දැනට සිටින රජයේ නිලධාරීන් යළි අනුයුක්ත කිරීමට මහජන ආරක්‍ෂක හා පාර්ලිමේන්තු කටයුතු අමාත්‍යවරයා කළ යෝජනාවට අනුමැතිය හිමිව තිබේ.

North Queensland’s flood-hit communities are getting some much-needed support, with Premier David Crisafulli pledging urgent action to help residents recover. One of the biggest concerns right now? Empty grocery shelves. Coles and Woolies have been struggling to restock, but the state government is stepping in. “We’ve had two planes fly into Cairns today,” Crisafulli said. “One was to supply Weipa, another just landed, and we have more coming in the days ahead.” Refrigerated goods are a priority, and the government is also working with supermarkets to ensure non-perishable items are available. But Crisafulli urged locals to check out smaller retailers like IGA, saying, “They are locals, they have supply—go and support them.” Coles confirmed it has started getting deliveries back into key areas like Cairns, and they’re hopeful road access remains open so stores can be restocked quickly. Beyond food shortages, flood recovery is in full swing. Power outages have left 22 schools closed, but the government is working on getting kids back in classrooms. “It’s a huge task, but we are here for you,” Crisafulli reassured residents. On the federal front, Emergency Management Minister Jenny McAllister visited the region, reminding flood-affected households that financial support is available, including $1000 disaster recovery payments for residents in Cardwell, Giru, and Hinchinbrook. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also arrived in Townsville, where locals are beginning a massive clean-up. "We know North Queenslanders are tough, but these are tough times," he said. To help, the Australian Defence Force has been delivering essential supplies—some with the help of Singapore’s military, which had Chinook helicopters in Queensland for training. With government support rolling in and communities rallying together, North Queensland is bracing for a long road to recovery—but one they won’t have to face alone.

රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ රජය යටතේ සම්මත කරන ලද ඔන්ලයින් ආරක්ෂණ පනතට සංශෝධන කිහිපයක් ඉදිරිපත් කිරීමට රජය සැලසුම් කර ඇති බව නීතිපති දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණයට දැනුම් දී තිබේ. පනතේ නීත්‍යානුකූලභාවය අභියෝගයට ලක්කරමින් ගොනු කර ඇති මූලික අයිතිවාසිකම් පෙත්සම් හතරක් විභාගයට ගත් අවස්ථාවේදී සොලිසිටර් ජනරාල් විරාජ් දයාරත්න මහතා අධිකරණයට දන්වා සිටියේය. Transparency International Sri Lanka ඇතුළු පාර්ශ්ව කිහිපයක් විසින් ගොනු කර ඇති මෙම පෙත්සම්වල තර්ක කරන්නේ නීතිය සම්මත කර ඇති ආකාරය නීති විරෝධී බවයි. යෝජිත සංශෝධන පිළිබඳ කැබිනට් පත්‍රිකාවක් කඩිනමින් ඉදිරිපත් කරන බව නඩු විභාගය අතරතුර සොලිසිටර් ජනරාල්වරයා සඳහන් කළේය. පසුගිය රජය සංශෝධන ආරම්භ කර තිබියදී පාර්ලිමේන්තුව විසුරුවා හැරීමත් සමඟ එම ක්‍රියාවලිය අතරමඟ නතර වූ බවද ඔහු සඳහන් කළේය.

Turns out banning phones in schools isn’t the magic fix many had hoped for. A new study from the University of Birmingham has found that while excessive phone and social media use can negatively impact students—leading to poorer grades, less exercise, anxiety, and bad sleep—simply banning phones at school doesn’t actually reduce overall screen time in a meaningful way. In Australia, all state schools and many private schools have strict phone bans, but this UK study—the first of its kind—suggests that these policies alone don’t improve student health or academic performance. Researchers analyzed data from 30 schools and over 1,200 students across England. Some schools had strict bans, while others allowed limited phone use during breaks or in designated areas. The takeaway? Schools can't solve the problem alone. Senior researcher Miranda Pallan says bans should be part of a bigger effort to help kids cut back on screen time overall. “Restrictive policies on recreational phone use in schools do not lead to better outcomes,” she explains. So while limiting phone use might help in some ways, it looks like a broader approach—one that involves parents, educators, and students—is needed to really make a difference.

Australia has officially banned DeepSeek from all government devices, citing national security risks posed by the Chinese AI startup. DeepSeek made waves in January when it unveiled a chatbot that rivaled top U.S. models but claimed to have been developed at a fraction of the cost. The news sent shockwaves through global markets, wiping billions off the value of AI-related stocks—including Australia’s own chipmaker, Brainchip. The government insists this ban isn’t about DeepSeek’s Chinese origins but rather the "unacceptable risk" it presents to national security. The restriction means no government entity—whether it’s the Australian Electoral Commission or the Bureau of Meteorology—can install, use, or even keep the AI tool on any government system or device. What about schools or other public-sector computers? That’s still a bit unclear. But private citizens remain free to use DeepSeek on their personal devices. Cybersecurity expert Kieren McCarthy says this move is part of a growing trend where governments prioritize security over the free adoption of new technologies. “It adds a political dimension to all new tech and heralds an end to the days when technology was king,” he explains. For now, DeepSeek has yet to respond to the ban. But this decision signals that when it comes to AI, governments worldwide are taking no chances.

Australians have mixed feelings about migration, according to a new study. While most people think migration levels are too high, they also support skilled migration and don’t want to see international student numbers drop. With a federal election on the horizon, immigration is shaping up to be a key issue. Opposition leader Peter Dutton has pledged to cut permanent migration to help ease the housing crisis, while the Labor government also plans to reduce net migration this financial year. But a survey by Australian National University researchers found that many Australians hold conflicting and often inaccurate views about migration. While a little over half of respondents said migration levels were too high, their opinions shifted when given more context. For example, when people were told a positive story about how migrants could actually help solve the housing crisis, support for migration increased by 4.5%. On the flip side, a negative narrative made people 6% less likely to support maintaining or increasing migration levels. The study, which surveyed more than 5,000 people, also found that respondents tended to assume other Australians were more anti-migration than they actually were. Despite concerns about high migration levels, even more people supported keeping or increasing the number of international students. More than 40% felt the same way about permanent and other temporary migration as well. In short, while Australians may want fewer migrants in general, they’re not keen on cutting numbers across the board—especially when it comes to students and skilled workers.