Microsoft apologizes for global outage that could cost Australia billions

Microsoft has apologized for a global outage disrupting millions of users, with experts warning it could cost Australia billions and force some small businesses to close. The company says services are being restored. The 18-hour outage, which began Friday, was a technical issue, not a cyber-attack, and affected hospitals, courts, schools, and government agencies. Experts say it exposes Australia's heavy reliance on foreign technology, with many businesses lacking fallback plans. The Australian Computer Society is urging a government review of critical systems dependent on single providers. The outage also disrupted healthcare, police, and shipping in the UK, US, and Japan, with Microsoft shares dipping 1.1%.