Brisbane Paramedics are demanding a stronger digital health technology to improve diagnosis

Despite our rapid technology growth, the health industry is still lacking the technological upgrades that are needed on both ends of the industry.

Brisbane Paramedic, Rob, says information is key in their job, "the more we know, the more we can add it together for a proper diagnosis to help people,” he states.

Some companies are now working on apps to let people take full control of their health, and allow them to upload and store medical documents.

Saving chocolate with UQ science

The University of Queensland and chocolate company Mars Wrigley are working together to save the world’s chocolate supplies.

The multinational company has sponsored a UQ team with 100,000 dollars to help fight the cacao swollen shoot virus or CSSV.

Professor Botella said the virus had devastated many cocoa plantations in western Africa, affecting cocoa yields.

“Currently around 75 per cent of the world’s 4.6 million tonnes of cocoa beans are grown in western Africa, where this disease is becoming ever-more rampant,” he said.

Our Smartphones could be listening to everything we say for advertisement porpuses

A new survey conducted by Unisys reveals that 41% of Australians have received online ads about a topic they had recently talked about.

More than 1 in 4 participants also said the virtual assistant on their smart device had asked them for more information, or to repeat themselves, even when they hadn't turned it on.

Ashwin Pal from Unisys says Australians are becoming increasingly concerned about their privacy and how their data is being used.

 

Councillor thrown out of Brisbane chamber for swearing

A Brisbane councillor has been thrown out of the Brisbane City Council chamber for swearing during a meeting yesterday.

Cr Nicole Johnson was censured by Council Chair Andrew Wines for using an expletive, after herself trying to make a point of order against Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner for inappropriate language.

Menopausal treatments could increase the risk of Breast cancer

Medical journal, The Lancet has published a paper showing that the risk of breast cancer rises after only one year taking menopausal hormone therapy.

The paper collects data from 58 international studies from 1992 to 2018. Althought they are observational, no other reason for this correlation has yet been found.

Farmer stops work on Adani's Carmichael mine

A man has locked himself to a drill rig this morning, disrupting work on Adani’s controversial Carmichael mine in the Galilee Basin.

63 year old teacher and farmer Will Douglas, from Moruya in NSW, locked himself to the drill rig on Adani’s rail corridor, saying that immediate action is needed in the face of climate emergency.

New Hope Coal sacks 150 workers

New Hope Coal mine, situated in southern Queensland, has sacked 150 workers after its expansions weren’t approved.

The mine has been waiting for approval for New Acland Stage 3 near Toowoomba for 12 years, and mine general manager Dave O’Dwyer says that they have run out of coal. 

Mr O’Dwyer says that “you can see the fear in [the workforce’s] eyes when you look around the room,” stemming from uncertainties around the decision.

A private Catholic school in Nashville has removed Harry Potter books from its library

A private Catholic school in Nashville has removed Harry Potter books from its library, saying it contains "actual curses and spells, and when humans read these spells and spells, they will come up with a strange spirit.”

A local newspaper in Tennessee reported the pastor of the St. Edward's Catholic School educated kindergarten children in the eighth grade, and they emailed their parents about the JK Rowling series, telling them he had been in contact with "several" exorcists who recommended removing the books from the library.

 

Muffin Break and Jamaica Blue staff back-paid $26,500

More than $26,500 has been back-paid to 166 staff members at Muffin Break and Jamaica Blue cafes across the country.

The cafe’s franchisor, Foodco, had to back-pay employees under an agreement with the Fair Work Ombudsman.

An independent audit found 152 employees were underpaid, while an additional 12 requests from employees at the cafes led to another 14 employees being back-paid.