Bupa's aged care homes failing standards

Health insurance provider Bupa is failing to meet basic standards of care in more than half of their nursing homes.

22 of Bupa’s 72 nursing homes have been declared as putting the health and safety of residents at “serious risk”. 

The Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians Richard Colbeck said the Department of Health are closely monitoring Bupa’s performance with weekly progress meetings.

Aged Care Crisis member Lynda Saltarelle belive Bupa will not be taken down. 

INAS Global Games showcases country’s best intellectually impaired athletes

The world's best intellectually impaired athletes are preparing to compete in Brisbane at the INAS Global Games. 

The chief executive of the INAS Global Games Robyn Smith, said many of the athletes will go to compete at the Paralympics in Tokyo next year, but INAS is a good stepping stone.

"Australia is leading the way with inclusion and accessibility to elite-level sports," Ms Smith said. 

Australian officials believe the games will boost Brisbane 2032 Olympic bid. 

UQ climbs education ranking

The University of Queensland had jumped three places in the highly regarded Time Higher Education World University Rankings.

UQ celebrates its climb up to 66th in the world, maintaining fourth position in Australia.

The five performance indicators for the 2020 T.H.E World University Rankings were teaching, research, citations, international outlook, and industry income.

UQ Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Aidan Byrne said “the achievement was gratifying in an increasingly competitive sector.”

Water discovered on a potentially habitable planet

Astronomers have discovered water in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting within the habitable zone of a distant star.

Lead scientist Professor Giovanna Tinetti of University College London says this “mind-blowing” discovery is "the first time that we have detected water on a planet in the habitable zone around a star where the temperature is potentially compatible with the presence of life".

This discovery makes the planet a possible candidate in the search for alien life.

Trump announces plan to ban flavoured e-cigarettes

US President Donald Trump has announced a plan to ban flavoured e-cigarettes after an increase in vaping-related deaths.

There have been six deaths and 450 cases of lung illness connected to vaping across 33 states in America

US Health Secretary Alex Azar said the Food and Drug Administration plans to remove all non-tobacco flavours from the market.

R U OK Day

Today is R U OK Day, a national day of action encouraging Australians to reach out to others who may be struggling. 

Australia's suicide rate sits at 12.9 per 100,000 people, which is above the World Health Organisation's global average and is far more prevalent among men than women.

If you need someone to talk to, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. 

Labor targets Chinese-born Australian MP Gladys Liu

The first Chinese-born Australian MP Gladys Liu was targeted by the Labor party over whether she was a "fit and proper" person for parliament.

The shadow attorney general, Mark Dreyfus led the attack over Liu’s alleged connection to the Chinese communist party.

Liu said, "I am a proud Australian, passionately committed to serving the people of Chisholm, and any suggestion contrary to this is deeply offensive".

A community rallies to pressure the council to install traffic lights

A community rally will be held today in Bulimba to pressure the council to install traffic lights at Riding Road after two schoolgirls were injured while crossing.

Morningside Councillor Kara Cook said, “the girls are among hundreds of students at the nearby Morningside State School who use the crossing regularly. It’s also heavily used by adults and children to access Hawthorne Park”.

Locals have been fighting to install traffic lights at the intersection for 14 years with at least six serious pedestrian crashes and a fatality in recent years.