News Round Up

February 2, 2018

Australian’s Can’t Buy Codeine Medications Over The Counter

As of February 1, you can only buy codeine-based medicines in Australia with a prescription. To get painkillers and cold medicines like Panadeine, Nurofen Plus and Codral you will now need a prescription from your GP. Australia joins 26 countries around the world – including the United States – which ban over-the-counter sales of codeine-based painkillers. Health Minister Greg Hunt claimed that the move was in response to the global opioid crisis:

“We know around the world in many places there is an opioid crisis. Codeine is part of that family. In other countries, such as the United States and UK, the decision was taken long ago to put these opioids on a prescription basis.”

The government and peak health bodies claim that up to 100 Australians die per year from overdoses directly linked to codeine.

Horror Film Hereditary Creating a Stir

There’s been quite a bit of buzz surrounding the upcoming horror film Hereditary starring Toni Colette, Gabriel Byrne and Alex Wolff. It’s getting insane reviews from critics, with people calling it the scariest film to date. The Hollywood Reporter called it “arguably the most effective domestic horror chiller since The Conjuring and The Babadook.” The film is based around a family, after the death of their matriarch, when they begin to discover some dark secrets about her past. Watch the trailer here, we guarantee you’ll be freaked out by the end of it.

Roger Federer Wins Australian Open

Absolute tennis legend Roger Federer won his sixth Australian Open on Sunday, becoming the first man ever to capture 20 grand slam singles crowns with a fighting 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 3-6-1 victory over Marin Cilic at Melbourne Park.

“I’m so happy. It’s unbelievable,” he said.

“It’s a long day waiting for the finals. It’s easier when it is in the afternoon time. You sleep, you go out there and play and do your best. That’s it.

“When it’s at night you think about the match all day. It’s tough.

“I’m happy it’s over now, either way, but of course winning is just an absolute dream come true.”

Blood Test Detects Alzheimer’s Up To 20 Years In Advance

A team of Australian and Japanese scientists claim they have the most accurate test yet for the earliest indicator of Alzheimer’s. One of the lead researchers, Colin Masters says the blood test is more than 90 per cent accurate at predicting Alzheimer’s, based on a study involving 252 Australian and 121 Japanese patients. “I can see in the future, five years from now, where people have a regular checkup every five years after age 55 or 60 to determine whether they are on the Alzheimer’s pathway or not.”

Secret Australian Government Files Found In A Cabinet

Over the past week the ABC have been publishing leaks from secret government cabinet files, which have been revealed throughout the media.

Here’s what the ABC says:

“According to the ABC, the documents were in two locked filing cabinets sold at an ex-government sale in Canberra. They were sold off cheaply because they were heavy and no-one could find the keys. A nifty person drilled the locks and uncovered the trove of documents inside.”

Some such examples was the revelation that Scott Morrison tried to delay refugee processing and that Tony Abbott‘s government wanted to kick under-30s off Centrelink altogether. You can read more about it here.

 

 

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