More than 500 new poker machines installed in NSW despite Chris Minns promising to slash numbers

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Total number of machines in state increased from 87,094 in March last year to 87,644 in October

More than 500 new poker machines have been installed since Labor won office in New South Wales last year, despite a campaign pledge to cut their numbers in pubs and clubs.

In January 2023, two months before the state election, the now premier, Chris Minns, declared a Labor government would “reduce the number of poker machines” in NSW.

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China reviews plan to increase local government debt – CNBC

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  1. China reviews plan to increase local government debt  CNBC
  2. China Reviews Plan to Refinance Local Governments’ Hidden Debt  Bloomberg
  3. China's lawmakers review bill to raise local government debt ceilings  Reuters
  4. In stimulus signal, China’s top legislature mulls debt swap plan on first day  South China Morning Post
  5. Experts Predict CN New Round of Debt Swaps Could Reach RMB6-10T; Local Govts May Restart Issuing Swap Bonds: CN Media  AASTOCKS.com
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North Korea tells UN it is speeding up nuclear weapons programme

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Pyongyang’s envoy to the United Nations says buildup is to counter threat from ‘hostile nuclear weapons states’

North Korea’s UN envoy has said Pyongyang will accelerate a buildup of its nuclear weapons programme just days after it test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time this year at a moment of rising tensions with the west.

Kim Song, North Korea’s ambassador to the UN, said during a security council meeting on Monday that Pyongyang would accelerate the programme to “counter any threat presented by hostile nuclear weapons states”.

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Eight staff of Australian Electoral Commission contractor fabricated voice referendum location data

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AEC ‘considering its legal position’ after investigation prompted by Guardian reporting into allegations from McNair whistleblower

Eight staff fabricated location data on Indigenous communities while working for a company contracted by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) during last year’s failed voice referendum process, an investigation has found.

The AEC said it was now “considering its legal position” over the scandal and remained “incredibly disappointed” in the alleged behaviour of McNair yellowSquares, a market research firm engaged as part of the commission’s efforts to improve participation in the vote.

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Injury forces dancer Amy Dowden to leave this year’s Strictly

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Spokesperson says Dowden will not take part in the rest of the competition owing to foot injury

The professional dancer Amy Dowden will not be continuing with this year’s season of Strictly Come Dancing to recover from a foot injury.

The development was revealed on the spin-off show Strictly It Takes Two on BBC Two on Monday and comes after a period of absence from the show for Dowden.

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Britain’s green energy pledge ‘credible’ if planning fixed, says system operator

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State-owned Neso says Britain could be net exporter of green electricity by end of decade at no extra cost

A plan to create a clean electricity system by 2030 promised by Labour before the election is “immensely challenging” but still “credible” if ministers take urgent action to fix Britain’s sluggish planning system, the energy system operator has said.

Britain could become a net exporter of green electricity by the end of the decade at no extra costs to the energy system under the plans and bills may even fall if ministers make the right policy changes, according to the operator.

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Smoking to be banned outside schools and hospitals, but pubs get reprieve

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Parliamentary bill will also ban the advertising of vapes and restrict their flavours, packaging and marketing

Smoking is set to be banned outside schools and hospitals as part of a crackdown on one of the UK’s biggest killers and its most common cause of cancer.

But the government has dropped plans to outlaw smoking outside pubs and restaurants, prompting health campaigners to complain about “vested interests” covertly influencing policy.

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UK retail sales growth slumps as shoppers wait for Black Friday deals

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Later October half-term break and budget uncertainty also led to lower spending, says industry

Growth in UK retail sales slumped in October, according to industry figures that suggest shoppers have put off spending in anticipation of Black Friday promotions and because of a later school half-term break.

Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) show total sales grew by 0.6% year on year in October, significantly weaker than September’s and less than half the three-month average growth rate.

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Is your air fryer spying on you? Concerns over ‘excessive’ surveillance in smart devices

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UK consumer group Which? finds some everyday items including watches and speakers are ‘stuffed with trackers’

Air fryers that gather your personal data and audio speakers “stuffed with trackers” are among examples of smart devices engaged in “excessive” surveillance, according to the consumer group Which?

The organisation tested three air fryers, increasingly a staple of British kitchens, each of which requested permission to record audio on the user’s phone through a connected app.

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At least 25 dead after boat ‘deliberately capsized by traffickers,’ says UN migration agency – CNN

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  1. At least 25 dead after boat ‘deliberately capsized by traffickers,’ says UN migration agency  CNN
  2. Women, children among 24 dead in boat accident off Comoros Islands, says UN agency  Anadolu Agency | English
  3. At least 25 killed after traffickers capsize boat off Comoros: IOM  Al Jazeera English
  4. Boat capsizes off Comoros islands, 25 killed, UN agency says  Reuters
  5. Smugglers Sank Boat And Fled, Says Comoros Tragedy Survivor  Barron's
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Residents of conservative California county brace for tumultuous elections

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‘More and more divided’ Shasta is grappling with baseless conspiracy theories of voter fraud and election denialism

Residents of one of California’s most conservative counties are bracing for a contentious election, as the community grapples with a thriving election denialism movement that has amplified conspiracy theories about voter fraud and made life increasingly difficult for election workers.

In recent weeks, some residents of Shasta county, home to 180,000 people in the state’s far north, have urged the county not to certify the election results while one official warned that if Donald Trump is “cheated” out of the election, there would be “a price” to pay.

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