New South Wales unveils major gambling reforms; ocean temperatures hit a new global record; Aleksander Ceferin rules out a bid for the FIFA presidency.
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TRANSCRIPT
- New South Wales unveils major gambling reforms
- Ocean temperatures hit a new global record
- Aleksander Ceferin rules out a bid for the FIFA presidency.
The New South Wales government has announced a package of anti-gambling reforms, including mandatory facial recognition in gaming rooms, a statewide poker machine exclusion register, and a ban on VIP programs.
The announcement comes nearly two years after an independent panel was established to oversee the trial of cashless poker machines.
By 2028, a statewide exclusion register will be introduced, along with mandatory facial recognition technology at the entry of gaming rooms.
New South Wales Gaming Minister, David Harris, says the measures will provide stronger protections against gambling harm.
"It empowers players to actively manage budgets and time with confidence, fostering personal agency and mindful entertainment choices, and it strengthens consumer confidence and operational integrity, while utilising secure systems that protect privacy while effectively preventing illicit financial activity."
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The world's oceans have reached their highest daily temperature on record.
Data from the European climate service Copernicus shows global sea surface temperatures hit 21.1 degrees Celsius on Saturday, surpassing a record set in March 2024.
Dr Sam Burgess, at Copernicus, says it is a sign that the ocean system is under immense pressure.
"The record ocean temperatures that we see right now is a combination of background level of warming, so the ocean in general has warmed about 0.8 degrees Celsius from human-induced climate change, and then we've got this boost from the El Nino event. Corals as well as most marine organisms get incredibly stressed when the water environment is too hot for them. It also leads to fish mortality."
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Australia's electricity grid operator is forecasting that data centre energy use will increase seven-fold over the next decade.
The report by the Australian Energy Market Operator says rapid growth in data centres, driven by the increased adoption of AI and cloud services, remains one of the most significant sources of forecast growth of energy use.
It says the forecast is based on the potential development of 225 known data centre projects.
The prime minister will address the Business Council of Australia’s Annual Dinner on the issue tonight, ahead of a National Cabinet meeting tomorrow, which is expected to be dominated by issues around AI use and proposed legislation.
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Russia has issued a fresh threat against the UK after it committed to sharing classified blueprints for technology that will allow Ukraine to build its own long-range weapons capability.
The UK and France are both accelerating technical assistance to Kyiv to create a specialist missile, a move Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says is fanning the flames of the war.
Russia is now threatening to destroy the plants making the weapons, but British Prime Minister Andy Burnham says his government won't be dissuaded.
"Who started the fire? That's the question, isn't it? Ukraine did not do that. Russia began this illegal invasion and that is absolutely clear, and they could stop it at any given time. Britain will never be a fairweather friend. People would expect me to be out here showing our unflinching support and that's what I'm doing."
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And now to sport.
The president of European football's governing body has ruled himself out of running against Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency next year in March.
As the head of UEFA, Aleksander Ceferin was a prominent figure in the backlash against Infantino's since-abandoned plan to sell part of the World Cup to private investors.
He's told 'The Rest Is Politics: Leading' podcast Mr Infantino has lost the confidence of the football community.
"There are two options. One option is that he realises that he doesn't have the support, and that's not only a political support of the ones who vote, but the political support of football community, the political support of fans, the political support of the players, former players, coaches. And the second option is that he goes to the elections in March. But in that case, I think that he will have a candidate against him. I don't know yet who."
