Hello. It's Monday, December 20 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of the news you need to know about.
One thing you should know
Expert police officers from NSW have been called in to help with the investigation into the Hillcrest Primary School jumping castle tragedy.
Four forensic child interviewers arrived yesterday, and they'll speak with young witnesses over the coming days about the incident as part of the investigation which is expected to take several weeks.
It comes after confirmation that a sixth child has died after the accident. Police say 11-year-old Chace Harrison's life support was turned off on Sunday afternoon.
Two more children remain in critical conditions in hospital, and another is recovering at home. That student, Beau, visited the school to see the growing display of floral tributes yesterday:
Something you’ll be hearing about today
The NT's borders are opening to vaccinated people and returning residents, despite COVID cases rising in multiple states and territories.
- The hotspot system is being removed (authorities say the spread of COVID around the country is making it "increasingly pointless");
- Travellers will need to have had a negative PCR test before they travel, and will need to get tested again on days three and six after arriving in the NT;
- They'll also need to stay within the Territory's "high vaccination zones" (Greater Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs) for the first two weeks;
- This all comes as Tennant Creek remains in lockdown due to a number of COVID cases being identified there, and the remote Aboriginal community of Ali Curung has also entered a snap lockdown after a positive case was reported there.
News while you snoozed
- Queen guitarist Brian May has revealed he is recovering from COVID-19, and has urged fans to get vaccinated. He says he and his wife caught the virus at an event full of triple-jabbed attendees
- More than 21,000 people have had to leave their homes in Malaysia after torrential rain caused significant flooding
What Australia has been searching for online
- Drakeo the Ruler. The US rapper has died after reportedly being stabbed at the Once Upon a Time in LA concert, where he and multiple other artists like Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent were set to perform
- The Northern Beaches storm. One woman was killed and two others were seriously injured in the freak storm that ripped through parts of Sydney yesterday, which also caused significant damage to properties and cut power to thousands of homes
One more thing
Pokies. They're common sights in pubs and clubs... but there are risks that come with them too.
Now, local gaming company Aristocrat Leisure is betting the house on a $5 billion acquisition that will put it at the centre of real money gaming (RMG), a controversial type of digital gambling that isn't even legal in Australia.
- The technology creates digital casino games played for actual cash;
- Because RMG is illegal here, Australians can play online casinos to win "tokens" but not actual money;
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But just last month, a Tasmanian woman pleaded guilty to stealing $940,000 from her employer to fund her addiction to an online gambling game that does not pay out real money.
Dr Charlies Livingstone, a leading expert on gambling and associate professor at Monash's School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, says RMG is "highly accessible" and can be played "anytime you want".
"It's on an app, you get into it and you're in a casino where you can bet on slot machines (pokies) and casino style games very rapidly, and bet an unlimited amount," he says.
You're up to date
Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for more news updates and alerts throughout the day.
ABC/wires
