OCEANIA

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A man accused of killing 15 people at Sydney’s Bondi Beach conducted firearms training in an area of New South Wales state outside of Sydney with his father, according to Australian police documents released on Monday.

The documents, made public following Naveed Akram’s video court appearance from a Sydney hospital where he has been treated for an abdominal injury, said the two men recorded footage justifying the meticulously planned attack.

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Canberra's online regulator announced Friday that livestream giant Twitch will be forced to remove all users under 16 when Australia's strict social media laws are enacted next month. Effective December 10, these laws will require social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, to delete underage accounts or face significant penalties.

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Two alleged gunmen who attacked a Hanukkah event at Sydney's Bondi Beach had travelled to the Philippines before the assault, which killed 15 people, and appeared to be inspired by Islamic State, police said on Tuesday.

The attack on Sunday was Australia's worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years, and is being investigated as an act of terrorism targeting the Jewish community.

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An emerging compromise between Turkey and Australia is set to determine the structure of next year's United Nations climate summit, with Turkey poised to host COP31 while Australia leads the governmental negotiations. The arrangement, confirmed by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, ends a prolonged impasse between the two countries, both of which had sought hosting rights since 2022. The new plan allows Turkey to stage the conference in Antalya while Australia assumes a central diplomatic role, guiding the negotiation process that underpins global climate commitments.

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Australia's sweeping ban on social media for under-16s has officially taken effect, thrusting more than a million teenagers into a digital landscape they've never known, one without the platforms that shaped their daily routines, friendships, and identities. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it "a proud day to be prime minister of Australia," describing the ban as a landmark move meant to shield young people from harmful content and addictive algorithms.

The law, enforced at midnight, requires major platforms including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, Twitch, Threads, Kick and others to block underage accounts or face penalties that could reach AU$49.5 million. Albanese framed the shift as a needed cultural reset, urging teens to "start a new sport, new instrument, or read that book" as the summer break approaches.

But the reaction among teenagers is far from unified. Lulu, 15, showed cameras the moment she was blocked from TikTok, only to admit she had already created another account. Tyson, also 15, said teens determined to stay online "will be the first ones to find a way around" the restrictions, predicting widespread use of VPNs before the loophole eventually closes. Others, like Grace, described cycling through anger and "denial and grief," while some shrugged, saying they'd "get over it quickly."

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On Wednesday, YouTube sharply criticized Australia's looming social media ban for under-16s, denouncing the world-first laws as "rushed" and arguing they will actually make children less safe online. Australia's legislation, set to take effect on December 10, will require platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to remove users under 16. Rachel Lord, YouTube's public policy manager, explicitly stated: "This law will not fulfil its promise to make kids safer online, and will, in fact, make Australian kids less safe on YouTube.”