Page 12 - Australia

Australia draws the line: New bill bans social media for children under 16

Australian parliament passes strict new rules: Social media platforms will face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars if they fail to prevent children under 16 from holding accounts

JSW Steel, SAIL seek Mongolian coking coal imports amid high steel demand

JSW Steel plans to purchase 2,500 metric tons, while SAIL aims to secure 75,000 metric tons of coking coal from Mongolian

JSW Steel, SAIL in discussions with Mongolia for coking coal shipments

JSW Steel, the country's biggest steelmaker by capacity, plans to buy 2,500 metric tons, while SAIL aims to import 75,000 metric tons of the steelmaking raw material from Mongolia

$368 bn question: Will Trump renegotiate the AUKUS treaty or walk away?

This illustrates the enduring Australian government support for AUKUS and its centrality to our defence planning, as well as the significant concern this enthusiasm is not shared by Trump or his team

Meta, TikTok, Google oppose Australia's proposed under-16 social media ban

In submissions to the Senate inquiry, tech companies warned of unintended, negative consequences from the rapidly-drafted laws

Social media platforms urge Australia to delay ban on children under 16

An advocate for major social media platforms told an Australian Senate committee Monday that laws to ban children younger than 16 from the sites should be delayed until next year at least instead of being rushed through the Parliament this week. Sunita Bose, managing director of Digital Industry Group Inc., an advocate for the digital industry in Australia including X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, was answering questions at a single-day Senate committee hearing into world-first legislation that was introduced into the Parliament last week. Bose said the Parliament should wait until the government-commissioned evaluation of age assurance technologies is completed in June. Parliament is asked to pass a bill this week without knowing how it will work, Bose said. The legislation would impose fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) on platforms for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts. It seems likely to be passed by Parliament by Thur

Australia rejects Musk's claim about govt plans to control internet access

An Australian Cabinet minister on Friday rejected X Corp owner Elon Musk's allegation that the government intended to control all Australians' access to the internet through legislation that would ban young children from social media. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said Musk's criticism was unsurprising after the government introduced to Parliament on Thursday legislation that would fine platforms including X up to 150 million Australian dollars ($133 million) if they allow children under age 16 to hold social media accounts. The idea that Elon Musk is not delighted with our steps to try and protect kids online is not an especially big surprise to us, nor does it trouble us greatly, Chalmers told reporters. The spat continues months of open hostility between the Australian government and the tech billionaire over regulators' efforts to reduce public harm from social media. Parliament could pass legislation as soon as next week that would oblige X, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit and ...

Adani's Australian coal unit faces human rights complaint for racism

Complaint details how Adani employees verbally and physically obstruct and prevent 'members of the Aboriginal group from accessing springs near Adani's Carmichael coal mine' to perform cultural rites

Elon Musk blasts Australia's proposed law to ban social media for children

Australia plans to try an age-verification system to enforce a social media age cut-off, some of the toughest controls imposed by any country to date

India, Australia sign air-to-air refuelling agreement for defence

Australia's minister for defence industry, Pat Conroy, and India's minister for defence, Rajnath Singh, announced the arrangement during bilateral discussions on Thursday

Isro, Australian space agency sign cooperation pact for human space flight

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday said it has signed an Implementation Agreement (IA) with Australian Space Agency (ASA) for further strengthening of cooperation in space activities between the two countries. The IA enables cooperation between both space agencies on crew and crew module recovery for Gaganyaan missions, the country's first crewed spaceflight program, it said. The IA was signed by D K Singh, Director, Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) on ISRO's side at Bengaluru and Jarrod Powell, General Manager, Space Capability Branch, on ASA's side at Canberra on November 20, the space agency said in a statement. ISRO has embarked on the Human Spaceflight ("Gaganyaan") programme with an objective of demonstrating capability to carryout Low Earth Orbit in an Indian Crew Module with up to three crew members onboard, for up to three days and to safely recover the module. The IA enables the Australian authorities to work with Indian authorities to ensure support fo

Australia introduces world-first social media ban for children under 16

Australia's policy sets the highest age restriction on social media globally, surpassing France's recent ban on under-15s, which allowed exceptions with parental consent

Social media giants to pay fines worth $32 million under Australia ban

Australia is following a number of other countries that have attempted to restrict access to social media for children, with mixed success

BGT 2024: Pitch perfect battle Down Under as cricket's heavyweights pad up

Can the Border-Gavaskar Trophy claim the title of cricket's 'premier rivalry'? The jury's still out

India, Australia firm up clean energy partnership; pushing mega trade pact

India and Australia sealed an ambitious renewable energy partnership and set their eyes on a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese vowed to significantly ramp up overall bilateral ties. A raft of issues including ways to boost ties in areas of defence and security ties, mobility, science and technology and education figured prominently at the second India-Australia annual conclave held on the sidelines of the G20 summit late on Tuesday. The two leaders also looked forward to a long-term vision of defence and security collaboration to enhance collective strength, contribute to both countries' security, and make an important contribution to regional peace and security, according to a joint statement. The Renewable Energy Partnership (REP) would provide the framework for practical cooperation in priority areas such as solar energy, green hydrogen, energy storage, investments in related projects and .

New Zealand may charge visitors to tourist sites; govt seeks feedback

The government is seeking feedback on a range of proposals to modernise how it manages these areas, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka said Friday in Wellington

India, Australia hold joint military exercise 'AustraHind' in Pune

According to a Defence Ministry release, this two-week training program is designed to enhance cooperation and interoperability between the armed forces of the two nations

Don't expect Trump will demand payment for protection: Philippine def secy

Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said Tuesday that he didn't expect President-elect Donald Trump's next administration would demand that the Philippines pay more for military protection because both allies faced the shared threat of China. Teodoro was speaking at a news conference with Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles following an inaugural bilateral annual meeting aimed at improving security ties. Asked if Trump would expect the Philippines, like Taiwan, to pay for U.S. protection, Teodoro replied: I really don't expect some sort of a statement from Mr. Trump, hopefully not. I really don't have any preconditions or any assumptions as to what will be the outcome of this administration, except on what we are working on on institutional ties, he said. We have an interest, both the United States and the Philippines, in ensuring that our partnership continues because not totally, but principally ... of shared threats. And that is undoubtedly the overreach and

Indian Naval Sailing Vessel 'Tarini' arrives in Australia on its first stop

The Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini arrived for its first port of call in Freemantle, Australia on November 9 after a 38-day voyage at the sea.INSV Tarini is undertaking a global circumnavigation expedition under the name, Navika Sagar Parikrama II.The details of the historic expedition were shared on X by the Spokesperson of the Indian Navy.INSV Tarini was flagged off from Goa on October 2 and the duo of Lt Cdr Dilna K & Lt Cdr Roopa A, covered 4900 nautical miles (9074 km) in 38 days, encountering challenging weather conditions & rough seas", the Navy spokesperson noted.The officers were warmly received by dignitaries, including the Consul General of India at Perth, the Defence Advisor from Canberra, the Secretary of the Indian Navy Sailing Association (INSA), representatives from the Royal Australian Navy, along with members of the media and Indian Naval veterans residing in Australia.Indian Navy emphasized that the Navika Sagar Parikrama II expedition, ...

Australia to ban social media for kids under 16 to protect mental health

Australia introduces new age limits on social media to protect youth mental health, holding platforms accountable for underage access, as part of broader tech regulations