Australias

Australia’s centre-right Liberal Party has elected Angus Taylor as its new leader, replacing Sussan Ley after less than a year in the job, local media reported. The move elevates a prominent conservative who lobbied to drop the party’s commitment to net zero emissions, signaling a sharpened debate over the opposition’s direction on climate policy and its broader appeal to voters. Taylor, a former energy minister, emerges from the party’s “national right” faction and was seen as a key proponent of the Liberals’ decision in…

SYDNEY — Prime Minister Anthony Albanese proposed tougher gun laws after a father and son opened fire on a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people before the older man was shot dead, in what officials called a targeted anti-Semitic attack. The death of the 50-year-old father brought the toll to 16, police said. His 24-year-old son was critically wounded and remains in hospital. Albanese said his government would take “whatever action is necessary,” adding that firearms licensing rules need tightening. “People can be…

Reddit sues Australia in High Court to overturn child social media ban, citing free political communication Reddit has filed a lawsuit in Australia’s High Court seeking to strike down the country’s new nationwide ban on social media access for people under 16, calling the measure an unconstitutional intrusion on political discourse and a threat to online privacy. The San Francisco-based platform, which counts Australia among its major markets, asked the court to declare the law invalid on grounds that it interferes with the…

Reddit has filed a legal challenge to Australia’s sweeping new social media ban on under-16s, moving just days after the landmark laws took effect and set the stage for fines against noncompliant tech platforms. The US-based discussion site is contesting the general validity of the legislation and argues it should not be included on the government’s list of services barred to users under 16, according to court filings. Australia this week became the first country to prohibit under-age access to a raft of popular platforms —…

Australia will become the first country to implement a nationwide social media ban for children under 16 when new rules take effect on Dec. 10, the government said, aiming to shield young people from the negative effects of online platforms. The Australian government announced the move as part of a wider child-safety push. Officials said the measure is intended to reduce young people’s exposure to harmful material and the mental-health risks associated with heavy social media use. Earlier this year Canberra…