The future of a social media ban has become less clear as opposition politicians defy their leader's position and make their concerns known. Login or signup to continue reading A federal government proposal to ban children under 16 from accessing social media platforms like Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram is expected to be debated in Parliament on Tuesday. Though the world-leading proposal has received bipartisan support, and strong backing specifically from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, there is some dissent within coalition ranks. "This is a test for Peter Dutton, about his leadership," cabinet minister Amanda Rishworth told the Today Show. Nationals politicians have expressed worries over privacy issues relating to age verification with Senator Matt Canavan noting this would affect all social media users. "You're going to have to verify everyone's age and so there's huge privacy and free speech implications," he told ABC radio. The bill doesn't require social media companies to destroy information, according to Senator Canavan, and the way users provide digital consent is often a rushed process, which breeds concerns about the way people hand over their information. There are also serious questions about whether the change will keep children off social media. "Despite the good intentions behind this bill, it may be completely ineffective or worse," Senator Canavan said. "If we make clumsy hurdles for social media use, my eight-year-old will be able to get around them, but your 80-year-old grandma won't." Fellow Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie added that the use of digital ID was worrying to some, though the government had ruled out its use in age assurance. The coalition has said it would reserve its final decision on the bill until answers had been received from the government, though concerns have arisen over the legislation's rushed consultation process. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland introduced the reform to parliament on Thursday, which she said would make the online environment better for young people. The consultation period for groups and individuals to make submissions closed a day later on Friday. A senate committee on Monday held a one-day hearing and is due to report back on Tuesday. In submissions to the inquiry, a number of groups, including social media companies, pointed to the short notice period. Snap Inc, which runs Snapchat, wrote the "the extremely compressed timeline" had allowed stakeholders little more than 24 hours to provide a response which "severely" constrained thorough analysis and informed debate. X, formerly Twitter, also criticised the "unreasonably short time-frame of one day". Meta, which owns Facebook, wrote there had been "minimal consultation or engagement" and urged the government to wait for the results of the age assurance trial before progressing with the legislation. TikTok said despite the "time-limited review" there were a range of "serious, unresolved problems" that the government must clarify to ensure there wouldn't be unintended consequences. Given the widespread support for the ban, Senator Canavan insists there is no need to rush analysis. The Greens and some independents have opposed the ban and called on the government to address social media harms through other paths like implementing a statutory duty of care on tech giants. "The problem with a ban is that you're basically letting the platforms off the hook," independent MP Zoe Daniel told ABC. "We need to get the platforms to take responsibility for what is in their environment." Australian Associated Press DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. 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By foreign affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic , ABC When Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka opened a joint press conference with Lloyd Austin in a luxury hotel on his country's west coast at the weekend, he couldn't resist making a brief quip about just how extraordinary the US defence secretary's visit was. "We all pray it's not an indication that we are looking at some dangerous years ahead," the prime minister declared, with a small smile. "We are here to talk about peace, and how we guard, protect and promote that peace." Rabuka's comment neatly captured the mix of anticipation and trepidation that Pacific officials and leaders feel as they navigate the cross-currents created by major powers intent on entrenching their positions in the region. Austin had just become the first US defence secretary to pay a visit to the Pacific island nation, and his arrival in Fiji was a sign of the times. As China's military might continues to swell, the United States is responding by expanding its military presence across the Pacific, swivelling its focus back to countries and territories that its planners and strategists have long ignored. This isn't just in Melanesian nations like Fiji. The US is also rapidly expanding its arsenal and bases across Micronesia, where it already has an entrenched military presence. A smiling Rabuka, sporting a tie emblazoned with the Stars and Stripes, praised Austin and called his visit a "milestone". But Pacific leaders like Rabuka also know that protecting the peace is easier said than done. So why was the Secretary of Defence making this historic trip to Fiji? How is US military strategy shifting across the Pacific? Here is what it might mean for leaders and everyday people across the region. What did the US and Fiji agree on? There was plenty of pomp and fanfare in Nadi to mark the defence secretary's visit. Austin and Rabuka announced almost $5 million from the US to help support Fiji's military modernisation, and signed a new deal to bolster "bilateral logistics cooperation" - which will make it easier for the US to help Fiji during emergencies by quickly transferring things like fuel and medical supplies. The prime minister heaped praise on the announcements, saying American security assistance had long been indispensable. "Fiji has benefited greatly from the US Fiji defence relationship through many programs...that have enabled us to protect our borders and our marine resources, and has assisted us in tackling trans-national crime," he said. The two men also confirmed the two countries would begin negotiating a "status of forces" agreement, a legal pact that would help set rules and arrangements for US military personnel in Fiji. The defence secretary said that would pave the way for "increased exercises" and "military-to-military engagements" between the US and Fiji. "The [agreement] will enable us to deploy and re-deploy forces in support of Fiji. And help us train with the Fijians on a very routine basis," Austin said. Jennifer Parker, an expert associate at the National Security College, told the ABC that while the agreement was hardly unusual (the US has signed dozens of similar pacts with allies and friendly nations) it would still have strategic significance. "It's a clear sign that we'll likely see more US troops rotating through or visiting Fiji for exercises or for coastguard deployments," she said. But that doesn't mean the US will establish a permanent military base in Fiji, as it has in allied countries like the Philippines and Japan. Austin told journalists there was "no notion" of a permanent base, and the idea wasn't on the table during talks. "We did not have any discussions like that," he said. It's not just Fiji So why is the United States suddenly so intent on stepping up its efforts in Fiji, and why now? One big reason is Fiji's location. Jennifer Parker calls Fiji "really strategically important" because it sits on or near many of the vast maritime routes between Pacific ports used by warships and merchant vessels alike. "If you think about the protection of sea lines of communication across the Pacific, access to Fiji is pretty central to that," she said. For decades the United States hasn't been anxious about that access because it exercised overwhelming naval superiority across the Pacific. That's now changing. US defence planners know that China has now built a formidable navy capable of challenging US power in the region. Beijing has also worked assiduously to cultivate stronger security and commercial ties across the Pacific, and US leaders have publicly declared that China wants to leverage that to set up military bases across the region. Parker said while access to sea lines was "not being contested at the moment", the US is clearly "concerned" by China's increasing influence and is trying to buttress its own position. "This is about building greater US influence and greater US access in Fiji," she tells the ABC. It's not just Fiji. Last year the Biden administration struck a sweeping defence cooperation agreement with Papua New Guinea, while promising to help the country modernise and develop its defence forces. The US is also helping to redevelop the Lombrum Naval Base on Manus Island, although funding has been slow to flow. Anna Powles from Massy University says rising tensions between the US and China in Asia are "driving" increasing US defence engagement across the Pacific. "The US is seeking a series of security arrangements...to embed the bilateral relationship within the recipient country's security eco-system and facilitate the US military's ability to operate in the Pacific, including, for example, access to bases," she tells the ABC. She argues that if the US succeeds in that, it not only sends a "symbolic message" but will also help it project power through the Pacific. "All these agreements provide the US Navy with options in the Pacific, both in peacetime and, particularly, during a potential crisis." It's not just Melanesia If the United States is taking its first steps in Papua New Guinea and Fiji, it is moving with much greater speed and urgency in Pacific waters closer to China. The military is racing to upgrade, restore and expand facilities across multiple US Pacific territories, as well as in independent Pacific states that have "Compact" agreements tying them closely to Washington. US troops are clearing the jungle on Tinian Island in the Northern Marianas, restoring a vast World War II-era airfield not far from the major US military base on Guam. They've already rebuilt another WWII airfield in Palau on the island of Peleliu - where the US and Japan fought a vicious and bloody battle in 1944 - and are installing advanced new radar systems in other parts of the country. It's a similar story on the island of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia, where the US hopes to extend yet another old airfield. Some details of the strategy might be classified but US planners and defence leaders are blunt about what they are doing, and why. If war breaks out, the US expects China will strike military targets in what defence planners sometimes call the "first island chain" closest to the Chinese mainland - including American bases in Japan and the Philippines. Both Guam and the Pacific Island bases that are being rapidly redeveloped are in what's sometimes called the "second island chain" - within China's reach, but harder and more taxing for it to strike. And if China succeeds in destroying or disabling the US base in Guam, the military wants to be able to send its troops, warships, planes and critical supplies to other facilities across the second island chain, to make sure it can keep on fighting. Jennifer Parker says if a full-scale conflict breaks out between the US and China in Asia, then US Pacific territories and bases in Micronesia could quickly become "critical". "If there was to be a conflict in the Indo-Pacific it's pretty clear that any US and allied forces in the first island chain would suffer significant losses and would need to be a fall back outside the first island chain," she said. "And the Pacific becomes critical in terms of being able to position and fight back, in a conflict scenario." A zone of peace? The expanding latticework of defence and policing agreements across the Pacific also sits uncomfortably with the rhetoric used by its leaders, most of whom preach for peace and non-alignment. For example Sitiveni Rabuka, who stood beside the US defence secretary on Saturday, has been championing the idea of an "Ocean of Peace" in the Pacific. Rabuka and other Pacific leaders - including those who have struck security arrangements with Beijing - seem confident they can square that circle, enjoying the benefits of security investments without risking being caught up in a regional conflagration or losing their sovereignty. But Anna Powles says there is still a "tension" between the rhetoric used by Pacific leaders and the security agreements they are increasingly signing off on. "There needs to be a wider conversation about what these potentially competing positions mean for Pacific countries and the region overall and what the obligations are of Pacific countries in a time of crisis," she says. Some civil society groups in the Pacific are also deeply uneasy about the way outside powers are trying to entrench their positions, saying it's driving a rapid militarisation of the Pacific. "Clearly there is an agenda that has been set," says Sharon Bhagwan, a prominent Fijian activist working on peace and security issues. "The question should be asked, should the investment really be about militarisation, when we need hospitals, when we need the human security agenda to be met?" "Isn't that far more important?" She says Pacific governments and regional organisations need to invest real time and effort building a practical framework for the "Ocean of Peace" Rabuka has championed. "There's actually a very critical need right now to actually make sure that our governments, our intergovernmental agencies, particularly the Pacific Islands Forum, is actually getting better at peace building, rather than at militarisation," she says. But Jennifer Parker says while Pacific leaders might face some "difficult" questions in an era of strategic competition, they're also adept at exploiting it. "In many ways for Pacific island nations this period of competition could actually be a great opportunity to get greater investment, and much-needed resilience in some of their infrastructure," she said. "So certainly, it's a difficult position to be in. But there are lots of opportunities as well."Carol Guzy/Zuma In recent days , an invitation from people affiliated with American Values 2024, a super-PAC that supported Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign, has been sent to people in his sphere offering “cocktails and dinner” with Kennedy at Mar-a-Lago. The invitation refers to Kennedy as “incoming secretary, Health & Human services,” although Kennedy has not yet been formally nominated, let alone confirmed by the Senate for that position. “These donors are getting special access to someone who’s trying to serve the public.” The price of enjoying Kennedy’s company at the fundraiser, set to take place on the Trump-owned club’s Lakeview Terrace, is $25,000 each, or $40,000 for a couple. Experts on federal election law say that such a bald exchange—a large donation in exchange for access to a powerful incoming government official—is technically legal, but ethically ill-advised. The invitation, an image of which was shared with Mother Jones , requests RSVPs at an email address associated with American Values 2024. The fundraiser’s listed hosts are Tony Lyons, a co-founder of the PAC and the owner of Skyhorse Publishing, which publishes Kennedy’s books; Robert and Perri Bishop, respectively the founder and chief operating officer of Impala Asset Management, who have donated generously to American Values and various Republican candidates; Candace McDonald, who the PAC’s CEO and also previously headed the anti-vaccine organization Generation Rescue; and Leigh Merinoff. Merinoff has spoken at a conference put on by Children’s Health Defense, Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization. Her bio for that event described her as the owner of Meadows Bee Farm, “an experimental farm and raw milk dairy” in Vermont. FEC records show she also donated to American Values 2024. The Washington Post recently described how cabinet contenders and political hangers-on have once again descended on Mar-a-Lago, rubbing shoulders with Trump-allies who will soon be in government. A person who answered the club’s phone confirmed a “Bishop fundraiser” is set for December 10, by invitation only. “They have a headcount,” she added. “Make sure your name is on the list.” Kedric Payne, the senior director of ethics at the Campaign Legal Center , says that as a technical matter, laws that govern ethical conduct and permitted political activity for federal officials, including the Hatch Act, don’t apply to Kennedy until he takes office. But from an ethics perspective, “it’s important that you avoid not only an actual conflict of interest but the appearance of one,” he says. “There could be an appearance that these donors are getting special access to someone who’s trying to serve the public. I’d advise someone to avoid that situation.” Recently, Kennedy’s campaign has recently sent emails to supporters asking for donations to pay off $5.5 million in campaign debt. Exactly how funds taken in at the PAC-hosted, Mar-a-Lago event will be used is not specified on the invitation, but Lyons told Mother Jones that Americas Voice uses the money it raises “to advocate for public policy and initiatives that improve the health of American children and adults.” He added that the organization “has been doing this work for years and we are glad to host an event with RFK Jr whose views we support.” Kennedy’s campaign didn’t respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Trump’s transition acknowledged a request for comment, but did not provide a statement before publication. During his own campaign, and in his decades as an anti-vaccine activist, Kennedy railed against the influence of money in politics. “Typical candidates rely on big corporate donors + influencers to fund their campaigns,” he tweeted in September 2023. “In return, candidates advance the agenda of their donors.” “Both Republicans and Democrats have sold out to special interests and their top donors for decades,” he tweeted in March . “I’m not beholden to anyone but you.”

Lawyers for a voting machine company that’s suing Fox News want to question founder Rupert Murdoch about his contentious efforts to change his family trust , the attorneys told a court Monday. Election-tech company Smartmatic's $2.7 billion defamation suit regards Fox's reporting on 2020 voting fraud claims. But Smartmatic’s attorneys suggest the separate succession fight over Murdoch's media empire might shed light on any Fox Corp. involvement in editorial matters. It's an important, if technical, question as Smartmatic seeks to hold the deep-pocketed Fox parent company responsible for statements that the news network aired. Fox contends that there's no such liability and that it was engaging in journalism, not defamation, when it broadcast election-fraud allegations made by then-President Donald Trump 's attorneys. Rupert Murdoch may already have given a deposition — out-of-court questioning under oath — in the defamation suit. Such records aren't public at this stage, but plans for his deposition were briefly mentioned at a 2022 hearing. Smartmatic now is seeking to talk to Murdoch about his efforts to rewrite his plans for his businesses after his death. The matter is playing out behind closed doors and in sealed files in a Nevada probate court. The New York Times has reported that Rupert Murdoch wants to keep his eldest son, Lachlan , in charge of the conglomerate's newspapers and television networks in order to ensure a continued conservative editorial outlook . Smartmatic wants to get the 93-year-old patriarch on record while the probate matter plays out, company attorney Edward Wipper told a judge Monday. Fox News lawyer K. Winn Allen said the probate case “has nothing at all to do with” Smartmatic's claims and is “not appropriate” fodder for the suit. Fox Corp. declined to comment after court. Fox News' lawyers, meanwhile, want Smartmatic to provide records about a U.S. federal criminal case against people, including Smartmatic co-founder Roger Piñate, accused of scheming to bribe a Filipino election official . Piñate has pleaded not guilty. Smartmatic isn't charged in the criminal case, and Smartmatic attorneys have said the matter was irrelevant to the defamation suit. Fox lost prior bids for a court order to get the information, but a hearing on the network's renewed request is set next week. It's unclear how soon Judge David B. Cohen will decide on that request or on Smartmatic's bid to dig into the Murdoch family trust case. Both requests are part of pretrial information-gathering, and no trial date has been set. Smartmatic says it was a small player, working only with California's heavily Democratic Los Angeles County, in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. In subsequent Fox News appearances, Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell portrayed Smartmatic as part of a multi-state scheme to steal the vote from the Republican. Federal and state election officials , exhaustive reviews in battleground states and Trump’s own attorney general found no widespread fraud that could have changed the outcome of the 2020 election. Nor did they uncover any credible evidence that the vote was tainted. Dozens of courts, including by judges whom Trump had appointed, rejected his fraud claims. Fox News ultimately aired an interview with an election technology expert who refuted the allegations against Smartmatic — an interview done after the company demanded a retraction . The network is countersuing Smartmatic , claiming it violated a New York law against baseless suits aimed at squelching reporting or criticism on public issues. The New York defamation suit is one of several stemming from conservative-oriented news outlets' reports on Trump’s 2020 vote-rigging claims. Smartmatic recently settled with One America News Network and Newsmax . Fox News settled for $787 million last year with Dominion Voting Systems, another election-technology company that sued over conspiracy theories blaming its election equipment for Trump’s 2020 loss. Jennifer Peltz, The Associated Press

Inclusive governance essential for national unity, says Minister Gurung

Cardinals' feel-good month comes to a screeching halt after a head-scratching loss to SeahawksNFL NOTESNoneRadical Jaguar rebrand and new logo sparks ire online NEW YORK (AP) — A promotional video for a rebrand of British luxury car brand Jaguar is being criticized online for showing models in brightly colored outfits — and no car. The rebrand, which includes a new logo, is slated to launch Dec. 2 during Miami Art Week, when the company will unveil a new electric model. But Jaguar Land Rover, a unit of India’s Tata Motors Ltd., has been promoting it online. The Jaguar brand is in the middle of a transition to going all-electric. “Copy Nothing,” marketing materials read. “We’re here to delete the ordinary. To go bold. To copy nothing.” Trump has promised again to release the last JFK files. But experts say don’t expect big revelations DALLAS (AP) — The nation is set to mark 61 years since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated as his motorcade passed through downtown Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. Even after over six decades, conspiracy theories about what happened that day still swirl and the desire to follow every thread of information hasn’t waned. President-elect Donald Trump made promises over the summer that if reelected he would declassify the remaining records. At this point, only a few thousand of millions of pages of governmental records related to the assassination have yet to be fully released. And those who have studied what's been released so far say that the public shouldn’t anticipate any earth-shattering revelations even if the remaining files are declassified. Bitcoin is at the doorstep of $100,000 as post-election rally rolls on NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin is jumping again, rising above $98,000 for the first time Thursday. The cryptocurrency has been shattering records almost daily since the U.S. presidential election, and has rocketed more than 40% higher in just two weeks. It's now at the doorstep of $100,000. Cryptocurrencies and related investments like crypto exchange-traded funds have rallied because the incoming Trump administration is expected to be more “crypto-friendly.” Still, as with everything in the volatile cryptoverse, the future is hard to predict. And while some are bullish, other experts continue to warn of investment risks. NFL issues security alert to teams and the players' union following recent burglaries The NFL has issued a security alert to teams and the players’ union following recent burglaries involving the homes of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In a memo obtained by The Associated Press, the league says homes of professional athletes across multiple sports have become “increasingly targeted for burglaries by organized and skilled groups.” Law enforcement officials noted these groups target the homes on days the athletes have games. Players were told to take precautions and implement home security measures to reduce the risk of being targeted. Some of the burglary groups have conducted extensive surveillance on targets. Penn State wins trademark case over retailer's use of vintage logos, images PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Penn State has won a closely watched trademark fight over an online retailer’s use of its vintage logos and images. A Pennsylvania jury awarded Penn State $28,000 in damages earlier this week over products made and sold by the firms Vintage Brand and Sportswear Inc. Penn State accused them of selling “counterfeit” clothing and accessories. The defendants said their website makes clear they are not affiliated with Penn State. At least a dozen other schools have sued the defendants on similar grounds, but the Pennsylvania case was the first to go to trial. Has a waltz written by composer Frederic Chopin been discovered in an NYC museum? NEW YORK (AP) — A previously unknown musical work written by composer Frederic Chopin appears to have been found in a library in New York City. The Morgan Library & Museum says the untitled and unsigned piece is the first new manuscript of the Romantic era virtuoso to be discovered in nearly a century. Robinson McClellan, the museum’s curator, says he stumbled across the work in May while going through a collection brought to the Manhattan museum years earlier. He worked with outside experts to verify the document's authenticity. But there’s debate whether the waltz is an original Chopin work or merely one written in his hand. Volcano on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula erupts for the 7th time in a year GRINDAVIK, Iceland (AP) — A volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland is spewing lava from a fissure in its seventh eruption since December. Iceland's seismic monitors said the eruption started with little warning late Wednesday and created a long fissure but looked to be smaller than eruptions in August and May. Around 50 houses were evacuated after the Civil Protection agency issued the alert, along with guests at the famous Blue Lagoon resort, according to the national broadcaster. The repeated eruptions over the past year have caused damage to the town of Grindavík and forced people to relocate. Australian teen and British woman who drank tainted alcohol in Laos have died, bringing toll to 5 VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — An Australian teenager and a British woman have died after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos in what Australia’s prime minister said was every parent’s nightmare. Officials earlier said an American and two Danish tourists also had died following reports that multiple people had been sickened in town popular with backpackers. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Parliament that 19-year-old Bianca Jones had died after being evacuated from Vang Vieng, Laos, for treatment in a Thai hospital. Her friend, also 19, remains hospitalized in Thailand. Later Thursday, Britain said a British woman also died and the media in the U.K. identified her as 28-year-old Simone White. US ahead in AI innovation, easily surpassing China in Stanford's new ranking The U.S. leads the world in developing artificial intelligence technology, surpassing China in research and other important measures of AI innovation, according to a newly released Stanford University index. There’s no surefire way to rank global AI leadership but Stanford researchers have made an attempt by measuring the “vibrancy” of the AI industry across a variety of dimensions, from how much research and investment is happening to how responsibly the technology is being pursued to prevent harm. Following the U.S. and China were the United Kingdom, India and the United Arab Emirates. Pop star Ed Sheeran helps favorite soccer team sign player before getting on stage with Taylor Swift It turns out British pop star Ed Sheeran is also good at recruiting soccer players. Sheeran is a minority shareholder at English soccer team Ipswich Town and it needed his help over the summer to get a player to join the club. Ipswich CEO Mark Ashton tells a Soccerex industry event in Miami: “Ed jumped on a Zoom call with him at the training ground, just before he stepped on stage with Taylor Swift. Hopefully that was a key part in getting the player across the line.” Ashton didn’t disclose the player in question, saying only: “He’s certainly scoring a few goals.”