The year 2025 marked a global first in social media regulation, as Australia enacted the world’s first blanket ban on social media usage for children under 16 years old.
Australia’s most populous state has passed sweeping new gun control and anti-terror laws following a mass shooting at Bondi Beach, tightening firearm ownership rules, banning the public display of terrorist symbols and expanding police powers to restrict protests.
Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments to China have surged by 1.6 million tonnes in November marking a 143% increase from the same period last year.
Australia on Sunday, honoured victims of an attack that happened a week ago during a seaside Hanukkah celebration, as the prime minister announced a review of the country's law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
Australia has announced a nationwide gun buyback scheme following the mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday, as hundreds of surfers and swimmers gathered there to pay tribute to the victims.
Australia has been plunged into mourning following the deadly shooting at a Jewish holiday gathering on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, with the funeral of 10-year-old Matilda marking a deeply emotional moment for the nation.
Police in Australia have charged a man who allegedly opened fire on a Jewish event on Sydney's Bondi Beach with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one of committing a terrorist act.
Thousands gathered at vigils across Australia on Monday evening to honour the 15 people killed in a terror attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday. The mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration is being treated as terrorism, prompting the Australian national cabinet to tighten gun laws.
World leaders have expressed condolences and solidarity after 15 people were killed in a mass shooting during Hanukkah celebrations at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday (14 December).
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Australia’s policies had encouraged antisemitism after a shooting at a Jewish celebration in Sydney’s Bondi Beach that killed at least 11 people.
An explosive device found in a vehicle linked to one of the alleged attackers in Bondi shooting has been secured and removed according to Police. The incident left 12 people dead.
The possibility of restricting social media access for children is a hot topic in the European Union and the United Kingdom, after Australia implemented a world-first ban for those under 16. Lawmakers have labelled the ban a “real-world test” of how far governments can go to protect young people.
Wildfires swept through thousands of hectares of bushland in New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday, prompting authorities to issue top-level evacuation warnings for thousands of residents in the country’s most populous state.
Australia has moved to directly pressure the Taliban leadership, imposing financial sanctions and travel bans on four senior officials it says are responsible for the steady erosion of women’s rights in Afghanistan.
December 2025 promises a month full of transformative moments, from significant legal releases and international meetings to cultural milestones and controversial elections. Here’s a look at the key stories set to unfold.
Australia and Japan look set to deepen defence ties as Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles will meet with his Japanese counterpart Shinijiro Koizummi on Saturday (6 December) during a two-day visit including of tour around a Nagasaki shipyard.
Australia confirms United States is “completely supportive of AUKUS” nuclear submarine partnership, Defence Minister Richard Marles announced on Thursday (4 December). This development, reportedly, eased concerns raised when the U.S. administration launched the review in June.
Australia will become the first country to ban social media accounts for users under 16 starting 10 December, with regulators tracking “migratory patterns” to stop teens shifting to other platforms, Communications Minister Anika Wells said on Wednesday (3 December).
Google’s YouTube has announced a “disappointing update” for millions of Australian users and creators, confirming it will comply with the country’s world-first ban on social media access for under-16s by locking affected users out of their accounts within days.
Canberra has issued a stark assessment of the changing security landscape in the Pacific, warning that Beijing is projecting force deeper into the region with diminishing transparency, complicating the delicate balance of power in the Southern Hemisphere.
Australian far-right Senator Pauline Hanson was suspended from the Senate on Tuesday. This was prompted by her entering Parliament wearing a burqa on Monday, as part of her latest push to ban the face-covering Muslim garment in public.
Latvia’s Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova triumphed in women’s beach volleyball on Sunday evening in Adelaide, Australia. They secured the gold medal with a hard-fought three-set victory over the USA’s Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship.
Türkiye is set to host the COP31 United Nations climate summit in Antalya next year, while Australia would lead government negotiations under a compromise deal taking shape at COP30 in Brazil.
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