Families start making their way home, defying Israeli military warning not to return to areas it had forcibly evacuated.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — Australia’s House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would ban children younger than 16 years old from social media, leaving it to the Senate to finalize the world-first law. The major parties backed the bill that would make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to $33 million for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts. The legislation passed 102 to 13. If the bill becomes law this week, the platforms would have one year to work out how to implement the age restrictions before the penalties are enforced. Opposition lawmaker Dan Tehan told Parliament the government had agreed to accept amendments in the Senate that would bolster privacy protections. Platforms would not be allowed to compel users to provide government-issued identity documents including passports or driver’s licenses. The platforms also could not demand digital identification through a government system. “Will it be perfect? No. But is any law perfect? No, it’s not. But if it helps, even if it helps in just the smallest of ways, it will make a huge difference to people’s lives,” Tehan told Parliament. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the Senate would debate the bill later Wednesday. The major parties’ support all but guarantees the legislation will pass in the Senate, where no party holds a majority of seats. Lawmakers who were not aligned with either the government or the opposition were most critical of the legislation during debate on Tuesday and Wednesday. Criticisms include that the legislation had been rushed through Parliament without adequate scrutiny, would not work, would create privacy risks for users of all ages and would take away parents’ authority to decide what’s best for their children. Critics also argue the ban would isolate children, deprive them of positive aspects of social media, drive children to the dark web, make children too young for social media reluctant to report harms they encountered and take away incentives for platforms to make online spaces safer. Independent lawmaker Zoe Daniel said the legislation would “make zero difference to the harms that are inherent to social media.” “The true object of this legislation is not to make social media safe by design, but to make parents and voters feel like the government is doing something about it,” Daniel told Parliament. “There is a reason why the government parades this legislation as world-leading, that’s because no other country wants to do it,” she added. The platforms had asked for the vote on legislation to be delayed until at least June next year when a government-commissioned evaluation of age assurance technologies made its report on how the ban could been enforced. Melbourne resident Wayne Holdsworth, whose 17-year-old son Mac took his own life last year after falling victim to an online sextortion scam, described the bill as “absolutely essential for the safety of our children.” “It’s not the only thing that we need to do to protect them because education is the key, but to provide some immediate support for our children and parents to be able to manage this, it’s a great step,” the 65-year-old online safety campaigner told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “And in my opinion, it’s the greatest time in our country’s history,” he added, referring to the pending legal reform.

Russian nuclear energy company Rosatom is trying to drill for uranium in Namibia. Farmers say a key aquifer is at risk.

People in Lebanon celebrated and thousands of cars filled the roads to return home after a ceasefire deal.

Investigation is part of a broader probe into military corruption that unseated Dong's two predecessors.

Manager admits his team are defensively 'not stable' after conceding three goals in 15 minutes in the Champions League.

These were the key developments on the 1,007th day of the Russia-Ukraine war.

The Greenshaw Learning Trust wants to merge Moat and Robinswood Primary schools in Gloucester.

US president-elect taps Jamieson Greer and Kevin Hassett as trade representative and top economic adviser, respectively.

As a wave of election upsets batters the region, the Southern African country could be next.

House of Representatives votes overwhelmingly to pass legislation targeting platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.

Pham Nhat Vuong's Xanh SM has big ambitions, but critics question its growth potential in fiercely competitive market.

The S&P 500 rises 0.57 percent after US president-elect's tariff announcements roil European and Asian markets.

These were the key developments on the 1,006th day of Russia's war on Ukraine.

US President-elect Trump sidestepped agreements that would require donor disclosures and vetting for government picks.

An 884-page report by Brazil's police details former President Bolsonaro's alleged attempt to overturn 2022 election.

Police have said staff will not face action over abuse of autistic children shown in videos leaked to the BBC.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet approves proposal to sanction the country's oldest newspaper.

Tired of fleeing, the people who took refuge in Basta are staying put, despite the violence.

Authorities confirm criminal investigation being conducted over allegations of harassment.