Australian news and politics live: Mark Speakman resigns as NSW Liberal leader, endorses Kellie Sloane

Australians aged under 16 are warned they have two weeks until their accounts are scrubbed from several popular social media platforms.

Three weeks out from Australia’s world-leading social media ban kicks in on December 10, Meta will begin notifying teen users they will lose access to Instagram, Threads and Facebook.

YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) and live-streaming platform Kick are also included in the ban, while popular gaming platform Roblox remains exempt for now.

These platforms have been included in the ban because their “sole or significant purpose is to enable online social interaction between two or more users”, eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant has said.

Read the full story here.

Australia’s Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen announced on Thursday that as part of the deal he has been appointed as a COP31 president and that a Pacific destination will host a “pre-COP” event.

Mr Bowen admitted some people would be “disappointed” with the outcome but insisted they would be “more disappointed” if the conference defaulted to Germany’s city of Bonn.

“Obviously, it would be great if Australia could have it all, but we can’t have all,” Mr Bowen said.

“It was important to strike an agreement with Turkey, our competitor.

“I believe the model that I’ve talked about; ‘pre-COP’ in the Pacific, Australia as president of the COP for the purposes of negotiations… and the COP being held in

and therefore avoiding it going to Germany

is a model which achieves those objectives.”

At least 25 Palestinians have been killed in four Israeli air strikes in a part of the Gaza Strip under Hamas control since a shaky ceasefire took effect in October, health authorities say.

Medics said 10 people were killed in the Gaza City suburb of Zeitoun, two in Shejaia suburb to the east and the rest in two separate attacks in Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military said its forces struck Hamas targets across the strip after members of the Palestinian militant group fired on its troops in violation of the nearly six-week-old ceasefire.

Read the full story.

A state Liberal party leader is digging in as speculation mounts he will face a party room spill.

Two challengers - Vaucluse MP Kellie Sloane and Wahroonga MP Alistair Henskens - are gunning for NSW opposition leader Mark Speakman’s position.

But the affable Mr Speakman is fighting back as Parliament wraps up for the year.

“My intention is to battle on,” he told conservative host Ben Fordham on 2GB on Thursday.

“I would expect anyone who wants to be the leader, who wants to knock me off ... would come and tell me and no one has.”

He blamed the political fallout from his federal colleagues as filtering down to the most populous state.

Read more.

Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen is due to give a press conference from the UN climate conference in Brazil shortly amid reports that Turkey is claiming it has won the stand-off to host next year’s event.

The Government insists negotiations are still continuing over a compromise deal on who will lead and host the annual talks next year.

Australia has maintained it has the backing from most countries to hold next year’s conference in Adelaide.

However, the UN rules don’t allow for a vote; rather, a decision must be made by consensus.

​​The Guardian​​ reports this morning that Turkey has claimed victory and will host next year’s conference in Ankara, while Australia will hold a meeting of world leaders in the Pacific with the aim of turning the spotlight onto the countries who stand to lose the most from climate change.