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On November 28, 2024, Australia's Senate officially approved legislation that prohibits children under the age of 16 from creating accounts on major social media platforms. This move is part of the government's initiative to regulate online activity among younger users. The law, supported by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's Labor government and the Liberal-National Opposition, is expected to take effect in about a year. It is considered one of the strictest regulations globally, banning minors from accessing popular sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. A recent YouGov survey indicated that 77% of Australians are in favor of the ban. Despite public support, there are concerns about the practical implementation of the law, particularly regarding age verification. Compliance will be the responsibility of tech companies, which could face fines up to A$50 million (about $32.4 million) for failing to prevent underage users from accessing these platforms. Critics argue that the legislation lacks clear guidelines for how age verification should be carried out. Tech industry representatives have criticized the new laws as rushed and impractical. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, pointed out that the ban does not consider the realities of age assurance technology. Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter), suggested that the legislation might serve as a means to control internet access for all Australians and hinted at potential legal challenges against the bill. This legislation marks a significant step in Australia's efforts to ensure safer online environments for young users, though its implementation remains a topic of debate. 澳大利亞通過社交媒體禁令：16 歲以下兒童禁止使用 2024 年 11 月 28 日，澳大利亞參議院正式通過了一項法律，禁止 16 歲以下的兒童在主要社交媒體平台上註冊帳戶。此舉是政府為了規範年輕用戶的網上活動而採取的措施之一。 這項法律得到了總理安東尼·阿爾巴尼斯的工黨政府以及自由國民黨反對派的支持，預計將在約一年後生效。這被認為是全球最嚴格的規範之一，禁止未成年人訪問 Facebook、Instagram、Snapchat 和 TikTok 等流行網站。根據最近的 YouGov 調查，77% 的澳大利亞人支持這項禁令。 儘管公眾支持，但對於法律的實際執行仍存在疑慮，特別是在年齡驗證方面。合規的責任將由科技公司承擔，如果未能防止未成年用戶訪問這些平台，可能面臨高達 5000 萬澳元（約 3240 萬美元）的罰款。批評者指出，這項立法在年齡驗證的具體執行上缺乏明確指導。 科技業界的代表對這項新法律表示強烈反對，認為這是匆忙和不切實際的。Meta（Facebook 和 Instagram 的母公司）指出，這項禁令未考慮到年齡保證技術的現實。特斯拉的擁有者埃隆·馬斯克則表示，這項立法可能成為控制所有澳大利亞人網絡訪問的手段，並暗示可能會對該法案提出法律挑戰。 這項立法標誌著澳大利亞在確保年輕用戶安全的網上環境方面邁出了重要一步，儘管其實施仍然是爭論的焦點。

Hong Kong is bracing for a notable decrease in temperatures beginning tonight, as an easterly airstream affects the Guangdong coast. A cold front currently over southern China is advancing southward and is expected to cross the coastal areas of Guangdong around midnight. This shift will be accompanied by a strong northeast monsoon, which is forecast to impact the region starting tomorrow. This afternoon, the weather is expected to be mainly cloudy with occasional showers, although some sunny intervals may appear later. Winds are forecasted to be moderate to fresh, shifting from the east to the northeast. As the cold front approaches, winds will strengthen from the north, leading to progressively cooler temperatures over the coming days. Urban areas could see temperatures drop to around 15 degrees Celsius on Thursday and Friday, with the New Territories likely experiencing even lower temperatures. Overall, the weather is anticipated to be mainly fine and very dry, but with significant temperature fluctuations between day and night. The intense northeast monsoon will not only lower temperatures but also contribute to a dry and fine weather pattern across Guangdong. Following this cold spell, a slight increase in temperatures is expected early next week as the monsoon begins to moderate, with a dry easterly airstream also anticipated to affect the southern coast of China in the upcoming days. 香港準備迎接今晚開始的大幅降溫 香港即將面臨顯著的降溫，從今晚開始，東風影響廣東沿岸。當前位於中國南部的寒潮正向南推進，預計將於午夜前後橫過廣東沿岸。這一變化將伴隨著強勁的東北季候風，預計將於明天影響該地區。 今天下午，天氣預計將以雲層為主，偶爾有陣雨，雖然稍後可能會出現一些陽光。預計風速將會從東風轉為東北風，風力中等至清勁。 隨著寒潮的來臨，北風將增強，未來幾天的氣溫將逐漸下降。城市地區的氣溫可能會在周四和周五降至約15攝氏度，而新界地區的氣溫可能會更低。整體來說，天氣預計將主要為晴朗和乾燥，但日夜之間的氣溫波動將顯著。 強勁的東北季候風不僅會降低氣溫，還會促使廣東地區出現乾燥和晴朗的天氣。在這次寒潮過後，預計下周初氣溫會略有回升，隨著季候風的減弱，未來幾天南中國沿海也將受到乾燥的東風影響。

The plaintiff Nick Infinger outside the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong on Tuesday, after the court upheld earlier rulings granting public housing benefits and inheritance rights to same-sex married couples . Credit: Peter Parks/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Hong Kong's top court on Tuesday upheld three earlier rulings that favoured granting public housing and inheritance rights to married same-sex couples, citing equality provisions in the city's mini-constitution. The unanimous ruling by Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal is the latest legal victory for the city's LGBTQ+ community since 2023. Judges Andrew Cheung, Robert Ribeiro, Joseph Fok, Johnson Lam and Frank Stock said in a written ruling they rejected the government's arguments that same-sex and opposite sex couples were not comparable in terms of their rights to public housing. Chief Judge Cheung acknowledged the limited resources officials work with but said this "in no way lessens the necessity of allocating social welfare benefits on a rational and justifiable basis, free from discrimination." Fok and Ribeiro wrote in another written ruling that existing inheritance rules were "discriminatory and unconstitutional". The government's challenge to the top court came after the lower Court of Appeal earlier upheld rulings granting same-sex couples who married overseas subsidised housing rights and inheritance rights in three cases. One involved the city's Housing Authority declining to consider an application by permanent resident Nick Infinger to rent a public flat with his husband, because their marriage in Canada was not recognised in Hong Kong. In the other, same-sex couple Edgar Ng and his husband Henry Li were denied joint-ownership of a government-subsidised flat because their marriage in Britain was not recognised in Hong Kong. Ng also launched the third case, expressing fears that if he died without leaving a will, he would not be able to pass his property to his husband under the city's inheritance laws. Li took over the two cases after Ng took his own life in 2020 after years of depression. Speaking outside the court after the ruling, Infinger said he knew of other couples who wanted to create a home but did not have the means to stage a legal battle. "Today's court rulings recognised that same-sex couples can love each other and deserve to live together," Infinger said, waving an LGBTQ+ rainbow towel. "This is not only fighting for me and my partner but this is fighting for all the same-sex couples in Hong Kong." Li honoured his late partner Ng in a Facebook post. "Today, November 26, 2024, our case has finally come to an end. I am grateful to the court for affirming your suffering and for your dedication to the equal rights for LGBTQ," Li wrote. Hong Kong's top court last September ruled against same-sex marriage but acknowledged the need for same-sex couples to access alternative legal frameworks to meet "basic social requirements". The government was given two years to produce the framework. Officials have yet to comment on Tuesday's ruling. Last year, the top court ruled that the policy of barring transgender people from changing the sex shown on their ID cards unless they underwent full gender reassignment surgery violated their rights. Jerome Yau, co-founder of Hong Kong Marriage Equality, told the media that "the court made it very clear that same-sex marriage is just the same as heterosexual marriage". 香港最高法院支持同性戀夫婦的住房權 香港最高法院週二維持了先前的三項裁決，這些裁決有利於向已婚同性伴侶授予公共住房和繼承權，並引用了香港小憲法中的平等條款。 香港終審法院的一致裁決是該市 LGBTQ+ 群體自 2023 年以來最新的法律勝利。 法官Andrew Cheung、Robert Ribeiro、Joseph Fok、Johnson Lam和Frank Stock在一份書面裁決中表示，他們駁回了政府關於同性和異性伴侶在公共住房權利方面不具有可比性的論點。 首席法官張承認官員的工作資源有限，但表示這「絕不會減少在合理、合理、不受歧視的基礎上分配社會福利的必要性」。 霍克和里貝羅在另一份書面裁決中寫道，現有的繼承規則是「歧視性且違憲的」。 下級上訴法院早些時候在三起案件中維持了授予在海外結婚的同性伴侶補貼住房權和繼承權的裁決，之後政府向最高法院提出了挑戰。 其中一宗涉及香港房屋委員會拒絕考慮永久居民尼克·英芬格(Nick Infinger)與其丈夫合租公屋的申請，因為他們在加拿大的婚姻在香港不被承認。 在另一起案例中，同性夫婦吳埃德加（Edgar Ng）和他的丈夫李亨利（Henry Li）被拒絕共同擁有政府資助的公寓，因為他們在英國的婚姻在香港不被承認。 吳還發起了第三起案件，表示擔心如果他去世時沒有留下遺囑，他將無法根據該市的繼承法將財產傳給他的丈夫。 吳先生在經歷了多年的憂鬱症後於2020年結束了自己的生命，李接手了這兩起案件。 裁決後，英芬格在法庭外發表講話說，他知道還有其他夫婦想要建造一棟房子，但沒有能力進行法律訴訟。 「今天的法院裁決承認同性伴侶可以彼此相愛，應該生活在一起，」英芬格揮舞著 LGBTQ+ 彩虹毛巾說道。 “這不僅是為了我和我的伴侶而戰，也是為了香港所有同性伴侶而戰。” 李在臉書上發文紀念已故的搭檔吳恩達。 「今天，2024 年 11 月 26 日，我們的案件終於結束了。我感謝法院對你的痛苦的肯定，以及你對 LGBTQ 平等權利的奉獻，」李寫道。 香港最高法院去年九月裁定反對同性婚姻，但承認同性伴侶需要尋求替代法律框架以滿足「基本社會要求」。 政府有兩年的時間來制定該框架。 官員尚未對週二的裁決發表評論。 去年，最高法院裁定，禁止跨性別者改變身分證上顯示的性別，除非他們接受全面的變性手術，這項政策侵犯了他們的權利。 香港婚姻平權聯合創始人邱騰華對媒體表示，「法院明確表示，同性婚姻與異性婚姻是一樣的」。 Source: Reuters