SYDNEY: A major heatwave across Australia’s southeast raised bushfire threats, with Melbourne forecast to record its hottest day in nearly 17 years on Tuesday, and hundreds of residents in rural towns were ordered to immediately evacuate their homes.
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said the temperature in Melbourne could hit 45 degrees Celsius with severe to extreme heatwave conditions expected to peak on Tuesday and Wednesday, before gradually easing later in the week.
The heatwave has raised the fire danger across Victoria, Australia’s second-most populous state, where a fast-moving bushfire in the Otways region has burned about 10,000 hectares .
Officials warned that strong winds forecast for later in the day could further spread the blaze, threatening homes.
“It’s the change that’s going to come through about 5 p.m. with some really punchy winds that is likely to do most of the damage and drive that fire further,” Country Fire Authority Chief Officer Jason Heffernan told ABC News.
Emergency services have doorknocked about 1,100 homes and sent text messages to around 10,000 phones urging residents to leave the region, Heffernan said.
Total fire bans were declared across Victoria, as officials tried to lower the risk of new fires.
Organizers of the Australian Open tennis Grand Slam in Melbourne said matches on the outside courts and roof closures would follow its extreme heat condition protocols. Wheelchair matches have been postponed to Wednesday.
In inland towns, the temperature is expected to reach the high-40s. The town of Ouyen, with a population of just over 1,000 and 440 km northwest of Melbourne, is likely to touch 49 degrees Celsius , the weather bureau said.
Local butcher Nathan Grayling told ABC Radio that he would try to keep his business as dark and cool as possible, with most residents expected to stay indoors.
“If we get everything done, we might knock off early and go down the local pub for a beer,” Grayling said.
Australia heatwave raises bushfire threat as Melbourne braces for hottest day in 17 years
https://arab.news/bjgrj
Australia heatwave raises bushfire threat as Melbourne braces for hottest day in 17 years
- Hundreds of residents in rural towns told to evacuate
- Strong winds expected to spread Victoria bushfire further
Modi ally proposes social media ban for India’s teens as global debate grows
- India is the world’s second-biggest smartphone market with 750 million devices and a billion Internet users
- South Asian nation is a key growth market for social media apps and does not set a minimum age for access
NEW DELHI: An ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed a bill to ban social media for children, as the world’s biggest market for Meta and YouTube joins a global debate on the impact of social media on young people’s health and safety.
“Not only are our children becoming addicted to social media, but India is also one of the world’s largest producers of data for foreign platforms,” lawmaker L.S.K. Devarayalu said on Friday.
“Based on this data, these companies are creating advanced AI systems, effectively turning Indian users into unpaid data providers, while the strategic and economic benefits are reaped elsewhere,” he said.
Australia last month became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking access in a move welcomed by many parents and child advocates but criticized by major technology companies and free-speech advocates. France’s National Assembly this week backed legislation to ban children under 15 from social media, while Britain, Denmark and Greece are studying the issue.
Facebook operator Meta, YouTube-parent Alphabet and X did not respond on Saturday to emails seeking comment on the Indian legislation. Meta has said it backs laws for parental oversight but that “governments considering bans should be careful not to push teens toward less safe, unregulated sites.”
India’s IT ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
India, the world’s second-biggest smartphone market with 750 million devices and a billion Internet users, is a key growth market for social media apps and does not set a minimum age for access.
Devarayalu’s 15-page Social Media (Age Restrictions and Online Safety) Bill, which is not public but was seen by Reuters, says no one under 16 “shall be permitted to create, maintain, or hold” a social media account and those found to have one should have them disabled.
“We are asking that the entire onus of ensuring users’ age be placed on the social media platforms,” Devarayalu said.
The government’s chief economic adviser attracted attention on Thursday by saying India should draft policies on age-based access limits to tackle “digital addiction.”
Devarayalu’s legislation is a private member’s bill — not proposed to parliament by a federal minister — but such bills often trigger debates in parliament and influence lawmaking.
He is from the Telugu Desam Party, which governs the southern state Andhra Pradesh and is vital to Modi’s coalition government.
