By Lois Williams, Local Democracy Reporter The irrational attitude of anti-vaxxers is damaging Reefton’s hospitality, health services and reputation, Inangahua Community Board chairman John Bougen says. Bougen told Tuesday’s board…

Instagram head Adam Mosseri testified for the first time before a Senate subcommittee on Wednesday as lawmakers question the app's impact on the mental health of younger users.

During his testimony, Mr Mosseri said Instagram is planning to bring back a version of its news feed that would give users the option to sort media chronologically rather than ranked according to the platform's algorithm, potentially addressing concerns over how algorithms push users into harmful rabbit holes.

The company has been working on the feature "for months" and plans to roll it out in the first quarter of next year, Mr Mosseri said.

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Mr Mosseri also acknowledged the need for updated regulations to keep people safe online as well as the need for more parental and user tools on the platform.

"Specifically, we believe there should be an industry body that will determine best practices for social media companies to verify user ages, cater to different age groups and provide parental controls," he said, adding the body "should receive input from civil society, from parents, and from regulators."

Mr Mosseri declined to explicitly commit to suggestions for an "independent" body that is not led by Big Tech, but he agreed it is important for regulatory standards to apply to social media when it comes to young people.

Mr Mosseri is the most high-profile figure from Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, to testify before members of Congress since Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked hundreds of internal documents.

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Some of those documents showed the company knew how Instagram can damage mental health and body image, especially among teenage girls.

In his opening remarks, Mr Mosseri argued the platform has long worked to safeguard the wellbeing of its teen users and show support for government regulation of social media as it relates to children.

"In addition to making sure young people are safe on Instagram, we believe it's important to support young people who are struggling with mental health and wellbeing," Mr Mosseri said.

"Sometimes young people come to Instagram dealing with hard things in their lives. I believe Instagram can help many of them in those moments."

Near the end of his testimony, Mr Mosseri acknowledged his personal responsibility to keep users safe while speaking directly to parents.

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"I'm a father of three. To any parent who's lost a child already, even had a child hurt themselves, I can't begin to imagine what that would be like for one of my three boys," he said.

"As the head of Instagram, it's my responsibility to do all I can to keep people safe. I've been committed to that for years and I'm going to continue to do so."

But Mr Mosseri faced criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn confronted Mr Mosseri with an exchange he had with influencer JoJo Siwa, who told him during an Instagram live event in June that she had been using the platform from the age of eight.

While Mr Mosseri told Siwa that "I don't want to hear it", he said during the hearing that he now believes the exchange was a "missed opportunity" to address underage Instagram use.

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Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said children and their parents are still struggling with the same issues on social media despite years of testimonies from representatives at Instagram's parent company, now known as Meta.

"Nothing has changed. It's all still happening," Senator Blumenthal, who chairs the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Data Security, said in his opening remarks on how the company has been slow to roll out changes.

"In the meantime, more lives have been broken, real lives with real families and futures."

Ahead of the hearing this week, Instagram launched a new tool called Take a Break, which it claims will encourage users to spend some time away from the platform after they've been scrolling for a certain period.

The company also said it will take a "stricter approach" to what content it recommends to teenagers and actively nudge them toward different topics, such as architecture and travel destinations, if they've been dwelling on something, any type of content, for too long.

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Instagram said it is also testing a new educational hub for parents and a tool that allows them to see how much time their kids spend on Instagram and set time limits.

During the hearing, Senator Blackburn criticised the latest product updates.

"While I'm sure you know that we fully share the goal of protecting kids and teens online, what we aren't sure about is how the half measures you've introduced are going to get us there," she said.

In recent months, execs from Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat's parent company, Snap, have all testified before members of Congress, following Ms Haugen's disclosures.

In September, lawmakers held a hearing with Facebook's head of global safety, Antigone Davis, where lawmakers grilled her on Instagram's effects on kids.

Although Ms Davis said the company was "looking for ways to release more research" that she suggested might paint a different picture about the platform, she was criticised for not more firmly agreeing to release more internal information about the platform.

Facebook has repeatedly tried to discredit Ms Haugen and said her testimony in Congress and reports on the documents mischaracterise the company's actions.

But the outcry from Ms Haugen's disclosures pressured the company to rethink the launch of an Instagram app for children under 13.

Asked on Wednesday if Instagram would "stop developing" an app for younger users, Mr Mosseri defended the project and said that "no child between the ages of 10 to 12, if we should ever manage to build an Instagram for 10 to 12-year-olds, will have access without their explicit consent."

Members of Congress have shown rare bipartisanship in criticising tech companies on the issue of kids online.

Some lawmakers are now pushing for legislation intended to increase children's privacy online and reduce the apparent addictiveness of various platforms, though it remains unclear when or if such legislation will pass.

Bushfires are continuing to rage across parts of the Augusta-Margaret River Shire in Western Australia, 270 kilometres south of Perth.

An emergency warning is in place for the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, with campers and residents evacuated as the blaze burns.

"More than 3200 hectares has been burned so far," WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) Commissioner Darren Klemm said.

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DFES said the fire is moving fast in multiple directions and is currently uncontrolled and uncontained.

"[The] situation in this area is extremely serious. A number of properties are under threat," Commissioner Klemm said.

"People in the warning area of these emergency warning areas are in danger."

He is urging residents to enact their bushfire survival plans immediately.

https://twitter.com/joshuadawe9/status/1468839972492828674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

READ MORE: Australia's property prices smash records in 2021 with fastest growth on record

Commissioner Klemm added over 100 volunteer firefighters are helping to contain the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park fire.

A Watch and Act alert is also in place for the towns of Redgate, Witchcliffe and Karridale in the Augusta-Margaret River Shire.

A community meeting will be held at the Margaret River Hub of Entertainment, Arts and Regional Tourism at 6pm today to discuss ongoing plans as the situation changes rapidly.

A second emergency warning is in place for residents in Yallingup in the town of Busselton as a fire rages along Quiniup Road and Tilly Road.

The NSW Rural Fire Service has also been called to action to help Western Australian firefighters.

A large RJ-85 air tanker has been sent to help contain the bushfires in the western state.

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Weather conditions are expected to remain difficult, but Commissioner Klemm said authorities are hoping they will improve in the next 24 hours.

"Obviously the safety of the community is our highest priority and we're doing everything possible to get this fire under control," he said.

A backpackers hostel in Sydney's eastern suburbs has been locked down amid concerns of a COVID-19 outbreak.

One COVID-19 case has been confirmed at Noah's Backpackers in Bondi.

NSW Health has locked down the hostel and sent in a testing squad to check everyone staying there.

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NSW Police has been requested to assist with locking down the hostel.

It's not the first time the hostel has had a COVID-19 outbreak — a cluster emerged at the hostel in late September this year.

The current developments come as NSW recorded 420 new COVID-19 cases as dozens of infections emerge from a pub trivia night in Sydney's Inner West.

Eight of these cases are the Omicron strain of the virus, taking the total to 42 in the state.

One death was also recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm yesterday.

More than 80 per cent of 12- to 15-year-olds have had their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine across the state, while 93 per cent of people aged over 16 are fully vaccinated.

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Earlier, health authorities said 44 people have tested positive to coronavirus after attending the event at the Oxford Tavern in Petersham on November 30.

It has not been determined if the pubgoers have the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the virus or the Delta strain.

Anyone there that day between 4pm and 10.30pm is considered a close contact.

Staff from the pub are also getting tested. The pub will be closed for cleaning until Saturday.

Under the NSW isolation rules, fully vaccinated close contacts can leave isolation if they have had a negative test on or after December 6 but need to undergo a further test on December 12.

"If you have not been fully vaccinated, please remain in isolation until December 12, and have another test on this date," Sydney Local Health District said.

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There is a new alert for a nightclub in Byron Bay, in northern NSW, where many teenagers have been celebrating Schoolies.

NSW Health is contacting staff and patrons who attended Woody's Surf Shack Nightclub on November 30; December 1; December 2 or December 3 from 8pm – 3.30am each day.

Anyone who is not fully vaccinated is considered a close contact and anyone who is fully vaccinated is considered a casual contact.

The venue was also linked to a COVID-19 case on December 1, and on November 23.

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Earlier five cases of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant were confirmed after an outbreak on a Sydney Harbour party boat.

More cases are expected from the party outbreak, with NSW Health instructing 140 people who checked in with a QR code to get a test and isolate.

The cruise, operated by Cadman Cruises, left King Street Wharf 9 at 7.30pm and returned about 11pm, last Friday.

NSW Health said in a tweet: "Operated by Cadman Cruises, the cruise was jointly marketed as 'Flow Fridays – 90s Themed Boat Party' and 'Freaky Sunday Afrovibe: The Last Dance'."

Genome sequencing to confirm the Omicron variant is underway and NSW Health is urgently contacting around 140 people."

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said residents should be "beating down the doors" to get their booster jab.

He was speaking after NSW recorded 403 COVID-19 cases yesterday – a major rise in transmissions.

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Different trams are being tested on Sydney's Inner West light rail line as a solution for the current shutdown.

The Sydney CBD trams are being tested between Central and Paddy's Markets on the L1 Dulwich Hill line and could be used as a permanent replacement while the Inner West line is out of commission due to maintenance.

"Over the next couple of days we'll be testing the Citadis trams across the entirety of the Inner West light rail line to see if we can restore service as quickly as possible," Transport Minister Rob Stokes said.

READ MORE: UK tightens COVID-19 rules amid Omicron surge

The CBD George Street trams are different widths to the Inner West trams, which means the wheels on the new trams need to be replaced to fit the wider line.

"These are slightly narrower trams, they can obviously run on the tracks but they do so at a lower speed," Mr Stokes said.

The CBD trams are able to run on the Inner West line because they return to Lilyfield for maintenance.

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Investigations are underway to see if the trams can run safely to the end of the line at Dulwich Hill.

"One of the things we're particularly looking at is the speed at which these trams can run," Mr Stokes said.

Thousands of commuters are currently using replacement buses on the Inner West line between Central Grand Concourse and Dulwich Hill after cracks were found in the tram fleet.

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Mr Stokes said last month that the repairs could take up to 18 months.

"It's simply too early to speculate on how soon we can return a service," Mr Stokes said.

The replacement bus services have frustrated commuters who said their trips are now much longer.

"What used to take a 20-minute ride now takes like an hour," one commuter said.

"It's been a bit of a nightmare."

It comes as documents show the replacement buses are costing taxpayers up to $90,000 a day.

Over the next 18 months of the predicted shutdown, it will add up to close to $50 million.

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Saudi authorities have conducted their biggest-ever crackdown on camel beauty contestants that received Botox injections and other artificial touch-ups, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported Wednesday, with over 40 camels disqualified from an annual pageant.

Saudi Arabia's popular King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, which kicked off earlier this month, invites the breeders of the most beautiful camels to compete for some $92 million in prize money.

Botox injections, face lifts and other cosmetic alterations to make the camels more attractive are strictly prohibited. Jurors decide the winner based on the shape of the camels' heads, necks, humps, dress and postures.

READ MORE: UK tightens COVID-19 rules amid Omicron surge

Judges at the monthlong festival in the desert northeast of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, are escalating their clamp down on artificially enhanced camels, the official news agency reported, using "specialised and advanced" technology to detect tampering.

This year, authorities discovered dozens of breeders had stretched out the lips and noses of camels, used hormones to boost the beasts' muscles, injected camels' heads and lips with Botox to make them bigger, inflated body parts with rubber bands and used fillers to relax their faces.

"The club is keen to halt all acts of tampering and deception in the beautification of camels," the SPA report said, adding organisers would "impose strict penalties on manipulators."

The camel beauty contest is at the heart of the massive carnival, which also features camel races, sales and other festivities typically showcasing thousands of dromedaries. The extravaganza seeks to preserve the camel's role in the kingdom's Bedouin tradition and heritage, even as the oil-rich country ploughs ahead with modernising mega-projects.

Camel breeding is a multimillion-dollar industry and similar events take place across the region.

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