Fuel prices, Middle East war, and social media investigated | ABC News Top Stories

Economists are warning the government's plan to lower fuel prices may be a band-aid solution.

From tomorrow, the government's halving the fuel excise - the tax paid on fuel - which it says will save Aussies more than 26 cents a litre at the bowser.

Some experts say the measure will also bring costs down across supply chains, stopping food and other goods from getting even more expensive, but others warn it'll worsen fuel shortages and increase overall inflation.

In the Middle East, the US-Israeli war with Iran shows little signs of stopping, with US president Donald Trump threatening to obliterate Iran's energy infrastructure if it doesn't reopen key oil supply route, the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's rejected a US peace proposal saying it'll continue to target American bases in neighbouring countries.

Britain's ruled out sending troops to Iran, insisting the UK won't get dragged into the conflict, but it has let America use British bases for strikes and deployed fighter jets to intercept Iranian projectiles.

In Australia, Anthony Albanese's called on Mr Trump to commit to ending the war.

Five of the world's largest social media platforms are being investigated by the Federal Government's online safety watchdog for potentially failing to comply with the ban on under 16s.

The eSafety commissioner is looking into Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube "potential non-compliance" with the rules, which came in four months ago.

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