Good morning. It's Thursday. Thomas Morgan here with your AM NewsMail.

Making headlines today: Meta will kick users it believes are under 16 off Facebook and Instagram in early December, a week before the government's under-16 social media ban comes into effect. 

Also, pleas for an investigation into how asbestos-contaminated sand made it into Australia, we're tracking Cyclone Fina off the coast of Darwin, and we mark a 30-year milestone for the International Space Station.

What's the story? Meta, the company which owns Facebook and Instagram, is set to kick teenagers off those platforms a week early. The government's world-first social media ban for under 16s officially kicks in on December 10.

'Download or delete': Accounts suspected of belonging to persons under 16 will be given the choice of what happens to their account data. After December 4, their accounts will disappear, unless they opt to undergo facial scans or provide ID to prove they're over age.

Not goodbye forever: But Meta isn't going to just give up on potential future customers. The multinational tech giant will prompt younger users to hand over their contact details so they can be reached after their 16th birthday.

• Coloured sand recall: An after-school hours operator says an asbestos removal company wanted to charge her $14,000 to clean a few clumps of the contaminated material off the floor. Calls are growing for a national inquiry into how asbestos-laced sand was able to be imported into Australia and then sold.
• Dramatic showdown: The boss of one of Australia's most powerful unions has suffered a vote of no confidence . An internal investigation has revealed United Workers Union national secretary was involved with a fundraising company which officials claim owes members $850,000.
• Insurance claims: When Cathy O'Connell began renovating her home, she didn't imagine she'd still be dealing with the fallout four years later. Her experience with plumbing works claims is far from uncommon, and it's leading to urgent calls for Victorian regulations to be updated to ensure good tradesmanship and customer service.
• Analysis with David Speers: The Albanese government is playing down the impact of cuts at the CSIRO. But while Australia's highly respected public research institution continues to experience chronic underfunding, the commonwealth isn't afraid to protect the jobs of workers in other sectors.

• Sands of time: Australian mining and manufacturing companies are taking up to two years to realise they've suffered a cyber attack and then notify authorities. That's according to new data we've obtained through FOI, painting a troubling picture about industries critical to the nation's economy.
• Cyclone Fina: We're monitoring the system's movements through the Top End. The latest track map shows the tropical cyclone steering close to Darwin.
• Epstein latest: Files about the convicted sex offender are finally set to be released after US Congress's vote yesterday. All that's left is for the US president to sign the bill into law. Today on the ABC News Daily podcast, we run through how Donald Trump lost control of the Epstein files