Author: staff
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney takes the stage in Strasbourg after Commission President Ursula von der Leyen surprised EU capitals by floating “associate membership” for Canada — a status that doesn’t actually exist, and that Ottawa itself seems reluctant to define. Zoya Sheftalovich and Sarah Wheaton ask whether von der Leyen got ahead of both member countries and the Canadians, and what Carney’s speech could tell us about how close the two sides really want to get. Then, Germany’s Friedrich Merz faces a potentially decisive weekend as pressure grows on his leadership. And finally, why is the EU still allowing…
But first, a scoop: The European Commission is set to propose restricting children’s access to social media such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube while introducing safety requirements for online services like video games and AI chatbots, my colleague Luca Bertuzzi reports. Under the proposal, due to be unveiled Thursday, minors under 15 years old would not be able to create their accounts on social media or video sharing platforms without their parents’ approval, while tech companies would have to make their digital services safe by design, according to a confidential document obtained by Luca. The bill is set to feature…
Published on 16/09/2026 – 11:12 GMT+2•Updated 11:14 At least 60 small-scale miners are dead, with many missing, after the collapse of a gold mine in Sudan’s West Kordofan region. The mine reportedly began to collapse on Tuesday after two shafts that had been dug close together began to give way. Survivors say they do not know how many people remain trapped. One surviving miner Khair al-Sayyed Jabara told AFP there had been an overnight rescue operation since the collapse, and that fellow miners were having to dig using the same rudimentary tools they use to mine. “Everyone’s working very hard…
Rekordpreise an den Zapfsäulen und der Kanzler versucht sein Standing zu retten, auch indem er Entlastung verspricht. Doch die Koalition streitet über das richtige Rezept zur Entlastung.Während SPD-Finanzminister Lars Klingbeil auf eine saubere Gegenfinanzierung pocht, will Friedrich Merz direkte Auszahlungen an die Bevölkerung. Für ihn steht nach bitteren Wahlniederlagen in Sachsen-Anhalt viel auf dem Spiel: Er braucht dringend einen politischen Befreiungsschlag, um seine Handlungsfähigkeit zu beweisen. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview spricht Rasmus Buchsteiner mit dem CSU-Fraktionschef im bayerischen Landtag, Klaus Holetschek über die Lage, wer wie zum Kanzler hält und warum Markus Söder den Unterstützerbrief der Ministerpräsidenten nicht unterschrieben hat. Das Heidelberger…
The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced an EU Kids Act proposal restricting minors’ access to platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, alongside new safety requirements for online services including video games and AI chatbots. “We do not have to accept addictive features. We do not have to accept children being drawn into ever more extreme content. We do not have to accept that girls have their photos used for AI-generated sexualised images,” von der Leyen said. “No personal account under the age of 15. No social media under the age of 13. That means only mini…
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers on Wednesday convicted former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi to 25 years in jail on four counts of war crimes committed during his country’s war for independence from Serbia. Thaçi, who was tried along with three other former guerrilla leaders, was convicted by a panel of judges in The Hague of murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention. Wearing a suit and tie, Thaçi stood in silence as Presiding Judge Charles Smith read out the sentence. Judge Smith said Thaçi “used his position, leadership, authority and standing” to encourage the crimes which he then failed to investigate,…
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister-President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) is frequently mentioned, but he has elections in his populous home state coming up in April — so the timing isn’t great for him. An alternative would be Markus Söder of the Christian-Social Union, the CDU’s Bavarian sister party, but he isn’t short of critics. Other, less probable potential candidates are Hesse’s Minister President Boris Rhein (CDU) and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU). However, should the elections Sunday be a total disaster for Merz’ conservatives — the party could even miss the 5% hurdle to enter parliament in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, for the first time…
Brussels wants to streamline and simplify personal administrative tasks. By the end of the year, the EU will launch the EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet). It’s a private digital space where citizens, residents and businesses can store and share personal documents, access private and public services, and sign documents digitally. The Digital Identity Wallet is a free app that users can download on their mobile devices. It reduces reliance on major tech companies’ storage solutions, like Apple and Google Wallet, and on national systems, while giving users more control over their personal data. There won’t be a single digital…
By Omid Lahabi & Euronews Persian Published on 16/09/2026 – 14:47 GMT+2•Updated 14:50 Four years after the death of Mahsa Amini in Iranian police custody, Kurdish businesses across her home region staged a general strike on Wednesday while international human rights organisations warned that those responsible for crushing the 2022 protests remain in power and continue to use the same methods. Shopkeepers and businesses in Saqqez, Sanandaj, Mahabad, Marivan, Baneh and Bokan shut their doors following a call by Kurdish political coalitions. Video circulating on social media showed empty bazaars across the region. Amnesty International, in a report marking the fourth anniversary, said…
Published on 16/09/2026 – 8:01 GMT+2•Updated 11:14 On today’s special edition of Europe Today: Méabh Mc Mahon from Brussels and Maria Tadeo from Strasbourg set the stage for the day’s key announcements and themes from today’s State of the Union. Interviews with: Charles Michel, former European Council President Nicolas Herbst, MEP from the European People’s Party Bernd Lange, MEP from the Socialist & Democrats Sergei Lagodinski, MEP from the Greens/EFA Charlie Weimers, MEP from the European Conservatives & Reformists Reporting from the ground and our studio: Jorge Liboreiro with an analysis of what’s at stake for Ursula von der Leyen…