The proposed legislation would also establish a new digital regulator responsible for setting safety standards for artificial intelligence chatbots and other online services, according to a government official familiar with the measure.

The bill was introduced in Parliament by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government as policymakers in several countries intensify efforts to address concerns about the impact of social media and AI technologies on children and young people.

If enacted, the legislation would place Canada among a growing group of nations pursuing stricter digital protections for minors. Australia became the first country to introduce a nationwide social media ban for users under 16 in December, while France, Denmark and Poland are considering similar restrictions. Greece has also announced plans to prohibit social media access for children under 15 beginning in January 2027.

Canadian officials said implementation would not be immediate. They estimated the legislation could require up to a year to pass through Parliament, followed by approximately 18 months to establish and operationalize the proposed regulator.

The legislation arrives amid increasing scrutiny of technology companies and artificial intelligence platforms. Its introduction follows legal action filed by families affected by one of Canada’s deadliest mass shootings, who alleged that OpenAI failed to alert authorities despite indications that the suspected attacker had discussed plans for violence through ChatGPT.

The lawsuit has intensified debate in Canada over the responsibilities of AI developers and digital platforms in identifying and responding to potential threats.
Government officials said the new regulatory framework would focus on creating enforceable safety standards for emerging technologies while strengthening protections for minors online.

The proposal faces a legislative timetable complicated by Parliament’s approaching summer recess. Although Carney’s government holds a majority, officials acknowledged that the bill’s passage and subsequent implementation could take several years.

The measure reflects a broader international shift toward tighter regulation of social media platforms and AI systems as governments seek to balance technological innovation with concerns over online safety, youth mental health and digital accountability. :

The visits will take the pontiff to two major gateways for African migrants seeking entry into Europe. Although migrant arrivals have fallen this year, particularly in the Canary Islands, immigration and integration remain contentious issues across Europe’s traditionally Catholic societies.

Church leaders and migrant advocates hope the trips will shift attention toward humanitarian concerns and the challenges faced by migrants rather than political disputes.

The pope is expected to meet migrants and pay tribute to those who died attempting dangerous sea crossings. His visit follows the migration-focused legacy of Pope Francis, who made Lampedusa the destination of his first pastoral trip outside Rome in 2013.

Catholic organizations in Spain and Italy continue to provide assistance to migrants arriving through Atlantic and Mediterranean routes, while debates over migration policy increasingly divide political parties and public opinion.

The visits come as European governments balance border control measures with growing calls from religious and humanitarian groups for a more compassionate approach toward migrants and asylum seekers.

The ministry said missile, rocket and air defense systems accounted for 29% of export deals, making them the largest category of sales. Observation and optronics systems also recorded strong growth.

European countries were the biggest buyers, accounting for 36% of exports, followed by Asia-Pacific nations with 32%. Countries in the Middle East and North Africa purchased 15%.

Defense Minister Israel Katz linked the export growth to the performance of Israel’s military and defense industries during ongoing conflicts involving Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.

The announcement comes as Israel seeks to expand production of Arrow missile interceptors amid continued regional tensions and heightened demand for advanced air defense systems.

According to the report, Washington has signaled openness to extending nuclear-sharing arrangements beyond the six European countries that currently host U.S. dual-capable aircraft, which can deliver nuclear weapons.

NATO members on the alliance’s eastern flank, including Poland and some Baltic states, are reportedly interested in hosting such facilities. However, the newspaper said no agreement appears imminent and discussions remain ongoing within NATO channels.

The White House, Pentagon and NATO had not commented on the report. The discussions come as the alliance continues to assess its deterrence posture amid heightened security concerns in Europe.

The disruption began shortly after 9:00 a.m. local time when two pilots reported what appeared to be drones in the vicinity of the airport, according to police.

In coordination with German air traffic control authorities, security officials ordered the temporary closure of the airport’s runways as a precautionary measure, a police spokesperson said.

Authorities deployed a police helicopter and emergency personnel to assess the situation and search the surrounding area for any potential aerial threat.

Airport operations resumed at 10:05 a.m. after investigators completed their initial assessment, airport officials said.

An airport spokesperson said an extensive search conducted by emergency services found no evidence of a threat to public safety, allowing normal flight movements to restart.

The incident underscores ongoing concerns among European aviation authorities regarding unauthorized drone activity near airports, where even unconfirmed sightings can trigger operational disruptions due to safety risks posed to commercial aircraft during takeoff and landing.

Munich Airport, one of Germany’s busiest aviation hubs, did not immediately provide details on the number of flights affected by the temporary suspension.

Abela called the early election last month, arguing that Malta needed a renewed mandate to navigate growing geopolitical uncertainty and shield its import-dependent economy from external shocks. Opinion surveys place Labour comfortably ahead of the opposition Nationalist Party led by Alex Borg.

The Mediterranean island nation, heavily reliant on tourism, financial services and online gaming, faces mounting pressure from rising energy costs due to the Iran conflict. The government has pledged an additional 250 million euros in subsidies to contain energy prices.

Domestic concerns have also dominated the campaign, including rapid population growth, overdevelopment, pressure on healthcare services and allegations of corruption. A 2025 Council of Europe report said Malta remained behind European standards in tackling graft.

Abela, who became prime minister in 2020 after the resignation of his predecessor during the fallout from journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination, is also facing renewed scrutiny ahead of the upcoming trial of businessman Yorgen Fenech, accused of orchestrating the 2017 killing.

Speaking to reporters via Zoom, Sybiha said discussions conducted under the current format were increasingly yielding diminishing returns, with negotiators repeatedly revisiting the same issues without achieving significant breakthroughs.

“My impression is that this format is gradually reaching the point where discussions possible at this level are becoming exhausted,” Sybiha said. “At times, the same issues end up being discussed several times over.”
His remarks underscore mounting concerns in Kyiv over the pace and effectiveness of diplomatic engagement despite months of US-backed efforts to facilitate dialogue between the two sides.

Sybiha said broader European participation could inject fresh momentum into the negotiations and help overcome obstacles that have stalled progress. He described increased European engagement as one of the key avenues for reinvigorating the peace process.

The foreign minister also reiterated Ukraine’s preference for negotiations at the highest political level, saying a direct meeting involving national leaders remains another potential path forward.

Kyiv has repeatedly advocated leader-level talks as a means of breaking deadlocks that have persisted in lower-level discussions.

The comments come as diplomatic efforts to end Europe’s largest conflict in decades continue to face significant challenges, with both sides maintaining divergent positions on core security and territorial issues.

While the United States has played a central role in facilitating contacts between Kyiv and Moscow, Sybiha’s remarks suggest Ukrainian officials increasingly believe a broader diplomatic framework may be required to generate meaningful progress.

An Iraqi migrant who travelled through multiple European countries hidden inside a locked compartment in a lorry said he feared he would die during the journey, describing the risks faced by people using smuggling networks to reach Western Europe amid ongoing instability and economic hardship in parts of the Middle East.

The man, said he fled Iraq after receiving threats and later attempted to reach the United Kingdom through irregular migration routes operated by smugglers.

His testimony offers a detailed account of the conditions migrants can face while attempting clandestine crossings between mainland Europe and Britain, a route that has remained under close scrutiny by European authorities.

According to the account, the migrant travelled with minimal belongings, carrying only a small backpack containing spare clothes and a mobile phone. He said the phone was intended as a last resort to contact police if smugglers abandoned him inside the concealed compartment.

The man said he and another migrant were locked inside a box-like space within a lorry for approximately 12 hours while travelling toward the French port city of Calais, one of the principal staging points for irregular crossings to Britain.

He described the conditions as physically severe, saying there was no opportunity to eat, drink or use a toilet during the journey.“After they get your money, smugglers don’t care if you live or die,” he said, describing the experience of relying on trafficking networks to move across borders.

European law enforcement agencies have repeatedly warned about the dangers associated with human smuggling operations. Europol and British authorities have documented cases in recent years in which migrants concealed in freight vehicles suffered dehydration, hypothermia and suffocation during cross-border journeys.

The English Channel route has become one of Europe’s most politically sensitive migration corridors, with governments in Britain and France increasing enforcement efforts against organised smuggling groups.The migrant said that by the time the lorry reached Calais and the compartment was opened, he felt close to death and was suffering from severely frozen feet.

He said the experience convinced him never again to attempt travel hidden inside a freight vehicle.After arriving in France, the man said the driver ordered the migrants to leave immediately.

According to his account, the second migrant went to stay with relatives, while he decided to continue travelling because he believed he remained at risk in France due to alleged connections between smugglers and individuals who had threatened him in Iraq.He later travelled by train through France and onward to Italy, where he is currently residing.

The migrant said he chose the region because he had heard it was easier there to obtain documents allowing legal employment.The account reflects broader migration patterns across southern Europe, where many asylum seekers and undocumented migrants seek temporary residence while attempting to secure work permits or asylum protections.

Italy remains one of the main entry and transit countries for migrants arriving in Europe through Mediterranean and overland routes.The migrant said he is still unable to work legally because he has not yet received the necessary documentation.

He described struggling financially and dealing with depression while attempting to establish stability in Europe.Despite the difficulties, he said his long-term objective remains returning legally to Britain, where he hopes to open a barber shop and live permanently through regular employment and tax-paying work.

He said he wants “a safe, legal and normal life.”His account also referenced the deteriorating security situation in his home region. He said his city in Iraq had recently been targeted by drones during regional hostilities involving Iran, Israel and the United States, which he said reinforced his belief that returning home would be unsafe.

Iraq has experienced periodic regional spillover from broader Middle East tensions, including drone and missile incidents linked to conflicts involving Iran-backed groups, Israeli military operations and U.S. regional deployments.

Security analysts have noted that renewed instability has contributed to continued outward migration pressures among some Iraqis, particularly younger people facing insecurity, unemployment and political uncertainty.

European governments have continued to tighten migration enforcement policies while simultaneously expanding efforts to dismantle organised smuggling networks operating across the continent. British authorities have increased cooperation with France and other European states to target criminal groups facilitating irregular Channel crossings, while rights organisations have argued that limited legal migration pathways continue to push vulnerable people toward dangerous alternatives.

Humanitarian organisations working with migrants in northern France and southern Europe have repeatedly warned that irregular migrants often face exploitation, violence and unsafe transportation methods while attempting to move between countries.

Aid groups say many migrants continue to undertake such journeys despite the risks because they believe they have limited alternatives.

The migrant’s testimony underscores the personal risks associated with clandestine migration routes that continue to operate across Europe despite intensified policing and border enforcement measures.

Speaking in an interview with CNN after the meeting, Rutte said certain NATO members were “tested and failed,” while emphasizing that most European countries fulfilled prior commitments in the crisis.

“Some of them yes, but a large majority of European countries have done what they promised before in a case like this,” Rutte said.

He described his talks with Trump as “frank and open,” noting that the U.S. president had expressed disappointment over the level of involvement from some allies during the conflict.

Rutte said he highlighted to Trump that several European countries had contributed through logistical support and other forms of assistance, even if they were not directly involved in military operations.

The remarks underscore ongoing tensions within NATO over burden-sharing and military commitments, particularly as the Iran conflict has exposed divisions among Western allies.

The backlash has emerged despite earlier efforts by Trump to rebuild ties with Europe’s far right after returning to the White House last year.

While U.S. Vice President JD Vance recently campaigned for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, such overt support has become increasingly rare amid discontent over the Iran war.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni declined to allow U.S. forces to use an air base in Sicily for strikes on Iran, while Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s National Rally, described Trump’s war objectives as “erratic.”

In Germany, officials from the Alternative for Germany have called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops stationed in the country.The tensions come even as a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran remains in place, underscoring the broader geopolitical strain triggered by the conflict.

Analysts say the developments highlight the limits of Trump’s ambition to forge a cohesive international bloc of nationalist movements.

“Getting a blessing from Donald Trump is now a mixed blessing,” said Charles Kupchan, a professor of international relations at Georgetown University and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

The rift follows earlier friction between Washington and European allies over Trump’s remarks targeting Denmark in connection with his demand that the country cede Greenland to the United States.

Trump also criticized NATO for what he described as insufficient support during recent tensions.Daniel Baer, a former U.S. ambassador and State Department official, said the latest disagreements reflect the difficulty of sustaining a unified nationalist coalition across borders.

“Building some sort of international coalition around national chauvinism is very difficult,” he said.Orbán, long regarded as a key Trump ally, has so far avoided direct criticism, maintaining a cautious stance on the Iran conflict. In a recent interview, he said it was too early to determine whether U.S. actions would lead to peace or further escalation.

Hungary’s leader has emphasized his relationship with Trump as a pillar of his foreign policy, often presenting it to voters as a source of security and international leverage. However, analysts warn that the association could carry political risks as perceptions of the U.S. administration shift.

According to Mario Bikarsku, a senior Europe analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, recent U.S. engagement in Hungary could have unintended consequences for Orbán’s domestic standing.

Experts note that the rise of far-right parties across Europe has largely been driven by domestic political dynamics rather than external influence, suggesting limited incentive for alignment with Washington’s policies.

Kupchan said nationalist movements in countries such as the United Kingdom, France and Germany have gained traction independently, shaped more by local economic and political conditions than by U.S. support.

The evolving divisions underscore the fragility of transnational political alliances built on ideological affinity, particularly as the Iran conflict continues to reshape global alignments.