REPLAY - Ursula von der Leyen: Full State of the Union address

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered her annual State of the Union speech in Strasbourg. She proposed banning children under 13 from accessing social media, online games, and chatbots. This proposal was part of the EU Kids Act, according to Techmeme, which cited The New York Times.

Von der Leyen also addressed the situation in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, deploring the inaction on the deteriorating situation. She expressed concern over the deep suffering in Gaza and unchecked settler violence in the West Bank, which have deeply affected Europeans. The Israeli government's decision to advance the illegal E1 settlement project was unacceptable, she said.

Some EU member states have moved ahead with or are considering banning trade with Israeli settlements, but opposition remains strong from countries like Germany, Hungary, and Bulgaria, as reported by The National UAE.

Additionally, von der Leyen proposed closer ties between the EU and Canada, including associate member status for Canada, as reported by both France 24 and CBC News. After her address, MEPs Li Andersson and Lukas Mandl discussed her speech in a live edition of The Ring, according to Euronews.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, Euronews, The National UAE, Techmeme, CBC News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.