Also known as: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen · European Commission President
Ursula von der Leyen — European Commission President who has supported social media limits for minors and called for stronger EU border security.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
Joy Online
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has told Hungary’s new prime minister that billions of euros in EU funding are to be unlocked subject to his government pushing through a raft of “long-overdue reforms”. …
EU hails Hungary’s ‘wind of change’ and unlocks €16.4bn for new PM MagyarJoy Online
… European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X: “Russia’s war of aggression has crossed yet another line”. …
Nato condemns Russian ‘recklessness’ after drone hits Romanian residential blockJoy Online
… European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this week that the EU executive was targeting addictive and harmful design practices by social media firms in its upcoming Digital Fairness Act. …
Italy parents’ group faces Meta, TikTok in Milan court over minors’ social media useThe Chronicle
… European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen promised after meeting interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus in January that Europe would “do everything it can” to support Syria’s recovery. …
EU agrees to restore full trade ties with SyriaJoy Online
… After a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Trump said he agreed to give her until “our Country’s 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels”. …
Trump gives EU ultimatum deadline to approve trade deal with USFrance's Constitutional Council has overturned legislation banning social media for under-15s, finding it violated freedom of expression and lacked necessary legal safeguards. President Emmanuel Macron has asked his Prime Minister to prepare a revised draft with the court's concerns in mind.
16 August 2026 · Joy Online →
France's Constitutional Council has overturned legislation banning social media for under-15s, finding it violated freedom of expression and lacked necessary legal safeguards. President Emmanuel Macron has asked his Prime Minister to prepare a revised draft with the court's concerns in mind.
16 August 2026 · Joy Online →
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia's Chocó province, killing at least 132 people and injuring more than 480, with a state of emergency declared. The quake damaged buildings across western Colombia, particularly in Pereira and surrounding regions, with many feared trapped under collapsed structures.
10 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with ballistic missiles and drones, killing at least 17 people and injuring at least 45 in strikes on Kyiv and the capital region. President Zelensky said interceptor delays from allies led to "horrific casualties and destruction," noting that supply of anti-ballistic systems had been "significantly reduced" this year and no missiles were intercepted in the attack.
5 August 2026 · Joy Online →
A senior Moroccan official said Spain should have anticipated the consequences of a court ruling that weakened migration deterrence, which contributed to mass crossings into Ceuta last week. Spain estimates about 69,500 migrants have returned from Ceuta to Morocco since the crossing, while Moroccan authorities say about 40,000 people entered the enclave; the death toll stands at 72 on the Spanish side and 11 on the Moroccan side.
4 August 2026 · Joy Online →
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for "united action" on border security following a large influx of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, where about 69,500 migrants have now returned to Morocco and 72 deaths were recorded on the Spanish side. The crisis has strained EU relations, prompting emergency talks among interior ministers and causing Italy, Finland, and Denmark to suspend or call for suspension of Schengen arrangements with Spain.
4 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Spain has condemned the "selfish, polarising and unlawful" reaction of some EU countries to about 60,000 migrants crossing from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Italy, Finland, and Denmark have suspended or called for suspension of the Schengen border-free arrangement with Spain, with EU interior ministers set to meet Tuesday to discuss the crisis.
1 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Spain has condemned the "selfish, polarising and unlawful" reaction of some EU countries to about 60,000 migrants from Morocco reaching the enclave of Ceuta on 30 July. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Spain had restored border control and prevented unauthorised onward movement within 48 hours, while Italian and other EU governments suspended or urged suspension of Spain's Schengen membership, citing the influx.
1 August 2026 · Joy Online →
French lawmakers voted to ban social media use for children under 15, with the bill set to take effect this school year after President Emmanuel Macron signs it into law. The ban makes France the first EU country to impose such a restriction, following Australia's implementation of a ban for under-16s last year.
21 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Andy Burnham, the new UK prime minister, is set to announce new support to help people with the cost of living crisis as his cabinet meets for the first time. He has vowed to provide "breathing space" for households struggling with costs and pledged to set out details on Tuesday.
21 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Andy Burnham, the new UK prime minister, is set to announce support for households struggling with the cost of living crisis on Tuesday. Burnham has appointed a cabinet including John Healey as chancellor and Ed Miliband as foreign secretary, and pledged to provide "breathing space" for people facing financial hardship.
21 July 2026 · Joy Online →
A reconciliation committee of France's Parliament approved a bill to ban social media access for those under 15, with French President Macron seeking implementation by early September. The measure follows Australia's ban for under-16s and comes as European Commission President Von der Leyen has supported similar limits across the EU.
21 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Three people were killed in a Russian attack on the Black Sea port of Odesa, the fifth consecutive day of strikes on the region. Russia said it targeted port infrastructure for petroleum and oil unloading; Ukraine's Odesa governor accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians and residential buildings.
15 July 2026 · Joy Online →
After Wednesday's NATO summit in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented each NATO leader with a Gumusay .357 Magnum revolver produced by Turkish arms maker MKE in the 1990s, engraved with their names and accompanied by live ammunition, to showcase Turkey's defence industry. The gifts created logistical complications for recipients including Belgium's prime minister, who handed his to airport police for safekeeping.
9 July 2026 · Joy Online →
A Russian aerial attack on Monday killed at least 18 people in Ukraine, with 12 deaths in Kyiv and six more in the surrounding region, exposing critical gaps in air defences. President Zelenskyy blamed the shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles and urged NATO allies at the upcoming Ankara summit to supply more air defence systems.
6 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Ukraine's Air Force reported a "serious shortage" of interceptor missiles meant none of 23 ballistic missiles fired by Russia at Kyiv on Sunday night were shot down, killing at least 12 in the capital and six more in the wider region. President Zelensky appealed to NATO allies for air defence systems, warning Russia would continue striking residential areas while Patriot missiles remained in allied stockpiles.
6 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Ryanair and Berlin Airport's leadership have warned of severe travel disruption this summer due to the EU's new Entry-Exit System (EES), which requires non-EU travellers to register biometric information at entry. Non-EU nationals are facing queue waits of up to two hours at some terminals, and Ryanair has urged governments to postpone the system until after the summer holiday period.
2 July 2026 · Joy Online →
US President Donald Trump announced that Iran and the United States have reached a tentative deal to end the US-Israel war on Iran, including Israeli attacks on Lebanon. World leaders including Qatar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait have welcomed the agreement, though Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich condemned it as "bad for Israel and for the entire free world."
16 June 2026 · The Chronicle →
Swiss voters rejected a proposal by the right-wing Swiss People's Party to limit the country's population to 10 million, with nearly 55% voting against the measure. The government, Swiss businesses, and all major parties opposed the initiative, which risked jeopardizing Switzerland's free movement agreement with the European Union.
14 June 2026 · Joy Online →
The Trump administration has urged European nations to impose travel restrictions on people who have recently been in Central African countries affected by the Ebola outbreak, citing concerns about virus spread during the World Cup. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already barred noncitizens who have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the previous 21 days from entering the U.S.
10 June 2026 · Joy Online →
Europe's largest airlines have warned the European Commission against extending its Emissions Trading System to cover international flights, saying the expansion would raise ticket prices. The system currently covers only flights within Europe, and the Commission is considering including emissions from flights departing the EU as part of a review due next month.
9 June 2026 · Joy Online →
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has told Hungary's new Prime Minister Péter Magyar that the EU will unlock €16.4 billion in funding subject to his government pushing through democratic and anti-corruption reforms. The funding had been frozen under former PM Viktor Orbán's administration, and Magyar campaigned on unlocking it as a key platform for his Tisza party in last month's elections.
30 May 2026 · Joy Online →
A Russian drone struck a residential building in Galați, Romania on Friday, causing a fire and injuring two people — the first time Romanian citizens have been hurt in such an incident. Nato and EU allies condemned the attack; Romania scrambled fighter jets but had only four minutes from detection to impact.
29 May 2026 · Joy Online →
An Italian parents' movement and families sued Meta and TikTok in Milan's business court, seeking to require stronger age-verification systems for users under 14, remove manipulative algorithms, and provide transparent information on harms of overuse. MOIGE says about 3.5 million Italian children aged 7 to 14 are illegally active on these platforms.
15 May 2026 · Joy Online →
The European Council has terminated the partial suspension of a cooperation agreement with Syria, restoring fuller trade ties after nearly 14 years of war. The move follows al-Assad's removal in December 2024 and signals the EU's commitment to re-engage with Syria and support its economic recovery.
12 May 2026 · The Chronicle →
President Trump threatened "much higher" tariffs on the European Union by July 4 if the bloc does not reduce its levies on the US to zero, following a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Von der Leyen said the EU was making "good progress towards tariff reduction," and a previously struck trade deal faces implementation hurdles after Wednesday talks between EU lawmakers and governments ended without agreement.
8 May 2026 · Joy Online →