Germany's ruling party backs social media curbs for children

By Andreas Rinke

German school kids react to Germany mulling social media ban for minors

STUTTGART, Germany, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Germany's ruling conservatives on Saturday passed a motion to ban social media use for under 14s and introduce more stringent digital verification checks for teenagers, building momentum for such ‌limits in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.

At a party conference in the city of Stuttgart, Chancellor Friedrich Merz's ‌Christian Democratic Union also called for fines for online platforms that failed to enforce such limits, and European Union-wide harmonisation of age standards.

A growing number of ​countries, including Spain, Greece, France and Britain, are looking at similar social media bans or restrictions on accessing platforms like TikTok or Instagram.

It follows the example of Australia, which last year became the first country to force platforms to cut off access for children.

European nations are more broadly ratcheting up pressure on social media companies, risking a backlash from the United States. President Donald Trump has threatened ‌tariffs and sanctions if EU countries impose new ⁠tech taxes or online regulations that hit U.S. firms.

"We call on the federal government to introduce a legal age limit of 14 for the use of social networks and to address the special ⁠need for protection in the digital sphere up to the age of 16," said the motion that passed on Saturday.

Merz's coalition partners the Social Democrats have also backed social media curbs for children. Pressure from both parties in the coalition makes it increasingly likely that the ​federal ​government will push for restrictions.

However, under Germany's federal system, media regulation is ​a state‑level responsibility and states must negotiate with ‌each other to agree consistent nationwide rules.

SCHOOLCHILDREN IN BONN DISCUSS THE BAN

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The ban could affect children like those at the Cardinal Frings Gymnasium in the city of Bonn, several of whom a day earlier were scrolling on their phones in the school grounds.

"I think it's fair, but I think it should be up to the parents to decide whether to forbid it, not the state," said 13-year-old Moritz, who says he only watches YouTube.

"For children under 12 it should be forbidden, but from age 12 onwards ‌I think children can already distinguish between what is fake news and ​what is not."

His classmate Emma, 13, almost exclusively uses Snapchat, but has ​a time limit on her phone.

A ban would be "kind ​of unusual, because you get used to sending your snap in the morning before school, or what ‌my friends do, like just scrolling through Instagram or ​TikTok for a bit," she said.

Ella, ​12, scrolls through social media several times a day.

"So I have TikTok and Instagram myself, but I understand that it's all addictive, and the more you scroll, the more you want to see."

Teacher Till Franke said that for ​many of the children, "it would be a ‌shock at first, because of this daily use of social media".

But eventually, the students would get used to it, ​he said, "because they would find other niches where they could communicate with each other".

(Andreas Rinke, Stephane Nitschke ​and Petra Wischgoll; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Jan Harvey)

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Germany's ruling party backs social media curbs for children

By Andreas Rinke German school kids react to Germany mulling social media ban for minors STUTTGART, Germany,...

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Ex-UK Prime Minister Johnson calls on allies to send noncombat troops to Ukraine ahead of ceasefire

LONDON (AP) — Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the U.K. and its European allies should immediatelydeploy noncombat troopsto Ukraine to show Russian President Vladimir Putin that Western nations are truly committed to the nation's freedom and independence.

Speaking ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scaleinvasion of Ukraine, Johnson told the BBC that the troops should be sent to peaceful regions in non-fighting roles. The comments from Johnson, who was one ofUkraine's staunchest supportersas Britain's leader during the first months of the conflict, were contained in excerpts of an interview that will be broadcast on Sunday.

If adopted, the proposal from Johnson would mark a major policy shift for the U.K. and its allies. While the "coalition of the willing" isworking on plansto send troops to Ukraine, such a deployment would only take place after an agreement to end the fighting and would be designed to police the ceasefire.

"If we are willing to do it in the context of a ceasefire, which of course puts all the initiative, all the power, in Putin's hands, why not do it now?'' Johnson said. "There is no logical reason that I can see why we shouldn't send peaceful ground forces there to show our support, our constitutional support for a free, independent Ukraine."

Western military planners have avoided discussing such a move publicly out of concern that Russia would see it as an escalation of the conflict.

Putin in September rejected Western proposals for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, saying that any troops deployed to the country would be "legitimate targets."

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But Johnson said Putin shouldn't be able to dictate terms to Ukraine and its allies.

"It's about whether Ukraine is a free country or not," he said. "If it's a vassal state of Russia, which is what Putin wants, then obviously it's up to Putin to decide who comes to his country. If it's not, then it's up to the Ukrainians."

When asked about Johnson's comments, Britain's Ministry of Defense said the government was continuing to work with the coalition of the willing to prepare for the deployment of troops to Ukraine after a ceasefire.

"The multinational force Ukraine under UK leadership will secure peace for the long term, with the Prime Minister being clear that we will put British troops on the ground following the end of hostilities," the ministry said in a statement.

Johnson said the war in Ukraine was the result of the West's failure to support Ukraine after theinvasion of Crimeain 2014, as well as its inability to punish Bashar al-Assad forusing chemical weaponsagainst his own people in Syria and the debacle of theU.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"I think Putin was emboldened by a Western failure in Syria to punish Assad for using chemical weapons," he said.

"I think Putin was further emboldened in February 2022 by what he'd seen in Afghanistan, and a sort of general sense that the West was on the back foot. He'd seen those appalling pictures of Americans being forced to flee Afghanistan and the UK pulling out as well, and that really did embolden him."

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Ex-UK Prime Minister Johnson calls on allies to send noncombat troops to Ukraine ahead of ceasefire

LONDON (AP) — Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the U.K. and its European allies should immediatelydeploy ...

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As measles outbreaks grow, Florida grad student describes 'full-body rash' and trip to ER

The U.S. has officially logged982 measles cases in 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. It's more than four times the number of cases as this time last year, when alarge outbreak was just beginning in West Texas.

Twenty-six states have reported cases so far this year. Large outbreaks continue to grow inUtah, Arizonaand, most notably, South Carolina, where the virus has been spreading since the fall. As of Friday, the state had reported nearly 800 cases since January, bringing the outbreak's total to 973.

It's thelargest single measles outbreakthe U.S. has seen in a generation. South Carolina state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said that at least 20 people had been hospitalized.

"These hospitalizations involve both adults and children," Bell said during a call with reporters on Wednesday. "Additional cases required medical care for measles but were not hospitalized."

According to the CDC, more than 1 in 10 measles cases in 2025 resulted in hospitalization. Most of those were children and teenagers.

In Florida, cases are also rising: The state's health department has reported 92 cases since the beginning of the year. Sixty-six of those cases are in Collier County, and largely clustered at Ave Maria University, near Naples.

Graduate student Blaise Carney toldNBC affiliate station WBBHthat he was one of the first on campus to get sick last month.

"It started with an ear infection," Carney said. "And then it proceeded with sniffles, sore throat and all the rest. And then I just progressively got worse, until I was in the ER and had a full-body rash."

Carney said he was diagnosed with measles and strep throat at the same time and got intravenous fluids in the ER. He didn't need to be admitted to the hospital, and instead isolated himself in his dorm, where he said he stayed in bed for a week.

Carney said he had been vaccinated against the virus as a child.

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Two doses of measles vaccine — one given around age 1 and the second around age 5 — are97% effective in preventing measles, usually for life, according to the CDC. That means that 3% of people can get measles even after vaccination.

Despite his illness, Carney said, the statistics overwhelmingly favor the shots.

"If you're not vaccinated, go ahead and get vaccinated," he said. "It might not protect you 100%, but it's your best shot."

The vast majority of measles cases are among unvaccinated people.

Though most people recover, some developlong-term health problemsafter their telltale rash clears. The virus targets cells that play key roles in a person's immune system, leaving them vulnerable to subsequent illnesses.

In rare cases, people can go on to develop dangerous brain inflammation seven to 10 years after a measles infection. The condition, called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE, is almost always fatal.

On Saturday, doctors at Children's Hospital of Orange County in California described the details of one casein the New England Journal of Medicine.

It involved a 7-year-old boy who went to the hospital following several months of seizures and cognitive problems that were progressively getting worse.

The boy had gotten measles as an infant while living in Afghanistan, where the virushas not been eliminated. (The U.S. couldlose its elimination statusas soon as this year as vaccination rates fall and the virus regains a foothold.)

Doctors wrote that when the boy arrived at the hospital, he couldn't speak and his body's muscle reflexes weren't working normally — signs of significant neurological problems. He was diagnosed with SSPE. Within a year of his first symptoms, he died.

Before measles was eliminated in the U.S., the CDC estimated that7 to 11 people out of every 100,000 were at risk for SSPE. That risk may be higher in people infected with measles before their second birthday.

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As measles outbreaks grow, Florida grad student describes 'full-body rash' and trip to ER

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Explainer-How the State of the Union became a stage for political confrontation

By Howard Goller

Feb 21 (Reuters) - What began as a spare presidential report to the U.S. Congress has hardened into a prime-time pressure chamber shaped by an era of fierce polarization, with the State of the Union speech now unfolding as a long night of choreographed tension and open confrontation - a moment for presidents to wrest narrative from turmoil and craft the defining images of their time in power.

President Donald Trump will deliver ‌his speech to Congress at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday (0200 GMT on Wednesday), a far cry from President George Washington's first address in 1790 - a brisk 1,089-word report that could be read in less time than many modern presidents ‌take to clear their throats.

In 1801, President Thomas Jefferson took a different approach by sending a written message rather than speaking in person, a practice that endured for more than a century. Only in 1913 did President Woodrow Wilson resume the tradition of delivering the message in person.

President Harry Truman in 1947 delivered the ​first televised State of the Union address, marking the beginning of a new era in presidential communication. President Lyndon Johnson in 1965 delivered the first prime-time State of the Union address to maximize television viewership.

Since then, the nighttime speeches have grown more raucous as partisan divisions have sharpened, with the president's party often rising in applause while the opposition pointedly remains seated.

This year, a group of Democrats will abandon Trump's speech for an outdoor rally against his policies. After the speech, newly elected Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, will deliver the traditional televised response.

Heightening the suspense, Trump will come face to face with justices of the Supreme Court four days after a 6–3 majority — including two Trump appointees — struck down his signature tariffs as an overreach of presidential authority.

WHEN THE SPEECHES STRETCHED TO NEW LENGTHS

Recent presidents have gone far ‌longer than George Washington did.

President Bill Clinton set a record in 2000 with a State ⁠of the Union speech lasting 1 hour, 28 minutes and 49 seconds. Trump's 2025 address ran even longer at 1 hour, 39 minutes and 32 seconds, according to the American Presidency Project.

Trump's speech last year came too soon after his return to the presidency to be formally considered a State of the Union speech. As with other presidents just assuming office, his was branded merely a joint address ⁠to Congress.

President Ronald Reagan launched the tradition of inviting special guests in 1982 by introducing Lenny Skutnik, a Congressional Budget Office employee who heroically rescued a plane crash survivor from the Potomac River.

Such honors have been contentious at times, such as in 2020 when Trump, a former reality TV star, awarded the highest U.S. civilian honour - the Presidential Medal of Freedom - to polarizing radio show host Rush Limbaugh.

VIRAL CLASHES THAT REDEFINED THE STATE OF THE UNION

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In more recent years, some of the more monumental moments during presidential speeches to Congress have been confrontational and gone viral.

* In 2009: 'YOU ​LIE,' ​OBAMA IS TOLD

Republican Representative Joe Wilson shouted, "You lie!" at Democratic President Barack Obama during a healthcare speech to Congress, though it was not a State ​of the Union address. Wilson was protesting Obama's statement that healthcare plans then being considered in ‌Congress would not insure immigrants who entered the country illegally. Wilson later apologized in the face of bipartisan criticism over the rare breach of protocol in a presidential address.

* In 2010: A SUPREME COURT SCOWL HEARD NATIONWIDE

When the following year Obama sharply criticized the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling that he said would "open the floodgates" to unlimited corporate and potentially foreign money in U.S. elections, Justice Samuel Alito reacted by shaking his head and appearing to mouth "not true," a rare breach of the justices' traditionally impassive demeanor.

* In 2020: TRUMP-PELOSI FEUD IN PRIME TIME

Trump, a Republican, snubbed U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democratic elected official in Washington, declining to shake her hand as he handed her a paper copy of his State of the Union speech. Pelosi avoided citing the customary "high privilege and distinct honor" that usually accompanies the speaker's introduction of the president to Congress. At the end of his 80-minute speech, Pelosi stood and ripped apart her copy of the remarks he had handed her as millions watched on television. She later told ‌reporters it was "the courteous thing to do, considering the alternative."

* In 2023: BIDEN'S SPIRITED EXCHANGE WITH REPUBLICANS

Democratic President Joe Biden had a spirited exchange ​with Republican lawmakers after some of them interrupted and booed during his State of the Union address. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene yelled "liar" at Biden after the ​president said, "Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset." Republican ​Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee yelled "it's your fault" at Biden over the U.S. fentanyl crisis.

* In 2024: BIDEN TAKES ON TRUMP AND THE REPUBLICANS

Biden drew sharp contrasts with Trump, accusing his Republican rival of undermining ‌democracy, accommodating Russia and blocking immigration reform, while largely focusing his speech on Trump without naming ​him. Biden needled Republicans when they booed his claim they wanted ​to cut taxes for the wealthy, taunting them with an ad-libbed line questioning their objections to another $2 trillion tax cut for the wealthy. "Oh, no? You guys don't want another $2 trillion tax cut? I kind of thought that's what your plan was," Biden said.

WHEN SPEECHES RESET U.S. POLICY

The State of the Union speeches have at times delivered policy landmarks.

In 1941, 11 months before the United States entered World War Two, President Franklin Roosevelt gave his "Four Freedoms" speech laying out freedoms people ​worldwide should have: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. ‌In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson declared an "unconditional War on Poverty," launching an ambitious sweep of social programs that reshaped federal spending and the government's role in economic opportunity.

In 1996, Clinton proclaimed that "the era of big government is ​over," signaling a recalibration aimed at drawing Republicans into a more bipartisan approach to governing. In 2002, President George W. Bush branded Iraq, Iran and North Korea an "axis of evil" in the wake of the September ​11, 2001, attacks, marking a turn toward a more assertive foreign policy.

(Reporting by Howard Goller in Los Angeles; Editing by Will Dunham)

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Explainer-How the State of the Union became a stage for political confrontation

By Howard Goller Feb 21 (Reuters) - What began as a spare presidential report to the U.S. Congress has hardene...

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Ukraine strikes a key industrial site deep inside Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian drones struck an industrial site deep inside Russia on Saturday, and a Russian news channel reported the target was a key state-owned missile factory.

The attack took place in Russia's Udmurt Republic, leaving 11 injured, three of whom were hospitalized, according to a Telegram post by Sergei Bagin, the local health minister.

"One of the republic's facilities was attacked by drones" launched by Ukraine, regional head Alexander Brechalov said in another Telegram post. He added that the strike caused injuries and damage but did not name the site or give further details.

An unofficial Russian news channel on Telegram, Astra, said Ukrainian drones struck the Votkinsk Machine Building Plant, a major state defense enterprise. Astra said its claim was based on an analysis of footage from local residents.

There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities.

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The Votkinsk factory, more than 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from Ukraine, produces Iskander ballistic missiles, often used in strikes against the country, as well as nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Other Russian news channels posted videos and photos, which they said were from Votkinsk residents, showing black smoke rising from an industrial site and blown-out windows on buildings.

Another unofficial Russian Telegram channel, SHOT, which often quotes contacts in the security services, said residents of Votkinsk reported hearing at least three blasts during the night, as well as what they thought was the humming of drones.

Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine athttps://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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Ukraine strikes a key industrial site deep inside Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian drones struck an industrial site deep inside Russia on Saturday, and a Russian news channe...

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Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon kill 8 Hezbollah members, officials say

RAYAK, Lebanon (AP) — Israeli airstrikes on eastern Lebanon have killed eight members of the militantHezbollahgroup, including several local officials, two officials with the group said Saturday.

Lebanon Israel

The Lebanese Health Ministry put the death toll at 10, but did not distinguish between militants and civilians.

The Hezbollah officials told The Associated Press that the eight militants were killed in strikes near the village of Rayak in northeast Lebanon late Friday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media about such details.

An Associated Press team that visited thescene of the strikeSaturday morning saw that the top floor of a three-story building was knocked out.

The Israeli military said Saturday that several members of Hezbollah's missile unit, in three different command centers in the Baalbek area in Lebanon, were "eliminated."

The Israeli army added that the Hezbollah members killed were identified "as operating to accelerate readiness and force build-up processes, while planning fire attacks toward Israel."

One of the Hezbollah officials said that three of the dead were local commanders and identified them as Ali al-Moussawi, Mohammed al-Moussawi and Hussein Yaghi.

Yaghi was the son of prominent Hezbollah official and one of its founders, Mohammed Yaghi, who died in 2023. Mohammed Yaghi was also a close aide to late Hezbollah leaderHassan Nasrallahwho was killed in an Israeli airstrike in September 2024.

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Lebanon's Health Ministry said Saturday that Israeli strikes on eastern Lebanon killed 10 people and wounded 24, including three children.

Ali Abdullah, executive director of Rayak Hospital, told the AP that the strike occurred after sunset, adding that they have received 10 bodies and 21 wounded. He added that the dead included two non-Lebanese — a Syrian man and an Ethiopian woman. The wounded included five Syrians and three Ethiopians.

After the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel triggered war in Gaza, Hezbollah began firing rockets from Lebanon into Israel in support of Hamas and the Palestinians.

Israel responded with airstrikes and shelling. The low-level conflict escalated into full-scale war in September 2024, later reined in but not fully stopped by a U.S.-brokered ceasefire two months later.

Since then, Israel has accused Hezbollah of trying to rebuild and has carried out near-daily strikes in Lebanon that it says target Hezbollah militants and facilities. Hezbollah has claimed one strike against Israel since the ceasefire.

The death toll from Friday's strikes was unusually high and comes at a moment of intensified tensions in the region as the United States hasthreatened to strike Iran— a backer of both Hezbollah and Hamas — if negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program fail to produce a deal.

Mroue reported from Beirut.

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Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon kill 8 Hezbollah members, officials say

RAYAK, Lebanon (AP) — Israeli airstrikes on eastern Lebanon have killed eight members of the militantHezbollahgroup, incl...

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Goepper walks away with knee sprain, hurt shin after crash in all-or-nothing Olympic halfpipe gamble

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — U.S. freeskier Nick Goepper checked out of the hospital with only a knee sprain and a bad shin bruise after a scary fall in the halfpipe finals at theWinter Olympics, team officials said Saturday.

APTOPIX Milan Cortina Olympics Freestyle Skiing

The 31-year-old Goepper, who learned to ski on baby hills near his hometown in Indiana, went flying above the halfpipe and came down on his backin Friday night's finalbefore bouncing to the bottom. He stood up and was walked gingerly to the bottom, holding his back.

The all-or-nothing trick Goepper threw down said a lot about his goals and the sport itself. He came out of retirement after the last Olympics to move from slopestyle to the halfpipe. He already has two Olympic silver medals and a bronze, and clearly wasn't in the contest for second or third again.

He was in third place when he dropped in for his final run. His final trick — an attempt to add a full extra rotation to the same jumps he had landed earlier to close his runs — was his final gambit to win the gold.

Shortly after his wreck, Canada's Brendan Mackay landed a strong run to push Goepper off the podium and into fourth place.

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"He is just absolutely unbelievable," said Goepper's teammate, gold medalist Alex Ferreira. "He is a great competitor and great teammate and friend, and for him to go for it in that moment took serious guts. He is a real man."

Goepper was not the only freeskier to go down hard in the halfpipe.

Top-ranked Finley Melville Ives of New Zealand suffered a scary crash in qualifying earlier in the day. Team officials said he briefly fell unconcious but was stable after he was taken off in a stretcher.

On Thursday, 2018 Olympic championCassie Sharpe of Canada also took a wicked spillin women's qualifying that briefly knocked her out. Coach Trennon Paynter said Sharpe was not seriously injured.

"We're really disappointed that it happened like that last night but so, so glad that she's going to be OK," he said.

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Goepper walks away with knee sprain, hurt shin after crash in all-or-nothing Olympic halfpipe gamble

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — U.S. freeskier Nick Goepper checked out of the hospital with only a knee sprain and a bad shin brui...

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