Europe

Copenhagen: The European Union should explore limiting children's access to social media, with possible new rules proposed as early as this summer, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday. The European Commission president has tasked an expert panel to report back by July on what steps the EU should take to protect minors online, including a potential social media ban. "Without pre-empting the panel's findings, I believe we must consider a social media delay. Depending on the results, we could come with a legal proposal this summer," von der Leyen said during a summit in Copenhagen on AI and children.

Gulf

Riyadh: The Saudi Stock Exchange main index closed Monday's trading session up 43.38 points to reach 11,158.45 points, with total trading valued at SAR 7.7 billion. A total of 319 million shares were traded during the session, with 135 companies recording gains, while 112 companies registered declines. In contrast, the Saudi Parallel Market (Nomu) index closed down 9.38 points at 22,635.06 points, with trading valued at SAR 30 million and a volume exceeding 2.9 million shares.

Gulf

Doha, Qatar: Director General of the GCC Railways Authority, Mohammad Al-Shabrami said on Monday that the overall completion rate of the GCC railway linkage project has exceeded 50 percent. In a video interview with theSaudi newspaper, Okaz, Al-Shabrami said the project is expected to become fully operational by the end of December 2030, according to the agreement reached among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states. He added that the total length of the railway project exceeds 1,700 kilometres, with varying operational speeds designated for both passenger and freight trains. Al-Shabrami described the railway linkage as one of the most significant infrastructure projects in the region, noting that it will contribute to enhancing economic integration among GCC countries. The project is also expected to generate major positive impacts through increasing passenger and cargo transportation capacity, while strengthening social ties among GCC citizens and residents. Among the key economic benefits highlighted by Al-Shabrami are the creation of job opportunities, localisation of industries, and reduced dependence on road transport. He explained that wider adoption of railway transportation would reduce reliance on trucks, lowering road maintenance costs while providing an integrated transport system linked with air, sea and land transportation networks. Al-Shabrami added that increased train usage would also contribute to reducing environmental pollution caused by emissions from heavy vehicles.