EC introduces ‘dark red’ zone, discourages non-essential travel

In a press statement delivered Monday evening on vaccine deliveries and on the vaccine export transparency scheme, Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety said that AstraZeneca's vaccine is currently in the final stages of the approval process with the European Medicines Agency. If all requirements are met, the EMA could recommend market authorisation by the end of this week.

Greece signed a 2.3bn-euro ($2.8bn) deal with France on Monday to purchase 18 Rafale fighter jets, as tensions remain high with neighbour Turkey.

President Joe Biden is hoping to boost US manufacturing with a new executive order Monday. The order seeks to increase the amount of US-made goods being bought by the federal government. It can be seen as a continuation of, or rival to, Trump's "America First" policy.

Four times as many jobs were lost last year due to the coronavirus pandemic as during the worst part of the global financial crisis in 2009, a UN report said Monday.

Before the pandemic, the average carbon footprint of a consumer in the EU was 7 tonnes of CO2 per year. The Commission launched on Monday the pilot phase of its new Green Consumption Pledge, the first initiative delivered under the New Consumer Agenda. 

Merck announced on Monday it would stop development of its two Covid-19 vaccines and focus pandemic research on treatments, with initial data on an experimental oral antiviral expected by the end of March, news wires reported. Merck was late to join the race to develop a vaccine to protect against the coronavirus. Reuters commented.

The Commission proposed on Monday update to the common colour code, among other measures to coordinated approach on free movement restrictions adding to Council Recommendation of last October.

Davos in Switzerland is normally very crowded at this time of the year thanks to World Economic Forum (WEF). However, the streets of the ski resort are deserted this year as WEF went online this time due to coronavirus pandemic. The World Economic Forum 2021 kicks off on Monday and ends on 29 January.

As the House prepares to bring the impeachment charge against Donald Trump to the Senate for trial, a growing number of Republican senators say they are opposed to the proceeding, dimming the chances that former president will be convicted on the charge that he incited a siege of the US Capitol.

Greece and Turkey bowed to EU and NATO pressure on Monday and opened the first direct talks in nearly five years over their explosive eastern Mediterranean standoff, AFP reported.