EU strengthens its united front to respond Covid-19 challenge

The vaccine roll-out across Europe and preparing the EU leaders' video conference on Covid-19 coordination that will be held on 21 January were among of the main topics of the informal video conference of European affairs ministers held on Monday. It was the first meeting under the Portugal’s Presidency of the Council, chaired by Ana Paula Zacarias, Portuguese Secretary of State for European Affairs.

The hoarding of Covid-19 vaccines by rich countries is not only unethical but will also prolong the pandemic, UN health chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned on Monday in Geneva.

A Russian court sentenced opposition leader Alexei Navalny to 30 days in prison in a snap trial on Monday, one day after his return to Moscow.

France began a nationwide campaign to inoculate people over 75 on Monday as officials sought to ease concerns about deliveries of coronavirus vaccines.

New European Bauhaus is a philosophy concerning the way of living, places we inhabit, our relationship with natural environments, beyond the built space. The Commission launched on Monday the design phase of the New European Bauhaus initiative, announced by President von der Leyen in her 2020 State of the Union address. 

More than 20 shellfish trucks parked on roads near the British parliament and Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Downing Street residence on Monday to protest against post-Brexit bureaucracy that has throttled exports to the European Union.

Billionaire Samsung scion Lee Jae-yong was sent back to prison on Monday after a South Korean court handed him a two and a half-year sentence for his involvement in a 2016 corruption scandal that spurred massive protests and ousted South Korea’s then-president.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Monday joined the international chorus of condemnation against Russia's arrest of opposition figure Alexei Navalny and demanded his release.

Germany is Europe's champion of high electricity prices. Some attribute that to the green surcharge, others say it is a sign of highly developed economy, but the common Germans are not happy at all with these conclusions. Furthermore, the unrest may shortly explode.

The Trump administration notified Huawei suppliers, including chipmaker Intel, that it is revoking certain licenses to sell to the Chinese company and intends to reject dozens of other applications to supply the telecommunications firm, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.