European Union

German health minister Jens Spahn on Wednesday defended his country's handling of the Covid-19 vaccination roll-out, saying Germany has "more than enough" vaccines for its 83 million citizens. He added that the newly-approved Moderna jabs are expected in the coming week. Spahn, who came under criticism for the slow roll-out of the vaccine, said the vaccine is "scarce" globally. Since late December, German inoculated 367,331 people, DPA reported.

A journalist who had demanded the EU postpone its trade deal with Vietnam until human rights improved has been sentenced to 15 years in jail. The EU Commission says it first needs to conduct a detailed analysis before responding.

In the gravest assault on the symbol of American democracy in more than 200 years, hundreds of President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday (6 January) in a stunning bid to overturn his election defeat.

The US House of Representatives and Senate were forced to delay their proceedings to certify the November presidential election after armed protestors breached the Capitol building on Wednesday (6 January). The building is now on lockdown with politicians instructed to remain in their offices.

Thousands of Romanian Orthodox Christians crowded into the harbour of the Black Sea port of Constanta on Wednesday (6 January), breaking social distancing rules to celebrate an Epiphany service. Similar gatherings took place in Burgas, Varna or Sofia, in Bulgaria.

The European Medicines Agency has authorised the use of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by US company Moderna - while the EU is involved in a blame-game over a sluggish vaccine rollout across member states.

China's delayed carbon trading system will start operating in February, the environment ministry has said, as the world's biggest polluter takes steps towards decarbonising its economy by 2060.

The EU's medicines watchdog approved on Wednesday (6 January) a coronavirus jab by US firm Moderna, giving a shot in the arm for Europe's slow-moving vaccine roll-out.

Hong Kong police arrested 53 people in dawn raids on democracy activists in the biggest crackdown since China last year imposed a new security law which opponents say is aimed at quashing dissent in the former British colony.

EU was hesitant on Wednesday (6 January) to resort to trade sanctions following the announcement of heavy sentences of journalists in Vietnam, a latest development in the communist country’s crackdown on dissent. Three journalists, members of the Independent Journalists’ Association...

Venezuela’s ruling Socialist Party on Tuesday (5 January) inaugurated a parliament controlled by allies of President Nicolás Maduro, while the opposition convened a rival committee of legislators in a virtual session, following disputed elections on 6 December.

If Trump is still alive, healthy, free and tweeting politics by 2023, I think we all can officially start to worry. Not only for the American democracy, but for democracies in Europe and the rest of the world.

The price of permits on the European Union carbon market has soared to record levels in the first trading days of the year, hiking costs for polluters as the EU prepares measures to enforce deeper emissions cuts.

US President Donald Trump is causing a new furor in his last days in office. According to media reports he pressured the secretary of state of Georgia to change the results of the presidential election in his state retroactively in a phone call. Trump has also talked of election fraud in the Georgia runoff elections for two Senate seats. Commentators analyse his behavior.

In many European countries schools have remained partially or completely closed after the Christmas holidays. Decisions about when and to what extent classroom teaching will restart are generally being made contingent on current infection rates. The result is uncertainty and ongoing controversy - to the chagrin of parents, educators and a considerable number of commentators.