Eurotopics.net

After his arrival in Moscow Alexei Navalny was sentenced to 30 days in prison. The trial was held in a police station and the charge was violation of registration requirements. The Kremlin critic called on his supporters via Youtube to protest: "Not for me, but for you, for your future." Commentators discuss what a threat Navalny represents for the Kremlin.

The newly elected US President Joe Biden wants to halt construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline and invest in gas instead, according to Canadian media. Due to the estimated damage to the environment the project was already halted by Obama in 2015 but revived again by Trump. Biden plans to shift the focus in other energy policy areas as well, with two trillion dollars already earmarked for the endeavour.

The Dutch government has resigned over a child-benefits scandal just two months ahead of the general election. More than 20,000 parents, most of them with migrant backgrounds, were falsely accused of fraud by the authorities and ordered to repay thousands of euros in daycare subsidies. Victims' lawyers are talking of institutional racism. For the press, the government's resignation is not the end of the affair.

Researchers at Basel University have investigated the psychological impact of the coronavirus crisis in 78 countries. Around 10 percent of respondents stated that their levels of stress, pessimism and depression had risen significantly. According to the survey, people in the US, Italy and Turkey are worst affected. Commentators cast about for solutions.

Commentators from Greece, Portugal and the Czech Republic use the election of the new CDU leader Armin Laschet as an opportunity to take stock and look ahead at what awaits Germany and Europe in the post-Merkel era. Their assessments of the chancellor's 16 years in office differ widely.