Eurotopics.net

Just a week after Biontech and Pfizer, US company Moderna has also announced a breakthrough in coronavirus vaccine development: according to the researchers their vaccine is 94.5 percent effective and surprisingly stable at refrigerator temperatures. Can the hurdles on the path to blanket immunization be cleared?

Today, November 17, Greece celebrates the anniversary of the 1973 student uprising against the military junta. But the planned rallies have had to be cancelled because the government has banned public gatherings of more than three people - a restriction last imposed by that very same junta. Is the argument of fighting the pandemic merely being used as a pretext, as left-wing opposition parties suspect?

Fifteen Asia-Pacific countries signed the world's largest trade agreement on Sunday. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) comprises around a third of global economic output. Close allies of the US such as Australia, Japan and South Korea will also participate in the agreement initiated by China. The press examines how much of a breakthrough the agreement really is and how Europe might benefit.

Joe Biden plans to reverse some of Trump's decisions by decree on his first day as US president. According to his chief of staff, Biden wants to return to the Paris Climate Agreement, introduce protection for underage migrants and adopt new measures in healthcare. For Europe's media the key question is what direction US foreign policy will move in.