Eurotopics.net

At the height of the holiday season, the number of people infected with coronavirus has spiked again in many countries. Travel warnings are being issued and holiday destinations declared high-risk areas once more. Some countries are trying to keep infections under control through large-scale testing of people returning from abroad. Commentators are critical of some of the measures.

In order to avoid the 30-percent fee charged by Apple and Google for offering apps in their stores, Epic Games, the producer of the video game Fortnite, integrated an alternative payment option into the latest version of the game. This prompted Apple and Google to remove Fortnite from their stores, and Epic responded with a lawsuit. Are the tech giants making too much profit at the expense of developers?

On 17 August 1945 Indonesia, which had been occupied by Japan during the Second World War, declared its independence from its colonial power the Netherlands, which however did not accept this. Thus began four years of war, ending in 1949 with the recognition of Indonesian independence. Today, 75 years later, the Netherlands is still grappling with its role during those times.

The United Arab Emirates and Israel have established diplomatic relations. Until now any contact between the two states had taken place behind the scenes. The agreement to this effect was brokered by US President Trump and is due to be signed in Washington on 3 November. Journalists discuss what the deal means for the region.

EU foreign ministers are meeting today to discuss how to respond to Turkey's policy in the eastern Mediterranean, which, according to Brussels, contravenes the sovereignty of Greece and Cyprus and international law. Journalists analyse the underlying reasons for the Greek-Turkish dispute over gas and borders and what Europe can do to defuse the tensions.