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HELSINKI
Fifth-generation mobile networks from China may pose a certain number of possible risks, the director of the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service, Antti Peltarri, warned in an interview with the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation (YLE), adding that countries like Russia and China are attempting to get hold of Finland’s critical infrastructure. Read more.
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BERLIN
Germans start showing liking for CDU/CSU and Greens coalition. A few months before the German elections, voters seem to start seeing the advantages of a Christian Democrat and Green coalition. Read more.
Plans for free rapid tests as of March. German Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) wants rapid tests to be available to everyone in Germany free of charge. Since there will be more tests on the market, “all citizens should be able to be tested free of charge by trained personnel with rapid antigen tests,” Spahn told German media group RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND).
EU announces bio-defense plan against Covid-19 variants
From CNN’s James Frater in London
European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen looks on as she arrives at the European Parliament to explain the European Union s vaccine strategy, in Brussels, Belgium, on February 10. Johanna Geron/AFP/Getty Images
The European Union has announced a plan called the “HERA Incubator” to combat the increased threat from coronavirus variants.
In a statement the European Commission said the HERA Incubator will “bring together researchers, biotech companies, manufacturers, regulators and public authorities to monitor variants, exchange data and cooperate on adapting vaccines.”
The core function of the HERA Incubator will be to “boost preparedness, develop vaccines for the variants and increase industrial production.” It will receive €75 million in funding to develop specialized tests for new variants, and to support genomic sequencing across the EU.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on the international community to help ensure that everybody in the world is vaccinated as soon as possible.
Coronavirus digest: Australia approves AstraZeneca onenewspage.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from onenewspage.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.