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Just weeks ago, the administration of US President Joe Biden reached an agreement with Moscow to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) by five years. The nuclear weapons-limiting agreement was set to expire on February 5, 2021, and the outgoing Trump administration showed essentially no interest in saving it.
A Dutch appeals court has revived the country's Covid-19 curfew just moments before it came into effect, overturning a ruling handed down hours earlier ordering the government to lift the "illegitimate" measure immediately.A similar thing happened in the Czech Republic just a few days ago:
A three-judge appellate panel granted an emergency injunction following a request from the Dutch government on Tuesday, agreeing to vacate the earlier order from a lower court to end the nightly curfew, DW reported. The decision came just moments before the 9pm curfew was set to take effect, with the judges scheduling a full hearing on its legality for Friday.
The appeals judges argued that they wanted to avoid what they called a "yo-yo effect," referring to public confusion around whether the curfew was still in force, adding that "in this case, the state's interests weigh more than that of Virus Truth's," the activist group that brought the initial complaint against the curfews to court - also known by its Dutch name, Viruswaarheid.
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While the Dutch Justice Ministry noted it was reviewing the decision after it was handed down, Prime Minister Mark Rutte continued to insist the curfew would be enforced regardless, urging citizens to "keep respecting the curfew" even if the government's appeal failed. Later on Tuesday night, Rutte tweeted: "Curfew applies, even tonight. The coronavirus is not yet under control. It remains important to stay at home, meet as few people as possible, and adhere to all measures, such as curfews."
The successful appeal prompted a harsh rebuke from the founder of Virus Truth, Willem Engel, who has helped to organize a string of protests against lockdown policies in the Netherlands.
"You are making a big mistake," Engel told the appellate judges. "This is unacceptable. You have to explain yourself before a judge."
Comment: Information and knowledge are the greatest influences of our reality and minds. Some accept 'filtered' information as all there is. Those who want to know, understand that knowledge and truth have to be worked for. The age of information contains an immense about of noise, but the efforts to find the signal can develop capacities well beyond the reach of even the most powerful tech behemoths.