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It is a violation [of the international law] to threaten the country's sovereignty using extraterritorial sanctions. After all these sanctions do not apply to the United States, they concern the European Union.Ernst said that the draconian sanctions, that would affect every company contributing to, or involved in, building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, are an affront to the sovereignty of the EU as a whole - which will draw a response from Brussels. Germany, on its part, does not sit idly.
"participation of voters, ensuring a fair election and certainty that the election is held in a timely way, are all key considerations.
"The Electoral Commission have actually prepared for a range of circumstances including since April, holding the election at level 2. I do think it's a decision that needs to stick and the changes should not be made again", Ardern asserted, saying that "COVID is the world's new normal".
The PM's decision comes after a 102-day lapse of virus transmission:And, on came the 'apples to oranges' Ardern-Trump comparisons:
Since the first new cases were detected on Tuesday, the Auckland cluster has grown to 58 cases. Of the nine new cases, seven are confirmed to be linked to the cluster. The total number of active cases in the country is 78, with five people now in hospital. There have now been a total of 1280 cases and 22 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
The NZ Electoral Commission had been planning for an election being held under a stage-two lockdown - which limits gathering to 100 people - since April.
Ardern played down the pressure brought to bear by her coalition partner, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, who on Sunday called for the poll to be delayed.
The main opposition National party and the ACT party had also called for the delay. Ardern's other coalition partners, the Greens, had not supported a delay but have now backed the Prime Minister's decision.
National's leader Judith Collins said:"It was always National's view that to have a fair, democratic election we needed to deal with this second wave of COVID-19 so politicians from all parties had a reasonable chance to present their policies, and the public felt comfortable engaging with the campaign without putting their health at risk".Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield has previously suggested a possible link between the Auckland outbreak, which appears to have begun at an Americold food storage facility in Mt Wellington, and an Americold facility in Melbourne that was linked to four Victorian cases. "We still don't have any particular clues as to what the origin of the outbreak is."
Ardern's government on Monday also extended its wage subsidy scheme, at a cost of about $NZ510 million ($464 million) to protect 470,000 jobs, and mortgage deferral program.
Online pundits have quickly drawn parallels between the situation in the two countries, arguing that people should hold Ardern to the same standards as Trump, when he was labeled a "dictator" and "fascist" for toying with the idea.See also:
Italy is to shut discos and clubs and make it compulsory to wear a mask outdoors in some areas during the night-time in the first reimposition of restrictions as cases of coronavirus pick up across the country, especially among younger people.And following the US's lead in its oppression of religious observers, South Korea is quarantining thousands of its church members:
[...]
The new rules will start on Monday - two days after an Italian holiday when many young Italians go out dancing - and will run until early September.
Masks will be required between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. in areas close to bars and pubs and where gatherings are more likely.
"We cannot nullify the sacrifices made in past months. Our priority must be that of opening schools in September, in full safety," Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Facebook.
Speranza on Saturday urged young people to be as cautious as possible as "if they infect their parents and their grandparents, they risk creating real damage".
The coronavirus outbreak linked to the Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul, the worst in nearly six months, has led to a tightening of social distancing rules. A total of 315 cases connected to the church have been confirmed so far, officials said on Monday.
[...]
Authorities have warned that the current situation is an initial stage of a large-scale transmission. "We're facing a crisis where if the current spread isn't controlled, it would bring an exponential rise in cases, which could in turn lead to the collapse of our medical system and enormous economic damage," KCDC director Jeong Eun-kyeong said.
The country's Vice Health Minister said earlier the Presbyterian church had provided inaccurate lists of its 4,000 members. While nearly 320 of them had tested positive, including Reverend Jun Kwang-hoon, more than 600 who authorities want to see in isolation were unaccounted for.
Jun, the leader of the church, is a conservative activist who has also been organizing anti-government rallies calling for the ouster of liberal President Moon Jae-in. A prosecutors' office said on Sunday it wanted Jun's bail revoked as he faces earlier charges of violating election laws.
In February, authorities struggled to contain an outbreak that emerged in a secretive Christian sect in the city of Daegu and became the country's deadliest cluster.
Comment: The mayhem continued for the 81st day in Portland: