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.
The 80th night of Black Lives Matter protests in Portland turned violent, with police declaring yet another riot as demonstrators threw rocks and projectiles at officers and their vehicles. Police said two cops were hospitalized.
More than 200 people showed up to an anti-police brutality protest in East Portland on Saturday night. What began as peaceful demonstration later turned violent as protesters began moving into residential areas, throwing rocks and projectiles at police property and officers.
According to a police statement, two officers were hospitalized following Saturday night's incidents, after both the cops were hit with a 10-pound rock. Police say the rock was thrown by an individual with clothing bearing the word "press."
During the clashes, some activists reportedly painted graffiti on the Penumbra Kelly Building, which is used by law enforcement. Police said another protester spray-painted over a security camera at the building.
"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:
Comment: RT adds: