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A30 WORLD NEWS
Diamars 30 maart 2021

Indians gather for Holi Gunmen kill elected official, policeman in

celebrations as virus Kashmir attack

cases surge (AP) — Gunmen killed

an official of India’s rul-
ing party and a policeman
in disputed Kashmir on
Monday, police said.

Police blamed anti-India
militants for the attack. None
of the rebel groups that have
been fighting against Indian
rule since 1989 immediately
claimed responsibility for the
attack.
Police officer Amritpal Singh
said militants fired at a mu-
nicipal office in northwest-
ern Sopore town during a member of India’s ruling New Delhi describes the
meeting of local councilors. Bharatiya Janata Party. Kashmir militancy as Pak-
A councilor and a police of- The Himalayan region of istan-sponsored terrorism.
ficial were killed and another Kashmir is divided between Pakistan denies the charge,
councilor was wounded, he India and Pakistan and both and most Kashmiris consider
said. countries claim it in its en- it a legitimate freedom strug-
tirety. Many Muslim Kash- gle.
Police and soldiers cordoned miris support the rebel goal Tens of thousands of civil-
off the area and searched for that the territory be united, ians, rebels and government
the attackers. either under Pakistani rule or forces have been killed in the
The dead councilor was a as an independent country. conflict.

Number of foreigners moving to Germany
(AP) — Hindus threw colored powder and sprayed
water in massive Holi celebrations Monday despite
many Indian states restricting gatherings to try to hits 10-year low
contain a coronavirus resurgence rippling across
the country.

Holi marks the advent of spring and is widely celebrated
throughout Hindu-majority India. Most years, millions
of people throw colored powder at each other in outdoor
celebrations. But for the second consecutive year, people
were encouraged to stay at home to avoid turning the
festivities into superspreader events amid the latest virus
surge.
India’s confirmed infections have exceeded 60,000 daily
over the past week from a low of about 10,000 in Feb-
ruary. On Monday, the health ministry reported 68,020
new cases, the sharpest daily rise since October last year.
It took the nationwide tally to more than 12 million.
Daily deaths rose by 291 and the virus has so far killed
161,843 people in the country.
The latest surge is centered in the western state of Ma-
harashtra where authorities have tightened travel re-
strictions and imposed night curfews. It is considering
a strict lockdown.
Cases are also rising in the capital New Delhi and states
of Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Haryana
and Madhya Pradesh.
The surge coincides with multi-stage state elections (AP) — The number of Germany’s overall popula- nese left Germany than
marked by large gatherings and roadshows, and the foreigners living in Ger- tion stands at 83 million. moved into the country.
Kumbh Mela, or pitcher festival, celebrated in northern many increased by 1.8% The number of foreigners “After long phases of net im-
Haridwar city, where tens of thousands of Hindu devo- last year, the lowest rate moving to Germany in 2020 migration the number of
tees daily take a holy dip into the Ganges river. in a decade, according to from countries outside the Chinese and American citi-
Health experts worry that unchecked gatherings can lead official figures released European Union declined zens leaving surpasses the
to clusters, adding the situation can be controlled if vac- Monday. by more than half, the office number of those moving
cination is opened up for more people and COVID-19 said. here,” the office reported.
protocols are strictly followed. The Federal Statistical Office “The Central Register of
India, with a population of more than 1.3 billion, has said the foreign-born popula- The number of incoming Foreigners records a net emi-
vaccinated around 60 million people, of which only 9 tion rose by about 204,000 to Indian citizens showed the gration of about 3,000 people
million have received both doses of vaccine so far. 11.4 million, in a year when single biggest decrease, fol- for both citizenships.”
However, more than 60 million doses manufactured in Germany and other coun- lowed by Syrians. Only 8,000 Overall, 21.2 million or 26%
India have been exported abroad, prompting widespread tries in Europe and beyond Indians moved to Germany of people living in Germa-
criticism that domestic needs should be catered to first. were hit by the coronavirus in 2020, compared to 21,000 ny in 2019, the latest figure
The government said last week that there would be no pandemic, which brought in 2019. The number of Syr- available, had some kind of
immediate increase in exports. It said vaccines will be travel and other restrictions. ians who arrived decreased to immigrant background, such
given to everyone over 45 starting April 1. Net immigration decreased 21,000 from 31,000. as one or both parents having
by 31% compared with 2019. More Americans and Chi- foreign citizenship.