Page 30 - bon-dia-aruba-20210419

A30 world news
Dialuna 19 aPRil 2021

Germany remembers nearly 80,000 dead in COVID pandemic

(AP) — Germany paid demic response across Ger-
tribute on Sunday to the many’s 16 states.
nearly 80,000 people it has
lost to the coronavirus, Merkel says the plan is need-
even as the country argues ed to prevent the health care
about how to get a grip on system from becoming over-
another rise in infections. whelmed, but state govern-
ments and others have found
President Frank-Walter fault with it. Meanwhile,
Steinmeier led a memorial Germany's vaccination cam-
event at Berlin’s Konzerthaus paign is beginning to gather
concert hall with Chancel- pace after a much-criticized
lor Angela Merkel and a slow start.
few other top officials. They
were joined by five relatives “We are worn out by the
of people who died over the burden of the pandemic and
past year in placing a circle of rubbed raw by the argu-
candles in the mostly empty ment about the right way” to
hall. deal with it, Steinmeier said.
“That's another reason why
Steinmeier said that months we need a moment to pause,
of focusing on infection rates a moment beyond daily poli-
and other statistics were “un- tics, a moment that allows us
derstandable, but my im- to look together at the human
pression is that we as a so- tragedy of the pandemic.”
ciety don't appreciate often
enough that ... people stand The president also remem-
behind all the figures.” bered those who died of other
causes since the crisis started,
“Their suffering and their noting that many “were alone
death has often remained in- under the conditions of the
visible in public,” he said. pandemic — they died with-
out support and a farewell.”
Germany's confirmed death 1,000 deaths per day were re- band, Hannes, a doctor, died would mandate an “emer- Finja Wilkens, whose father,
toll from COVID-19 stood at ported at times in the country of COVID-19 a year ago, gency brake” in areas where Hans-Gerd, died of leukemia
79,914 on Sunday, an increase of 83 million people. called on Germans to keep there are more than 100 in November, recalled being
of 67 over the previous day. sticking to rules meant to weekly new cases per 100,000 unable to see him other than
That is the fifth-highest to- Infections have increased contain the virus. inhabitants. The nationwide sometimes by video call dur-
tal in Europe, after the U.K., again over the past two rate stood at 162 on Sunday. ing his time in hospital.
Italy, Russia and France. months as a more contagious “Even though corona fatigue
coronavirus variant first de- is increasing after 12 months It would require the closure “My dad was always there,
Germany had a compara- tected in Britain took hold. of the pandemic, I appeal to of stores, cultural and sports for us and for others, and it
tively small number of deaths Germany has reported 3.14 you all: hang in there,” she facilities, limits on personal wasn’t possible for us to be
in the pandemic’s first phase, million cases since the pan- said. “It comes down to every contacts and nighttime cur- there for him at the most dif-
but saw much higher infec- demic began. single person.” fews. The idea is to end the ficult time of his life,” she
tion levels in the fall and Merkel is trying to get a bill patchwork of measures that said. “We feel as though we
winter. In January, more than Anita Schedel, whose hus- through parliament that has characterized the pan- left him in the lurch.”

3 killed as police crack down on hard-line group in Pakistan

(AP) — A crackdown by Lahore police spokesman said was a commitment it enraged protesters.
Pakistani security forces Rana Arif said supporters of Police said 11 of the injured made in February to his
on protesting supporters the hard-line Tehreek-e-La- were police who needed to be party to expel the French en- Tehreek-e-Labaik and other
of a banned Islamist party baik Pakistan party attacked hospitalized. voy over the publication in Islamist parties have de-
left at least three people police with a petrol bomb France of depictions of Is- nounced French President
dead and 20 others injured and took custody of five po- Shafiq Ameeni, spokesman lam’s Prophet. The govern- Emmanuel Macron since
Sunday, a police official lice officers, including Depu- for Tehreek-e-Labaik, posted ment said that it only com- October last year, saying he
and a party spokesman ty Superintendent Umar Fa- a video clip on social media mitted to discussing the mat- tried to defend caricatures of
said. rooq Baluch. Arif alleged the saying that police moved in ter in Parliament. the Prophet Muhammad as
officers were tortured. on the party's supporters at freedom of expression. Ma-
the group's offices in Lahore TLP supports the country's cron’s comments came after
at about 8 a.m. controversial blasphemy laws a young Muslim beheaded a
and has a history of staging French school teacher who
Ameeni said several of the violent rallies to influence had shown caricatures of the
group's supporters were the government. Prophet Muhammad in class.
killed and others wounded in
the violence. A video clip on social media The images had been repub-
apparently recorded at the lished by the satirical maga-
Pakistan's government TLP's offices in Lahore shows zine Charlie Hebdo to mark
banned Tehreek-e-Labaik images of what appeared to the opening of the trial over
Pakistan last week after sup- be dead and injured TLP the deadly 2015 attack against
porters took to the streets supporters. An injured police the publication for the origi-
to protest the arrest of their officer who identifies himself nal caricatures. That enraged
leader, cleric Saad Rizvi. as Muhammad Umar Farooq many Muslims in Pakistan
says three people were killed and elsewhere who believe
Rizvi had called on the gov- and 10 to 15 were injured those depictions were blas-
ernment to honor what he when police were attacked by phemous.