CRYPTOCURRENCY ‘PLASTIC ONO BAND’ INSTILLING WONDER A RISE THAT’S POST-BEATLES HOW TO HELP CHILDREN HARD TO IGNORE LENNON, REVISITED CONNECT WITH NATURE PAGE 7 | BUSINESS PAGE 14 | CULTURE PAGE 15 | LIVING

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INTERNATIONAL EDITION | TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021 Imagining As Covid Germany ravages after Merkel India, true

Anna Sauerbrey toll is hidden Contributing Writer NEW DELHI

OPINION Experts say total deaths BERLIN For the past two and a half years, since it became clear that Chan- far exceed the nearly cellor Angela Merkel would not run for 200,000 reported office again, there’s been one great unresolved question in German poli- BY JEFFREY GETTLEMAN, tics: Who will succeed her? SAMEER YASIR, HARI KUMAR Last week, after the two parties AND SUHASINI RAJ leading in the polls nominated their candidates, we got much closer to India’s coronavirus second wave is rap- finding out. Ms. Merkel’s Christian idly sliding into a devastating crisis, Democratic Union eventually chose with hospitals unbearably full, oxygen Armin Laschet, the party head. The supplies running low, desperate people challenger from the ascendant Green dying in line while waiting to see doctors Party is Annalena Baerbock. With the and mounting evidence that the actual addition of Olaf Scholz of the Social death toll is far higher than officially re- Democratic Party, a ported. In the credible candidate Each day, the government reports contenders whose party is lag- more than 300,000 new infections, a ging behind in the world record, and India is now recording for their next polls, the lineup for more new infections than any other chancellor, September’s election country by far, almost half of all new voters have a is all but complete. cases in a global surge. stark choice After over 15 years But experts say those numbers, how- between of rule by Ms. ever staggering, represent just a frac- continuity Merkel, Germany is tion of the real reach of the virus, which and change. at a crossroads. In has thrown this country into emergency Mr. Laschet, a 60- mode. Millions of people refuse to even year-old regional ATUL LOKE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES step outside — their fear of catching the governor, and Ms. Cremating the remains of people who died from Covid-19 in East Delhi. India now accounts for almost half of all new coronavirus cases reported worldwide. virus is that extreme. Accounts from Baerbock, at age 40 the youngest around the country tell of the sick being candidate ever to run for chancellor, left to gasp for air as they wait at chaotic voters have a stark choice between an hospitals that are running out of lifesav- icon of continuity and a herald of ing oxygen. change. The person voters choose will The sudden surge in recent weeks, shape the country’s future, perhaps for with an insidious newer variant possibly decades. playing a role, is casting increasing So who exactly are the candidates? Spreading anger globally doubt on India’s official Covid-19 death And what would a Germany led by any toll of nearly 200,000, with more than of them look like? LONDON joyed more cross-national appeal than 2,000 people dying every day. Let’s start with Mr. Laschet. A prac- Tommy Robinson. Anti-Islam groups in Interviews from cremation grounds ticing Catholic from Aachen, an old city Germany and Denmark have given him across the country, where the fires that borders the Netherlands and awards. Enrique Tarrio, the Proud Boys never stop, describe an extensive pat- Belgium, he shares with Ms. Merkel a A British far-right agitator leader, called him an inspiration. At one tern of deaths far exceeding the official Christian, humanitarian worldview. point, the White House took up Mr. Rob- figures. Nervous politicians and hospi- “He takes the C in C.D.U. very seri- who was lifted by Trump inson’s cause directly, and the presi- tal administrators may be undercount- ously,” Cem Özdemir, a Green Party now seeks Russian support dent’s son tweeted his support. ing or overlooking large numbers of the lawmaker who has known Mr. Laschet Mr. Robinson’s American connection dead, analysts say. And grieving fam- for decades, told me. And like Ms. BY JANE BRADLEY was deeper than previously known. In- ilies may be hiding Covid connections as Merkel, Mr. Laschet is described as AND MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ terviews and internal documents newly well, out of shame, adding to the confu- personally modest and mostly fair in released in court show how the U.S. re- sion in this enormous nation of 1.4 bil- political discussions and negotiations. Two days after supporters of President search institute, the Middle East Forum, lion. “You usually get along with him quite Donald J. Trump stormed the U.S. Capi- provided him with financial backing for “It’s a complete massacre of data,” well,” said Ulla Schmidt, a Social Dem- tol but failed to reverse his election de- three years, using cash from an Ameri- said Bhramar Mukherjee, an epidemiol- ocratic lawmaker who has known him feat, a defiant shout sounded from can tech billionaire and Trump donor, ogist at the University of Michigan who for 35 years. across the ocean. Tommy Robinson, while its president helped shape his has been following India closely. “From Open to new ideas and different Britain’s loudest amplifier of anti-Islam, message. all the modeling we’ve done, we believe positions, Mr. Laschet is notable for far-right anger, insisted that the fight Now that Mr. Trump is out of office the true number of deaths is two to five having many friends across the politi- was not over. and the American money is apparently times what is being reported.” cal spectrum. As a young lawmaker in “You need to pick yourselves back drying up, Mr. Robinson and some other At one of the large cremation grounds the early 1990s, he was among the first up,” Mr. Robinson said in an online video ANDREW TESTA FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES far-right figures are turning to Moscow. in Ahmedabad, a city in the state of Gu- in his party to meet with representa- viewed tens of thousands of times. “As Tommy Robinson, a far-right activist, at a march in support of Brexit in London in 2018. Mr. Robinson, who is now fighting a po- jarat in western India, bright orange tives from the Green Party — at a time Donald Trump says, it’s only just begin- He was embraced by Trump loyalists, many of whom gave him money. tentially costly libel case in London, did fires light up the night sky, burning 24 when many in the C.D.U. still thought ning.” a media tour of Russia last year, but hours a day, like an industrial plant that of the Greens as a bunch of eco-punks A former soccer hooligan and founder three associates told The New York never shuts down. Suresh Bhai, a who could not be trusted to run any- of the English Defense League, one of Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. later, Representative Paul Gosar, Re- Times that part of his agenda had been worker there, said he had never seen thing, let alone a country. Britain’s most notorious nationalist Mr. Robinson appeared on Fox News publican of Arizona, flew to London to kept secret — opening accounts with such a never-ending assembly line of SAUERBREY, PAGE 9 groups, Mr. Robinson has largely been a and Infowars. A right-wing U.S. re- speak at a second rally for Mr. Robinson. Russian banks. death. pariah in his home country. But Trump search institute even bankrolled a 2018 His message? Keep fighting. “Why else would you visit Russia?” But he has not been writing down the The New York Times publishes opinion loyalists embraced him much the way rally in London that foreshadowed the The Capitol riot on Jan. 6 has brought said Andrew Edge, a former senior fig- cause of death as Covid-19 on the thin from a wide range of perspectives in they embraced many of the American violence at the Capitol: Mr. Robinson’s new scrutiny to the ties that bind the far ure in the English Defense League and paper slips that he hands over to the hopes of promoting constructive debate extremist groups whose members supporters attacked police officers in a right, not only within the United States another far-right group, Britain First, mournful families, even though the about consequential questions. would join the Capitol riot, including the street fight near Parliament. A month but abroad. Few fringe figures have en- ROBINSON, PAGE 2 INDIA, PAGE 4

Diversity stars on Hollywood’s big night

LOS ANGELES nizations and critics’ groups for months. Frances McDormand was named best actress for “Nomadland,” the third Unprecedented times. time she has won the award. “Nomad- ‘Nomadland’ takes home land” gave Searchlight Pictures its Unparalleledcoverage. fourth best-picture prize in eight years, three Oscars. For best an astounding run unrivaled by any Subscribe to The NewYork Times actor, a surprise winner. other specialty film company. “We give International Edition. this one to our wolf,” McDormand said nytimes.com/subscribeinternational BY BROOKS BARNES as she held the best picture statuette, an AND NICOLE SPERLING apparent reference to Michael Wolf Sny- der, a “Nomadland” sound mixer who “Nomadland,” Chloé Zhao’s meditation took his own life in March. She then un- on grief and the damaged American leashed an unbridled wolf howl. dream, won Academy Awards for best In many ways, the 93rd Oscars picture, director and actress at this amounted to a celebration of diversity, year’s surreal ceremony, a stage show an issue that the Academy of Motion broadcast on television about films Picture Arts and Sciences has empha- mostly distributed on the internet. sized in wake of the #OscarsSoWhite The event, held Sunday night, was protests of 2015 and 2016, when its act- sleepy until the final minutes, when ing nominees were all white. This year, academy voters served up a dramatic nine of the 20 acting nominations went twist ending: Anthony Hopkins, 83, won to people were not white. the best actor Oscar for “The Father,” Daniel Kaluuya was recognized as beating out the late Chadwick Boseman best supporting actor for playing the POOL PHOTO BY CHRIS PIZZELLO (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”), who was Black Panther leader Fred Hampton in Chloé Zhao won the best director Oscar for “Nomadland,” which also won for best the runaway favorite going into the “Judas and the Black Messiah.” “Bro, we picture and best actress. Anthony Hopkins beat out the heavy favorite for best actor. night, having been lauded by film orga- OSCARS, PAGE 13

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