baghdad is on high alert for the 1st ever visit to iraq by the leader of the roman catholic church still faces security threats and attacks from isis and militia groups which means iraqi security forces have their work cut out for them francis will be in 6 cities in 3 days. all requirements have been secured through a plan drawn up by the joint operations command to secure largest tickle and security matters for all the places that the pope will visit whether they are in baghdad not just. all places pope francis has frequently traveled to muslim majority countries and in iraq he will meet one of the world's most influential shiite clerics grand ayatollah ali al sistani the pope's visit is meant to expand on his message of interfaith dialogue and bring hope to iraq's christian community but it also comes during a pandemic to a country which has not started vaccinating its people and is imposing partial lockdown to try and stop the spread of covert 19. the vatican the massive aid to iraq who would have escorted the pope to all his appointments has already tested positive pope francis and h

and his son the were among more than 100 worshippers trapped inside the lady of salvation church in baghdad as gunmen laid siege to the building. claimed responsibility for the attack one of many carried out against iraq's christian minority after the 2003 u.s. led invasion lewis is one of the few survivors of the church attack who stayed on in iraq and. i don't want to leave this is my home. but preserving iraq's dwindling christian population can feel like a lost cause let me. there's no hope left for the christians and other minorities to reassure them all the political parties and politicians don't care about the citizens interests they just care about their own interests the denomination's interests and regional interests this is the our lady of salvation church where the 2010 attack took place the concrete blocks to shield it from suicide bombings are now adorned with paintings of pope francis' in anticipation of his visit but the very presence of these protective barriers 10 years on is a sign that iraq's christians still don't feel safe the church attacks were a prelude to even dark

baghdad is on high alert for the 1st ever visit to iraq by the leader of the roman catholic church still faces security threats and attacks from isis and militia groups which means iraqi security forces have their work cut out for them for francis will be in 6 cities in 3 days. all requirements have been secured through a plan drawn up by the joint operations command to secure logical and security matters for all the places that the pope will visit whether they are in baghdad not just. places pope francis has frequently traveled to muslim majority countries and in iraq he will meet one of the world's most influential shiite clerics grand ayatollah ali al sistani the pope's visit is meant to expand on his message in defray the dialogue and bring hope to iraq's christian community but it also comes during a pandemic to a country which has not started vaccinating its people and is important. to try and stop the spread of covered 19. the vatican the massacre to iraq who would have escorted the pope to all his appointments has already tested positive pope francis and his entourage have been v

i'm going to focus on in baghdad al jazeera has covered iraq's protest since the beginning but 1st met with the team in the band for 2019 he was the leader of a group that calls itself the armored division off the heavy of young men so desperate. for change they risked it all as they faced off with security forces he became known as the joker for wearing a joker mask to hide his identity but also embody a comic book character known for standing up to power but following the story for over a year ending exclusive insight into his personal journey one of the pits of mine is the sacrifice and shattered hopes of many iraq its iraq stalker list the from a cabbie talks to al jazeera in the fields. like you done in the very out of the un here into the me i've been most of it the need to run both the army and the town media. browser she abad i love she can do to be able to turn it on one can it to be alive. and. well. i'm trying to. pump it out and i want to. let me. know and. come on as yeah. well done. but if it would be diana. island there could clearly see australia how can i find out abou

ensure religious extremism on the 1st ever people visit to iraq pope francis visits a cathedral in baghdad where dozens of people were massacred by islamist extremists over a decade ago he's hoping his trip can comfort iraq's interim whens wing christian community also coming up on the show. the chance of for democracy are un silenced in myanmar just fighting brega debts and tensions the u.s. special envoy urges the security council to act against the violence. and to take a closer look at an international program helping countries in africa to vaccinate some of their most vulnerable i guess to cope with 19. hello i'm kyra chants and welcome to the show pope francis has arrived in iraq with a plea to protect religious diversity iraq's christian community has been growing smaller every year it's now estimated just half a 1000000 iraqi christians remain a francis is making the trip despite the security risks he dismissed concerns over the coronavirus. and sectarian violence saying the trip was his duty to iraq's remaining christians. the pilgrim of peace as pope francis called himself is awa

his shadow over the coming days the pope will be welcomed by the prime minister when he arrives in baghdad on friday he'll then meet president barham salih as well as religious leaders and representatives of civil society at the presidential palace in the next day the pope will fly to the city of najaf and meet a grand ayatollah ali al sistani later here celebrate holy mass in baghdad on sunday pope francis will then travel to arbil the capital of iraqi kurdistan there he'll meet with religious and civil leaders of the autonomous region but our correspondent has some image of a reports now from the capital baghdad on the security preparations ahead of this visit. for the 1st ever visit to iraq by the leader of the. catholic church still faces security threats and attacks from isis and militia groups which means iraqi security forces have their work cut out for them for francis will be in 6 cities in 3 days. all requirements have been secured through a plan drawn up by the joint operations command to secure largest tickle and security matters for all the places that the pope will visit whet

cnn's ben wedeman is live in baghdad. tell us about this, ben. >> well, this trip is hugely important in historical terms. now, just a while ago, the pope arrived on a flight at baghdad international airport, where he was met by mustafa, the iraqi prime minister, and of course, there's lots of music and there were people out there chanting viva viva. and now we understand that the pope's motorcade is on the way to the presidential palace. now, in terms of the importance of it, just imagine that back in 2014, i was here in baghdad when isis was on the outskirts of this city. and now, just seven years later, the pope is here. it's safe enough for him to make a trip. iraqis are immensely proud that despite the attacks we often report about in iraq, that the situation has stabilized to the point that somebody of the stature of pope francis can come here and can go on a pre-announced, well in advance, unlike, for instance, when american presidents come here, when it's sort of a surprise visit, we all knew about this thing in a

i'm someone i felt in baghdad al-jazeera has covered iraq's protest since the beginning but 1st met with the to cut him in the band for 2019 he was the leader of a group that calls itself the armored division off to how dear young men so desperate for change they risked it all as they faced off with security forces he became known as the joker for wearing a joker mask to hide his identity but also embody a comic book character known for standing up to power what followed the story for over a year ending exclusive insight into his personal journey one that appeared to my eyes as the sacrifice and shattered hopes of many iraq it's iraq stroker most the fun macabre he talks to al-jazeera in the field. a kid on in the very out of the undead into the way i've been most of it the need to run both the army and newtown media. browses you bother i love she can do to be able to turn it on one can do to be alive. and. well. and i'm. trying to win you know my. own a gun on my left knee i am off to no end. to anyone as. dumb. but if it would be diagnosed by lead i in there could clearly see australia

kind of the wonderful thing in baghdad al-jazeera has covered iraq's protest since the beginning but 1st met with the cut him in the band for 2019 he was the leader of a group that called itself the armored division of the harriet young man so desperate for change there is it all as they faced off with security forces he became known as the joker for wearing a joker mask to hide his identity but of embody a comic book character known for standing up to power which followed the story for over a year in exclusive insight into his personal journey one that appeared to my eyes as the sacrifice and shattered hopes of many iraqis iraq stroker mostafa magic of him talks to al-jazeera in the field. like you done in the very out of the un here into the area been most of. the need to run. the in newtown media. browses you bother i love sneak in the to be a tonic arm one can it to be a. bad man. and you know what i. want to continue. on as you have. been done. and if it would be diana. i. could clearly see and how can i find out about i said i find much into the body and i so. want. and. to kno

i'm the want to focus on in baghdad al jazeera has covered iraq's protest since the beginning but 1st met with him in the band for 2019 he was the leader of a group that calls itself the armored division of. young men so desperate. for change they risked it all as they faced off with security forces he became known as the joker for wearing a joker mask to hide his identity but also embody a comic book character known for standing up to power which followed the story for over a year getting exclusive insight into his personal journey one of the pits of mine is the sacrifice and shattered hopes of many iraqis iraq's joker most the from a kick out he talks to al-jazeera in the field. a kid on in the very out of the undead into the way i've been most of it the need to run both the army and the town media. browser she abad i love she can do to be a tonic i want commit to be alive. and. well and. i'm trying to buy well you know my company and own a gun and i'm on my litany i am off to no end. to anyone as yeah. well done. but if it would be diana. island there could clearly see australia ho

richard engle is joining us live from baghdad. richard, an incredible security challenge anyway ahead of this historic visit by the pope. >> reporter: you have three things coming together really. you have the pandemic, don't forget about that, and there are nighttime curfews going into place that are designed to curb the pandemic but will also be used to stem crowds. then you have the pope's visit, the first ever visit, and it is technically iraqi security forces managing the entire security profile but there are certainly u.s. military and diplomatic assets that are being called in to watch the area, watch the airspace. and then you have, of course, this tension that is rising between the iranian-backed militias and iran in general and president biden and the u.s. military, and we have had the last week or so these tit-for-tat exchanges with the first rocket attacks against u.s. facilities, including some here in baghdad. also in erbil. then the u.s. responding and very likely -- and the reason i say very likely, the shia militi

instead of soldiers baghdad now needed workers to cultivate the iraqi soil to do so the empire brought in thousands of slaves. on some sides there were between 505000 workers. and there was considerable turnover because in such conditions their working life barely went beyond 10 to 15 years. it required hard labor. in order to get. for this one they're needed. and they began to import. slaves for the from all over. where do the muslim arabs go to get slaves out of principle they pick non muslim slaves from another culture and outside the empire. color wasn't the basis for slavery culture was the slaves weren't part of the dominant culture. in the 9th century the arabs extended their trade networks from the entire mediterranean to the caucasus turkey the balkans and russia. from the horn of africa entire boatloads of ethiopian and newbie and captives were sailed up the nile. even further out from the high plateaus of somalia and tanzania successive waves of slaves referred to as sun streamed into mesopotamia via the indian ocean appears to be a portion of ward. blech and when slaves beg

the visit of pope francis to iraq has continued with a public mass at a cathedral in baghdad. francis praised the resilience of iraq's remaining christians, whose numbers have plummeted in the past two decades. earlier, the pontiff held an unprecedented meeting with iraq's senior shia religious leader. in myanmar, there have been further allegations of police brutality, after security forces used stun grenades and tear gas against anti—coup protesters, who have again taken to the streets. the un's special envoy on myanmar has told the security council that there is "urgency for collective action". concerns are being raised that thousands of pupils and their households may wrongly be told to isolate because of inaccurate rapid covid test results. secondary school pupils in england are being offered lateral flow tests as schools return next week. these tests are less accurate than the ones carried out at official testing centres which are analysed in labs. our health correspondent, katharine da costa, reports. like all secondary schools in england, these pupils in london are g

despite its failure the uprising precipitated the decline of baghdad in favor of another city cairo the empire's new capital. in the 10th century cairo was the mediterraneans greatest trading hub far ahead of venice general and constantinople the empires center of gravity had shifted towards africa. this new geo political situation had far reaching consequences from then on this slavery routes turned toward africa. customs change as did the slaves position in society. slaves in egypt were reflected the wealth of cairo and so we find slaves in all levels of society to find slaves as as concubines to the. right as elite corners in and entertainers but probably the largest number of slaves. were in the domestic sphere so these were household slaves. and people were purchased slaves of course to perform labor but also because those slaves had a had a symbolic value and those slaves reflected an owner's social status and increase their own prestige and in their various communities. for a long time historians had no information on the slaves who were taken to cairo but the discovery of some e

was taken in baghdad and held hostage for years in— consultant was taken in baghdad and held hostage for years in an - consultant was taken in baghdad and held hostage for years in an attempt| held hostage for years in an attempt to get— held hostage for years in an attempt to get the _ held hostage for years in an attempt to get the release _ held hostage for years in an attempt to get the release of— held hostage for years in an attempt to get the release of those - held hostage for years in an attempt to get the release of those very - to get the release of those very people — to get the release of those very people who _ to get the release of those very people who the _ to get the release of those very people who the iranians - to get the release of those veryj people who the iranians wanted released — people who the iranians wanted released and _ people who the iranians wanted released and so _ people who the iranians wanted released and so we _ people who the iranians wanted released and so we understood| people who the iranians wanted - released and so we understood qu

the pope visited the our lady of salvation church in baghdad to commemorate the victims and honor to survivors of a 2010 al qaida attack which claimed more than 50 lives and accel aerated the exodus of christians from iraq but can his words make any difference politically or stop but it klein in iraq's christian population so i don't think so because. i mean bad the appearance on the situation good condition security is that really the job is services and this is you know the. the task of the iraqi government to create a good more sphere. be able to come back that would mean reigning in armed groups and strengthening the rule of law and the respect for human rights issues that many would argue lay at the root of iraq's current problems seem awful to al-jazeera but that. marcin as opposed to actual research fellow on the foreign policy program at the brookings institution she joins us now from baghdad by skype and as you've been saying this is indeed a historic visit that pope francis is making to iraq how significant is it that he chose to take this step now in the middle of a pandem

an end to religious extremism on the 1st ever papal visit to iraq pope francis visits a cathedral in baghdad where dozens of people were massacred by islamist extremists over a decade ago he's hoping his trip can bolster the rocks and windowing christian communities also coming up on the show the u.s. and the e.u. agree to a truce in their long running trade dispute over aircraft makers boeing and airbus tariffs totaling billions of euros have temporarily been suspended. and we take a closer look at an international program helping countries in africa to vaccinate some of their most vulnerable against kofi thanks. to. go and play richardson welcome to the show pope francis has arrived in iraq for the 1st ever papal visit to the country he dismissed security fears about the coronavirus and sectarian violence saying it was his duty to iraq's remaining christians the community has been a growing smaller every year that's estimated just half a 1000000 iraqi christians remain in the country today. the pilgrim of peace as pope francis called themselves is aware of the risks he's taking amid an ong

the visit of pope francis to iraq has continued with a public mass at a cathedral in baghdad. he praised the resilience of iraq's remaining christians, whose numbers have plummeted in the past two decades. earlier, the pontiff held an unprecedented meeting with iraq's senior shia religious leader. in myanmar, there have been further allegations of police brutality after security forces used stun grenades and tear gas against anti—coup protesters, who have again taken to the streets. the un's special envoy on myanmar has told the security council that there is "urgency for collective action." concerns are being raised that thousands of pupils and their households may wrongly be told to isolate because of inaccurate rapid covid test results. secondary school pupils in england are being offered lateral flow tests as schools return next week. these tests are less accurate than the ones carried out at official testing centres which are analysed in labs. our health correspondent, katharine da costa, reports. like all secondary schools in england, these pupils in london are getting

senior international correspondent ben wedeman is there live in baghdad. what can you tell us about the trip? >> reporter: we know the pope will be arriving in baghdad in half an hour. this will be a trip that lasts until sunday and it is full of stops and meetings but most importantly he is here to express solidarity with the diminishing christian population here which in 2003 was around a million and a half. now perhaps 300,000. now the high point of his first day here in baghdad will be in the afternoon when he goes to visit the church of our lady of salvation where on the 31st of october 2010 terrorists from the islamic state in iraq, which is a precursor of isis, burst into that church in evening mass, killed 58 people. it was the worst massacre of christians in this country. so he's going to go there, be meeting with members of the clergy and members. not a lot of people. just around 70 people will be there. iraq is currently going through a spike in covid cases which with the number of daily reported new cases, about three times what it was a month

simona faulting, al jazeera, baghdad. anchor: let's bring in a fellow at the net asphalt institute. -- washington institute. the pope is saying all of the things, peace, love, and harmony for the global community, and that's what they want to hear. but it's more often than not been at war with itself, iraq. the next three days is going to be difficult to navigate the various personalities, politicians, and religious leaders that he's going to have to and need -- have to need. >> well, good to be with you. this is a good story. so far, they won. it's gone well. having met the president and the prime minister and the politicians, all eyes are next unto his visit to niger. and then later on, the mass prayer, the mass the pope is going to hold in france will hear very soccer feral -- soccer field. the politics of iraq is one of dysfunction and corruption, in the pope was rather blunt today, highlighting those challenges, safety, security, and all of that beholds to the iraqi government. but at least this is good news. this is

our correspondent mark lowen is in baghdad. tell us about the significance of this. , :, :, :, , this. his third international trip but b far this. his third international trip but by far the _ this. his third international trip but by far the most _ this. his third international trip but by far the most historic - this. his third international trip | but by far the most historic and riskiest. historic because it is the first trip to iraq by a —— ——. riskiest. historic because it is the first trip to iraq bya —— ——. in a country that is in the midst of an upsurge of the covid pandemic with daily infections that a new high of 5000 a day. many had advised him not to travel internationally but he was determined to do so. he said that he was feeling very happy, that he described this as a special trip. in terms of the substance he is holding political meetings today with the president and prime minister of iraq talking about the need to strengthen democracy and the need for fraternal coexistence. also meeting the ch

ben wedeman joins me from baghdad. we'll get to the timing of the visit but first explain the purpose of the visit. >> reporter: the purpose of this visit and, in fact, pope john paul ii wanted to come to iraq in 1999 or 2000 but wasn't able to. the purpose is really to show solidarity with the christian community here in iraq, one of the oldest christian communities in the world which has dwindled from 1.5 million back in 2003 to 300,000 today. he also wants to extend an olive branch to the shia community. he will be going to najah in southern iraq to meet the grand ayatollah who is one of the senior clerics of the shia tendencies. really create bridges with this country that because of war, sanctions and whatnot over the years has not put it on the itinerary of popes in the past. >> now to the timing so soon after these repeated attacks there. surely there must be pressure to cancel, right? >> reporter: there is pressure. there has been pressure on the pope, kim, for him to cancel this visit from within the vatican i

time phil gale welcome to the program folk francis has arrived in baghdad on the 1st papal visit to what war told iraq began with an appeal for an end to sectarian violence and religious strife and also remember the victims of a suicide attack on a backpack cathedral in which dozens of worshippers macand in a country with a dwindling christian community he called on iraqi leaders to guarantee equal rights for all on saturday he's to hold an unprecedented meeting with iraq's top shiite muslim cleric and despite the pandemic huge crowds are expected but he celebrates mass. the pilgrim of peace as pope francis called him self is aware of the risks he's taking made an ongoing pandemic and regional conflict. i'm happy to be making trips again. but he is not traveling alone he's protected by one of the largest security deployments in recent iraqi history $10000.00 personnel by some estimates including special forces 24 hour drone surveillance undercover intelligence officers in addition to the pope's own bodyguard entourage. it's the 1st visit by a pope to iraq and comes just 2 days after a ro

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their way towards new center baghdad. the illustrated my come on manuscripts short tales taken from arabic literature show how these 1st african slaves intermingled with muslim society. after 2 centuries of military conquest the demand for slaves evolved in the 9th century the embassy dynasty embarked on a monumental project to transform the swamps around basra into lush more churchs instead of soldiers baghdad now needed workers to cultivate the iraqi soil to do so the empire brought in thousands of slaves. on some sides there were between 505000 workers. and there was considerable turnover because in such conditions their working life barely went beyond 10 to 15 years. it required a lot of hard labor to remove the salt in order to get to. as well as the gate for this one they needed lots. and they began to import. slaves for the from all over. where do the muslim arabs go to get slaves out of principle they pick non muslim slaves from another culture and outside the empire. color wasn't the basis for slavery culture was

we'll have a live report from baghdad as they mark that moment coming up. wanna build a gaming business that breaks the internet? that means working night and day... ...and delegating to an experienced live bookkeeper for peace of mind. your books are all set. so you can finally give john some attention. trusted experts. guaranteed accurate books. intuit quickbooks live. this is a no-nonsense message from three. small business insurance is usually so complicated, you need to be a lawyer to understand it. that's why three was created. it's a better kind of business insurance. it's only three pages. straightforward. if you own it, three covers it. got a cheese slice for "spokesperson?" that's me. i don't even need to see what's happening behind me to know it's covered. (screaming) this commercial is now over. logo. three. no nonsense. just common sense. >>> well pope francis with those steps there, making history this morning. he became the first pope ever to visit iraq. the trip comes as iraq struggles with a wave of covid 19 infections worse epping security

historic visit to a nation scarred by war and now the coronavirus pandemic he landed a while ago in baghdad and was welcomed by president barham salih at the presidential palace the head of the roman catholic church is hoping his 3 day visit will boost the morale of the country's dwindling christian population he's also looking to strengthen interfaith ties in a speech to those gathered at the presidential palace the pope iraq's political leadership to strengthen justice and transparency and to foster a sense of hope among the youth. employers will be poorly the politicians need to promote the spirit of fraternal solidarity there is corruption abuse of power this is not the way at the same time you need to think of justice transparency to strengthen certain values that's how credibility can grow so everyone especially the young people can have hope for the future. china has unveiled plans to overhaul hong kong's electoral system allowing beijing more veto power over who can run for the legislative council that announcement was made during the national people's congress the country's biggest

pope francis's celebrated mass in baghdad chaldean cathedral the latest stop on his visit to iraq earlier the head of the roman catholic church delivered a message of peace to a nation wracked by war and religious divisions prime minister stuff to me is declared march 6th as iraq's day of tolerance and coexistence but francis was also in not jeff where is osama bin generator portie mitt iraq's top shiite cleric. under strict security pope francis enters not just one of the holiest cities for shia muslims another historic 1st for the leader of the catholic church as he met iraq's grand ayatollah ali al sistani is a reclusive leader who is rarely seen in public he's iraq's most revered cleric and his proclamations have influenced many since the 2003 u.s. invasion the plight of those being persecuted in the region including palestinians and syrians that discussed. short the point of equal rights for christians in iraq and peaceful coexistence the meeting between the pope and grand ayatollah ali sistani is symbolic and significant although the majority of the religious authority says it plays

he travels back to rome the day after look it has been a packed for that for the pope he's been in baghdad visiting the lady of salvation church where there was responsible for a few attacks then he's made history as the leader of the catholic church coming to meet the most reverdy leader of the sheer clergy here in iraq i had an audience of is not just significant because of him being as a revered leader but him playing a pivotal role in recent history in iraq whether it was elections whether it was the fight against isis or more recently telling politicians to respect the wishes of the people as hundreds of thousands of people across iraq came out to protest against insecurity lack of services and a lack of job. security forces have used tear gas and violence to break up another day of and c q protests in myanmar. to. go out. but despite the crackdown large crowds have gathered across several cities more than 50 people have been killed in protests since the military seized power last month but only chang is monitoring the situation from bangkok in neighboring thailand he says there are c

mark lowen, bbc news, baghdad. dr yvette isaac is the president and founder of roads of success — a non—profit, humanitarian ngo tasked with bringing attention and awareness of the situation for middle eastern christians. she joins us from los angeles. doctor, thank you forjoining us. you've met the pope yourself. how important is the fate of iraqi and middle eastern christians to him? it means a lot to him. i met him in 2015 and he was just like full of passion and compassion towards the people and the christian and the minorities in iraq and i give him pictures of the children, of the refugees and he displaced people, and i looked at him and he started to tear up. he is a man of love and compassion. and notjust love and compassion but a man of action. ., love and compassion but a man of action-— of action. how difficult or dangerous _ of action. how difficult or dangerous is _ of action. how difficult or dangerous is it _ of action. how difficult or dangerous is it to - dangerous is it to be a christian in

similar fulton has more from baghdad the latest rocket attacks on iraq's western anbar province could be in response to the biden administration's 1st strikes against iranian backed armed groups last week in syria we have had no claim of responsibility so far but these latest attacks and i know last night which of course houses many u.s. troops does bear the hallmarks of previous rocket attacks that we have seen which the united states has blamed on the iranian backed armed factions now we have seen several statements come out from these groups over the past few days and they have of course condemned those u.s. strikes against their fighters they have claimed that those fighters are based at iraq's border with syria to protect iraqi soil from iceland they have also called on the iraqi government to condemn those strikes which they see as an attack on iraq the fighters on iraq's sovereignty but of course the iraqi government has not done that last friday the ministry of defense did issue a statement in which it claimed that it had no involvement in those u.s. strikes that it did not ca

pope francis celebrated mass in baghdad's chaldean cathedral the latest stop on his visit to iraq. early the head of the roman catholic church delivered a message of peace to a nation has been wracked by war and religious divisions prime minister most stuff for me was declared march 6th as a ranks of tolerance and coexistence pope francis was also not just where is osama bin jawad reports he met iraq's top share cleric. under strict security pope francis enters not just one of the holiest cities for shia muslims another historic 1st for the leader of the catholic church as he met iraq's grand ayatollah ali al sistani is a reclusive leader who is rarely seen in public he's iraq's most revered cleric and his proclamations have influenced many since the 2003 u.s. invasion the plight of those being persecuted in the region including palestinians and syrians discussed. short the point of equal rights for christians in iraq and peaceful coexistence the meeting between the pope and grand ayatollah ali al sistani is symbolic and significant although the majority of the religious authority

to carry he's now back in erbil where he will shortly hold mass for 10000 papal before returning to baghdad and then on to rome on monday. i'm joined now by journalist owen whole the way he's in erbil in iraq oh and what's been the pontiff main message for the papal of northern iraq today i think the visit particularly to kara cautious it's very symbolic about time was completely decimated by the sight that i cannot say when they think they took a town i mean even during the liberation of the church the section on they completely burnt out so it's very symbolic they came back there and gave the speech in that church so real signal to the christian community of northern iraq to return and rebuild rebuilt rebuild their lives so we don't know it's in the north of the country. yeah i mean it's a pretty incredible to say those pictures of the pope tearing around those former iowa strongholds you know me as the saying character. this must undoubtedly be their most dangerous part of the journey. yet it's beyond me when you know going into these areas we've got you certainly see it was for myself i

part of the mo became the epicenter of the pen demick in europe more than 3000 people died here in baghdad. when the pandemic 1st struck italy found itself alone among european nations confronted with an unknown threat the authorities were slow to react and when the government finally did mandate lockdowns 1st in the region and then in the entire country it was too late for back. this was the frontline in the battle against cove it. seems from march last year when doctors and nurses were caught off guard everybody we spoke to here had just one comparison in mind war. remember one night 8 o'clock maybe i was looking for body bags because i finish all but body backs were to put to the. body of people who are dying moments like that are now a thing of the past says dr said joe and yet it depend demick is far from over but for him and his team there is hope with explanations on the rise and important lessons learned that we will have a different way sometimes because we have all that me as of the virus that vantage now is that so we know very more i mean we know we don't know are the enemy. th

news along with the from baghdad dozens are arrested as anti-government rallies resume in belarus activists in the capital immense cope to read nights the mass protests that gripped the nation last year and d.-w. correspondent nick scholarly is among those detained. mean mars deadmeat deadliest day since the coup dozens of pro-democracy demonstrators are killed in nationwide stations as the army stages a show of force. and a giant flying relic of the group salvaged from the bottom of the street one of the last of its kind going on just. a marina mohammed thanks for joining us police in belarus have detained more than 100 anti-government activists and the number of journalists it's the 1st significant rally of the year demonstrations against the regime have resumed dr office subsiding over the winter organizers in the capital minsk off hoping to kickstart protests which dominated headlines in belarus for most of last year the movement began when the hard line president and xander to question co claimed victory in a disputed election in august. now among the journalists detained by the author

the pope visited a baghdad church where suicide bombers massacred worshipers. tomorrow pope francis makes a pilgrimage to the ancient sumerian city of ur, believed to be the birthplace of abraham. revered by jews, christians and muslims, showing common ground among the faith that here in the middle east too often are torn apart by war. >> from baghdad, a city he knows well, our thanks to richard for that report. when we come back, an issue that burned up the airwaves this week, at least some of them. ome. managing type 2 diabetes? you're on it. staying fit and snacking light? yup, on it there too. you may think you're doing all you can to manage type 2 diabetes and heart disease... ...but could your medication do more to lower your heart risk? jardiance can reduce the risk of cardiovascular death for adults who also have known heart disease. so, it could help save your life from a heart attack or stroke. and it lowers a1c. jardiance can cause serious side effects including dehydration, ...genital yeast or urinary tract infections, and sudden kidney problems. ke

joseph in baghdad. the trip is meant to unify the many faiths of the war-torn nation and highlight the difficulties of the christian communities. >> he met with a prominent muslim shia leader for a prominent and symbolic meeting. cnn's ben wedeman is live in erbil. what's the latest there? >> reporter: here of course the city is preparing for the arrival tomorrow of pope francis, who is really focusing on northern iraq, which is where a great number of iraqi christians live. and there is a real sense of anticipation here. he's going to go first to mosul where he will be conducting prayers at a church there that was destroyed by isis while it occupied the city. then he'll be going to another predominantly christian town that i've been to several times. in fact i was there shortly after it was liberated in early 2017 when they held their first mass there after liberation. isis, when it was in that town, destroyed every symbol of christianity they could. the main church there was scorched by fires they had

the visit of pope francis to iraq, has continued with a public mass at a cathedral in baghdad. he praised the resilience of iraq's remaining christians, whose numbers have plummeted in the past two decades. earleir the pontiff held an unprecedented meeting with iraq's senior shia religious leader. in myanmar there have been further allegations of police brutality, after security forces used stun grenades and tear gas against anti—coup protesters, who have again taken to the streets. the un's special envoy on myanmar has told the security council that there is urgency for collective action. now on bbc news, dateline london. hello and welcome to dateline london, bringing together correspondents filing around the world from the uk, and bbc expertise. i'm geeta guru—murthy. this week, with nations around the world facing tough questions on how to pay for the pandemic, many are talking about a green recovery. there was little evidence of that in this week's budget here in the uk — was it a missed opportunity? britain is ahead of the eu on vaccines, so are the europeans getting

mark lowen, bbc news, baghdad. dr yvette isaac — who's the president and founder of �*roads of success�* — a non—profit, humanitarian ngo, tasked with bringing attention and awareness of the situation for middle eastern christians — has met the pope. she told me about the importance, the pontiff places on the fate of christians in iraq. i met him in 2015 and he was just, like, full of passion and compassion towards the people and the christian and the minorities in iraq and i give him pictures of the children, of the refugees and the displaced people, and i looked at him and he started to tear up. he is a man of love and compassion. and notjust love and compassion, but a man of action. how difficult or dangerous is it to be a christian in iraq? it sure is dangerous. especially we all have seen — the whole world has seen what happened to christians in iraq in the last decades. and although, if you remember the beginning of christianity, it started in this region, it started in iraq — iraq is one of t

baghdad is on high alert for the 1st ever visit to iraq by the leader of the roman catholic church still faces security threats and attacks from isis and militia groups which means iraqi security forces have their work cut out for them for francis will be in 6 cities in 3 days. all requirements have been secured through a plan drawn up by the joint operations command to secure logical and security matters for all the places that the pope will visit whether they are in. all places pope francis has frequently traveled to muslim majority countries and in iraq he will meet one of the world's most influential shiite clerics grand ayatollah sistani. is meant to expand on his message in defray the dialogue and bring hope to iraq's christian community but it also comes during a pandemic to a country which has not started vaccinating its people and is important. to try and stop the spread of covert 19. the vatican the master to iraq who would have escorted the pope to all his appointments has already tested positive pope francis and his entourage have been vaccinated and organizers say they will

pope francis has held mass in iraq's capital baghdad on the 2nd day of his 1st ever papal visit to the nation the leader of the roman catholic church called for common ground and unity after meeting with christian and muslim leaders. egypt's president on down part r.c.c. has made sudan think is it was his 1st visit since a former president omar bashir was asked as they discussed challenges including the dispute with ethiopia over the ground stand. at least 20 people have been killed in the somali capital mogadishu after an explosion at a cafe popular with government workers and her schapelle has more. for the 2nd time in the year a popular restaurant is attacked in somalia's capital dozens are dead or wounded. yemeni was crowded on friday night when this rickshaw carrying explosives was driven into it a nearby building collapsed burying people under rubble. but. among those killed in the blast was my brother whose name was up to salaam it's really very sad to witness this tragedy. the un and police have condemned al shabaab for the attack welcome the targets a stark evidence of how the

his work ferrying passengers inside baghdad's impoverished southern city begins at 4 am being the eldest son he left school with his father couldn't find a job as iraq's government debates the annual budget must if i can barely provide 2 meals a day he says life is becoming more difficult due to the pandemic and dire state of the economy. i don't have the islamic parties she. news all of them are corrupt they destroy the country the whole region stands against iraq whether it's saudi arabia or iran in a few years things will be worse will be jobless dying of hunger. after $46.00 meetings in 6 sessions over several years iraq's parliament has yet to agree on a budget sources say funds for public projects and government expenditure have been severely reduced for the 1st time since the us led invasion of iraq in 2003 the government has devalued the by 23 percent to reduce pressure on public finances the economy relies on oil and in addition to a weakened government there are major differences between baghdad and the northern kurdish region over oil revenue sharing the economy spiral downwar

it's worth ferrying passengers inside baghdad's impoverished southern city begins at 4 am being the eldest son he left school with his father couldn't find a job as iraq's government debates the annual budget must if i can barely provide 2 meals a day he says life is becoming more difficult due to the pandemic and dire state of the economy i should have been me i wanted them and i don't have hope the islamic parties share. news all of them are corrupt they destroy the country the whole region stands against iraq whether it saudi arabia or iran in a few years things will be worse will be jobless dying of hunger. after $46.00 meetings in 6 sessions over several years iraq's parliament has yet to agree on a budget sources say funds for public projects and government expenditure have been severely reduced for the 1st time since the us led invasion of iraq in 2003 the government has devalued the by 23 percent to reduce pressure on public finances the economy relies on oil and in addition to a weakened government there are major differences between baghdad and the northern kurdish region over oi

the pope visited the our lady of salvation church in baghdad to commemorate the victims and honor to survivors of a 2010 al qaida attack which claimed more than 50 lives and accel aerated the exodus of christians from iraq but can his words make any difference politically or stop but it klein in iraq's christian population no i don't think so because. i mean bad the appearance on the situation good good vision and security is that really 3 jobs services and this is the you know the. the task of the iraqi government to create a good more sphere. be able to come back that would be reining in armed groups and strengthening the rule of law and the respect for human rights issues that many would argue lay at the root of iraq's current problems seem awful to al-jazeera but that. christopher lamb is rome correspondent for the tablet the catholic news weekly now he explains why the pope insisted on taking the trip. so far the pope's visits to muslim countries have been lost to sunni majority countries and he has made a lot of steps forward in building bridges across the islamic world you may

later, he celebrated a public mass at stjoseph�*s cathedral in baghdad. our rome correspondent mark lowen has been travelling with the pope and has sent this report. peace in iraq will take time to flourish, but this visitor is determined to see it. along the narrow alleyways of najaf, and into a historic meeting of two faiths, catholic and shia islam. grand ayatollah ali al—sistani face—to—face with pope francis. at 90 and 84, it's taken long lives and generations to get here. the two religious leaders spoke of friendship to overcome oppression — rare unity after iraq's sectarian conflict. that theme of dialogue then spread further to the remains of ur, biblical birthplace of abraham. and in the shadow of its ancient citadel, pope francis met followers of other faiths. gestures of respect to those often sidelined and victims of iraq's wars now brought together in a plea for peace. translation: hostility, - extremism and violence are not born of a religious heart. they are betrayals of religion. we believers cannot be silent when terrorism abuses

baghdad is on high alert for the 1st ever visit to iraq by the leader of the roman catholic church still faces security threats and attacks from militia groups which means iraqi security forces have their work cut out for them for francis will be in 6 cities in 3 days. all requirements have been secured through a plan drawn up by the joint operations command to secure logical and security matters for all the places that the pope will visit whether they are in. all places pope francis has frequently traveled to muslim majority countries and in iraq he will meet one of the world's most influential shiite clerics grand ayatollah sistani. is meant to expand on his message of interfaith dialogue and bring hope to iraq's christian community but it also comes during a pandemic to a country which has not started vaccinating its people and is important. to try and stop the spread of covert 19. the vatican the master to iraq who would have escorted the pope to all his appointments has already tested positive pope francis and his entourage have been vaccinated and organizers say they will strictly

he landed in baghdad early this morning, kicking off a four-day trip no open-air popemobile instead he's riding in an armored car because of security concerns the red carpet rolled out for his arrival. a military band played doves released overhead, a sign of peace pope francis visited our lady of salvation. in 2010, a suicide bomber targeted that church at least 56 people were killed the pope told reporters today he has a duty to a land that has been martyred for so many years. in baghdad, here's nbc richard engel. >> reporter: shep, there were real concerns that this trip wouldn't happen. quite a few inside the vatican were encouraging the pope to cancel it or postpone it at the very least because of the pandemic, because of the dangers. but he personally wanted to make sure that it happened, in part because his predecessor, john paul ii had planned to come here, said he was coming here, but wasn't able to work out a deal with saddam hussein this time pope francis didn't want to let the christian community in this country down a dwindling community. christians have been leaving iraq, h

i'm in baghdad and i'll tell you about the ancient tradition and how it struggling for vied. with us just yet across here we've got quite a messy picture going on here areas of cloud down towards the southeast in conus and storms rumbling away with rain sleet and snow mixed in but quite a weather trying to push its way into western parts big area of high pressure here i will let things settle brighter light winds will feel pleasantly warm temperatures getting into double figures there in london and also in glasgow glasgow touching 12 degrees celsius on a par with rome actually. st celsius and on and try weather but in between there's that rain coming down across the north say pushing into the low countries some snow coming back in across the aisle so see some snow moving in super bowl garia and to remain the into the good parts of ukraine as well further north try brights weather coming through sparkling sunshine in scandinavia with temperatures getting up to around 4 or 5 celsius as we go on into with day we will see a more wet weather coming in across the low countries most