and why did he choose arac as his 1st destination. i think that obviously the. iraq but i think that generally this will highlight the situation of christian communities across the region and particularly now our us were you know war it's still taking place like syria the community center under enormous pressure the grease the communities and you know the numbers have really dwindled i mean in fairly radical ways there was of the beginning of the iraq war about 1000000 400000 christians in iraq as of today that the nation is that we're talking about a quarter of a 1000000 250000 people live and that number's ruptly shrinking as well so i think that the vatican sees in the middle of the different conflicts and crisis that we have over undergone for the last couple of months iraq in the christian community of the middle east has been sort of lost and eclipsed by its other

stories and these away for the both basically to put this issue back on the table and to bring it back into focus you talk about religious persecution there what role does the head of the catholic church play for christians in iraq. well i mean there are several of the nominations you know but i think by and large even none got to look at the nominations are still seen essentially under the umbrella of christian christianity to the extent that it's the case of pope that comes to highlight the plight of of christians there are your catholics in the area will you know will essentially be also be talking talking about the journal christian community of the region so even if he's not a no authority figure for some of these groups he can still be a very very strong spokesman because obviously he carries a lot of weight and we're seeing many people welcoming francis in baghdad today and

the pope also want to celebrate a mass with thousands of believers all of this during a global pandemic and a worsening outbreak in iraq how much concern is there about his visit leading to a spike in infections. there is obviously concern i mean and that concern has to do with the fact that you know maybe of these events i mean even the smaller church events but particularly the mass which is burning for sunday in the north of the country you know could really turn into super spreader events the way the vatican seized is this. you know very said need for you know for the buster work of the church to go ahead even at a time of of the mirror at a time of. of crisis and the church has to be there with the people so i think that this is a matter of waging you know waging the needs and the necessities and and the pressures

or usefully it's very hard to say exactly how this will turn out particularly because it's not clear that the iraqi infrastructure is ready to essentially it's ready to to be able to control the movement of all the people that would be associated with the movement of the pope who is incidentally moving through 6 different cities they double your religious affairs analyst thank you very much for your analysis bisher. a year ago much of china was shut down to help contain the coronavirus with the pandemic largely under control in the huge country its leader is now want to get the economy back on track around 3000 delegates are taking part in china's biggest political event the annual national people's congress will be rubber stamping laws drawn up by the communist party elite setting political priorities for the next 5 years neighborhood security officers patrol beijing street when they're around it's

a sure sign that an important chinese political gathering is underway the offices to prevent displays of dissent during the event. the mood at the gathering is optimistic china has largely managed to control the coded pandemic so the party has had an ambitious target for economic growth junior fighting the most important goals for this year are an increase in g.d.p. of more than 6 percent and the creation of $11000000.00 new jobs in urban areas. like shop. amongst the parties other plans a large increase in the military budget and greater investment in new technology to make china less dependent on the rest of the world. china is also planning to target its control over hong kong through an electoral reform that have to be approved by beijing's national people's congress. with true new ones that you go to phones and we want to ensure in principle. through hong kong.

now some arrests have already weakened hong kong's pro-democracy movement activists fear that these changes could deny his own voice in the city assembly. on take a look at some other stories making news around the world at the sour police and myanmar have opened fire on protesters in the city of mandalay local media are reporting that one person has been killed fresh protests have again erupted in several cities following the crackdown by the military junta which saw 38 deaths earlier this week the united nations is set to open talks on the crisis. in senegal new clashes have erupted in the capital dakar between police and protesters demanding the release of the country's detained opposition leader was months on call was arrested wednesday before he was due to testify on a rape charge one person has been killed in the unrest since then. 2 u.s.

and japanese astronauts have barked on a space walk as they continue to upgrade solar panels on the international space station 0 gravity service work is expected to take 6 and a half hours that's the 4th spacewalk of this year from. kenya has begun its long awaited covert 19 vaccination campaign health ministry director patrick a month was the 1st to get the job following the delivery of some 1000000 doses of astra zeneca vaccine earlier this week health care workers are 1st in line for a vaccination in the country. the european union is under pressure over back scene shortages as infection numbers continue to climb. brussels is now backing a ban by italy on the export to australia of a quarter of a 1000000 doses of the astra zeneca vaccine so far the drug maker has delivered only a fraction of the shots that agree to supply to e.u. member states australia is asking for

a review of the ban but playing down the impact it really people have gone through of the right of 380 and so i can certainly understand the high level of anxiety that would be exist in the italy and in many countries or across europe as that is regularly conveyed to me and so they have some will difficulties. and on broadway the crisis situation that is not the situation of the struggle but nevertheless we've been able to secure our supplies let's make to band langer now he's an m.e.p. for germany social democrats and chairs the european parliament's committee on foreign trade mr lang and thanks for speaking to w. today tell me does italy have the e.u. support on the secession earth do you support. system moves to true. is not survive is to move to the souls.

of the you know of course as you mentioned in your poll is it. because there are no students to the opposition also. and you've already voiced an opinion on the ex or a ban in a recent tweet you called the move a mistake and said a quote pandora's box was opened so are you concerned that the european union could be triggering a protectionist vaccine war here. indeed that's a big list so as i mentioned that problem with one company but the us it is tremendous business to our companies and the owner and of course we have reaction very how the photos have the country's president asking what's going on in who up on the one hand you are asking you to go to and use terrorists cut down not tell us as a same moment you just said wintec just made us see you and you did this not this

is not a city to get up and yeah right i think this is the excuse of crossfire other countries to establish suiting up with attempted murder us with back same rollouts m.e.u. having been comparatively slow doesn't it make sense that all for governments to prevent back things leaving a huge territory. we're living in open to it and of course there are also some supply of that she'd come across as if you did and you could easily aku why should they so all that she is used inside to be human you know is a global problem and we needed to build the solution and i see it gives who distribute public good. it's totally not acceptable if the have a complex business either company they have got for his obligation we've got this

as a comedy a space and we've got it to this nation this she should go we have to stick to the principle is desert front tire concluded that of calls both parts of his to the state to the organization well you suggest governments too though to overcome these vaccine shortages. we need more production code this is true this was also fought that you so that you'll see your piece you hear this. in the. in also production but he did in this is a guy actually carcass of course it's not so easy to produce a smaller car for the c. ter you need more young to know your mission is to toss goes on though you just. know this or tone to it it's certainly this was to go for

more production compass icing vision really go for the book press of 2 companies to allow our companies partner car is to use and take me through mo to a service more induction courtesy. of a european parliament international trade committee thank you very much for your time and barely knowledge has awarded at the top prizes on the closing day of the film festival a dark comedy bad luck banging or loony porn won the golden bear for best picture and tells the story of a high school teacher whose sex tape ends up online on the back of the bike to top it but the drug. test me again mind the events of a 4 men's gong went tomorrow for i'm very man it's the 1st time the pearly molly has handed out a gender neutral prize and place of the best actor and best actress category the winner well we presented their awards at a ceremony in june. that's

a you're up to date up next david where news africa with christine well i'll be back with more global headlines at the top of the hour in the meantime remember there's always more on the data when it's asked and our website w dot com for of course also on instagram and twitter at w news article fairly for me and the entire team here and the news around them for lent thank you so much for watching. the phone against the corona virus pandemic. has the rate of infection been developing what does the latest research say. information and context the coronavirus update nineteen's. on t w. a d

n c. in june there is an inability i mean. some of you are feeling behind me you can think of what you. may or may not get out of it but unfolding. more freedom more determination more rights. are not going. to tame arts and culture on dealing with. patients on ventilators. overwhelmed doctors. face masks knockdowns. army trucks taking away the bodies of coded 9000 victims. new infections and deaths

reported every day. until march 2020 these were images only seen in china where the virus felt far away but in the blink of an eye it had hit northern italy and spread to the whole of europe. in a matter of weeks a worldwide pandemic would be declared and our lives would never be the same. welcome to our coverage not one special auntie w. i want to get johnson berlin and i vividly remember sitting here in the studio last year reporting on the horus in the italian region of lombardy little did we know that 19 would soon dominate all our lives and still does. may once again look like a quiet northern italian city. but it was here that the pandemic gained its foothold in europe. it was the 1st place where the horrors of covert 19 were felt

outside of china emergency stations were transformed into intensive care units and not all patients could be treated cemeteries were overflowing and military trucks had to transport coffins out of the city the pope john the 23rd hospital was at the center of the outbreak. today the number of coronavirus patients is a small fraction of a year ago. the director of the emergency station suspects that barrack a most residents have developed a form of herd immunity to the virus. many of the people who had antibodies in their blood last march were tested again in december and they still had antibodies in their blood 8 months later of those people hardly anyone was infected again. after the 1st wave the city's health officials ordered extensive blood tests showed who had already been infected more

than 40 percent of those tested had antibodies against covert 19 perhaps explaining why significantly fewer people were infected during the 2nd wave in late 2020 but now another problem has officials concerned. i think we may have survived the worst of it but it's far from over we have to look carefully at the mutations that are spreading because they could completely change the virus and the situation here. the outbreak left even survivors traumatized and it wiped out nearly an entire generation of seniors among them stefano fusco grandfather. there's a saying that fits this tragedy very well every time an old man dies it's like a library was burned down we saw a lot of libraries burned here it's a huge wound that will never heal. he said to look down and back i'm ok much too

late to save those like his grandfather. he founded an organization to seek justice and take legal action against the public officials he said let it happen 5000 people joined up. but for now fusco says he wants to transform anger into something constructive and one year after the coronavirus catastrophe to make sure that something like that never happens again. and i'm joined now on the line by and because starting the head of the critical care department i.c.u. extreme on our hospital and it's a criminal of course also being a beautiful old town and along the region that was hit by the pandemic last spring and dr stuart you were right in the thick of it how did you experience that terrible 1st wife last spring. the year i perfectly can recall exactly the

time when we knew that we were facing called the main team. because we have been the very 1st one to know that these infection in europe and at that time it was clear that we were forced to face fancying which was totally unexpected then and nobody did it in the last. one 'd 100 here or here in the europe so it was the idea that we have to find the way to too far i gained the funding week problem which was really astonishing in the end you had to make hard choices also something that you probably don't have to do every day. yeah i think that what should be clear that. this scenario we were forced to to face was its sorta war scenario is sort of mass casualty problem where the diffusion on mass

casualties when there's a huge disproportion between the numbers will be ition you have to take care to care and that the research sees that you have of being able to thyne was a very difficult very important to balance. research which means physicians which means the later is which means. how to. arrange and leave. the hospital organization to meet the pinkett which was top of the different from the routine that. must have been very tough i mean all your colleagues still on board did some say this is too much so i quit. yeah i promise you that as i mentioned. to cool the situation with

a sort of for worst scenario worst situation. what was the sheikh what was he didn't say dip peacetime or getting zation was that dr lee reverted so. that the defining. many many hours to be to be cool to him so she's also let me say that. call the main theme for a tense east means. senior class which means a huge need of ice you care so the position where guided. prayer. bishan with their e critical condition and so nobody nobody see no nobody surrender to the situation if you are asking me what is being the cause of these choices for sure has been extremely hard so what is the situation now compared to years ago.

let me say that from the you're going to show a perspective of course now we are well prepared and we. we know better these kind of books but all of these guys on fixing the very beginning these was totally unknown and so that was a nice sure the time now we are more ready and we have a more deeper knowledge about what we have to do and about the what the called we meant the section east motto for chellaney meantime we have the king. section curve in the it between your logic perspective. barry close to the 1st wasteful. fortunes the thing that we have to fight so we could be. no longer waiting for the boxing's prodigy. to enjoy the mike and just very

briefly if you could utter a wish to politicians what do they need to do now. i think that we have to talk there and we have to bother again the actual. research the walkies the now is variable and forecasting very wisely what to do in the next 2 freemount in order to address our export all right doctor and request r.t. from criminal hospital in italy thank you so much. thank you now one positive side effect of the pandemic more people have been getting a flu jab but there are still reservations towards 1000 maxine's on a justified time to ask eric. my elderly and eyes have already survived the infection and vaccination recommended for them. i'm not a doctor and your in-laws need to talk to one about what's recommended for their

specific unique medical situation but they can go into that discussion informed so let's go back over a few fundamentals of this pandemic that are important to keep in mind 1st and foremost the elderly are the group most at risk when they get this disease in some places 4 in 5 of the people who died from a total of 19 have been over 65 that's why in fact seen rollouts nearly everywhere the elderly are at the top of the distribution list because evidence is now really piling up that back seems really do reduce severe disease hospitalization and death in that group 2nd in trials older people generally responded very well to approved vaccines and going on

300000000 shots worldwide they're still doing so so the chances that a vaccine will present some kind of danger to their health are vanishingly small and there's a reason why which is that seems don't make you sick many people still have to be reminded of that approved vaccines don't contain sars kovi 2 they contain things that fake an infection with it and that can cause side effects as your immune system reacts sometimes even. fairly powerful side effects but but those are signs the vaccine is working and are almost always quite short term the 3rd point i want to make is that health authorities pretty much all recommend everyone get backs unaided when they have the chance even if they have the disease and have recovered because then the vaccine at as a booster can help shore up the immune response even more there might be some

instances for example where someone is extremely for a hole or where there are serious underlying conditions where doctors might recommend postponing back summation but if they were recommending that for my in-laws i'd certainly make them explain why because vaccines saved lives. and there it williams will be back next week as well call it $100.00 special thanks for watching.

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profit plummeted an entire continent into chaos and violence. this is the journey back into the history of slavery. i think will truly be making progress when we all accept the history of slavery as all of our history. our documentary series slavery routes starts march 10th on t w. this is the deputy's africa on the program today the kidnappings and insecurity in nigeria on troops terrorizing communities in the middle of the country i've seen people and demanding ransom alcohols funded brings us the story of a family tragedy in the northern states.