well i feel the pope as you indicated already amiya has been there's a long strain of popes who wanted to see that land this holy land for the 3 monitors to go legends however i would say we have seen last year the photos of pictures of st peter's square abundant the car by mecca being abandoned at the holy sites in jerusalem because of the of the pandemic and you see like the leaders meeting for the summits online so i'm sure it's not the same like the streets of iraq or just see the people and greet them however at this is not like an opportune time to go and assemble it can create mass assemblies of people in a time of a global pandemic what's all this going to feel like tucson on the ground at the moment in iraq you know the country very very well its complexities and its conflict. i think it's a big sign for all religious minorities not just for the people especially for example for the people. of course right now we have an awful situation with people who suffer. what isis has done to them so in 2014 when isis came into the. northern iraq where many people are living christian pe

for the pope well i feel the pope as you indicated already amiya has been there's a long strain of popes who wanted to see that land this holy land for the 3 monitors to go live however i would say we have seen last year the photos of pictures of st peter's square abundant the car by mecca being abandoned in the holy sites and use of them because of the of the pandemic and you see like the leaders meeting for the summits online so i'm sure it's not the same like you peruse the streets of iraq or . you see the people and greet them however this is not like an opportune time to go and assemble it can create mass assemblies of people in a time of a global pandemic what's all this going to feel like to zoom in on the ground the moment in iraq you know the country very very well its complexities and its conflict. i think it's a big sign for all religious minorities not just for the crew of people especially for example for the people and of course right now we have an awful situation with people who suffer. what isis has done to them so in 2014 when isis came into the. northern iraq where man

the pope well i feel the pope as you indicated already amiya has been there's a long strain of popes who wanted to see you that land this holy land for the 3 monitors to go legends however i would say we have seen last year the photos of pictures of st peter's square abundant the car by mecca being abandoned in the holy sites and she was ill and because of the of the pandemic and you see like bird leaders meeting for the summits online so i'm sure it's not the same like you peruse the streets of iraq or just see the people and greet them however at this is not like an opportune time to go and assemble it can create mass assemblies of people in a time of a global pandemic what's all this going to feel like there's an on the ground at the moment in iraq you know the country very very well its complexities and its conflict. i think it's a big sign for all religious minorities not just for the crew of people especially for example for the people and of course right now we have an awful situation with people who suffer. what isis has done to them so in 2014 when isis came into this. and t

for the pope well i feel the pope as you indicated already on the i have been there's a long strain of popes who wanted to see that land this holy land for the 3 monitors to go legends however i would say we have seen last year the photos of pictures of st peter's square abundant the car by mecca being abandoned at the holy sites and use of them because of the of the pandemic and you see like the meeting for the summits online so i'm sure it's not the same like by you peruse the streets of iraq or just see the people and greet them however at this is not like an opportune time to go and assemble it can create mass assemblies of people in a time of a global pandemic what's all this going to feel like to stand on the ground the moment in iraq you know the country very very well its complexities in its conflict . i think it's a big sign for all religious minorities not just for the people especially for example for the people and of course right now we have an awful situation with people who suffer. what isis has done to them so in 2014 when isis came into the villages and they all the un

this morning prin the pope and ayatollah sistani's historic never before has a pope met the grand ayatollah in iraq and i thought our system is such a crucial figure for post invasion iraq but i think really at the heart of that encounter and at the heart of the pope's visit is this. point that he wants to make that religion can never be used for violence that religion is there to serve peace and in iraq which is such a diverse country of different religions this is a very very important and powerful message that is going out to the world because which other head of state has been able to travel iraq in this way so i think we really see although despite this visit being very risky a very very strong impact which is going to have reverberations for some time to come at me coming back to you would you say this is primarily a religious trip or is it primarily a political trip because if we look at those pictures again of the pontiff meeting the grand ayatollah. alsa stanny clearly in the meeting room nobody wanted to put a foot of supply base it was that big a deal well actually you dad really

calling for an end to violence in iraq pope francis seeks to galvanize one of the world's oldest and most persecuted christian communities during a historic visit. hello again i'm just on the attack of this is al jazeera live from doha also coming up tightening its grip on hong kong china is to expand its veto power in deciding who can run for election. security forces in myanmar are accused of issuing death threats to protesters on talk the video sharing app says it's removing content that incites violence. c 6 street battles and set a goal protesters are demanding the release of an opposition leader they say is falsely accused of rape. pope francis is calling for an end to violence and intolerance in his opening address in iraq as he starts a historic visit to a nation scarred by war and now the coronavirus he landed just a short while ago in baghdad and was welcomed by 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 interfait

here is the pope.n to the chaldean church of saintjoseph, the cathedral i should say, during the course of this hour when we will hear a little more from pope francis himself as mass is conducted in the church there in baghdad. the group representing health service trusts, nhs providers, hasjoined unions in saying the government's proposed 1% pay rise for health service staff in england is not enough. ministers have defended the rise, saying the pandemic had placed unprecedented strain on public finances. here's our political correspondent, jessica parker. pulling up, a very public row about this week's1% pay offer, with claims an increase of 2.1% had been baked—in as part of a longer—term settlement. which is actually enshrined in an act of parliament, so we've got a really strong legal basis here to say that that the pay rise was there. 0bviously, that was all set out pre—pandemic, but actually the pandemic really only enhances the case for a pay rise for nhs staff. an nhs funding boost was enshrined

pope francis has just landed in iraq where he's going to fulfill a longstanding promise to become the 1st pontiff to visit the country a 3 day visit his 1st trip outside italy since the pandemic began is going to be welcomed by the prime minister in baghdad before meeting president bottom selah at the presidential palace the head of the roman catholic church says he's going as a pilgrim of peace we're bringing you live pictures from baghdad airport as the pope's flight to air bus a 330 the flight 874000 has just arrived in front of the red carpet you can see the iraqi military honor guard standing there i want to bring in our correspondents some of the full team who is outside the presidential palace in baghdad she's joining us live this is clearly a very important visit for the pope but it's also of course very important for the christians in iraq as well. yes indeed they are seeing 'd this message something very important something to give them hope after 2 years and decades really of the persecution that has resulted in a significant decline in their numbers before the u.s. led to

on the other hand of course the catholic church and the hope pope have still own problems. plague sample the image child abuse the rule of women so there are a lot of challenges of course but i think the saying that he would that not be the question in iraq when he was there that there will be also like hard liners on the catholic side to. yes there's a photo with the grandma or with the ayatollah they don't like this under the fences benedict do you want to fishel council for interreligious dialogue was made to stop division of the culture of the pop one because the hardliners took over and said no no we don't want to have any resemblance that it seems like all religions were equal so you see like this is even in the catholic church like the dialogue is not like that everyone is like excited in the vatican about this pope's and ever i mean i have to say this is quite brave of him to pursue that and it's not just religious this trip it's also political because he want to show and make clear that christian minorities must be secure and this reasons and the fact that they are

pope francis also plans to visit. mosul a recaptured stronghold of the islamic state and the pontiff is set to meet with iraq's top shia muslim cleric grand ayatollah ali al sistani who has never met with the pope it's a big moment for christians and muslims alike. for more on this i'm joined by d.w. religious affairs correspondent martin jacques martin the pope is now meeting we understand with grand ayatollah. sistani in a nutshell why is this meeting so important. i think generally speaking this has been the policy or the policy position of this vatican which restricts trends and strengthening relations across really just religious boundaries and it has made you know it has made islam one of its name one of its main targets in the sense i mean they are very interested in fostering part of their relations with the world they have done sort of a thorough going where we would. would sunni's and now there is an opportunity for this pope to meet actually one of the main few years of the show were. so. here is that you k

well i feel the pope as you indicated. the army has been there's a long strain of popes who wanted to see you that land this holy land for the 3 monitors to religion however i would say we have seen last year the photos pictures of st peter's square abundant carbon mecca being abandoned in the holy sites in jerusalem because of the of the pandemic and you see like meeting for the summits online so i'm sure it's not the same light whereby you peruse the streets of iraq or to see the people and greet them however this is not like an opportune time to go and assemble it can create mass assemblies of people in a time of a global pandemic what's all this going to feel like tucson on the ground at the moment in iraq you know the country very very well its complexities and its conflict. i think it's a big sign for all religious minorities not just for tickets to people especially for example for the people and of course right now we have an awful situation with people who suffer. what isis has done to them so in 2014 when isis ca

grand ayatollah ali al—sistani face—to—face with pope francis. 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 religion. from these windswept plains, the pope is using the symbolism of the ancient prophet, evoking the figure of abraham, revered by christians, muslims and jews, to try to spur reconciliation between religions today. and then it was on to mass, pope francis hoping to persuade a dwindling christian community to remain. iraq's patchwork of people came together today. but as this count

this pope, pope francis, has _ about that but why now?e, pope francis, has spent a large - about that but why now? this pope, pope francis, has spent a large partj pope francis, has spent a large part of his pontificate see engaging in dialogue with people east and west, he has been very concerned about interreligious dialogue, he has been aware that relations between catholics and muslims took a dip during the previous pontificate see i pope benedict xvi, so he has been working towards this. in 2019, and the united immigrants, he signed a declaration of fraternity with a leading sunni cleric. —— united immigrants. now he is engaged with one of the great sea ayatollahs in iraq. so it is part of a dialogue that he want to develop. —— united immigrants. but being there now for christians in that part of the well is important. they had had so many years of persecution and many of them led and now there seems hope perhaps they can rebuild. —— united emirates. going to iraq, pope francis is asking for attention for the safety christians there

the president of iraq will be receiving the pope so tomorrow the pope is planning to meet with grand ayatollah ali al sistani who is of course the main religious authority in country for muslims and that meeting is of course hugely significant on the one side it really endorses the place of which is the city where he will need to stand and also the role of sistani in kind of the leadership of of shia muslims and it's also an opportunity for the 2 men to really exchange thoughts on the challenges that iraq's different religious communities have faced over the past you can feel the cold has arrived at the presidential palace he is. alongside president saleh. and you can see the military is 3 things. and some i know we do expect to hear from them but shortly but that in the meantime i'm wondering if you can give us a bit of a sense of how the christian community and iraq since that since has accused them for so long how did they view this as it obviously hugely symbolic them today. i'm not sure how well you can hear me because the band has now started playing behind me so the christian

i'm joined now by journalist owen holdaway who's in iraq following the pope's visit oh and the pope has met with the grand ayatollah ali sistani why is that meeting so significant i think because of the way starting actually within. a lot he's essentially the head of the largest beaten into the shia community of iraq i think the fact that they're doing a dialogue between the 2 of them is extremely important was the lead also sustain itself very reclusive and rarely get political or public statements so i think the fact that both also leads raids that need you know being 11 united iraq and all iraqis bridge regardless bait on of what should live together in peace i think that really emphasizes when he has it and not quite within the country and also within the right what have the glitz what about non christians how are they reacting to the pope's visit. i mean very much so i mean i think they're very very happy the fact that they showcase a different side of iraq iraq tends to be thought of you know this as a very sectarian country with a lot of conflict between the different ethnic grou

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what is pope francis like? _ was very significant. what is pope francis like? what is pope francis like? i spent a _ was very significant. what is pope francis like? i spent a lot - was very significant. what is pope francis like? i spent a lot of - was very significant. what is pope francis like? i spent a lot of time | francis like? i spent a lot of time with political— francis like? i spent a lot of time with political and _ francis like? i spent a lot of time with political and religious - francis like? i spent a lot of time | with political and religious leaders and i would say of everybody i have met, he exudes a calm that is quite extraordinary. i think he has our deep self—confidence and kind of humility that allows him... really he is calm and it affects everyone around him, genuinely extraordinary. to myanmar now, where an increasingly brutal crackdown by police and the military has not stopped protests against the military coup. today, security forces have continued firing tear gas on protesters gathered in yangon. the un's special envoy on myanmar h

pope francis meets with iraq's top shia muslim cleric on the 2nd day of his historic visit. i am. over there i'm alamo here dean and this is out is iraq live from doha and also coming up was to. the u.n. it's urged to act swiftly against myanmar as military crackdown and protest as aren't spanking down. the u.s. accuses china of an attack on democracy over beijing's plans to overhaul hong kong's electoral system. the the old and the rallying cry of protesters in senegal on the 3rd day of demonstrations over the rest the rest of an opposition leaders. pope francis has met with iraq's top shia muslim cleric on the 2nd day of his historic visit to the country the meeting with grand ayatollah ali sistani was held in the city of the shaft the heads of the roman catholic church as the 1st pope to travel to iraq and has pledged to deepen his dialogue with other religions let's get more now from a summer binge of aids who's live for us in some of that meeting is just wrapped is there any indication of what the 2 religious leaders discussed and just why is this meeting significant. well it

visit so far as one of the waiting for pope francis she to speak in a car of course. that give us a sense of why this is so significant and why the pope is giving this speech here. so current crotchet is a christian chant town east of mosul between mosul and below where we are at the moment and it is part of this area that is called the main there are planes which are prior to isis arrival they're relatively vibrant christian communities not just kind of course there are several other towns that were christian majority towns but of course when i saw i arrived in 2014 all of those christians fled the area some of them emigrated abroad others floats to the bill in the semi autonomous kurdish region and a few of them have returned in fact have a coach is one of the christian pounds a little plane but they have seen a steady number of return is the communities have gone back they have felt safe to do so to try to rebuild that community but of course there is still a lot of destruction there the the church of immaculate conception where the the pope will give his speech la

pope francis meets one of the most senior clerics in shiite islam on the 1st papal visit to the pontiff is calling for an end to religious extremism . and we take a closer look at an international program helping countries in africa to vaccinate some of their most vulnerable against covert 19. and a warm welcome to our viewers around the world i'm michel oku the u.n. special envoy has called for a robust international response after this week's violence against protesters she made the remarks during a closed door meeting of the u.n. security council in new york but the council's unlikely to pass a resolution on miramar because of china and russia's veto wielding seats more than 50 people have been killed over the past 7 days as protesters keep up their calls for a return to democracy. oh. the march for democracy purse of years in me and maher despite brutal crackdowns by the military authorities. demonstrations are regularly dispersed by tear gas the violence has escalated in the last week with police making mass arrests and adopting more lethal force. with radio free asia published thi

pope francis is scheduled to hold prayers here.e damage isis left behind. he worries decades of trauma left a deep still raw wound. >> iraq is in a dark tunnel he says, there are challenges caused by war and the terrorism still present in some areas and economic problems and corruption widespread in iraq. the visit of pope francis he hopes will spark a change of hearts and minds. maybe there will be love and peace, maybe it will soften and melt frozen hearts. the sun shines once more. people busy themselves preparing for the pope, hoping darkness will not descend upon them yet again. >> reporter: of course the question is after this visit ends tomorrow by pope francis, are things really going to change for iraq? that's hard to say. this is a country set by many problems and political instability and corruption and there are still frequent attacks by isis, none the less, these few days iraqis are able to watch some happy story, a story that does giver some hope to the future. when cnn pays attention to it, oftentimes the news is bad

the arrest of an opposition leader in the ancient city state in religious significance because where pope francis will hold interfaith dialogue on his visit to iraq. starting with me and i were anti coup protesters are again defying the military crackdown large crowds have gathered in several cities one person killed in the demonstrations in fact on friday when also a united nations envoy urged the divided security council to take swift action against the military's brutal crackdown. the magic had to change spades reports from new york. in the last weeks the u.n. estimates around 50 people to be killed by the military in myanmar the u.n. special envoy christine seana bergen believes that after the coup people were looking to the united nations for help the envoy said that the people of myanmar including committed civil servants or the real heroes and protectors of the nation's democratic progress but she wore in the hope that they have place in the united nations and its membership is waning special envoy shriner bergen made those comments during a closed session of the security council s

a summit in java is that what's next on the pope's agenda today some of. what pope's just left the city of or after making that speech you heard him call himself the messenger of each piece urging interfaith harmony making sure that that message of unity across all faiths in iraq is heard and that before that he was in the city of najaf where he met a grand ayatollah ali al sistani and we've been hearing from various leaders of iraq's shia clergy there but i have been highlighting that not just the importance but the significance in terms of how brave the pope was and try and come to iraq i would not just the pandemic but also the security situation given next the pope traveled to baghdad where he's going to be holding a mass and then he goes to the city of erbil. his last stop in this in this 3 day tour is going to be with it in churches in the north in mosul and then in the hold to his final mosque in the city of their view before he travels back to rome the day after so it has been a packed visit for the pope he's been in baghdad visiting the lady of sa

for once the pope schedule for the rest of us. well the most important the most important thing about happiness i mean he will be in mosul and there will be a. tomorrow which is expected to gather a couple of 1000 people and of course you know this well it's one of the main areas of concern for both people looking at it and criticism because the good turn into a sober spreader. you know event given that iraq is in the middle of us everywhere else in the middle of the pandemic and they have not enough resources to cope with what they already have. money of people that probably would move around they pull this it and they bomb us so d.c. sort of the question at the same time tomorrow he will be eating a sermon he will be talking to the public so should also be you know paid attention to right back to the religious affairs correspondent thank you very much you're welcome. there have been fresh classes in myanmar between police and demonstrators protesting against a country's military coup the military has been widening its crackdown

we need the moral support of the pope to influence the international point of view to mobilize if it's to reform was devastated city not just in terms of infrastructure but also on the human side. but the rifts will take a long time to mend a christian from mosul works as a guard at the time had a church his family fled the city when i said to control and has yet to come back from here on the most important thing is security people are afraid to come back there is no stability to foster religious coexistence but the same unesco project includes plans to restore the great mosque of. this is where i saw declared the establishment of its caliphate in 2017 as security forces close. the armed group blew up the city's beloved leaning minaret a symbol of morsels identity. the one who built the better it was christian and the one who rebuilt the story was christian we lived and we wish that our relations returned to what they were now christians and muslims once again to work side by side to restore what has been lost so that one day the sound of church bells can once again ring out alongside

more now on the pope's visit to iraq.se are live pictures here, he is in the christian town of qaraqosh and has just arrived at a church that was attacked by isis. we will cnn's delia gallagher traveling with the pope and she joins us on the phone. tell us exactly about where you are, why the pope is stopping there, the symbolic meaning behind this visit. >> reporter: this is just an amazing moment the pope has just walked into the church of the immaculate conception in qaraqosh. this was a church that was used as a training camp essentially for isis. in fact, i'm talking to you from the courtyard where you can still see the bullet holes that they used to practice their firing. the church was largely destroyed, books burned, and the people obviously fled this town of qaraqosh which is the largest christian town in iraq. many of them have relatives who were killed, i've just been talking to some of them in the church. they had to flee, their homes were destroyed, they began to come back, they went mainly to erbil nearby wh

news a live from berlin and the pope calls for an end to religious extremism on the 1st ever papal visit to iraq pope francis' physical theater role in baghdad where dozens of people were massacred by islamist extremists over a decade ago. he's hoping his trip can bolster iraq's of the windowing christian community also coming up on the show. the u.s. and the e.u. agree to a truce in their long running trade disputes over aircraft makers boeing and airbus tariffs totaling billions of euros have temporarily been suspended. and a dark comedy about a teacher's private sex video going viral wins the top prize at the barely doubting german capital's international film festival. hello i'm claire richardson 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 friends this is making the trip despite security risks and just missed concerns over the coronavirus and sectarian violence saying the trip was his duty to iraq's remai

a historic trip pope francis heads to iraq to support one of the world's oldest and most persecuted christian community its. security forces in myanmar are accused of issuing death threats to protest as one tick tock the video sharing app says it's removing content that incites violence. 'd 6 street battles and senegal protesters are demanding the release of an opposition leader they say is accused of rape. and the school itself america's football thought is look to solve the continent's woke up call find the european clubs unlikely to release a jew to corner virus concerns and quarantine mr actions. now and china has unveiled plans to the whole hong kong electoral system allowing beijing veto power over just who can run for the legislative council how about announcement was made during the national people's congress. the country's biggest annual political gathering the proposed changes would mean a pro china election committee decides which candidates can run for legislative council seats that group will effectively stamp out any opposition and hong kong's parliament in his opening speech pr

this message of interfaith dialogue that we've been hearing from pope francis he was certainly making it clear in that speech in the city of moore that he was drawing on the people regardless of whichever faith coming together to overcome the collective challenges that they all face how do you think that speech is going to be received because iraq really years and in quite a critical moment right now is it not. that's right and you know just a few kilometers away from where the globe gave that speech in the city of nasiriyah you have weekly protests and weekly protesters being targeted and killed jailed by the iraqi government so as you say this is a very serious crime for many here are and i think the focus on the people is important here because interfaith yes it's very symbolic in a very important message but if you look at the iraqi government since 2003 you have had occurred you had had she are you perhaps a need you had questions working together from a political level but they haven't really been able to serve their people right and in fact it's not just terrorism but has been

with the world news from al jazeera iraq's semi autonomous kurdish region is preparing to welcome the pope head of his visit to one of the hardest hit areas in the war against time so. i can say we've taken one more giant step forward to deliver you know the promise of help is on the way. joe biden hails the passage of his $1.00 trillion dollars covert relief bill in the senate after the longest vote in recent memory. in a covered 1000 infections on the rise all parties in some latin american countries are returning to unpopular lockdowns. well over 92 protesters marching once again in cities across me and ma despite the escalating crackdown. this was a little earlier today continuing to defy the military to call for a return to democracy after we saw this a night of raids with security forces storming houses and rounding up activists days of live fire tear gas stun grenades it's all lead to $38.00 civilian deaths just fail to crush the growing anger here's tony chang in bangkok to take us through 1st of all chinese some of those pictures we saw the night time writes. here we've seen these

decade after an al qaeda massacre kills dozens baghdad's catholic cathedral receives a visit from the pope. security forces in myanmar accused of issuing death threats to protesters on take talk the video sharing app says it's removing content that incite violence. 6 street battles in senegal protesters are demanding the release of an opposition leader they say is falsely accused of rape also this hour in the u.s. republicans try to slow down the process but president biden's call this stimulus bill is still moving forward it underscores the next round of south american world cup qualifying is in doubt european clubs a lot richer to release players due to corona virus concerns and corn scene restrictions. thank you very much for joining as pope francis is calling for an end to violence and intolerance in iraq as he begins a historic visit to a country scarred by war and on a virus the head of the roman catholic church was welcomed by. the. presidential palace in baghdad the pope is hoping the 3 day visit will boost the morale of iraq's dwindling christian population the number of christian

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 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 enforce crowd limits at public events but with a sharp rise in iraq school with 1000 cases in a week health care system critics have questioned the effectiveness of social distancing as it's expected crowds will gather to see the pope can add. some people close to the pope believe that the visit should be perspiring treat the pandemic

this is the the years line from the late pope francis a field for reconciliation on a historic 1st visit to iraq it begins with a call for and to sectarian violence and religious strife and remembers the dozens of victims of a suicide attack in baghdad cathedral also on the program china moves to tighten its grip on hong kong as phasing shifts its focus from the fight against the pandemic to longer term goals. to take a closer look at an international program helping countries in africa to vaccinate some of their most vulnerable adults because he's 90. time philco welcome to the program. pope francis has arrived in baghdad on the 1st papal visit to a war torn iraq he began with an appeal for an end to sectarian violence and religious strife he also remembered the victims of a suicide attack on baghdad cathedral in which dozens of washington's were killed and a country with a twinkling christian community he called on iraqi leaders to guarantee equal rights for all on saturday he's to hold an unprecedented meeting with the country's top shiite muslim cleric and despite the pandemic huge c

pope francis meets iraq's top shia muslim cleric on the 2nd day of his historic visit. hello there i am home or he and this is al jazeera live from doha also coming up. was. the u.n. is urged to act swiftly against myanmar as military crackdown in a protest or is aren't backing down. the u.s. accuses china of an attack ultimate chrissie or her beijing's plans to overhaul hong kong's electoral system. and communities in rural south africa's say they're being left behind and it's with 19 vaccination trying. pope francis is expected in the ancient iraqi city of well he'll address an interfaith meeting in the last hour he met with iraq's top shia muslim cleric on the 2nd day of his historic visit to the country the meeting with grand ayatollah sistani was held in the city of najaf the heads of the roman catholic church as the 1st pope to travel to iraq wife now to a summer binge of 80 joins us from. a summer just talk us through the significance of this me. well this was history in the making the 1st time the leader of the roman catholic church has met the highest religious

also a call for tolerance in iraq pope francis honors victims of one of the worst attacks on christians as he becomes the 1st pontiff to visit the country also people are coming to her and. the u.s. president urges congress to pass his trillion dollar covert 900 relief bill calling it a lifeline to beat the pandemic and help millions left jobless. but into the program supporters of senegal's opposition leader have been killed in protests 4 have now died in 3 days of demonstrations against the sama zongo being kept in custody there is nicholas haq has been in the thick of the protests in the capital dhaka. a march the government tried to ban protesters chant this is our society be brave and strong protect our senegal not just a message to the security forces but for a government the queues of stifling dissent thousands indycar in other cities have been demonstrating after police detained opposition leader who spun song go accusing him of both rape and public disturbance to bin laden. the young people have toyed of the way we're being governed we need to free him some coas everything to u

now safely back at the vatican many expect the pope to get some much needed rest after this trip. i don't know if the slowdown or not but i do confess in this visit i was much more tired than in the others although exhausted the pontiff is already busy planning for the future he is keen to resume public audiences at the vatican which have been suspended for months and he has also hinted that he may be making a trip to lebanon for watching the hawks. who very fascinating stuff when you really see that and watch it all get broken down and i'm glad you know i've always been a fan of this pope you know like you hasn't done much wrong in my book so far i mean not to say he hasn't but i mean i do like a lot of his messages which is all about you know hey we need to and weapon prove relation in these countries we need to stop arms deals as big doesn't begin to come out of the pope he's a lot more progressive than popes we've seen in the past i think he's trying to take the catholic church in a new direction he's expanding the ideology to a certain extent updating it in many ways i do fin

pope francis has returned to the vatican after a whirlwind tour of iraq the timing of the story visit caused some controversy among critics while many in the war stricken country welcomed the pontiff in his message of peace with open arms parties alex mileage reports. it was the 1st time ever that a reigning pontiff has made a trip to iraq. france has completed a much anticipated 4 day tour of the country visiting 6 cities and sites across the nation the 84 year old kicked off the trip with a speech at the presidential palace in baghdad on friday calling for peace and unity in the middle eastern country bust that millions no more violence extremism baksh and intolerance let there be room for all citizens who want to build this country together in dialogue in. frank and sincere constructive confrontation the leaders in the violence plagued nation were quick to show the type of hospitality that iraq is famous for while echoing the pope's message of peace that iraq had a dualist it is a must to continue our work to counter the extremist ideology and up through terrorism and to be victori

this is news live from berlin and pope francis visits iraqi christians who endured the brutality of islamic state john it's the pontiff has arrived in northern iraq and will visit the terrorist groups one time stronghold he's rallying the country's christian minority after decades of more instability also coming up protesters out on the streets of miramar cities again this after reports of police raids and a number of arrests as authorities attempt to push back against opponents of last month's food. and the united states senate passes a mammoth coronavirus relief package handing joe biden his 1st major of legislative victory as president but the bill wasn't backed by a single senate republican. welcome to our viewers around the world i'm michel oku pope francis is scheduled to visit mosul today the one time stronghold of the so-called islamic state as part of his historic visit to iraq he's currently in the city of erbil where the christian community suffered at the hands of the terrorist group despite the pandemic the pope plans to celebrate mass for an expected crowd of 10. 1000 people i

so interesting that this is the pope's first international trip| the pope's first international tripndemic. he has chosen to come to iraq. why is that, do you think? iraq has chosen to come to iraq. why is that, do you think?— that, do you think? iraq is still one of the _ that, do you think? iraq is still one of the important _ that, do you think? iraq is still one of the important countriesj that, do you think? iraq is still. one of the important countries for us, as christians. christianity has been here for around 2000 years, very historical. at the same time, because of the persecution and difficulties, it is really getting to the stage where there is a danger of disappearing. so it needs to be supported, giving hope, giving all the support that is needed to maintain and to persevere through all of these difficulties. and also to combat and be an important player in the life of all iraqis. i am sure he wanted to visit iraq many times, he wanted to visit iraq many times, he mentioned this to us, when we met him, because he was so close to the suffering of the iraqi people, which

also iraq's semi autonomous kurdish region prepares to welcome the pope head of his visit to one of the hardest hit areas in the war against. because catholics wear black to in protest of the lack of justice for victims of the 2911 update from the capital colombo. so the anti could protest as a marching once again in cities across main mob despite the escalating crackdown. still defying the military's the military to call for a return to democracy these pictures from about an hour ago but this well these were the night raids security forces storming houses and rounding up activists days of live fire tear gas and stun grenades have led to 38 civilian deaths but has failed to crush the growing anger here is tony chang in thailand to take us through develops 1st of all these night raids is this a new tactic or a different tactic. what we've seen of the last couple of weeks and i don't know if you remember but early on in the coup one of the ways that people were protesting was to come out on the to the streets at night and bang pots and pans and noisy but peaceful protest in an indication

pope francis�*s first trip since covid is riskiest of all.less pilgrimage to iraq in the grip of a pandemic. on the first ever papal visit here he told me he was very happy, calling it special. beneath the pomp is a significant message, dialogue between faiths and support for persecuted christians. no open top pope mobile here in a country torn by conflict an outstretched hand through an armoured car was all most will see. but less protection from the other danger here, the pandemic. little social distancing and few masks are what's worrying many. after a meeting with the president the pope called for in an end to extremism. translation: only if we live turning to look beyond our differences - and see each other as members of the same human family we will be able to begin an effective process of rebuilding. for iraq's dwindling christians it's like salvation. hannah, who named her son after pope francis has watched as much of her community were killed orforced to flee. we've been dreaming of this visit day and night, she says. we must stop th

after a meeting with the president, the pope called for an end to extremism.only if we learn to look beyond our differences | and see each other as members of the same human family will we be able to begin an effective process of rebuilding. for iraq's dwindling christians, it is like a salvation. viva papa francis! haman, who named her son after pope francis, has watched as much of her community were killed or forced to flee. "we have been dreaming of this visit day and night," she says. "we must stop the bloodbath and we must stay in iraq." the risk is that the symbolic importance of this trip is overshadowed by covid concerns, and that it becomes a super—spreader. but a defiant pope francis believes this nation has waited long enough for a papal visit, and that there is no time to lose to bring a message of peace and hope to iraq. 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

you've met the pope yourself.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 iraq? it sure is dangemus- _ christian in iraq? it sure is dangerous. especially - christian in iraq? it sure is dangerous. especially we | christian in iraq? it sure is l dangerous. especially we all have seen, the whole world has seen, what happened to christians in iraq in the last decades. and although,

vatican and iraqi flags going up for pope francis's visit. people here are working hard to fix everything up before he arrives paving the roads fixing street lights and setting up crowd control barriers expectations are high. we hope for this to be a successful visit and that it will help this injured country. when his holiness the pope visits any place where a lot of positive outcomes from his visit. to canada cost church sits on the nineveh plain in iraq home to some of the earliest christian settlements centuries before islam established itself across the middle east. over time iraq became home to one of the world's most diverse christian communities featuring catholic how they and armenian orthodox protestant as well as other branches of christianity. then decide we are sending a message to the pope and to the world that we are here to do that now we christians are remaining on our land though our roots are here so that it is impossible to leave the homeland that embraced us let's use that if they must not to joe hockey is so. there were