News Information and Media Site: Friday Briefing: Pope Francis embarks on risky, historic Iraq tour

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The pope lands in Iraq amid violence and hope, Trump ramps up the Republican civil war, and farewell to the world’s most important number

Pope Francis has landed in Baghdad for his most risky foreign trip since his election in 2012, saying he feels duty-bound to make the “emblematic” visit because Iraq has suffered so much for so long. Iraq is deploying thousands of additional security personnel to protect him, after a spate of rocket and suicide bomb attacks.

Police in Myanmar opened fire on protesters as international condemnation rained down on the junta. We exclusively reveal that Myanmar’s military rulers attempted to move about $1 billion held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York days after seizing power, prompting U.S. officials to put a freeze on the funds.

China moved to overhaul Hong Kong's electoral system in a further blow to democracy, as it kicked off its annual session of parliament with over 5,000 delegates gathered in the Great Hall of the People.

After two straight days of record COVID-19 deaths in Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro told Brazilians to stop “whining” and move on.

↑ Pope Francis is received by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, March 5, 2021. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

U.S.

↑ Rep. Donna McLeod speaks during a gathering outside of the Georgia State Capitol to protest HB 531, which would place tougher restrictions on voting in Georgia, March 4, 2021. REUTERS/Dustin Chambers

A sharply divided U.S. Senate will begin a contentious debate today on the $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill that is President Joe Biden’s first major legislative initiative, with Democrats pressing ahead without any Republican support.

Voting rights groups are calling on companies such as Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines to oppose efforts by Republican lawmakers in Georgia to enact sweeping new restrictions on voting access in the battleground state.

Former President Donald Trump intensified his war with the Republican establishment by attacking Karl Rove, a longtime Republican strategist who criticized Trump’s first speech since leaving office for being long on grievances but short on vision. “He’s a pompous fool with bad advice and always has an agenda,” Trump complained.

The second of three women who have accused New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual misconduct rejected his public apology, a response likely to ratchet up pressure on the embattled Democrat.

Business

Britain has called a formal end to nearly all Libor rates on December 31, piling pressure on markets to complete their biggest change in decades. The London Interbank Offered Rate is being replaced by rates compiled by central banks after lenders were fined billions of dollars for trying to rig what was once dubbed the world’s most important number.

The rollercoster ride in bitcoin since the start of the year has not dampened wealth manager Jim Paulsen’s enthusiasm for the cryptocurrency. But he has been left on the sidelines.

U.S. insurers are strengthening language in policies that cover business losses to protect them from future claims related to the coronavirus pandemic or other widespread illnesses. New policies now define terms like “communicable disease” or “microorganism”.

Controversy in India over Amazon’s political drama ‘Tandav’ has put global video streaming giants on edge, prompting a closer scrutiny of scripts for possible offence to religious sentiments in a key growth market. Legal cases and police complaints allege the TV series depicts Hindu gods and goddesses in a derogatory manner.