The News Roundup — International

WAMU 88.5

Published March 4, 2021 at 2:12 PM CST

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Members of the Iraqi special forces stand guard outside the Syriac Catholic Church of Our Lady of Deliverance, in front of a mural painting welcoming Pope Francis, in the Iraqi capital baghdad amid preparations for his visit.

This week, São Paulo announced new measures to slow the rapid spread of COVID-19. Brazil has the world’s second-highest COVID-19 death toll and 75 percent of São Paulo’s intensive care hospital beds are currently occupied.

For the first time since World War II, the German government placed the main opposition party under surveillance. AfD, or Alternative for Germany, has flirted with far-right extremism. Authorities will now be able to monitor party communications and track its members’ movements.

Pope Francis is in Iraq and will begin touring the country on March 5. His visit marks the first-ever papal trip to the country and is being made in support of Christian minorities. The Vatican also believes the Pope’s presence there will advance its goal of building bridges with the Muslim world.

We cover the most important stories from around the globe on the News Roundup.