Iraqis in Basra block roads as new PM appointment deadline looms

This week on Middle East Matters, we’re joined by Nadia Murad, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Back in 2014, as a member of the Yazidi community, she was enslaved and raped by the Islamic State group. Several of her brothers were also brutally murdered at the hands of the militants. Although Nadia escaped her captors, and is a free woman today, her relentless fight for justice for victims of IS continues, and her voice continues to reverberate. So much so that Pope Francis said he was inspired to visit Iraq after reading her book, “The Last Girl”.

In our show "Correspondence", we explore how the world is coping with the twists and turns of 2021, amid the consequences of Covid-19 and beyond. FRANCE 24 brings you a selection of original reports from our correspondents and teams around the globe. Our reporters went to Brazil, Lebanon, Iraq and Niger.

The Ondo State High Court, Sitting in Olokuta Correctional Centre, Akure the state capital has granted bail to Kemisola Ogunniyi, the EndSARS protester who delivered in prison custody.

The US Central Command releases aerial footage showing US strikes on three positions along the Syria-Iraq border. At least seven fighters belonging to Iran-backed armed groups were killed, sparking immediate calls for revenge and fears of a new escalation between Washington and Tehran.

A number of rocket attacks have been carried out against US military and diplomatic targets. According to the extremist monitoring group SITE, they were carried out by pro-Iranian militias.

Protesters gather at an Iraqi hospital where at least 52 people have died and several others wounded in a massive fire that engulfed a coronavirus isolation ward. The fire broke out at the Al-Hussein hospital in the southern city of Nasiriyah late Monday.

The blaze in the southern city of Nasiriya has been brought under control. The death toll is expected to rise and the fire may have been caused by an oxygen tank explosion.

Aerial images show the aftermath of a fire which enveloped a Covid isolation unit and killed 64 in southern Iraq. The deadly blaze at Al-Hussein Hospital in the provincial capital Nasiriyah, which medics said was fuelled by the explosion of oxygen canisters, was the second such fire in Iraq in three months.

For the first time in 20 years, child labour has increased around the world. Last year, 160 million youngsters were working, or 8.4 million more than in 2016. The Covid-19 crisis and resulting rise in poverty are often responsible. In Iraq, the number of children forced to work has increased steadily in recent decades due to conflict, forced displacement and economic challenges. Our correspondents Jack Hewson and Lucile Wassermann went to meet some of those who are trying to stem the scourge of child labour.

The president outlined a "new phase" of US involvement in Iraq, which will still involve "dealing with ISIS." By the end of 2021, the US combat mission in the country will be over, almost two decades after it began.

More than 10 people are reported to have died and at least 50 injured. State media blamed the attack on the 'Islamic State' (IS) militant group, which has revived its campaign of violence in Iraq.

In the autumn of 2019, an unprecedented protest movement engulfed the Iraqi capital Baghdad and the predominantly Shiite south of the country. Demonstrators were angry at the widespread corruption and incompetence of the political class, but also the influence of neighbouring Iran and its militias. An extremely violent crackdown left at least 600 dead and 21,000 injured in just a few months. Meanwhile, the leaders of the protest movement became the target of assassinations. As Iraq prepares to hold parliamentary elections, more and more voices are accusing pro-Iranian armed groups of being behind a campaign of systematic violence. FRANCE 24's Jonathan Walsh and Amar Al Hameedawi report.