Dec 2, 2017

Pope Francis mentions Rohingya by name after backlash

Axios

Pope Francis arrives to celebrate mass and the ordination of new priests in Dhaka, Bangladesh, yesterday. Photo: Aijaz Rahi / AP

"[I]n Myanmar, where the military has launched ... a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya Muslim minority, Francis opted [initially] for diplomatic expediency. He not only avoided the contested term 'Rohingya' in his public remarks, he ignored Asia's worst refugee crisis in decades entirely and didn't call out his hosts for launching it," AP's Nicole Winfield reports from Dhaka, Bangladesh:

  • "Human rights groups complained. Rohingya complained. Journalists and pundits asked if Francis' legacy as a fearless crusader for the world's most marginal ... wasn't now in question."
  • "By Friday, Francis' heart won out. In an emotional encounter with 16 Rohingya refugees, ... [his voice trembled] after he greeted the men, women and children who had been forced to flee their homes in Myanmar for wretched camps in Bangladesh."
  • "Francis begged them for forgiveness for what they had endured and the 'indifference of the world' to their plight."
  • His Holiness: "The presence of God today also is called 'Rohingya.'"

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Axios

Bernie Sanders wins Nevada caucus

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Axios

South Korea and Italy see spikes in coronavirus cases

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens.

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The big picture: COVID-19 has now killed at least 2,362 people and infected more than 77,000 others, mostly in mainland China. New countries to announce infections recently include Israel and Lebanon, while Iran reported its sixth death from the virus. South Korea's confirmed cases jumped from 204 Friday to 433 on Saturday and Italy's case count rose from 3 to 62 by Saturday.

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America's rundown roads add to farmers' struggles

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

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The big picture: President Trump has long promised to invest billions in rural infrastructure, and his latest proposal would allocate $1 trillion for such projects. Rural America, where many of Trump's supporters live, would see a large chunk of that money.

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