World Tour

IRAQ Pope Francis made a whirlwind tour of Iraq, the first by a pope, and urged Iraqis to embrace diversity—from Najaf, where he held a historic meeting with powerful Shia cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, to Nineveh, where he met Christian victims of the Islamic State group’s terror and fight for survival.

SWITZERLAND Swiss voters narrowly approved a measure to ban the wearing of burqas and niqabs, in addition to ski masks and bandannas worn by some protesters. The move will outlaw covering one’s face in public places. It could prompt greater marginalisation of Muslim women when they have reported growing hostility because of their clothing.

BANGLADESH A satellite TV station has hired the country’s first transgender news anchor, hoping to help change society. Tashnuva Anan Shishir, who previously worked as a rights activist and actress, debuted on Dhaka-based Boishakhi TV on International Women’s Day. After reading a three-minute news bulletin, she cried as her colleagues applauded and cheered.