Image source: AP

US

Nearly a year after the start of Covid19, the United States added more than 370,000 jobs to the market, bringing their current unemployment rate to 6.2%. During the month of April 2020, the United States had nearly 15% unemployment rate, so this is a huge downward trend in the progress for recovery. A year ago, prior to the pandemic, the United States had a 3.4% unemployment rate. The 6.2% rare is nearly .1% better than the expected 6.3% unemployment rate – or 170,000 jobs better. The average hourly earners rate remained the same as previous months at 5.3%

Iraq and Vatican

Pope Francis landed in Baghdad, Iraq less than a week after an airstrike on American airbase in the region. Pope Francis says he felt it was his duty to visit Iraq because of what the country had gone through for so long. The Pope said he hopes for an end to acts of violence and extremism, factions and intolerance in the country. The country does not welcome the Pope in the usual ways as the country is in full lock-down due to the virus. His trip continues into the weekend where he plans on visiting the hard hit Christian community of Mosul and visit the “cradle of civilization” the city of Ur.

Somalia

A suicide car bombing in Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu kills at least 20 people. 30 more people have been injured according to local first responders. The blast was near Luul Yemeni restaurant near the port but no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks yet.