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AFP / Bulent Kilic

Baghdad tries Islamic State

Sarah Benhaida Tuesday 4 June 2019

"One swears he sold chickens in Syria; another that he was a doctor, not a killer; a third that he was kicked out of the Islamic State jihadist group because he was too lazy; a fourth that he managed to get a salary as a fighter without actually doing anything," writes Sarah Benhaida, Baghdad bureau chief.

"But the stories of these Frenchmen who had traveled to the Middle East to join the IS extremists don’t seem to move the Iraqi judge hearing them in Baghdad."

"One by one, he condemns the men to death."

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AFP / Mauro Pimentel

Broken-Foot’s adventures in the Amazon

Johannes Myburgh Tuesday 4 June 2019

"After five years as a video journalist in South America, I’ve found that a healthy dose of humor is essential for the job," writes Johannes Myburgh, a video journalist based in Brazil.

"To help digest 'heavy' topics like conflict, disasters and politics, but often just to get through a dreamy assignment that goes off kilter because of one little slip."

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AFP / Ahmad Muwafaq

A tale of two cities

Maya Gebeily Friday 24 May 2019

"What I slowly absorbed after a few days in post-IS Mosul -- and its Syrian twin city Raqa a few weeks later -- is that what comes (war) after is infinitely more complex to chart out and to report faithfully," writes Maya Gebeily, who has covered the conflicts in Iraq and Syria over the past several years.

"There is no step-by-step strategy to rebuild a city's spirit. There's no unified command-and-control center.  It's usually not even clear what victory is supposed to look like or when it can be declared."

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AFP / Jewel Samad

Reporting under lese majeste

Sophie Deviller Tuesday 21 May 2019

"As Thailand readied to hold its first coronation in 70 years, rich in pageantry and rituals, I faced a tricky situation," writes Sophie Deviller, a journalist based in Bangkok.

"As a journalist, my job was to write as much as possible about the new sovereign and his reign. But in Thailand, writing the wrong thing about the king can cost you your freedom."

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Surviving Venezuela

Maria Isabel Sanchez Tuesday 7 May 2019

"Blood stains on the ground. That’s how my masochistic relationship with Venezuela began," writes Maria Isabel Sachez, who has just finished up a three and a half year posting as AFP bureau chief in the crisis-torn country.

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