Daily Brief: Major Quake Kills Hundreds in Iran, Iraq

Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. November 13, 2017 Daily News Brief   TOP OF THE AGENDA Major Quake Kills Hundreds in Iran, Iraq At least 349 people are reported dead in Iran and Iraq following a 7.3-magnitude earthquake late on Sunday, with casualties falling heavily on the Iranian side of the border. Iranian authorities have reported at least 341 dead and more than five thousand injured in cities near the border (IRNA) while, in Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region, at least eight people were killed (NYT) and five hundred injured. The EU foreign policy chief has offered humanitarian aid to Iran (Al Jazeera) and a Turkish cargo plane carrying aid and emergency personnel (AP) has arrived in northern Iraq. Iran, which sits along numerous fault lines, saw tens of thousands die (AFP) in major earthquakes in 1990 and 2003.  ANALYSIS "[Iranian] Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Jafari [said] that the rebuilding carried out in Iran's border areas which were destroyed during the deadly war with Iraq in the 1980s had prevented a lot of casualties," Najmeh Bozorgmehr and Monavar Khalaj write for the Financial Times. "After [Iran's 2012] quake, the United States, which does not maintain normal diplomatic relations with Iran, sent several planeloads of aid," Thomas Erdbrink writes for the New York Times. "The big driver here is the clash between the Arabia and Eurasia tectonic plates. The former is pushing north by a couple of centimeters a year," Jonathan Amos writes for the BBC. PACIFIC RIM Trump Boasts 'Great' Relationship With Duterte U.S. President Donald J. Trump met with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (NYT) on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' summit in Manila. A spokeswoman for Trump said the pair "briefly" spoke about human rights (Phil Star) in the context of Manila's crackdown on illegal drugs. CFR's Joshua Kurlantzick writes in World Politics Review that Duterte is failing to deliver where it matters. VIETNAM: During a visit to Vietnam over the weekend (Al Jazeera), President Trump urged Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to buy U.S. weapons systems, saying the United States makes "the greatest missiles in the world" (White House). This CFR Backgrounder looks at the evolution of U.S.-Vietnam ties. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Blasphemy Law Protesters Block Islamabad Highway Hundreds of protesters opposing a revision to one of Pakistan's blasphemy laws (Al Jazeera) have blocked a main entrance into the capital city. The demonstrators are calling on the law and justice minister to resign even after the legislation has been amended to return to its original language. INDIA: Hundreds of activists gathered on Sunday for New Delhi's tenth annual gay pride parade (AP), even as same-sex relations continue to be illegal in the country.  MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Saudi Arabia to Reopen Yemeni Ports The Saudi mission to the United Nations said on Monday it will reopen all Yemeni ports under its control and requested that UN inspectors monitor the areas to prevent weapons smuggling (DW). The United Nations and tens of international aid groups condemned Saudi Arabia's closure of the ports last week, saying it could push millions of Yemenis to "starvation and death" (WSJ).  SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Report: A Hundred Militants Dead in U.S., Somali Strikes Three U.S. air strikes and a Somali mine-planting operation killed up to a hundred alleged members of the militant group al-Shabab (NYT) over the last week. The latest strikes bring the United States' total (AP) for attacks in Somalia this year to twenty-six. SOMALIA: Voters in the breakaway region of Somaliland cast their ballots for a new president (Bloomberg) on Monday as President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud is set to step down after seven years in power. EUROPE Spanish Prime Minister Visits Catalan Capital Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy visited Barcelona for the first time (Guardian) since Madrid imposed direct rule in Catalonia following an October independence referendum by the regional government. Rajoy said regional elections next month will help Catalonia recover from the "havoc of separatism." TURKEY: The Turkish embassy in Washington has called U.S. media reports alleging former White House aide Michael Flynn was offered millions of dollars to kidnap and deliver a U.S.-based cleric (BBC) sought by Turkey "ludicrous." AMERICAS Venezuela Heads Into Debt Restructuring Talks A new debt renegotiation committee in Caracas will meet with creditors on Monday (DW) for talks on restructuring some $60 billion in bonds to Venezuela (Reuters). U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan officials involved in the negotiations are expected to keep many foreign creditors from participating.  CFR's Michael P. Dempsey writes in The Hill that the U.S. public should not ignore the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. ARGENTINA: German automaker Volkswagen has announced it will invest $650 million (LAHT) in a plant in the town of Pacheco; President Mauricio Macri welcomed the move as a signal of a favorable investment climate in Argentina. UNITED STATES Former Intel Chiefs: Trump Vulnerable to Foreign Leaders Former national intelligence chief James Clapper and former CIA head John Brennan have warned that President Trump could be "played by foreign leaders" (Guardian). The comments came after Trump said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin's denials of interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. GLOBAL Report: Carbon Emissions to Rise After Four Years Global carbon dioxide emissions are predicted to rise by 2 percent this year (BBC), according to a report from the international research consortium Global Carbon Project. Emissions in China are predicted to jump 3.5 percent (FT) as the country has entered an economic recovery, in part due to boosts in coal and steel prices last year.         Council on Foreign Relations — 58 East 68th Street — New York, NY 10065 CFR does not share email addresses with third parties. Forward This Email | Subscribe to CFR Newsletters | Unsubscribe - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  

From: dailybrief@e.cfr.org

Date: November 13, 2017 at 11:07PM