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Ethiopia Releases Scores of Prisoners Amid Calls for Change

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Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. February 23, 2018 Daily News Brief   TOP OF THE AGENDA Ethiopia Releases Scores of Prisoners Amid Calls for Change Ethiopia released 1,500 prisoners in the country's Somali Region, the latest in a series of mass prisoner releases as the government struggles to address rising social and political unrest since 2015. The Thursday release follows the surprise resignation of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn last week. Hailemariam, who remains in office until the ruling coalition appoints a new leader, said the prisoner releases are meant to increase "political space" (Reuters). Some six thousand people have been freed in the past month (VOA), including opposition figures and members of the media. A state of emergency declared after Hailemariam's resignation, however, has sparked new protests and objections by international partners, with the United States saying restrictions on civil liberties undermine "recent positive steps" in the country (U.S. Embassy). ANALYSIS "The turmoil in Ethiopia requires political solutions, not the same old repressive measures that have brought the country to the brink of collapse," Mohammed Ademo writes for African Arguments. "A change of guard is not what the people want," Tsedale Lemma said in an interview with Al Jazeera. "Somehow, the new prime minister will have to find a way to balance the demands of the protesters, who will expect immediate, demonstrable change, with the needs of the powerful securocrats in the ruling coalition," Simon Allison writes for Mail and Guardian. CFR Event: World Bank President Jim Yong Kim discusses human capital and the future of global economic growth and security. Watch today at 1:00 p.m. (EST).   PACIFIC RIM Australia's Deputy PM Resigns Over Sex Scandal Barnaby Joyce resigned as deputy prime minister after revelations of an extramarital affair and his use of an apartment donated by a supporter for Joyce and his pregnant mistress. Two women had also accused him of sexual harassment (NYT). CAMBODIA: The Cambodian Center for Independent Media, a watchdog group, said press freedom "collapsed" last year (VOA) following the closure of dozens of media outlets. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Afghan Tract of Regional Pipeline Underway Leaders from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan, along with a top Indian diplomat, marked the start of construction for a portion of a multibillion dollar pipeline that will transport Turkmen natural gas to the region (RFE/RL). INDIA: Canada's high commission in New Delhi said it rescinded an invitation sent to an Indian businessman convicted of attempted murder (Guardian) for a dinner with visiting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA UN to Vote on Syria Cease-Fire Amid Protest by Russia Russia's UN envoy said a resolution calling for a nationwide temporary cease-fire in Syria is "simply unrealistic," requesting changes (AP) before an expected UN Security Council vote on Friday. IRAN: The deputy foreign minister said that the "atmosphere of uncertainty" over the future of the Iran nuclear deal has made it difficult for Tehran to stay in the pact (Al Jazeera) and warned of a potential nuclear crisis if the deal breaks down. CFR's Philip H. Gordon and Ray Takeyh discuss the future of the Iran nuclear deal on this episode of the President's Inbox. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Kenya to Implement IMF Reforms The finance minister said he will comply with International Monetary Fund conditions to halve the government's deficit over the next three years and reform a cap on bank lending rates to gain access to a $1.5 billion emergency standby fund (FT) that is set to expire next month. EUROPE Greek Lawmakers Approve Probe Into Bribery Scheme Ten politicians, including two former prime ministers, will be investigated over alleged bribes they accepted from the Swiss pharmaceutical firm Novartis (BBC). The scheme reportedly led to nearly $5 billion in losses (Guardian) for Greece's health system. AMERICAS Haiti Suspends Oxfam's UK Branch Haiti announced a two-month suspension of the charity Oxfam Great Britain while it investigates charges of sexual misconduct by its employees (NYT). Oxfam acknowledged that aid workers held parties with local prostitutes on company premises. ARGENTINA: Argentina's security service revealed that it foiled a plot to smuggle cocaine (BBC) through the Russian embassy’s diplomatic courier service. UNITED STATES Mueller Files New Indictments in Russia Probe The U.S. special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election filed bank and tax fraud charges (FT) against former Trump campaign officials Paul Manafort and Richard Gates. This CFR Backgrounder lays out the charges of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The Pentagon said U.S. military leaders were told by their Russian counterparts (RFE/RL) that there were no Russians in a paramilitary outfit hit in a counterstrike by the United States in eastern Syria earlier this month. Russia said that dozens of its citizens fighting in the region were among the casualties. Dmitri Trenin discusses Russia's endgame in Syria in Foreign Affairs. GLOBAL UNICEF Deputy Resigns Over Harassment Charges The deputy director of the UN children's agency resigned following complaints by female staff of sexual misconduct (Al Jazeera).         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: February 23, 2018 at 11:10PM