Earthquake in Morocco Kills Thousands |
Friday’s 6.8-magnitude earthquake has killed almost 2,500 people (WaPo), Morocco’s interior ministry said. It was the strongest quake to hit the country in more than a century. Thousands more have been wounded, while more than three hundred thousand people have been affected, according to the United Nations. Many of the areas most affected by the earthquake are remote villages near the epicenter in the High Atlas Mountains, about fifty miles southeast of Marrakesh.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has mobilized the army’s search and rescue teams to help find survivors and has accepted assistance (Al Jazeera) from several countries, including Qatar, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The number of casualties is expected to rise amid ongoing search and rescue operations, which are anticipated to be complicated by fallen debris and blocked roads.
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“This earthquake is not a mere incident, but a full-blown disaster of unprecedented magnitude for Morocco,” Mohammed V University’s Hassan Aourid tells Al Jazeera. “In comparison to previous quakes, like the one that hit in 2004, wiping out a city, this disaster’s scope is even broader, leaving indelible scars on our people.”
“The reality is that the moment you step out of Marrakesh, the people are essentially living as if they are back in the Middle Ages because of the absence of the state,” Stanford University’s Samia Errazzouki tells the Washington Post. “And that is just on a day-to-day basis. And then you compound that with a natural disaster of this magnitude.”
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U.S., Vietnam Deepen Relations |
U.S. President Joe Biden met with Vietnamese General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng and upgraded bilateral relations (Nikkei) to a “comprehensive strategic partnership” during a visit to Hanoi yesterday. Biden said the agreement is not intended to “hurt China.” The two countries also announced new military and technology deals.
North Korea/Russia: A train carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left for Russia yesterday (Bloomberg) ahead of his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, South Korean media reported. They are expected to discuss the possibility of North Korea providing weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine.
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Pakistan Cracks Down on Cross-Border Smuggling |
During a press conference yesterday, interim Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti said that prize money would be given (Dawn) to citizens who provide information on smuggling, hoarding, and illegal immigrants. Sugar prices in parts of the country have hit record levels due to the smuggling of the commodity into Afghanistan.
India: Thousands of drivers for transport companies Ola and Uber in the city of Bengaluru went on strike today (Reuters) to protest a state government’s plan that allows women to travel free on some public buses.
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Middle East and North Africa |
U.S., Bahrain to Sign Economic, Security Agreement |
Bahraini Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa is expected to sign the agreement (Axios) during a visit to Washington this week, according to three sources briefed on the issue. The agreement reportedly includes a U.S. commitment to provide Bahrain with assistance should it face an imminent security threat. |
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Gabon Junta Plans Two-Year Democratic Transition |
The timeline to return to civilian rule is a “reasonable objective,” newly appointed Prime Minister Raymond Ndong Sima told AFP. Gabon’s military junta, which seized power in a coup last month, has promised to put a proposed new constitution to a referendum.
Sudan: At least forty-three people have died (AP) after a drone struck an open market yesterday in a neighborhood south of Sudan’s capital, the Sudan Doctors’ Union said. More than four thousand people have been killed since fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and a rival paramilitary force in April, according to the United Nations.
This In Brief by CFR’s Mariel Ferragamo and Diana Roy looks at Sudan’s humanitarian crisis.
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Germany’s Foreign Minister Makes Surprise Visit to Ukraine |
Annalena Baerbock arrived in Kyiv today (DW) on an unannounced trip, where she is expected to discuss Germany’s ongoing economic and military support, as well as Ukraine’s bid for European Union (EU) membership. She said that Germany supports EU accession for Ukraine, but noted the country first needs more reform on corruption in order to join the bloc.
Ukraine: Ukrainian troops have recaptured (France 24, AFP, AP, Reuters) several offshore drilling platforms near the coast of Russia-occupied Crimea that have been held by Russia since 2015, Ukrainian military intelligence said.
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Leaders of Chile, Mexico Call for Democracy 50 Years After Pinochet Coup |
Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador called for a strengthening of democracy (Reuters) in Latin America during a joint address in Santiago yesterday to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the coup that brought Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet Ugarte to power.
Venezuela: Government bond prices have rallied in recent weeks (FT) amid talk that the United States could provide sanctions relief in exchange for free and fair elections. Bonds are now trading at ten to eleven cents on the dollar, up from eight to nine cents a few weeks ago.
This In Brief by CFR’s Diana Roy looks at the effect of U.S. sanctions on Venezuela.
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U.S. Marks 22 Years Since 9/11 |
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