Powerful Iran-Iraq earthquake is deadliest of 2017, 452 confirmed DEAD!

By Shirzad Bozorgmehr and James Masters, CNN

Updated 1810 GMT (0210 HKT) November 13, 2017

If you are in a safe place and have video from the earthquake, you can share it with CNN via WhatsApp at +1 347 322 0415. Please do not put yourself in danger.

Tehran, Iran (CNN)At least 452 people were killed and thousands injured after a powerful earthquake struck near the border of Iran and Iraq late Sunday.

The earthquake is the deadliest of the year, eclipsing the one that hit Mexico City in September, and was felt as far away as Turkey and Pakistan.

Around 100 of the dead are believed to be from one town in Iran's Kermanshah province, the country's semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

Iran: 445 people confirmed dead, 7,100 injured, Iran's Press TV has reported Monday afternoon.

Northern Iraq: 7 people dead in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, said Rekawt Hama Rasheed, the health minister of the Kurdish Regional Government. Iraq's health ministry added that 535 people were injured.

Rescue efforts: Authorities in Iran and Iraq have initiated rescue operations; Iran has declared three days of mourning.

What happened

The earthquake hit late Sunday night with the epicenter in a rural area on the Iranian side of the border, just south of the Iraqi city of Halabja, according to the US Geological Survey, which tracks earthquake activity around the world.

The quake was at a depth of 23 km (just over 14 miles), which is considered shallow, according to the survey. It was felt across the region with aftershocks hitting Pakistan, Lebanon, Kuwait and Turkey, news agencies in those countries reported.

Iraq's Meteorological Organization issued a warning on Iraqi state TV urging citizens to stay away from buildings and to refrain from using elevators.

Iranians mourn over the body of a victim following a 7.3-magnitude earthquake in Sarpol-e Zahab in Iran's western province of Kermanshah.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani planned to travel to Kermanshah to oversee rescue work on Tuesday, Iranian state TV reported. The country's interior and health ministers are already there to supervise the rescue operations, it said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi tweeted Monday that he "instructed civil defense teams and health and aid agencies to do all that they can to provide assistance" to those affected by the quake.

Meanwhile in Iran, the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sent a message of condolence and urged military and civilian help to be dispatched to quake victims.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard was reportedly traveling to the affected areas to help with rescue efforts, according to Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society was working in the hard-hit areas Monday with sniffer dogs, debris-removal teams, and teams offering emergency shelter and treatment, said Mansoureh Bagheri, a spokeswoman for the Iranian Red Crescent in Tehran.

More than 500 villages in the region suffered damage, Bagheri told CNN.

In Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, four people were killed in Darbandikhan, where a dam was hit by falling rocks. Rahman Shikhani, the head of the Darbandikhan Dam, told CNN that cracks were spotted in the upper part of the structure but there was no water leakage.

A man checks the interior of a damaged house after an earthquake in the city of Darbandikhan.

Meanwhile hundreds of people were injured in the region, though most of these were minor injuries, said Rasheed, the health minister.

What eyewitnesses saw

Majida Ameer, who lives in the south of Baghdad, said she ran to the streets with her three children after the quake hit late Sunday.

"I was sitting with my kids having dinner and suddenly the building was just dancing in the air," Ameer told Reuters.

"I thought at first that it was a huge bomb. But then I heard everyone around me screaming: 'Earthquake!'"

Iranian rescuers search the wreckage of a building in the city of Pole-Zahab in Kermanshah Province, Iran.

Pourya Badrkhani, a music teacher in Kermanshah, Iran, told CNN he was sitting at home watching television when the quake hit.

Badrkhani said he rushed out of his home along with his family and joined neighbors on the streets.

He said people were donating blood to help the injured while others have volunteered to go and help the border cities, which he says were the worst affected.

Previous earthquakes

Iran sits on a major fault line between the Arabian and Eurasian plates and has experienced a number of earthquakes in the past.

The deadliest this century occurred in 2003 when a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the southeastern city of Bam, killing some 26,000 people.

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Trump doesn't raise human rights violations with Duterte

Pia Ranada

@piaranada

Published 2:20 PM, November 13, 2017

BILATERAL MEETING. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte meets with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the 31st ASEAN Summit, November 13, 2017. Photo from Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque

MANILA, Philippines – Going against the request of human rights groups and American lawmakers, United States President Donald Trump did not raise the issue of human rights violations with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

This was according to Philippine Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, in a statement sent to media minutes after the end of the bilateral meeting held on Monday, November 13.

"The issue of human rights did not arise. It was not brought up," said Roque. (READ: The defeaning silence of ASEAN on human rights violations)

Past midnight Sunday, November 12, Duterte said he was sure Trump wouldn't raise the issue of extrajudicial killings during their scheduled meeting in Manila.

However, on Monday, Duterte himself introduced his controversial drug war as a topic of conversation. Trump did not voice any stance on the matter, but was nodding at the Philippine leader.

"It was President Duterte who brought up with President Trump the drug menace in the Philippines, and the US president appeared sympathetic and did not have any official position on the matter but was merely nodding his head," said Roque.

Trump assured his fellow firebrand leader that he had "always been a friend of the Duterte administration."

"[Trump] stressed that he can be counted upon as a friend of the Duterte administration," Roque added.

The controversial American leader set himself apart from his predecessor, Barack Obama, who had criticized Duterte's war on drugs and cautioned him to do it "the right way."

"I have been your friend since I was elected. My predecessor was not your friend," said Trump. – Rappler.com

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LIST of 31st ASEAN Summit: World leaders attending ASEAN 2017 in the Philippines

Paterno Esmaquel II

@paterno_ii

Published 8:06 PM, November 10, 2017

COMING TO MANILA. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is among the regional and world leaders who will join the 31st ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings. AFP PHOTO / KENA BETANCUR

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines announced that at least 20 world leaders have confirmed their attendance at the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits from November 12 to 14.

"This series of meetings is the largest gathering of world leaders that the Philippines will be hosting during this chairmanship year," Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman Robespierre Bolivar said in a press briefing Friday evening, November 10. (READ: Schedule of Activities: ASEAN Summit, November 12-14, 2017)

Bolivar said the following heads of state and heads of government have confirmed their attendance:

ASEAN members

Brunei – Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei
Cambodia – Prime Minister Hun Sen 
Indonesia – President Joko Widodo 
Laos – Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith
Malaysia – Prime Minister Najib Razak
Myanmar – State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi
Singapore – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong 
Thailand – Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha
Vietnam – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc

Dialogue partners

Australia – Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull 
Canada – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 
China – Premier Li Keqiang
European Council – President Donald Tusk
Japan – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
India – Prime Minister Narendra Modi
New Zealand – Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
Russia – Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev 
South Korea – President Moon Jae-In
United States – President Donald Trump
United Nations – Secretary General Antonio Guterres

"Their attendance at the Manila summit is a testament to the deep and strong bonds between ASEAN and our dialogue partners, and to the keen interest of these countries and the United Nations to continue to forge strategic cooperation on areas of shared interest," Bolivar said. 

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Duterte, Trump meet for the first time

Pia Ranada

@piaranada

Published 1:29 PM, November 11, 2017

FIRST ENCOUNTER. Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Bong Go takes a photo of the first encounter between US President Donald Trump and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Photo from SAP Bong Go/Malacañang

MANILA, Philippines – After two phone conversations, the two leaders finally met.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte interacted in person with US President Donald Trump for the first time on Saturday, November 11, during an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) event in Vietnam.

The two firebrand leaders met on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting Retreat, which was attended by other APEC leaders in Da Nang, Vietnam.

Special Assistant to the President Bong Go sent reporters a photo of the moment. It showed Trump, with a frown on his face, speaking to the Philippine leader, who was wearing a slight smile.

According to Malacañang, Trump told Duterte, "See you tomorrow." He was likely referring to his visit to Manila starting Sunday, November 12, to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque Jr also told reporters the brief meeting was "very warm and cordial."

The APEC gathering was hosted by Vietnamese President Trần Đại Quang. Also present were Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

The meeting of the two leaders has been much awaited, given the headline-grabbing personalities and leadership styles of the two.

Trump, like Duterte, is fond of colorful verbal attacks against his critics. Both have unconventional governance styles that some perceive as a challenge to elitist politics.

But there are key differences as well. While Trump has had no experience in public service, Duterte has been a mayor for over two decades and served one term as a congressman.

While Trump has championed immigration policies banning nationals of Muslim-dominated countries from the US, Duterte embraces Muslim culture and counts Muslims among his relatives.

Trump is also an unpopular US president while Duterte continues to enjoy the approval of a majority of Filipinos, according to local surveys.

Prior to their meeting, the two had spoken on the phone.

Their first phone conversation was after Trump's victory in the US presidential elections last year. Duterte spoke with him on the phone to congratulate him. (READ: Duterte impersonates Trump, shares their conversation)

The second was when Trump called Duterte after the ASEAN Summit in Manila in April. (READ: Duterte told Trump to 'keep the pressure' on N. Korea) – Rappler.com

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Newly opened Louvre Abu Dhabi a 'bridge between civilizations'

French President Emmanuel Macron says the museum and its artworks from Europe, Africa and Asia are proof that "our religions, our civilizations are linked"

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – More than a decade in the making, the Louvre Abu Dhabi opened its doors Wednesday, winning praise from visiting French President Emmanuel Macron as a "bridge between civilisations" and religions.

On his first official visit to the Middle East, Macron and his wife Brigitte were greeted at the museum by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashed al-Maktoum.

Macron, who is also scheduled to hold talks with Emirati officials, toured the 12-gallery museum – the first to carry the famed Louvre brand outside France – shortly after touching down in Abu Dhabi, along with the heads of state of Morocco and Afghanistan.

The new museum was a "bridge between civilizations", he said at the opening. "Those who seek to say that Islam is the destruction of other religions are liars."

Macron said the museum and its artworks from Europe, Africa and Asia were proof that "our religions, our civilizations are linked."

The opening comes a decade after France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to a 30-year partnership initially reported to be worth $1.1 billion, including nearly half a billion dollars for the rights to the Louvre brand alone.

The museum design, by France's Pritzker prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, conjures up the image of an Arab medina as seen through the eyes of a contemporary cinematographer.

A silver-toned dome with perforated arabesque patterns appears to float over the white galleries, creating what Nouvel describes as a "rain of light".

To reach the ground, each ray of light must cross eight layers of perforations, creating a constantly shifting pattern that mimics the shadows cast by palm trees or the roof of a traditional Arab market.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi is the first of three museums to open on Saadiyat Island, where the UAE plans to launch the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, designed by Frank Gehry, and Norman Foster's Zayed National Museum.

Some five percent of the museum, which will open to the public on Saturday, is dedicated to contemporary and modern art, including a monumental piece by China's Ai Weiwei.

His 23-foot-high "Fountain of Light" is a spiralling structure draped in crystals inspired by communist plans for a massive monument that never actually saw the light of day.

300 pieces on loan

The main focus, however, is on world history and religions.

Among the exhibits are an early Koran, a gothic Bible and a Yemenite Torah, facing each other and open at verses carrying the same message.

Jean-Luc Martinez, president of the Louvre in Paris, said the new museum was designed "to open up to others, to understand diversity" in "a multipolar world".

It currently has some 300 pieces on loan, including an 1887 self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh and Leonardo da Vinci's "La Belle Ferronniere".

The oil-rich Gulf emirate has also spent years quietly building its own permanent collection.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi is displaying more than 235 works of art from the Emirati collection, including Edouard Manet's "The Gypsy" and works by Dutch abstract artist Piet Mondrian and Turkey's Osman Hamdi Bey.

The authorities have put in place strict measures to protect the art from the heat in a country where summer temperatures soar well above 40 degrees Celsius (more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit).

The artworks are also guarded by Emirati forces in coordination with French experts.

The museum expects to welcome around 5,000 visitors in the first few days which follow the public opening on November 11, according to Mohammed al-Mubarak, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Culture and Tourism Authority.

"Because this is an international museum, we're expecting visitors from around the world," Mubarak said during a media tour ahead of Wednesday's inauguration ceremony.

"So a museum visitor from China will find something that speaks to her, to her history. A visitor from India will find the same."

The Louvre Abu Dhabi project initially sparked heated debate in France, where criticism erupted early on over the sale of a French name to an Arab state.

Questions of labour rights have also hung over the project, linked to the overall status of migrant workers in the Gulf.

The opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi comes after a more than five-year delay. 

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Duterte to ask China to clarify plans in West PH Sea

But Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he will not bring up the Hague ruling during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Vietnam.

SECURITY ISSUES. President Rodrigo Duterte presides over the joint AFP-PNP Command Conference on November 6, 2017. Malacañang file photo

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte plans to bring up the country's rights to territory in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) when he holds a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Vietnam this week.

"I'm going to APEC tomorrow. And we have the bilaterals... It would be at the time that I will be frank with China also," said Duterte on Tuesday, November 7, during a speech in front of the Philippine Marines.

"But you will have to trust me that I will go there but I will assert something, and that is our inherent right one day, really put at stake to what we think is ours," he added.

In the same speech, however, the President said now is "not the time" to bring up the landmark Hague ruling which Manila won against Beijing in 2016.

Doing so, he said, would stir up a hornet's nest since there are other countries with claims to parts of the West Philippine Sea.

"Because if we assert and go there, the other countries, Malaysia I'm sure and Indonesia would also begin to push for what they think is their territory. I hope you understand that because I cannot afford to go to war. You know, I know that it would end up in a massacre," said Duterte.

Such a conflict would "change the entire landscape of Southeast Asia if something goes wrong," said the President. (READ: Duterte: Why should I defend West PH Sea sandbar?)

Duterte will be in Vietnam for the APEC Summit from November 8 to 11. Vietnam is another country with claims to parts of the West Philippine Sea.

In the same speech, Duterte expressed his hope that Xi would "honor" his promise not to reclaim land in Scarborough Shoal, which both their countries are claiming. (READ: Malacañang keeps faith in China despite 'island-maker')

He also described the Philippines as "best of friends" with the United States, the world power the Philippines enjoys the longest military ties with.

The day before, Duterte presided over a joint military and police command conference where the West Philippine Sea was among the topics discussed. – Rappler.com

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