July 20, 2023

*) Iraqi protesters torch Sweden's embassy in Baghdad Hundreds of protesters have stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad in protest against the expected desecration of the Muslim holy book Quran in Sweden. The Swedish Foreign Ministry said embassy staff are "safe" following the torching of the building. Meanwhile, Iraq's Foreign Ministry condemned the incident and ordered security forces to carry out a swift investigation to identify perpetrators. *) ​​US alleges Russia preparing to hit civilian ships in Black Sea A senior White House official has alleged that Russia is considering attacks on civilian ships carrying grain from Ukraine on the Black Sea. National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge also said, without giving evidence, that Russia would blame Ukrainian forces for the attacks. Meanwhile, Russia said one person was killed by a Ukrainian drone strike in Crimea, and Ukraine said at least nine were wounded in a Russian strike on Mykolaiv. *) Türkiye, UAE sign 13 agreements worth $50.7B Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates have signed a total of 13 deals worth $50.7 billion. This is according to a statement by the Turkish Communications Directorate. The directorate said that both sides agreed to establish a High-Level Strategic Council to be chaired by the two presidents. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country will ensure that relations with the UAE are addressed regularly at the highest level through the council. Earlier, Erdogan and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan led delegation-level talks in Abu Dhabi. *) Colombia searches for more bodies as landslide death toll climbs Heavy rains have complicated the search for nine people still missing after a landslide that killed at least 20 in central Colombia. More than 400 military troops, firefighters, and other rescue workers are searching for survivors. Fifteen bodies, four of them children, had been recovered on Tuesday before the search was temporarily called off due to bad weather. The other fiv