July 21, 2023

*) Iraq expels Swedish ambassador in response to Quran desecration in Sweden Iraq's prime minister has ordered the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador from Iraq and the withdrawal of the Iraqi charge d’affaires from Sweden as a man desecrated a copy of the Quran in Stockholm. Thursday's diplomatic blowup came hours after protesters angered by the planned burning of a copy of the Quran stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad, breaking into the compound and lighting a small fire. Online videos showed demonstrators at the diplomatic post waving flags and signs showing the Iraqi Shia cleric and political leader Muqtada al Sadr before a planned burning of the Islamic holy book in Stockholm by an Iraqi asylum-seeker who burned a copy of the Quran in a previous demonstration last month. *) ​​Israel's Netanyahu doubles down on judicial plan despite mass protests Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead with his contentious judicial overhaul, despite unprecedented mass protests at home, growing defections by military reservists. Netanyahu’s message set the stage for stepped-up street protests in the coming days leading up to a fateful vote expected on Monday. Thousands of people marched through central Tel Aviv on Thursday night, while others continued a roughly 70-kilometre march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. *) Macron reshuffles cabinet to revive second term French President Emmanuel Macron reshuffled his government as he looks to move on from a series of crises since his re-election last year, government sources said. After weeks of speculation that he might change the prime minister, the 45-year-old head of state said on Monday that he was sticking with under-fire Elisabeth Borne. Advisers and ministers had long argued over whether the centrist should carry out a major overhaul of the cabinet to signal a fresh start, but in the end the reshuffle was limited in scope. *) Erdogan urges world to lift unfair restrictions from Northern Cyprus Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged