Rabia Ali
20 July 2023•Update: 20 July 2023
ISTANBUL
Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Thursday, including the storming of the Swedish Embassy in Iraq, billion dollar deals signed between Türkiye and the UAE, a shooting incident in New Zealand, and a warning from Russia.
TOP STORIES
Protesters in Iraq stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad and set it on fire early Thursday over a recent burning in Stockholm of the Quran.
Followers of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stormed the embassy after an Iraqi national burned a copy of the Muslim holy book in Sweden last month.
Videos circulating online showed hundreds of protesters breaching the embassy and waving flags and chanting.
Smoke was rising from the embassy building, according to an Anadolu reporter in Iraq.
Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday signed a total of 13 deals worth $50.7 billion, the Turkish Communications Directorate said.
Both countries have also reached an agreement to establish a High-Level Strategic Council, to be chaired by the presidents of Türkiye and the UAE.
The parties also decided to advance existing cooperation in fields including energy, transportation, infrastructure, and e-commerce.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that country will ensure that relations with the UAE are addressed regularly at the highest level through the high-level strategic council mechanism.
At least two people were killed and several others injured Thursday after a man opened fire at a construction site in Auckland, New Zealand.
''Multiple injuries have been reported, and at this stage, we can confirm two people have died,'' the New Zealand Police said, confirming that he male offender also died, in addition to his victims.
The incident comes ahead of the first match of the FIFA Women's World Cup scheduled for Thursday between New Zealand and Norway.
Police launched an investigation and urged the public to steer clear of the area.
Russia on Wednesday said that it will consider all ships en route to Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea “potential carriers of military cargo,” after Moscow withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative earlier this week.
A Russian Defense Ministry statement said that the decision went into effect as of Wednesday midnight (2100GMT), and that it was taken “in connection with the termination of the Black Sea (Grain) Initiative and the curtailment of the maritime humanitarian corridor.”
“Accordingly, the countries of such vessels will be considered to be involved in the Ukrainian conflict on the side of the Kyiv regime,” the statement added.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- The US is continuing to seek information after an American soldier unlawfully entered North Korea, the White House said
- Ukraine said Tuesday that its forces have advanced against Russian troops on the Kupiansk front in Kharkiv, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Telegram.
- Greece struggled with raging wildfires for the third day in a row on Wednesday, with firefighting planes from France and Italy arriving to help put out the flames.
- A suspected gas explosion ripped apart a busy road in South Africa's biggest city of Johannesburg on Wednesday, damaging several passenger vehicles and injuring dozens of people.
- Thailand’s parliament has delayed its next round of voting to choose the country’s 30th prime minister until next week, a top lawmaker said Wednesday.
- Thousands of writers have urged AI companies to seek permission before incorporating copyrighted works into their technologies.
- Japan’s crime rate rose more than 21% in the first six months of the current year compared to 2022, its first rise in 21 years on a year-on-year basis.
- Facebook parent company Meta's popular WhatsApp messaging service suffered a mass outage on Wednesday in the second such incident in just over a week.
SPORTS
Dutch midfielder Xavi Simons moved to Red Bull Leipzig on a season-long loan from Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.
With 19 goals under his belt, Simons finished the Dutch top-tier Eredivisie as the top goal scorer last season with PSV Eindhoven and was part of the PSV side that won the 2022-23 Dutch Cup.
He helped Paris Saint-Germain win the 2021-22 Ligue 1 title.
Colombian winger Juan Cuadrado on Wednesday inked a contract with Inter Milan on a free transfer until June 30, 2024.
"Juan’s childhood was marked by difficulties, with the young Cuadrado helping his mother pack the fruit she sold at the market," Inter said in a statement.
The Nerazzurri heaped praise on Cuadrado, saying, "His desire to stand out, however, led him to seek joy and happiness in the world of football."
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Euro area annual consumer inflation rate dropped to a 17-month low in June, mainly led by falling energy prices, according to flash estimates released on Wednesday. Consumer prices rose 5.5% year-on-year in June, the slowest hike since January 2022, according to the EU's statistical authority.
Headline inflation slowed from 6.1% in May 2023 and 8.6% in June 2022.
On new agreements signed between Türkiye and the UAE worth around $51 billion, the Turkish Treasury and finance minister said that deals further cemented ties between the two countries.
"We are grateful for the UAE’s continued strong support for Türkiye and their confidence in our program," Mehmet Simsek said at the UAE-Türkiye Business Forum, which was organized by Türkiye's Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) in the capital Abu Dhabi.
