Six In The Morning Sunday 1 October 2023

 

Attackers detonate bomb near Turkish government buildings in Ankara

Two assailants dead and two police injured after blast that president calls ‘last flutters of terrorism’

Ruth Michaelson in Istanbul and agencies

Sun 1 Oct 2023 16.04 BST

Two attackers have detonated a bomb in front of Turkish government buildings in the heart of Ankara, in an assault that left both dead and two police officers wounded.

The blast was the first in the Turkish capital since 2016 and happened less than a mile from the parliament building on Sunday, hours before lawmakers were due to return after a three-month summer break. In a speech to mark the reopening, the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, slammed the morning attack as the “last flutters of terrorism”. He added: “Those who threaten the peace and security of citizens have not achieved their goals and never will.”

Ali Yerlikaya, the interior minister, said on the social media platform X that two attackers approached the general security directorate building at about 9.30am local time on Sunday in a commercial vehicle.

Exodus from Nagorno-KarabakhThe Day Anna, 36, Lost Her Home

Anna Khachatryan had to flee Nagorno-Karabakh with her children when Azerbaijan attacked. Her story is part of a bigger one about the tragedy of the Armenians, who must now fear the looming threat of an even bigger invasion.

By Walter Mayr in Goris, Armenia

"I want the world to see through my eyes what happened in Nagorno-Karabakh," says Anna Khachatryan. That's why she is now sharing her story – that of her expulsion from her homeland.

The dark-haired woman, 36 years old, is sitting on the seventh floor of a hotel together with her husband, four children, grandmother and great-grandmother. She arrived here the day before, in the Armenian provincial town of Goris: the temporary end of a hasty escape from Nagorno-Karabakh, from the self-administered Armenian republic not recognized by the international community that is located in Azerbaijani territory.

Outside, in front of the hotel, scenes of a biblical-like exodus are playing out: People squeeze out of overcrowded minibuses and cars around the clock, stuffing their remaining belongings into plastic bags and suitcases.

Slovakia election: Strongman Robert Fico's return to power

Elections in Slovakia saw former Prime Minister Robert Fico secure the most votes. His victory threatens to turn the small Central European country away from Western partners.

Former strongman Prime Minster Robert Fico returned to power on September 30 when he won parliamentary elections in Slovakia, defeating his liberal rivals by some margin.

With almost all the votes counted, Fico's Smer-SD party took 23.3%, beating the liberal Progressive Slovakia (PS) party that garnered just below 18%.

Five other parties crossed the 5% threshold to enter parliament following a high-profile race driven by Fico's unlikely political resurrection. The turnout of 68.5% was the highest in 20 years.

His victory has many ramifications for the Central European country and will likely weaken Western unity regarding Ukraine.

Myanmar residents of Japan vow to help 2 million displaced in homeland

Myanmar residents of Japan held a fundraising event in Tokyo over the weekend to help provide support for the approximately 2 million people displaced in the military's crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in the strife-torn country.

At the Federal Festival in Tokyo's Ikebukuro shopping and entertainment district, members of ethnic minority groups performed traditional music and dancing and offered local dishes and crafts to showcase Myanmar's diversity as a country with more than 100 ethnic groups.

"With proceeds from this event, we would like to help ethnic minority people in Myanmar...suffering due to the military crackdown," Khin Zay Yar Myint, one of the organizers, told Kyodo News on Saturday.

Who is Mohamed Muizzu, Maldives’s pro-China president-elect?

The opposition candidate beats the incumbent, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who is considered pro-India.

Voters in the Indian Ocean archipelago of Maldives on Saturday elected opposition leader Mohamed Muizzu as the country’s president, giving him 54 percent of the votes, according to preliminary results.

Muizzu, candidate for the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), roundly defeated incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and is set to be sworn in on November 17.

Redonda: Tiny Caribbean island’s transformation to wildlife haven

By Gemma Handy

St John's, Antigua

The incredible eco-restoration of one tiny Caribbean island - transformed from desolate rock to verdant wildlife haven in just a few years - has captured the imagination of environmentalists worldwide.

Now the tenacious Antiguans and Barbudans who led the metamorphosis of the country's little known third isle of Redonda are celebrating another impressive feat.

The mile-long spot has been officially designated a protected area by the country's government, ensuring its status as a pivotal nesting site for migrating birds and a home for species found nowhere else on Earth is preserved for posterity.