SIX DEAD IN ISTANBUL BLAST ERDOGAN SAYS 'SMELLS LIKE TERRORISM'

Istanbul : Six people were killed and 53 others were wounded on Sunday when an explosion rocked a busy pedestrian street in central Istanbul in what Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called a bomb attack that “smells like terrorism”. Ambulances raced to the scene on the packed Istiklal Avenue, which police had quickly cordoned off. The area, in the Beyoglu district of the city, had been crowded as usual at the weekend with shoppers, tourists and families. Video footage showed the moment the blast occurred at 4. 13 pm, sending debris into the air and leaving people lying on the ground, whileothers fled the scene.

“Efforts to defeat the Turkish people through terrorism will fail today just as they did yesterday and as they will again tomorrow,” Erdogan told a news conference in Istanbul. “Our people can rest assured that the culprits behind the attack will be punished as they deserve,” he said, adding thatinitial information suggested “a woman played a part in it”. “It would be wrong to say this is undoubtedly a terrorist attack but the initial developments and initial intelligence from my governor is that it smells like terrorism,” he added.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the blast. But Turkish cities have been targeted in the past by Kurdish separatists, Islamist militants and other groups, including in a series of attacks in 2015 and 2016.

DEMOCRATS HOLD THE SENATE WITH WIN IN NEVADA

The Democratic Party has retained control of the US Senate, winning two close contests in Arizona and Nevada to go up 50-49, with one seat (Georgia) going into a runoff election in December because no candidate could hit the 50% vote required under state laws. With the vice-president having a tie-breaker vote, Democrats have once again edged out Republicans who were tipped by pollsters to win both the Senate and the 435-member House. Winning Georgia would, a distinct possibility now, would be the icing on the cake, freeing vice-president Kamala Harris from babysitting the Senate.

For that matter, even the House results remain on knife’s edge with Republicans struggling to reach the 218 majority mark. With results in 20 seats, mostly from the Democrat-leaning west coast still due, the GOP is leading 211-204. It is now expected to win only a very narrow majority, possible of only one or two seats rather than the 25-50 seat lead it was projected to take. There is still a small possibility Democrats can retain an equally thin majority in the House where they had a five-seat advantage.

The shock results, one of the best in mid-term elections, by a party in control of the White House, has completely changed the political dynamics in America. Bloodletting and circular fire has erupted in the Republican with the establishment GOP unloading on Donald Trump for blowing the chance to win.

A visibly happy President Biden, travelling in east Asia, tweeted, “Tuesday was a good day for America and a good day for democracy—and a strong night for Democrats. He said the Democrats’ midterm election successes sent him into crunch talks with China’s Xi Jinping in a stronger position.

WAR A CATALYST FOR EXPANSION OF NUKE ENERGY: IAEA CHIEF

Despite the continued risk of damage to Ukraine’s largest power plant due to the fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops, the war is acting as a “catalyst” for deployment of nuclear power in many countries, especially those in eastern Europe, the head of International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Mariano Grossi has said.

“I know it is paradoxical… it is not something to be celebrated, but it is happening…,” Grossi said.

Asked whether the war in Ukraine, particularly the threats of use of a nuclear weapon or the risk of damage to a nuclear facility, was dampening interest in nuclear power, Grossi said the reverse seemed to be happening.

“Take (the case of) eastern Europe. The war in Ukraine has been a steroid for (adoption of) nuclear (power). It has made Poland decide to go all the way (opt for nuclear power). No doubts about it. Ukraine (is asking for) more (nuclear power), Czech Republic more, Slovakia more, Romania more, Bulgaria more. All of them. And several of them, almost all of them, with the exception of Poland, are working with Russia (on their nuclear plans). Paradoxical, isn’t it?” Grossi said.

“I wouldn’t say this is something to be celebrated. I am just saying this is happening. Let me put it like this. The war has acted like a catalyst… something that accelerates a process that was already there. Most of the plans (in these countries) already existed. Maybe it is just about the factor of speed. People realise that if energy security is a concern, nuclear power gives you the kind of autonomy or reliability that you need,” he said, adding that Egypt, the host of COP27 meeting, was also in the process of installing nuclear power.

“In a few years, you would have a very good percentage of electricity of nuclear origin in this country,” he said, referring to similar plans in countries like Ghana, Namibia and Kenya.

Grossi said this was happening despite the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine remaining at constant risk of damage due to the war, or from the forced outages of external power at the facility that threaten the shutdown of cooling systems and potential release of radiation.

BIDEN: US SEEKS NO CONFLICT WITH CHINA

Nusa Dua (Indonesia) : US President Joe Biden said on Sunday his country will maintain open communication lines and seek no conflict with China, ahead of what are expected to be tense talks on a range of geopolitical issues at the G20 summit in Indonesia this week. Biden and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are on Monday set to meet face-to-face for the first time since Biden took office, as bilateral relations languish at their worst in decades. Jake Sullivan, a national security adviser to Biden, told reporters the meeting could last “a couple of hours”. Biden, who landed in Bali island after meeting Southeast Asian and East Asian leaders in Cambodia, said the US would “compete vigorously” with Beijing while “ensuring competition does not veer into conflict”.

IRAN ISSUES FIRST DEATH SENTENCE TIED TO ‘PROTEST’ PARTICIPATION: REPORT

Tehran : Iran on Sunday issued its first death sentence linked to participation in “riots”, amid nationwide protests since the death of Mahsa Amini, the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said.

The accused was sentenced in a Tehran court to death for the crime of “setting fire to a government building, disturbing public order, assembly and conspiracy to commit a crime against national security, and an enemy of God and corruption on earth”, one of the most serious offences under Iranian law, Mizan Online reported.

Another court in Tehran sentenced five others to prison terms of between five to 10 years for “gathering and conspiring to commit crimes against national security and disturbing public order”. All those convicted can appeal their sentence, Mizan added. Dozens of peoplehave been killed during the protests, which the authorities have branded as “riots”.

Earlier on Sunday, the judiciary said it had charged more than 750 people in three provinces for involvement in such incidents. Over 2,000 people had already been charged since the potests began in September. Judicial chief for Hormozgan province, Mojtaba Ghahremani, said 164 people had been charged. They face accusations including “incitement to killing”, “harming security forces” and “propaganda against the regime”, Mizan said, adding their trials would begin “from Thursday in the presence of their lawyers”.

Another 276 people were charged in the central province of Markazi.

U.K. GOVT. WARNS OF TAX HIKES THIS WEEK

London : Britain’s treasury chief warned on Sunday of a coming spending crunch and tax increases for cashstrapped Britons as he bids to fill the “black hole” in the country’s finances.

Billing himself as a “Scrooge” figure ahead of Thursday’s Statement, when he will update parliament on the government’s budget measures, Jeremy Hunt said he was forced to make “very difficult decisions” in his attempt to curb inflation. He said he was determined to make an expected recession as shallow as possible, and warned everyone could expect to pay more tax. “I’vebeen explicit that taxes are going to go up,” he said.

He also added government departments could expect to see cuts. “I’m Scrooge who’s going to do things that make sure Christmas is never cancelled,” he said. Hunt is seeking to make up to £60 billion in savings and extra revenue in a bid to tighten up public finances.

6 DIE IN MID-AIR COLLISION OF 2 WWII-ERA PLANES AT US AIR SHOW

Houston : Six people were killed when a pair of World-WarII-era planes collided in mid-air at a show in Texas and crashed to the ground in a ball of fire, authorities said Sunday. “According to our Dallas county medical examiner, there are a total of 6 fatalities from yesterday’s Wings over Dallas air show incident,” Dallas county judge Clay Jenkins said Sunday on Twitter. The accident involved a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a smaller Bell P-63 Kingcobra, the Federal Aviation Administration said Saturday. Dallas mayor Eric Johnson called the incident “a terrible tragedy,” adding that videos of accident “are heartbreaking. ”Multiple videos posted on social media showed dramatic scenes of the smaller plane descending toward the lower-flying B-17 and crashing into it as both flew in loops around the airport. After the collision, the planes appeared to break apart into several large pieces before crashing to the ground and exploding in a ball of fire, creating ahuge plume of black smoke. The crash scattered debris across the airport grounds as well as on a strip mall and a nearby highway, which was closed for hours, Johnson said. Fire and rescue vehicles were already at the show in case of an emergency and responded immediately, authorities said. An estimated 5,000 people were in attendance at the event Saturday.

PAK MINISTRY BANS ‘JOYLAND’, COUNTRY’S OFFICIAL OSCAR ENTRY

Islamabad : Pakistani authorities have banned filmmaker Saim Sadiq’s film “Joyland” alleging that it contains “objectionable material”, months after a certificate was issued clearing the movie for public viewing. “Joyland” is Pakistan’s official Oscar entry. However, objections were recently raised over its contents and the ministry of information and broadcasting banned the filmsaying it does not conform with the country’s “social values and moral standards”. The movie’s theatrical release was on Nov 18. “Joyland” follows a patriarchal family, craving for the birth of a boy to continue the family line, while their youngest son secretly joins an erotic dance theatre and falls for a trans woman.