Six dead after blast rocks busy Istiklal pedestrian street in Istanbul
Six people were killed and 81 others 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”.
Hundreds of people fled the historic Istiklal Avenue after the blast, as ambulances and police raced in. The area, in the Beyoglu district of Turkey’s largest city, had been crowded as usual at the weekend with shoppers, tourists and families.
Video footage obtained by Reuters showed the moment the explosion occurred at 4.13pm (1313 GMT), sending debris into the air and leaving several people lying on the ground, while others stumbled away.
Hours after the explosion, Vice-President Fuat Oktay visited the site to give the latest death and injury toll, and promised to resolve the matter “very soon”.
Anger, defiance in famous Istanbul area rocked by blast
Istanbul’s popular Istiklal Avenue was still buzzing with tourists and onlookers late Sunday afternoon, hours after a deadly blast rocked the area.
One couple ran down the street, tears in their eyes.
Hours earlier the explosion, which Turkey’s president said had “a smell of terror”, tore through the busy shopping street, killing six and wounding dozens more.
Hundreds of thousands rally to defend Madrid public healthcare
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators rallied in Madrid on Sunday in defence of the region’s primary care services, warning that plans to overhaul the system would “destroy” local healthcare.
On a sunny afternoon, huge crowds rallied at four points across the capital and marched on city hall in a mass protest under the slogan: “Madrid rallies in support of public healthcare and against the plan to destroy primary care services”.
Primary care services in the Madrid area have been under huge pressure for years due to a lack of resources and staff, with the situation worsened by poor regional management, unions say.
Taylor Swift wins most prizes at MTV Europe Music Awards
Taylor Swift walked away with four prizes at MTV’s Europe Music Awards on Sunday, including best video for her 10-minute “All Too Well”.
Double-award winners included Nicki Minaj for best song and best hip-hop, and the French DJ and record producer David Guetta won the best electronic award and best collaboration.
The event, broadcast on MTV from Duesseldorf in western Germany, honoured musicians from Brazil to South Korea.
Formula 1: Russell wins first grand prix in Brazil, Hamilton second
George Russell claimed his first Formula One victory as he won the Brazilian GP at Interlagos on Sunday with Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton second.
The pair had started on the front row but the crash-marred race was far from a procession to the team’s first victory of the season. Hamilton bumped wheels with Max Verstappen of Red Bull, already crowned champion, on lap seven.
The Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were third and fourth with Fernando Alonso was fifth in an Alpine.
