Erdogan calls snap elections in June

ANKARA • President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday called snap elections in Turkey for June 24, bringing the polls forward after a call from his main nationalist ally.

Both presidential and parliamentary elections will be held on the same day. They had originally been scheduled for Nov 3 next year.

Mr Erdogan made the announcement after meeting the Nationalist Movement Party chief Devlet Bahceli, who a day earlier had urged early elections.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Berlin to defuse WWII bomb at train station

BERLIN • Berlin's central train station, the Economy Ministry, a museum and part of a hospital will be evacuated today while a World War II bomb is defused, police said yesterday.

The 500kg British bomb was found during building work in central Berlin and all buildings within an 800m radius will be evacuated from 9am, the police said on Twitter.

REUTERS

Surf event called off after shark attacks

SYDNEY • A global surfing championship in west Australia was cancelled yesterday after two shark attacks near the event, organisers said.

Top surfers had been taking part in the Margaret River Pro competition off Australia's south-west coast since last week.

The event was briefly suspended on Monday after a local surfer suffered leg injuries in an attack off nearby Gracetown, south of Perth. A second surfer also suffered a gash to his leg in another encounter, also near Gracetown.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE