Good morning, readers!

We originally intended to kick off today’s newsletter on a high note, but we feel compelled to issue a cautionary note to our readers before proceeding instead.

⚠️ The following GIF captures the recent tragic suicide bombing incident in Ankara, Turkey.

Today’s geopolitics hotspots

Suicide bombers in Turkey.

The capital of Turkey was shaken by a suicide bombing on Sunday morning, just hours before the parliament was set to resume its session after its summer recess with a speech by President Erdogan.

💣 The attack.

The attack occurred on Sunday, October 1, 2023, around 9:30 am local time. Two attackers arrived in a vehicle outside the Turkish Interior Ministry.

The vehicle was stolen from a veterinarian in the central province of Kayseri.

• One man wearing a vest packed with explosives detonated himself near a police checkpoint outside the parliament building.

• The other one, who was also wearing an explosive, was shot dead by security forces in a shootout.

• Two police officers who were guarding the checkpoint were injured and taken to the hospital.

🤔 Who did it?

Immortals Battalion, linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), claimed responsibility for the attack.

• The PKK is a rebel group that has been fighting for Kurdish independence in Turkey since 1984. It is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and many other countries.

• The group said it targeted the ministry because it was close to the parliament, which was about to reconvene after a summer break.

🚀 Response.

Soon after it became clear that PKK was behind the attack, Turkey launched air strikes over northern Iraq in retaliation.

The Turkish military targeted “20 targets used by terrorists,” including bunkers, warehouses, and caves around 9 pm local time, Sunday.

Quick updates

Click the country's name for more.👇🏻

🇷🇺 Russia:

Ukraine’s drones rain fire on Russia in surprise attacks.

Russia woke up to a nightmare on Sunday as Ukrainian drones launched a series of drone strikes on its territory. The attacks targeted two regions, Smolensk and Krasnodar, and caused explosions and damage. Moscow claimed its air defenses intercepted the drones, but videos online showed otherwise.

✱ NOTE: More videos on X.

🇪🇬 Egypt:

Huge fire engulfs police HQ in Egypt, 25 injured.

A massive fire erupted at a police HQ in Ismailia, Egypt, early Monday morning. The blaze injured at least 25 people, who were taken to hospitals. The building had collapsed in the fire.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.

✱ NOTE: Due to poor safety standards and fire regulations, Egypt is known to be prone to such deadly fires, which have led to many fatalities over the years.

🇸🇰 Slovakia:

Pro-Kremlin party wins Slovak election.

Slovakia’s pro-Russian ex-PM Robert Fico has pulled off a convincing victory in the parliamentary election, beating his pro-Ukraine liberal rival.

Fico said that he “will do everything” to start the Russia-Ukraine peace talks. However, many fear that his victory will weaken Slovakia’s relations with NATO and the EU, and undermine the sanctions against Russia.

✱ NOTE: Fico resigned as PM in 2018 amid protests over the murder of a journalist who exposed corruption, including those connected to Fico and his party SMER.

🇺🇸 United States:

Ukraine left out in the cold as US avoids shutdown.

In a last-minute scramble, the US lawmakers passed a bill to keep the government running until -mid-November. But they left out a crucial lifeline for Ukraine.

President Biden slammed the GOP for creating a “manufactured crisis” and tried to calm down the American allies, saying they could “count on [America’s] support.” He seems to be worried they might look elsewhere for security guarantees (ahem, CHINA).

✱ NOTE: The US has approved four rounds of aid to Ukraine, totaling about $113 billion, since Russia’s invasion.

🇬🇧 United Kingdom:

AUKUS: UK’s €4.6 billion nuclear sub deal to counter China

The UK has just announced a massive contract with BAE Systems to build a new nuclear-powered submarine for Australia. The deal is part of the AUKUS security pact, a joint effort by Australia, the UK, and the US to counter China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region. The first sub will be delivered by the late 2030s, while the US and the UK have their own subs stationed in Australia until then.

✱ NOTE: The AUKUS pact has angered France, which lost a €56 billion contract to supply conventional subs to Australia. France has called the move a “stab in the back” and recalled its ambassadors from Canberra and Washington.