Balkans: April 27, 2002

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This is a strange report, but AFP ran it and well comment on it. 40 people at pro-Islamist political rally in the town of Malatya (eastern Turkey) were injured when decorative balloons at the rally literally blew up. The balloons were filled with hydrogen (not inert helium, which can get expensive everywhere except in the helium-rich US). Many of the injured were hurt when the crowd tried to flee. The rally was sponsored by the Justice and Development Party (AK, the Turk acronym), one of the new pro-Islamic parties.