Explosion rocks Turkish capital Ankara
Australia's ambassador to Turkey was just 20 metres away when a car bomb exploded in central Ankara on Sunday, killing at least 34 people and wounding about 125. 
Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said she had spoken to the "slightly shaken" ambassador James Larsen, who was in his car near Kizilay Square at the time of the blast.
"He likened it to a bomb going off in the middle of one of Sydney's busiest streets ... it was a horrific sight," Ms Bishop said.
The attack took place in the city's diplomatic district, but Ms Bishop said she understood it was targeted at soldiers and that Mr Larsen's presence was coincidental.
The death toll was still rising as the clock struck midnight in Ankara. It was the second such attack in a month - in   February, 30 people were killed after a car bomb targeted military personnel who were being driven through the same area.
Kurdish nationalists claimed responsibility for that attack. Two security officials told the Reuters news wire there were early indications the Kurdistan Workers Party - a militant group which has agitated for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey for three decades - was behind this most recent blast.
Ms Bishop said the ambassador and local embassy staff were unharmed, and that no Australians were known to have been killed or injured at this stage.
But she said the "deeply worrying" attack showed why Australia must remain engaged in the battle against terrorism in the Middle East.
"Until we can stamp out terrorism in all its forms, these kind of attacks will continue," Ms Bishop said.
"This is deeply worrying because these terrorist organisations are exporting their model of terrorist attack, and it can happen at any time and anywhere."
A separate attack in the west African nation of Ivory Coast on Sunday killed at least 14 civilians and two soldiers.
Jihadists opened fire inside and around a group of hotels in Grand-Bassam, a popular seaside retreat, early on Sunday afternoon. The shooters were killed and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.
The terrorism threat is rising in west and north Africa and shootings near holiday resorts have become a popular modus operandi for jihadis.
In   January, gunmen stormed a hotel in the capital of neighbouring Burkina Faso, taking almost 200 hostages and ultimately killing 30 people.
Last   June, a gunman disguised as a tourist opened fire at a Tunisian hotel, killing about 40 people and injuring dozens more, as they lounged at the beach and pool in a popular resort town.
Ms Bishop described Sunday's attack as "terrifying" and implored Australians to check travel warnings given by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade before travelling to the region.