Turkey's prime minister has implied the bombings that killed 17 people in Istanbul on Sunday were the work of the Kurdish separatist PKK group. Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attacks were a "cost" of the military campaign against the PKK based in northern Iraq. The PKK has denied having anything to do with the bombings. Mr Erdogan visited the bomb scene as a court considered whether to ban him and his AK Party from politics, for alleged anti-secular activities. The Constitutional Court began its deliberations, on whether the AKP was trying to establish Sharia law by stealth, on Monday. The party denies the charges. But chances are that the court will close down the AK Party, casting doubt over Turkey's political future, its international relations and hopes of joining the European Union.