Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe is the latest strongman to win China’s Confucius Peace Prize

Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean dictator, has been named the winner of this year’s Confucius Prize, otherwise known as “China’s Nobel Peace Prize.”

Mugabe may not seem like the obvious choice for a peace prize, given his brutal, repressive 28-year rule of Zimbabwe that has been marked by torture and killing of political opponents and destruction of the local economy. But the Confucius Prize appears to be judged by different parameters than other peace prizes.

The Confucius Peace Prize Committee was established in 2010, the same year that the Nobel committee was preparing to award a peace prize to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. Tan Changliu, its chairman at the time, expressed a wish to promote world peace from “an Eastern perspective.”

“China is a great nation that has been influenced by the Confucian concept of peace for a long time,” he told CNN. “Europe is full of small countries that had fought each other for centuries… We don’t want to see people who don’t understand peace to ruin the concept.”

The organizers are not connected to the Chinese government, and a year after it began, China’s culture ministry attempted to shut the operation down. But the committee moved to Hong Kong and renamed itself the China International Peace Studies Center. That year it awarded Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, its peace prize.

Here are the past winners:

2010

Lien Chan, former Taiwanese Kuomintang chairman, who met regularly with Chinese Communist Party leaders.

2011

Vladimir Putin, Russian president. A statement from the organizers said: “His iron hand and toughness revealed in [Russia’s 1999 war with Chechnya] impressed the Russians a lot, and he was regarded to be capable of bringing safety and stability to Russia.”

2012

Kofi Annan, former UN secretary general, for his “enormous contribution to the reform and revival of the United Nations.”

Yuan Longping, agriculture professor, for his work on hybrid rice.

In 2012 the award money was also raised from 100,000 yuan ($15,000) to $1.5 million which, chairman Qiao Damo noted, is “also more than the $1.2 million that the EU, the recipient of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, will receive.”

2013

Yi Cheng, former president of China’s Buddhist Association.

2014

Fidel Castro, former president of Cuba.

At Least 30 Killed in Bomb Attack on Turkey’s Capital

(ANKARA, Turkey) — Two bomb explosions targeting a peace rally in Turkey’s capital Ankara on Saturday killed at least 30 people and injured 126 others, Turkey’s Interior Ministry said.

The explosions occurred minutes apart near Ankara’s main train station as people were gathering for the rally, organized by the country’s public sector workers’ trade union and other civic society groups. The rally aimed to call for an end to the renewed violence between Kurdish rebels and Turkish security forces.

It was not clear if the attacks, which came weeks before Turkey’s Nov. 1 elections, were suicide bombings.

An Associated Press photographer at the scene reported seeing several bodies that were covered with flags and banners that demonstrators had brought with them for the rally. Police later cordoned off the area.

Television footage from Turkey’s Dogan news agency showed a line of protesters fanned out on the street near the train station, chanting and performing a traditional dance with their hands locked, when a large explosion hit behind them.

The video also showed several people lying injured on the streets or being taken into ambulances.

An Interior Ministry statement condemned the attack which it said “targets Turkey’s democracy and peace.” Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called an emergency security meeting to discuss the attack. His office said he was suspending his election campaign programs for the next three days. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cut short his program in Istanbul to return to the capital.

“There was a massacre in the middle of Ankara,” said Lami Ozgen, head of the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions, or KESK. “Two bombs exploded in very short intervals.”

There was no immediate responsibility claim. A government official said authorities were investigating the blast.

“The toll is severe,” said Selahattin Demirtas, leader of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party, whose members attended the rally. “There are dozens of dead and hundreds of injuries. Some of our friends are in serious condition.”

In July, a suicide bombing blamed on the Islamic State group killed 33 people in a town near Turkey’s border with Syria.

A leftist militant group has also carried out suicide bombings in Turkey.

Egyptian billionaire offers to buy island for refugees

An Egyptian billionaire's offer to buy an island for refugees is closer to becoming reality.

Naguib Sawiris, one of the region's wealthiest men, said he has identified two privately owned Greek islands that would be well-suited for the project. "We have corresponded with their owners and expressed our interest to go into negotiation with them," Sawiris said in a statement.

His idea to create a safe haven for the refugees was first branded as ridiculous by some, but Sawiris said he has received "tons of expressions of interest" from potential donors.

"I'll make a small port or marina for the boats to land there. I'll employ the people to build their own homes, their schools, a hospital, a university, a hotel," he said, adding he could employ between 100,000 and 200,000 refugees.

Naguib Sawiris

Sawiris, the chief executive of telecom group Orascom TMT, said he would name the place "Aylan Island," in the memory of the Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi, who drowned earlier this month trying to reach Europe with his family.

Photos of his lifeless body washing ashore in Turkey sparked a wave of solidarity and outrage over how Europe has been handling the refugee crisis. "It's the picture of Aylan that woke me up," Sawiris told CNN. "I said -- I cannot just sit like that and just do nothing, and pretend it's not my problem."

He is hoping to get more donations towards the project by setting up a joint stock company with $100 million initial capital. "Anyone who will donate will get share in the company, thus becoming a partner in the island and in the project," he said. "This way, any money put in will not be completely lost, as the asset (the island) will remain," he added.

Sawiris said he is now seeking the Greek government's permission to go ahead with the project. Greek authorities said they have yet to receive a formal request.

Sawiris said he was also approached by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the world's leading body helping refugees, in order to discuss other ways of possible cooperation.

Sawiris is one of Egypt's best known businessmen, with a net worth of around $3 billion, and also founder of a political party. He comes from a family of entrepreneurs; his brother Nassef is chairman of Orascom Construction Industries, one of Egypt's most valuable publicly traded companies.

Europe is struggling to cope with the number of people trying to escape war and poverty. The number of Syrians seeking safety in Europe has more than doubled in the past year.

CNN's Chris Liakos contributed to this article.

These beautiful idols of Hindu elephant god are making their way to homes all across India today

Every year, during the months of August and September, India gears up to welcome the elephant god.

The Hindu festival of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesh, who is considered the symbol of prosperity, good fortune, wisdom and health. He is also known by 108 other names.

Typically, families bring home an idol of Lord Ganesh—the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati—for two to 21 days. The festival, which starts today (Sept. 17) this year, ends with the immersion of these idols in water bodies.

Massive Ganesh’s sculptures are also installed in pandals (canopies) with extravagant decorations. These pandals are open to public and are a common sight in Maharashtra.

In Mumbai, several Ganpatis are decorated with real gold jewellery worth millions of rupees, and Bollywood stars often visit the famous pandals, sometimes with first prints of their upcoming films. A devotee may have to wait for 24 to 48 hours before they can offer prayers at these famous pandals.

Indian artisans spend months sculpting these idols, which are generally made of clay and then decorated with paint.

Quartz brings you a collection of photos, starting from a couple of months before the festival till the day of Ganesh Chaturthi:

An artisan works on an idol of Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, at a workshop in Mumbai, on July 2.(Reuters/Danish Siddiqui)

Commuters walk through an alley as an unfinished idol of Ganesh is kept outside a studio in Kolkata, on Sept. 13.(AP Photo/ Bikas Das)

An artisan gives finishing touches to the idols of Ganesh in Allahabad, on Sept. 8.(AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

An artisan prepares an idol of Ganesh in Ahmadabad, on July 9.(AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

A boy sits next to his father as he gives final touches to the idols of Lord Ganesh in New Delhi, on Sept. 9.(AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

An artisan paints idols of Lord Ganesh in Allahabad, on Sept. 8.(AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

A street vendor decorates idols of Ganesh displayed for sale ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, on Aug.17.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

An artisan gives final touches to the idols of Ganesh in New Delhi, on Sept. 9.(AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

An artist paints idols of Ganesh being prepared ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, on Aug.17.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

An artist paints idols of elephant headed Ganesh being prepared ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, on Aug.17.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

An elderly Muslim man walks past idols of Ganesh displayed on a footpath for sale ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Bengaluru, on Aug. 3.(AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

An idol of elephant-headed Ganesh being carried for sale ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Ahmadabad, on Sept. 15.(AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Devotees carry an idol of Hindu elephant god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, while it is carried to a place of worship in Ahmedabad, on Sept. 16.(Reuters/Amit Dave)

Devotees carry an idol of Ganesh from a workshop to a worship venue ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, on Sept. 13.(AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Devotees participate in a procession with large statues of Ganesh in Mumbai, on Aug. 30.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Calif Wildfire claimed an additional 250 homes

(MIDDLETOWN, Calif.) — A Sierra Nevada fire claimed an additional 250 homes, bringing the total to 503, California fire officials said Saturday after making new assessments.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Mike Mohler said the increased count comes as firefighters make progress and damage inspection teams have access to affected areas.

Cal Fire had reported 252 homes destroyed as of Friday night by the fire burning in Amador and Calaveras counties. Two deaths have been reported.

The fire is 65 percent contained.

A separate blaze in Lake County, about 170 miles northwest, has killed three people, destroyed nearly 600 homes and burned hundreds of other structures.

Heat was descending again on the two deadly and destructive Northern California wildfires after a few days of fair and favorable conditions, and it brought with it fears the blazes could come back to life and major gains could be undone.

“We’re looking at predicted weather of 100 degrees for the next couple of days, and at least mid-90s throughout the weekend,” Scott Mclean, a battalion chief with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said Friday.

That makes it essential that the smoldering remains of the two giant blazes be dealt with as quickly and thoroughly as possible, Mclean said.

“You’ve got some high temps, high winds that could stir up those ash piles and those ember piles,” he said. “We have to do that mop-up to be sure this fire goes to bed.”

By Saturday morning the blaze in Lake County had charred 116 square miles and was 48 percent contained.

The two killed by the Amador and Calaveras county fire — 66-year-old Mark McCloud and 82-year-old Owen Goldsmith — died after rejecting orders from authorities to evacuate, Cal Fire spokeswoman Lynnette Round said.

It wasn’t clear if the three dead in Lake County had received evacuation notices, but two of them declined requests by friends and family to leave.

The body of 72-year-old Barbara McWilliams, who used a walker, was found in her home in Anderson Springs. Her caregiver, Jennifer Hittson, said there were no evacuation orders when she left McWilliams’ home on the afternoon of Sept. 12, and no indication the fire was that serious.

She asked McWilliams if she wanted to leave, but the retired teacher declined, saying the fire didn’t seem bad.

Elsewhere in Anderson Springs, the body of former newspaper reporter Leonard Neft, 69, was found near his burnt car after what may have been an attempt to escape, his daughter Joslyn Neft said Friday. His wife had asked him to leave earlier Saturday, but he said the fire looked far away.

The body of Bruce Beven Burns, 65, was found in a building on the grounds of his brother’s recycling business, where Burns also lived. It’s unknown why he stayed.

A number of survivors of the fire said they never got an official evacuation notice when the danger was at its peak a week ago.

High school math teacher Bill Davis watched from his home as smoke mounted. From a previous fire in late July, he knew to expect a recorded call on his cellphone or look for someone coming through the neighborhood with a bullhorn yelling for people to evacuate.

“None of that happened,” he said. His house in Lake County burned after he finally rounded up his cats and left.

Authorities defended their warnings and rescue attempts, saying they did all they could to reach people in the remote area of homes, many prized for their privacy.

“You may get that notice, or you may not, depending on how fast that fire is moving,” Round said. If you can see the fire, you need to be going.”

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Associated Press Writers Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles and Olga Rodriquez in San Francisco contributed to this report.