Türkiye on Monday reiterated its discomfort over the activities of the terrorist group PKK in Italy, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

Giorgio Marrapodi, Italy’s ambassador to Ankara, was summoned on Monday to the Turkish Foreign Ministry to convey Türkiye’s discomfort over a PKK demonstration in Rome, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The demonstration included symbols of the outlawed terrorist group and photos of its convicted terrorist ringleader, Abdullah Ocalan, despite previous protests by the Turkish Embassy in Rome.

Türkiye reiterated its dissatisfaction with PKK propaganda spreading into the public sphere, its activities under the guise of an NGO, and the 2020 granting of honorary local citizenship to Ocalan by the town of Fossalto in southern Italy.

Türkiye also repeated its demand that the Italian government prevent such actions by terrorist groups and its sympathizers and stressed the responsibility of the Italian government.

Despite the PKK being officially banned in the European Union, a number of its member states have allowed demonstrations and fundraising by the terrorist group, including in recent weeks.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the EU, and the US, is responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants./aa

A federal judge in New York approved a warrant Monday ordering the seizure of two planes owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, according to multiple reports.

The jets include a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, and a Gulfstream G650ER, according to court documents reviewed by the CNBC news website. Prosecutors alleged that the planes were flown into Russia in March in defiance of US export controls imposed on Russia following its war in Ukraine.

The restrictions would have prohibited the planes from being flown into Russia because they are US-made, and would have required special licenses being granted.

The $350 million Dreamliner is currently in Dubai while the Gulfstream is in Russia, the court documents suggest.

Abramovich owns the planes via a complex scheme that involves several shell companies in Cyprus and the island country of Jersey, CNBC reported. Jersey authorities froze over $7 billion in assets owned by the oligarch in April.

Abramovich is the former owner of the UK-based Chelsea football club and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The US has stopped short of sanctioning Abramovich himself as it attempts to tighten the financial screws on Putin and his inner circle./aa

Pakistan's prime minister on Monday joined a growing chorus of condemnation over Indian ruling party officials' offensive remarks about the Prophet Muhammad, urging the international community to "take note and severely punish" New Delhi.

“I condemn in strongest possible words, (the) hurtful comments of India’s BJP leader(s) about our beloved Prophet (PBUH). Have said it repeatedly (that) India under (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi is trampling religious freedom, and persecuting Muslims,” Shehbaz Sharif said in a series of tweets on Sunday.

“Our love for the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is supreme. All Muslims can sacrifice their life for the love and respect of their Holy Prophet (PBUH),” he added.

Last week, ruling BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal, the BJP’s Delhi media head, made insulting remarks about Muhammad, triggering a wave of condemnation at home and from the Islamic world.

Earlier on Monday, India said the remarks do not reflect the views of the government, with the "relevant bodies" taking strong action against them.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi stressed that they "do not, in any manner, reflect the views of the Government of India."

The BJP on Sunday said that it has suspended Sharma and expelled Jindal in response to the insulting remarks./aa

A researcher at northwestern Sakarya University found about 13,000 microplastic particles from a single teabag passing into the water.

In her research, Meral Yurtsever said microplastics were found in four of 11 cup bags and in all 11 teapot bags of different brands.

Plastics, which can take centuries to dissolve in nature, could turn into particles from one micrometer and five millimeters in size, thus becoming microplastics.

A previous study from the Netherlands shared its results in March 2022, as it indicated that microplastics were found in human blood for the first time. In the study, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic widely used in beverage bottles, food packaging, and clothing production, polystyrene used in packaging food and household products, and polyethylene used in a plastic bag were detected in blood samples.

Within the scope of the Scientific and Technological Research Institution of Türkiye (TUBITAK) project, Yurtsever studied whether microplastics are transferred to the tea when brewing with tea bags.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Yurtsever said at least 13,000 microplastic particles pass into tea from the teabag.

"Here, with the technique I used in my study, we can detect microplastic particles up to three micrometers in size. In other words, we can say that about 13,000 microplastics between three micrometers and five millimeters pass into the tea," she added.

Saying that she also studied 11 teabags and 11 teapot bags of different brands, known as cellulose, in the research, Yurtsever stated that all of the teapot bags were made of tissue with plastic addition while four of the teabags were made of 100 percent cellulose, and seven of them contained plastic.

"I found that all of the 11 teapot bags I examined were made of plastic and these plastics were polyester, polypropylene, and polyethylene," she noted.

Emphasizing that none of the properties of plastics changes even if they are divided into small pieces, Yurtsever stressed that swallowed or contacted microplastics cause toxic effects.

She further recommended using loose tea instead of teabags and added that "It would be better for the consumer to turn to products that do not actually contain much packaging. We can prefer bulk teas."

"Practicality of the teabags cannot be denied, but they can really have effects and burdens not only on people but the environment as well," she said./aa

Three civilians, including two children, were wounded in a terrorist attack in northwestern Syria on Monday.

A car bomb detonated in the opposition-held Azaz district, causing casualties, according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent on the ground.

The injured people were taken to a nearby hospital, while material damage was reported in the attack.

The local security forces suspect the assault was carried out by the YPG/PKK, which is responsible for similar terror attacks in Al-Bab, Jarabulus and Afrin.

The YPG/PKK terrorists often target Turkish security forces who provide security in the areas of Operation Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch and Peace Spring, and try to infiltrate the positions of Syrian opposition fighters from regions which the terror group was supposed to withdraw from under agreements with the US and Russia.

Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).


In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot./aa

At least 18 people were killed, and 57 other victims injured in mass shootings across the US over the weekend, according to data from a monitor published on Monday.

The Gun Violence Archive research group documented 10 mass shootings from Saturday through Sunday in eight states, including Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

It defines mass shootings as having "a minimum of four victims shot, either injured or killed, not including any shooter who may also have been killed or injured in the incident."

The highest casualties were reported in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania when three people were killed and 12 injured after gunmen opened fire in the bustling South Street neighborhood on Saturday. Police believe the shooting may have stemmed from a fight nearby recorded on bystander video. No suspects have been taken into custody.

“Horrendous and unthinkable acts happened in a very popular local and tourist hangout that claimed the lives of three people and injured 12 others on Saturday at approximately 11.31 p.m. local time (0331GMT Sunday),” Philadelphia Police Department Commissioner Danielle Outlaw told reporters Sunday.

“Multiple Philadelphia police officers were stationed on South Street when they heard multiple gunshots coming from the area 400 South Street,” the commissioner said.

In Chattanooga, Tennessee at least 2 people were killed and 12 others injured outside of a nightclub early Sunday morning. At least one victim was killed when they were hit by a vehicle attempting to flee the scene.

The Gun Violence Archive tallied over 18,600 gun violence-related deaths this year, more than 10,000 of which have been ruled suicides.

The monitor has cataloged 246 mass shootings, including 12 mass murders, in 35 states and Washington, D.C./aa

A nationwide trial of a four-day working week began in the UK on Monday.

It involves 70 companies and over 3,300 workers, making it the largest pilot of its kind in the world.

A four-day working week does not involve a loss of pay for employees, who will be asked to maintain 100% productivity while working 80% of their hours.

The trial will measure worker well-being and business productivity, as well as impacts on the environment and gender equality.

The pilot is being run by non-profit group 4 Day Week Global in partnership with the think tank Autonomy, the 4 Day Week UK national campaign, and researchers from Cambridge and Oxford universities and Boston College.

Joe O’Connor, chief executive of 4 Day Week Global, said the UK is “at the crest of a wave of global momentum behind the four-day week.”

“As we emerge from the pandemic, more and more companies are recognizing that the new frontier for competition is quality of life, and that reduced-hour, output-focused working is the vehicle to give them a competitive edge,” he said.

“The impact of the ‘great resignation’ is now proving that workers from a diverse range of industries can produce better outcomes while working shorter and smarter.”

Scotland will undergo a similar trial later this year, while other European countries such as Belgium, Iceland and Sweden, as well as Japan and the United Arab Emirates, have also tested shorter workweek models./aa