Turkiye has always supported the idea of expanding NATO, but it has concerns with regard to Finland and Sweden's desire to join the alliance given their relations with terror groups, the Turkish foreign minister said on Sunday.

Mevlut Cavusoglu's statements came after an informal NATO gathering held in Germany's capital Berlin.

"Countries supporting terrorism should not be allies in NATO," Cavusoglu said, adding that he briefed participating officials on the support the two countries provided to the PKK terror group, especially the arms aid supplied by Sweden.

Both Finland and Sweden "must stop supporting terror groups," and give clear security guarantees in order to become NATO members, said Cavusoglu, who noted that the member countries should show solidarity with one another.

Turkiye has made it clear why it opposes Finnish and Swedish membership for the time being and has expressed its discomfort related to the two countries' talks with members of the PKK and its Syrian offshoot, the YPG, Cavusoglu said.

He added that though many members of the alliance welcome the idea of Finland and Sweden joining the alliance, they also agreed that the Turkish concerns should be resolved.

Restrictions on export permits by the would-be NATO members are "unacceptable," he added, asserting that such constraints are adopted against hostile countries.

The minister went on to say that Turkiye's demands that the countries lift restrictions on its defense industry and exports should be regarded as an indication of the spirit of alliance, rather than a bargaining chip, because Ankara has concerns about the two countries.

During their three-way meetings, the Finnish and Swedish sides came up with proposals to address Turkiye's concerns, he said, underlining that identifying the PKK as a terror group alone would not meet the expectations of the Turkish government, which wants to see more tangible efforts.

Furthermore, Cavusoglu commented on his Swedish counterpart Ann Linde's statements on relations with terror groups, saying they were not "productive," but "provocative."

On the other hand, the Turkish top diplomat said his Finnish counterpart, Pekka Haavisto, has so far been cautious.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US, and the 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.

For decades, Sweden and Finland adopted a neutral posture in the region in terms of their foreign policy, however, the war between Ukraine and Russia triggered a shift in their approach as they demonstrated their intention to join the NATO alliance.

At least 3,573 people have been killed and 3,816 injured since Russia launched the war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates. The true toll is feared to be much higher.

Over 6.1 million people have fled to other countries, with some 7.7 million people internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency./aa

The net income of Saudi Arabia’s state-backed oil company increased more than 82% during the first quarter of 2022, setting a new quarterly earnings record since its first public offering in 2019, according to the company's financial results on Sunday.

Aramco said it gained $39.5 billion in the January-March period of this year, compared to $21.7 billion in the same period of 2021.

The world's largest oil company attributed the positive results to higher crude oil prices and volumes sold, and improved downstream margins.

The price of international benchmark Brent crude soared to $139 per barrel in March, its highest level since 2008.

'Against the backdrop of increased volatility in global markets, we remain focused on helping meet the world’s demand for energy that is reliable, affordable and increasingly sustainable,' Aramco’s CEO Amin Nasser was quoted as saying in the statement.

The oil giant on Thursday surpassed US technology firm Apple to become the world's most valuable company.

The stock price of Saudi Aramco closed at 44.70 Saudi Riyal ($11.92) per share on the country's stock exchange Tadawul for a market capitalization of 8.94 trillion Saudi Riyal ($2.38 trillion).

Apple's stock price was at $146.07 per share on the US' tech-heavy Nasdaq index at 11.10 a.m. EDT for a market value of $2.36 trillion.

This is the first time Saudi Aramco's market value has overtaken Apple since 2020.

In 2020, the kingdom reported a $79.5 billion deficit, with revenues totaling $205.5 billion and expenditures totaling $285 billion.

The company's shares began trading on the country's stock exchange or Tadawul on Dec. 11, 2019. On the first day of trading, the stock rose to 35.2 Saudi riyals, giving it a market capitalization of around $1.88 trillion, and increased further on the second trading day to $2 trillion.

Saudi Aramco was listed as the world's fifth-largest public company in the Forbes Global 2000 list in 2020. The company reported in March 2021 that earnings in 2020 were more than 44% lower than in 2019, due to global lockdowns following the COVID-19 pandemic, which reduced crude demand./aa

Ukrainian authorities on Sunday said that a large convoy of vehicles carrying evacuees was allowed to leave the port city of Mariupol which has been besieged by the Russian forces.

Petro Andriushchenko, deputy mayor of Mariupol, said the Russian forces allowed a large convoy of up to a thousand vehicles to cross into Zaporizhzhia after three days of waiting.

It is reported that this is the largest single-day evacuation from Mariupol since the start of the war on Feb. 24.

At least 3,573 people have been killed and 3,816 injured since Russia launched the war on Ukraine, according to UN estimates. The true toll is feared to be much higher.

Over 6 million people have fled to other countries, with some 7.7 million people internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency./aa

The Turkish Intelligence Organization (MIT) on Sunday eliminated a member of the PKK terrorist organization in northern Syria’s Ain al-Arab. The terrorist was implicated in the death of Turkish troops and personnel.

Ekrem Üstek, code-named Hayri, participated in the acts of terrorism in the southeastern Şırnak province from 2015 to 2016.

The terrorist, sought by Turkish police, has a long PKK-linked criminal record. It was also found that the terrorist spent many years in prison in the 1990s for crimes including kidnapping on behalf of the PKK, supplying explosives and ammunition, attempted murder and abducting children for recruitment purposes.

The killing of Üstek in Ain al-Arab comes as the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have been heavily targeting the border town in the past few days following a terror attack on Turkey’s Gaziantep province.

One Turkish soldier was killed in the YPG/PKK terrorist group's mortar attacks targeting Karkamış and the Köprübatı border post on Thursday. Earlier, Turkey reported that four of its soldiers and one civilian were injured in the terrorist group's attacks from Ain al-Arab.

Cross-border fire has occurred sporadically in past years during the war in Syria.

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

In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants./aa

The Foreign Ministry condemned the recent attack targeting a staff member of the Turkish Maarif Foundation school in Afghanistan.

"We strongly condemn this heinous attack targeting an official of Turkish Maarif Schools which have significant contributions to education in Afghanistan and hope that the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice as soon as possible," the ministry said in a statement.

The statement said the deputy principal of Kandahar Aino Mena Primary School was killed as a result of the attack on Saturday.

"We wish Allah's mercy upon the late deputy principal, convey our condolences to his family as well as to the friendly and brotherly people of Afghanistan," it added./aa

An investigation by an open-source research team said its initial findings suggest Palestinian American Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli fire.

The outcome of these investigations could help shape international opinion over who is responsible for Abu Akleh's death, particularly if an official “Israeli” military probe drags on. “Israel” and the Palestinians are locked in a war of narratives that already has put “Israel” on the defensive.

Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American and a 25-year veteran of the satellite channel, was killed last Wednesday while covering an “Israeli” military raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. She was a household name across the Arab world, known for documenting the hardship of Palestinian life under “Israeli” rule, now in its sixth decade.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday said he had spoken to Abu Akleh's family to express condolences and respect for her work “as well as the need to have an immediate and credible investigation” into her death.

Palestinian officials and witnesses, including journalists who were with her, say she was killed by army fire. The military, after initially saying Palestinian gunmen might have been responsible, later backtracked and now says she may also have been hit by errant “Israeli” fire.

“Israel” has called for a joint investigation with the Palestinians, saying the bullet must be analyzed by ballistics experts to reach firm conclusions. Palestinian officials have refused, saying they don't trust “Israel”, and have invited other countries to join the investigation. Human rights groups say “Israel” has a poor record of investigating wrongdoing by its security forces.

Over the weekend, Bellingcat, a Dutch-based international consortium of researchers, published an analysis of video and audio evidence gathered on social media. The material came from both Palestinian and “Israeli” military sources, and the analysis looked at such factors as timestamps, the locations of the videos, shadows and forensic audio analysis of gunshots.

The group found that while gunmen and “Israeli” soldiers were both in the area, the evidence supported witness accounts that “Israeli” fire killed Abu Akleh./AP

India on Sunday said it would keep a window open to export wheat to food-deficit countries at the government level despite restrictions announced two days earlier.

India’s Commerce Secretary B.V.R. Subrahmanyam told reporters the government will also allow private companies to meet previous commitments to export nearly 4.3 million tons of wheat until July. India exported 1 million tons of wheat in April.

India mainly exports wheat to neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

A notice in the government gazette by the Directorate of Foreign Trade on Friday said a spike in global prices for wheat was threatening the food security of India and neighboring and vulnerable countries.

A key aim of restrictions on exports is to control rising domestic prices. Global wheat prices have risen by more than 40% since the beginning of the year.

Before the war, Ukraine and Russia accounted for a third of global wheat and barley exports. Since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion, Ukraine’s ports have been blocked and civilian infrastructure and grain silos have been destroyed.

At the same time, India’s own wheat harvest has suffered from a record-shattering heat wave that is stunting production.

He said India's wheat production this year has come down by three million tons from 106 million tons last year. Wheat prices have shot up by 20-40% in India.

"The current rise in prices seems to be a panic reaction rather than a reaction based on a genuine collapse in supply or a sudden shooting of demand," Subrahmanyam said.

Even though it is the world’s second-largest producer of wheat, India consumes most of the wheat it produces. It had set a goal of exporting 10 million tons of the grain in 2022-23, looking to capitalize on the global disruptions to wheat supplies from the war and find new markets for its wheat in Europe, Africa and Asia.

Up to 90 million tons of wheat were consumed in India last year out of a total production of 109 million tons, Subrahmanyam said, adding that India exported 7 million tons of wheat last year./AP

Researchers at an Ankara-based university have developed a rechargeable mobile electrocautery device that can help save lives by managing dangerous work-related injuries everywhere, from construction sites to battlefields.

Electrocautery, or thermal cautery, is a procedure that uses heat from an electric current to destroy abnormal cell mass, such as a tumor or other lesion. It is often used to control bleeding during surgery or after an injury.

The mobile system developed by OSTIM Technical University, however, can prevent death and loss of limbs due to blood loss by providing on-site help.

Prior to developing the project, faculty member professor Sinan Kıvrak and his team carried out a study on the benefits of battery-powered portable cautery devices.

With valuable input from other faculty members and specialist surgeons in trauma surgery and emergency surgical interventions, they found that blood loss is the primary cause of preventable deaths in the prehospital period due to injuries on the battlefield as well as injuries in civilian life.

Physicians have long used cautery or burning the wound to stop bleeding on battlefields.

Electrocautery, in comparison, is frequently used in emergency rooms and in routine surgeries. It is generally used for cutting-opening tissues and sealing blood vessels.

The battery-powered, portable electrocautery devices will provide surgeons with the flexibility and opportunity to perform surgery in different places, even if there is no electricity.

It can increase the effectiveness of interventions for a large number of injured by decreasing death rates due to blood loss and the need for emergency blood supply.

In addition, there will be economic benefits such as reducing death and disability rates and reducing hospital stays.

Patent application filed

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), professor Kıvrak said most electrocautery devices are located in operating and emergency rooms.

“We studied those products and reverse engineered a mobile device that can work on-site,” he said.

The 200-watt device can be used for two hours and can be easily charged like a mobile phone.

"The electrocautery device has been designed to do all the operations of the full-fledged devices in hospitals at the front line and mobile hospitals. We have already filed for the patents," he said.

He added the device could also be used by veterinarians.

So far, all the tests have been successful and the team is ready to produce at least 1,000 devices once the patent application goes through, Kıvrak said./aa

Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki on Sunday urged Japan's central government to do more to reduce the U.S. military presence in the southern island group as it marked the 50th anniversary of its return to Japan after 27 years of American rule, amid frustration and bitterness over a lack of support from the mainland.

Tamaki said Okinawa has come a long way since the devastation of World War II and nearly three decades of U.S. rule, which ended when it reverted to Japan on May 15, 1972. But the tiny island group's yearslong demand for the mainland to share its security burden remains unresolved.

"I call on the central government to share with the entire nation the significance of Okinawa's reversion and the importance of permanent peace that Okinawans have long craved for," Tamaki said.

Ceremonies marking the anniversary were held simultaneously in two locations – one in the Okinawan city of Giowan, home to a disputed U.S. air station, and the other in Tokyo. The separate ceremonies symbolize the deep divide in views over Okinawa’s history and ongoing suffering.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he takes Okinawa's concerns seriously and will make efforts to reduce the burden while still maintaining U.S. military deterrence on the islands.

Kishida and his minister in charge of the islands were in Okinawa, where hundreds of protesters staged a rally Saturday demanding a speedier reduction of U.S. military forces, as fears grow that Okinawa may become a front line of conflict amid rising China tensions.

More protests were held Sunday on Okinawa, including one in the prefectural capital of Naha, where nearly 1,000 people renewed their demands for peace.

Resentment and frustration run deep in Okinawa over the heavy U.S. presence and Tokyo's lack of effort to negotiate with Washington to balance the security burden between mainland Japan and the southern island group.

Because of the U.S. bases, Okinawa faces burdens including noise, pollution, accidents and crime related to American troops, Okinawan officials and residents say.

Adding to Okinawa’s fears is the growing deployment of Japanese missile defense and amphibious capabilities on Okinawa’s outer islands, including Ishigaki, Miyako and Yonaguni, which are close to geopolitical hotspots like Taiwan.

Okinawa was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of World War II, which killed about 200,000 people, nearly half of them Okinawan residents.

Okinawa was sacrificed by Japan’s imperial army to defend the mainland, and many Okinawans are skeptical that the Japanese military would protect them in future conflicts, experts say.

The U.S. military kept its troop presence on the island group for 20 years longer than most of Japan, until 1972, due to Okinawa’s strategic importance for Pacific security to deter Russia and communism.

Many Okinawans had hoped that the islands' return to Japan would improve the economy and human rights situation as well as base burdens.

Today, a majority of the 50,000 U.S. troops based in Japan under a bilateral security pact and 70% of military facilities are still in Okinawa, which accounts for only 0.6% of Japanese land. The burden has increased from less than 60% in 1972 because unwelcomed U.S. bases were moved from the mainland.

Emperor Naruhito, in his online speech from his Tokyo palace, acknowledged "many issues” remain on Okinawa and said "I hope that the people, including the younger generation, will have a deeper understanding of Okinawa.”

His abdicated father Akihito, devoted to atoning for scars of the war fought in his father Hirohito's name, was nearly hit by a Molotov cocktail during a 1975 visit as crown prince, but continued showing a special interest in Okinawa.

U.S. President Joe Biden, who is scheduled to visit Japan next week, praised the strong U.S.-Japan alliance and their shared values and vision.

"I am profoundly grateful for Japan’s resolute support for democracy, freedom, and the rule of law and for Okinawa’s contribution to advancing these ideals,” Biden said in a statement.

The biggest sticking point between Okinawa and Tokyo is the central government’s insistence that a U.S. marine base in a crowded neighborhood, the Futenma air station, should be relocated within Okinawa instead of moving it elsewhere as demanded by many Okinawans.

Tokyo and Washington initially agreed in 1996 to close the station after the 1995 rape of a schoolgirl by three U.S. military personnel led to a massive anti-base movement.

Tamaki earlier in May submitted a petition to Kishida's government and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel demanding a significant reduction of the U.S. military in Okinawa, the immediate closure of the Futenma base and the scrapping of a new base in Henoko.

Economic, educational and social development in Okinawa lagged behind as Japan enjoyed a postwar economic surge that was helped by lower defense spending because of the U.S. military presence in Okinawa.

The central government's development fund since the reversion has improved Okinawa's infrastructure but the growth of local industry that was largely hampered during U.S. rule is still largely limited to tourism.

Today, Okinawa’s average household income is the lowest and its unemployment is the highest of Japan’s 47 prefectures. If land taken by the U.S. military is returned to the prefecture for other use, it would produce three times more income for Okinawa than the island now makes from bases, Tamaki said recently.

Okinawan authorities regularly face denials by the U.S. side in criminal and environmental investigations./AP

The Chinese financial and manufacturing hub of Shanghai will gradually begin reopening businesses such as shopping malls and hair salons from Monday after weeks in a strict COVID-19 lockdown, the city's vice mayor told a media briefing on Sunday (May 15).

Shanghai, which has been locked-down for more than six weeks, is in the midst of a recent tightening in some areas that it hopes marks a final push in its battle with the virus.

Shopping malls, department stores, and supermarkets will begin resuming in-store operations and allow customers to shop in "an orderly way", while hair salons and vegetable markets will reopen with limited capacity, Vice Mayor Chen Tong said, but gave no specifics on the pace or extent of such reopenings.

During Shanghai's lockdown, residents have been mainly limited to purchasing necessities, with normal shopping on online platforms largely suspended.

Shanghai will also soon announce a third "white list", of more than 820 companies engaged in import and export, that can resume operations, a city official said.

Shanghai reported 1,203 new local asymptomatic coronavirus cases for May 14, down from 1,487 a day earlier. Confirmed symptomatic cases fell to 166, from 194 the previous day, data released on Sunday showed.

There were no cases found outside quarantined areas, after one had been reported a day earlier. The city reported three new COVID-19 related deaths, compared with one a day earlier./agencies