WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, June 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Friday filed criminal charges against four Chinese chemical manufacturing companies and eight individuals over allegations they illegally trafficked the chemicals used to make fentanyl - a highly addictive painkiller that has fueled the opioid crisis in the United States.

The indictments mark the first time the U.S. has sought to prosecute any of the Chinese companies responsible for manufacturing precursor chemicals used to make the painkiller.

ISLAMABAD, June 23 (Xinhua) -- One man was killed and three others were injured in an attack in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, local police said.

The deceased was heading towards home after hearing a court case when unidentified gunmen sprayed bullets at him outside the court, killing him at the spot, the police said.

Three people, including a policeman, were injured in the attack and shifted to a nearby hospital. The attackers fled the scene following the attack, and a search operation is underway.

PARIS, June 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Zambia and its government creditors, including China, have reached a deal to restructure $6.3 billion in loans, the French government announced Thursday on the sidelines of a global finance summit in Paris.

The agreement covers loans from countries including France, the UK, South Africa, Israel and India as well as China — Zambia’s biggest creditor at $4.1 billion of the total.

BAKU, June 23. /TASS/: Any peace agreement reached by Baku and Yerevan should take into account post-war realities, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Friday.

"This peace treaty must be signed on the basis of the norms and principles of international law. And this peace treaty should take into account post-war realities," the Azertac news agency quoted him as saying.

LOS GATOS, Calif. (AP) — At Tyler Malek’s ice cream parlors, one cook’s trash is another chef’s frosty treat.

The head ice cream maker at the Portland, Oregon-based Salt & Straw uses the whey leftover from yogurt makers in upstate New York to make his lemon curd flavor. For chocolate barley milk, he mixes in the remnants of rice and grains from beer brewing to give it a light and creamy taste.

“Instead of calling this food waste, we need to call it wasted food and start decreasing how much wasting we’re doing,” Malek said.

TEHRAN, Jun 23 (NNN-IRNA) – Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), yesterday, highlighted the necessity to strengthen mutual coordination, and elevate the level of bilateral cooperation, particularly in the trade and economic sectors.

During their meeting in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, visiting Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and UAE President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, discussed bilateral ties, as well as, regional and global developments, according to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

UNITED NATIONS, June 22 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday called for efforts to strengthen African counter-terrorism efforts at the launch of the UN Joint Appeal for Counter-Terrorism in Africa.

China welcomes the launch of the Joint Appeal given that terrorism is a significant threat facing the African continent, said Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations. China hopes the Flagship Initiative will promote synergy among UN agencies to help Africa deal with the challenge of terrorism, he added.

OTTAWA, June 23. /TASS/: The conflict in Ukraine will eventually be resolved through dialogue, but for now Kiev needs to conduct a counteroffensive to strengthen its position at the negotiating table, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said in an interview with CTV.

"At one point, the war will be settled at the negotiation table, like it is the case in every single war," she said. "We need to make sure that Ukraine is strong at the negotiation table, that's why we are supporting the counteroffensive as we speak."

KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia has demonstrated strong commitments in granting women a voice and equal opportunity to contribute to the nation, especially in the spheres of diplomacy and national governance.

Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir said with the national policy based on Malaysia Madani concept today, more space and opportunities are ensured to support such significant roles played by women.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 23 (APP): UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, Friday warned that this week’s violence in the Occupied West Bank risks spiralling out of control, fueled by strident political rhetoric and an escalation in the use of advanced military weaponry by Israel.

ISTANBUL, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The number of foreign tourists to Türkiye surged to 4.5 million in May, amounting to a 16.2-percent year-on-year increase, the Culture and Tourism Ministry said Friday.

The Mediterranean resort of Antalya topped the list of most popular destinations by hosting 1.51 million visitors, slightly leading Istanbul with 1.5 million visitors, followed by the Aegean province of Mugla and the northwestern province of Edirne, hosting 380,899 and 349,123 foreigners respectively, according to the ministry figures.

NICOSIA, June 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Cypriot emergency services rescued 45 Syrian migrants from two boats after receiving information that they were in distress near a coastal tourist resort, authorities said Friday.

The eastern Mediterranean island’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said it had brought ashore 29 men, five women and 11 children who had been afloat off Cape Greco on Thursday evening.

Police said they were in good health and had been transferred to a migrant reception centre on the outskirts of the capital Nicosia.