KABUL, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Afghan acting Prime Minister Mawlawi Abdul Kabir has stressed having positive relations based on mutual respect with the world community, a local television channel the Tolonews reported.

"The Islamic Emirate wants positive relations and mutual respect with all nations in the region and around the world in light of Islamic Sharia (Islamic laws)," Tolonews quoted the acting premier as saying.

Kabir, according to the leading private media outlet, made the remarks in a meeting of the establishment's leaders and tribal elders held recently.

MOSCOW, May 27. /TASS/: Western countries are becoming more and more involved in the Ukraine conflict day by day, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with the ‘Moscow. Kremlin. Putin’ TV program.

An excerpt of the program was posted by anchor Pavel Zarubin on his Telegram channel on Saturday.

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemalan police arrested the country’s prosecutor for crimes against migrants Friday, accusing him of alleged abuse of authority.

Stuardo Campos was formerly an anti-corruption prosecutor in the country during the administration of former President Jimmy Morales. It was not immediately clear whether the accusations pertain to his current position or the former.

GENEVA, May 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The World Health Organization said it was helping a growing number of farmers turn away from tobacco to help strengthen food security, particularly in Africa.

Ahead of World No Tobacco Day on Wednesday, the WHO said it had teamed up with other United Nations agencies to support farmers wishing to convert from growing tobacco to growing food.

The scheme’s pilot in Kenya has proved successful and now the UN wants to export it to other countries and continents.

26 May 2023; MEMO: The Israeli Ministerial Committee for Legislation Affairs will discuss on Sunday an amendment to the law on national parks, nature reserves, national sites and memorials, which aims to impose Israeli law on such sites in the occupied West Bank, Haaretz newspaper reported.

NEW YORK (AP) — Technology stocks powered solid gains for Wall Street on Friday after another chipmaker reported strong demand related to artificial intelligence.

The upbeat finish to the week for major indexes comes amid lingering anxiety over persistently high inflation, the risk of a U.S. debt default and broadly weak corporate earnings.

The S&P 500 rose, 54.17 points, or 1.3% to close at 4,205.45. It notched a small gain for the week and is in the green as May nears its close.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 328.69 points, or 1%, to 33,093.34.

Tehran, IRNA – The 22nd edition of the Asian Men's Volleyball Championship will be held in the Iranian capital, Tehran, from August 19 to 26, with the participation of 18 teams.

The draw for the competition took place on March 16, and the 18 participating teams were divided into six groups.

In the group stage, teams will compete against each other, and at the end of this stage, the top two teams from each group (a total of 12 teams) will advance to the playoffs. The group winners will face the second-placed teams from other groups, determined by a draw.

26 May 2023; MEMO: The authorities across Israel's universities have condemned a bill that would ban flying the flag of Palestine anywhere in Israel, including in academic institutions, reported The Times of Israel.

BERLIN, May 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, on Friday voted to extend the country’s military deployment with the UN’s peacekeeping mission in Mali for another year.

The new and final mandate is to end on May 31 next year. Around 1,400 German troops are part of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

SANAA, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Despite the efforts of the United Nations and its partners, the problem of food insecurity in Yemen remains a severe threat, warned a UN official on Thursday.

David Gressly, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said that 17 million people in Yemen are still grappling with food insecurity, as revealed by a recent report from the UN food agency, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the UN Children's Fund.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. authorities have arrested two suspected Chinese government agents in connection with an alleged plot by Beijing to disrupt and ultimately topple the exiled anti-communist Falun Gong spiritual movement.

John Chen and Lin Feng were charged in an indictment unsealed Friday with scheming to revoke a New York-based Falun Gong organization’s tax-exempt status and paying bribes to a undercover officer posing as a U.S. tax agent.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has parlayed his country’s NATO membership and location straddling Europe and the Middle East into international influence, is favored to win reelection in a presidential runoff Sunday, despite a host of domestic issues.