UNITED NATIONS, May 27 (NNN-XINHUA) — The world body continues to push for Russian food and fertilizer exports as a parallel agreement with the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allows Ukrainian agricultural exports from Black Sea ports, said a UN spokesman.

UN Conference on Trade and Development chief Rebeca Grynspan and her team are continuing to “work full steam” ahead to ensure the full implementation of the memorandum of understanding on Russian food and fertilizer exports, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

MOGADISHU, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) has condemned Friday's terrorist attack by al-Shabab terrorists against a military base manned by the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) in southern Somalia.

The EU said the latest attack against soldiers conducting peace support operations in Somalia only reinforces its commitment to stand with the region and to hold to account those responsible for these continuously heinous assaults against Somali citizens and those seeking to stabilize the situation in the country.

26 May 2023; MEMO: An Iranian-Belgian prisoner swap agreement had been reached under the auspices of the Sultanate of Oman, the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday, Anadolu Agency reports.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Following years of scandal, criminal charges and corruption accusations, Texas’s Republican Attorney General, Ken Paxton, finds himself on the brink of impeachment, and a GOP-led panel is heading the charge.

In an unanimous decision, a Republican-led House investigative committee that spent months quietly looking into Paxton recommended impeaching the state’s top lawyer Thursday on 20 articles, including bribery, unfitness for office and abuse of public trust.

WASHINGTON, May 26 (Reuters) - A member of the far-right Oath Keepers on Friday was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for her role in the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump who tried to overturn his presidential election defeat.

Jessica Watkins was convicted in November by a federal jury in Washington of obstruction of an official proceeding for her role in the storming of the Capitol, which saw rioters battle police, smash windows and send lawmakers running for their lives.

NEW YORK, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Death rates from gunshots among young people were 11 times higher in "socially vulnerable" communities compared to those in low-risk areas, according to research published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Guns are the leading cause of death for U.S. children, accounting for one in five child and teen fatalities, with most classified as violent assaults. Accidents account for about a third of gun deaths among small children, according to the research.

LONDON, May 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Net migration in the UK hit a record 606,000 in 2022, official figures showed on Thursday, heaping pressure on the government, which has pledged to cut dependency on foreign labour.

Responding to the figures, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described legal immigration levels as “too high”.

“It’s as simple as that and I want to bring them down,” he told ITV in an interview.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and her Chinese counterpart, Wang Wentao, expressed concern Thursday about policies of each other’s governments following Chinese raids on consulting firms and U.S. curbs on exports of semiconductor technology, their governments said.

The two sides announced no progress in disputes over technology and security but said Raimondo and Wang promised to strengthen exchanges on trade issues.

25 May 2023; MEMO: Iran successfully test-launched a ballistic missile with a potential 2,000-km range on Thursday, state media said, two days after the chief of Israel's Armed Forces raised the prospect of "action" against Tehran over its nuclear programme, Reuters reports.

UNITED NATIONS, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations held ceremonies at its headquarters in New York on Thursday, to honor the memory of the peacekeepers who have sacrificed their lives while serving under the UN flag.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres laid a wreath at the Peacekeepers Memorial in honor of the more than 4,200 UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948.

WASHINGTON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday announced his entry into the 2024 U.S. presidential race, vowing to lead a "Great American Comeback."

DeSantis made the announcement in a video posted on Twitter. "We need the courage to lead and the strength to win," DeSantis said. "I'm Ron DeSantis, and I'm running for president to lead our great American comeback."

His campaign filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission declaring his candidacy earlier Wednesday.

DETROIT, the United States, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade ministers are meeting "at a time of shared uncertainty and challenges in the global economy," said U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai on Thursday.