BEIRUT (AP) — Syria on Monday called on Arab countries to invest in the war-torn nation, now again a member of the Arab League. The appeal from Syria’s economy and trade minister came during an economic conference in Saudi Arabia, ahead of a league summit in the kingdom.

The 22-member Arab League agreed earlier this month to reinstate Syria, ending a 12-year suspension and taking another step toward bringing Syrian President Bashar Assad, a long-time regional pariah, back into the fold.

TIRANA, Albania, May 15 (NNN-XINHUA) – Local elections were held in Albania yesterday, to elect mayors and councils for the country’s 61 municipalities.

The competition is ongoing between the ruling Socialist Party of Albania, led by Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Together We Win coalition.

The opposition coalition comprises the centre-right Democratic Party, the Freedom Party and several other smaller partners.

Of all the 23,907 candidates, 144 ran for mayors, and the rest for municipal council members.

PARIS (AP) — France pledged additional military aid for Ukraine on Sunday, including light tanks, armored vehicles, training for soldiers and other assistance as the Ukrainians gear up for a counteroffensive against Russian forces, following surprise talks in Paris between the Ukrainian and French presidents.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Convoys of buses and vehicles filled with Pakistani government supporters are flooding the main road leading to the country’s capital on Monday to protest the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Thousands are making their way to the Supreme Court for a rare sit-in against its decision last week in support of Khan, following his arrest in a graft case. The 70-year-old former premier was released on bail and given protection from arrest until later this month.

May 14 (Reuters) - The head of Russia's Wagner private army dismissed a U.S. newspaper report on Monday that he had offered to betray Russian positions, and the Kremlin called it a "hoax".

The Washington Post, citing a U.S. intelligence leak, said Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin had offered Ukrainian intelligence in January to reveal the location of Russian regular forces in return for Ukraine pulling back troops in Bakhmut.

JAKARTA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia recorded a trade surplus of 3.94 billion U.S. dollars in April, up from the previous month's 2.91 billion dollars, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS) on Monday.

"Indonesia's trade balance has recorded surplus for 36 consecutive months since May 2020," said BPS Deputy for Statistical Methodology and Information Imam Machdi in a press conference.

The non-oil and gas sector contributed a surplus of 5.64 billion dollars but was offset in part by a deficit of 1.70 billion dollars in the oil and gas sector.

MOSCOW, May 15. /TASS/: Russian air defense forces shot down 21 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Monday.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank on Monday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, the latest death in a spiral of violence that has rocked the region.

The Health Ministry said 22-year-old Saleh Sabra was killed after being shot in the chest in the flashpoint West Bank city of Nablus, a frequent site of Israeli operations.

KHARTOUM, May 15 (NNN-SUNA) – At least 676 people have been killed, due to the clashes between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), yesterday.

“Clashes between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces continued for 30 consecutive days, especially in and around Khartoum, killing at least 676 people and injuring 5,576, OCHA said.

WASHINGTON, May 14 (Reuters) - Migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have unexpectedly fallen, not risen, since Title 42 curbs expired and reinstating criminal penalties for illegal entry is likely the biggest reason, the Biden administration said on Sunday.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said border patrol agents have seen a 50% drop in the number of migrants crossing the border since Thursday, when President Joe Biden's administration shifted to a sweeping new asylum regulation meant to deter illegal crossings.

14 May 2023; MEMO: At least 44 al-Shabaab terrorists were killed in a security operation in Somalia's Lower Shabelle region, the country's Information Ministry said on Saturday, Anadolu reports.

The operation was conducted on Friday by the national intelligence and security agency backed by Somalia's international partners on the outskirts of Kurtowarey, a small town located 208 kilometers (229 miles) southwest of the nation's capital Mogadishu.

MEXICO CITY, May 14 (Xinhua) -- At least 13 people were killed on Sunday when a trailer and what appeared to be a box truck collided and caught fire on a highway in northeast Mexico's Tamaulipas state, the state Secretariat of Public Security said.

The accident occurred in the morning at km 80 of Highway 83, along the Hidalgo-Zaragoza stretch, the agency said in a press release.