New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS) An article written by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan about the 'Spirit of Riyasat-i-Madina' has drawn flak from the Opposition, whose leaders have termed the PMs thesis as an attempt to obfuscate economic and governance concerns with religion, the Friday Times reported.

New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS) At least five people were injured in an explosion near a railway track in the Mashkaf area in Balochistans Bolan district on Tuesday, a senior official of Pakistan Railways said, the Dawn reported.

New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS) Six months after the collapse of the Afghan government led by the former President Ashraf Ghani, an ex-female minister of his time unveiled several cases of 'sexual assault' and 'corruption' in the Presidential palace, Khaama Press reported.

New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS) Synagogue terrorist Malik Faisal Akram was being watched by British spies in the months before his 10-hour siege in Texas because of his links to extremism -- but was let off the hook, the Daily Mail reported.

London/New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS) The UK government on Tuesday joined a slew of nations in cracking down on misleading cryptocurrency ads to protect consumers.

New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS) Amid the fast-paced, pandemic-driven digitalisation across the globe, the world is facing cyber attacks led by ransomware like never before -- an average of 270 attempts per firm - and the cost of breaches to an organisation amounted to an average of $3.6 million per incident last year, a World Economic Forum (WEF) study revealed on Tuesday.

Kabul, Jan 18 (IANS) The death toll from a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in Afghanistan's western province of Badghis has increased to 22, an official confirmed on Tuesday.

Luanda, Jan 18 (IANS) Angola estimates to produce 10.5 million carats of diamonds in 2022 with a revenue of $1.4 billion, the country's National Diamond Company (Endiama) announced here.

Tokyo, Jan 18 (IANS) The Bank of Japan (BOJ) on Tuesday raised its inflation forecast for the fiscal year from April, with the view based on a comparatively weak yen in the face of rising energy and raw material costs.

Hong Kong, Jan 18 (IANS) Two former Cathay Pacific flight attendants were arrested and charged with violating local anti-Covid-19 pandemic rules, police here said on Tuesday.

Canberra, Jan 18 (IANS) Australia recorded its highest ever number of Covid-19 deaths on Tuesday, as the latest resurgence continued to push up the hospitalisation rates to record levels.

Houston, Jan 18 (IANS) The Fifth US Circuit Court of Appeals has sent a legal challenge filed by abortion clinics against Texas' highly controversial law banning abortion to the state's Republican-majority Supreme Court, a move widely seen as the latest setback for abortion providers.

Ramallah, Jan 18 (IANS) Palestine has warned Israel against evicting Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem.

New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS) The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed the Additional Attorney General (AAG) to ensure that its directives for the demolition of the Navy Sailing Club and the initiation of criminal proceedings against former Navy chief Admiral (retd) Zafar Mahmood Abbasi are placed before Prime Minister Imran Khan and the federal cabinet, The Express Tribune reported.

Brussels, Jan 18 (IANS) Eurogroup President Paschal Donohoe said that high inflation will last longer than initially expected but is expected to diminish as the year progresses.

Seoul, Jan 18 (IANS) South Korea's Defence Minister Suh Wook on Tuesday called for a "firm" readiness posture following a series of North Korean missile launches.

Mexico City, Jan 18 (IANS) Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the pace of the country's economic recovery has remained on track despite the spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant.

Los Angeles, Jan 18 (IANS) In the past one day, the Los Angeles County reported 31,576 new Covid-19 cases, nearly 10 times higher the 3,360 infections registered on December 17, 2021, said the Department of Public Health.

New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS) The Taliban rule has had a devastating impact on Afghan women and girls, according to the Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Human Rights Institute at San Jose State University (SJSU).

Seoul, Jan 18 (IANS) Lottery sales in South Korea rose 10.3 per cent on-year to reach an all-time high last year amid the Covid-19 pandemic, data from the Finance Ministry revealed on Tuesday.

New York, Jan 18 (IANS) A winter storm hit the mid-Atlantic and northeast US, causing widespread travel disruption and knocking out power for more than 200,000 homes and businesses.

New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS) Ahmad Waqass Goraya, an exiled Pakistani activist who was the ISI's target for a hit job, said that all known stooges of the spy agency have become active to have his Twitter account blocked as part of a fake campaign on harassing women journalists of Pakistan.

Colombo, Jan 18 (IANS) Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said on Tuesday that his country does not want to get caught up between powerful nations.

KIev, Jan 18 (IANS) Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that he will hold a meeting with his German and French counterparts, Annalena Baerbock and Jean-Yves Le Drian, to discuss the revival of the Normandy format.

Frankfurt, Jan 18 (IANS) Passenger numbers at Frankfurt airport picked up in 2021 after the easing of some Covid-19 restrictions, it announced in a statement.