Nawaz shifted back to jail from hospital

Lahore: Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is serving a seven-year imprisonment in a corruption case, is sent back to jail from the hospital in Lahore where he spent six days.

Maldives ex-prez to be charged in graft case

Male: Police in the Maldives have asked the country’s prosecutor general to charge a former President with money laundering and his former Cabinet Minister with aiding him.

Five killed in South Africa coal mine blast  Johannesburg:

 South African police said on Thursday that five people had died after trespassing into a disused mine, with local media reporting the deaths were caused by a gas explosion.

Last 4 years hottest on record, UN confirms

Paris: The last four years were the hottest since global temperature records began, the UN has confirmed in an analysis that it said was a “clear sign of continuing long-term climate change.” The UN’s World Meterological Organisation said in November that 2018 was set to be the fourth warmest year in recorded history, stressing the urgent need for action to rein in runaway planetary warming.

Ukraine bans Russians from monitoring polls

Kiev: Ukrainian lawmakers on Thursday voted to ban Russians from monitoring a forthcoming presidential election, as tensions between the neighbours flare before the poll. Kiev, fighting a Moscow-backed insurgency in eastern Ukraine, has said it suspects Russia of planning to interfere in poll. Lawmakers also voted to allocate around USD350 million to the intelligence services to counter the perceived threat. Thursday’s measure would block Russian nationals from taking part in international poll monitoring missions, and would also apply to parliamentary and local votes. The proposal has been condemned by Moscow and Kiev’s Western allies alike.