PAKISTAN

In northwest India and Pakistan, a UK analysis finds heat that used to occur every 300 years may now happen about every three years.

A UK study says record-breaking temperatures in NW India and Pakistan are now 100 times more likely.

Pakistan’s interior ministry says it has beefed up security for former Prime Minister Imran Khan, two days after he claimed at a rally in eastern Punjab province that there’s a plot to assassinate him

The NFL schedule is out. Mackenzie Salmon gives you the 10 must watch games of the 2022 season.

"There is no doubt that climate change is playing a role here," a climate scientist told CBS News.

Rapid snowmelt caused the lake near Shishpar glacier to flood and wipe out an important bridge.

Women who appear in public without following the new guidelines on dress will first be issued warnings, the ministry’s announcement stated. The ministry called on the media and mosques to encourage women to comply. AdvertisementWhile not legally required under the previous government, most Afghan women traditionally cover their hair in public. When the Taliban controlled Afghanistan in the 1990s, all women were required to wear head-to-toe coverings. Many women have also been barred from the workplace under Taliban rule due to guidelines forbidding men and women to work in proximity.

Pakistani police say they arrested eight men of the Ahmadi sect of Islam on Saturday who had opened fire on a group of Sunni Muslims the night prior, killing one and wounding another. Senior officer Faisal Mukhtar said the Ahmadis shot at the Sunnis while they were chanting religious poems in the village of Bahuman, near Lahore in the eastern province of Punjab. The killing was a rare case of violence exercised by Ahmadis, who have long held a grievance against Pakistan's majority Sunnis, who consider them heretics.

Each summer in India is a fresh roll of the dice on whether a freak event will occur that leads to a vast number of deaths.

A court in Islamabad has asked Pakistan’s intelligence agency and the police to stop harassing a prominent TV anchor after his lawyer petitioned the court, saying his client’s fundamental rights are being violated by security officials

Former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton garnered laughter and applause during her eulogy for her predecessor at the State Department, Madeleine Albright, held at Washington's National Cathedral Wednesday. (April 27)

Russian emergency workers retrieved the bodies of the dead in Mariupol on Thursday as Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the city “liberated.” Content warning: This video contains graphic footage that may be disturbing to viewers.

Pakistan’s acting president has sworn in the country’s Cabinet

Successive governments have failed to back renewables, cutting the country off from the cheapest source of indigenous energy. The new prime minister could change all that.

Nepal relies heavily on neighbouring India for imports of almost all of its staples, including fuel.

First elevated to power in 2018 elections, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, a former cricket star, was widely seen as closely allied with the country’s powerful military, which has ruled the country for almost half of its 75-year history. Now it looks like the backing of that mighty constituency, as well as some of his political allies, is gone. His opponents, charging mismanagement of the economy, ganged up to oust him from office in a no-confidence vote in April.

First elevated to power in 2018 elections, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, a former cricket star, was widely seen as closely allied with the country’s powerful military, which has ruled the country for almost half of its 75-year history. Now it looks like the backing of that mighty constituency, as well as some of his political allies, is gone. His opponents, charging mismanagement of the economy, ganged up to oust him from office in a no-confidence vote in April.

On Monday, Pakistan's parliament picked Shehbaz Sharif as the new prime minister, just days after his predecessor Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote.

First elevated to power in 2018 elections, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, a former cricket star, was widely seen as closely allied with the country’s powerful military, which has ruled the country for almost half of its 75-year history. Now it looks like the backing of that mighty constituency, as well as some of his political allies, is gone. His opponents, charging mismanagement of the economy, ganged up to oust him from office in a no-confidence vote in April.

First elevated to power in 2018 elections, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, a former cricket star, was widely seen as closely allied with the country’s powerful military, which has ruled the country for almost half of its 75-year history. Now it looks like the backing of that mighty constituency, as well as some of his political allies, is gone. His opponents, charging mismanagement of the economy, ganged up to oust him from office in a no-confidence vote in April.

Supporters of ousted Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, and supporters of his opposition, gather outside parliament in Islamabad following the vote of no confidence that saw Khan lose office.

The prime minister's effort to dissolve parliament on the eve of a no-confidence vote aggravated already-strained relations with the United States.

First elevated to power in 2018 elections, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has been widely seen as closely allied with the country’s powerful military, which until then had ruled the country for almost half its existence. Now, he appears to have lost some of the backing of this mighty constituency as well as some of his political allies. That spells danger for Khan at a time when his opponents, charging mismanagement of the economy, have ganged up to challenge his populist leadership.

First elevated to power in 2018 elections, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has been widely seen as closely allied with the country’s powerful military, which until then had ruled the country for almost half its existence. Now, he appears to have lost some of the backing of this mighty constituency as well as some of his political allies. That spells danger for Khan at a time when his opponents, charging mismanagement of the economy, have ganged up to challenge his populist leadership.

Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky urges the United Nations to "act immediately" on President Vladimir Putin's invasion of his country, calling for Russia to be expelled from the UN security council.

First elevated to power in 2018 elections, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has been widely seen as closely allied with the country’s powerful military, which until then had ruled the country for almost half its existence. Now, he appears to have lost some of the backing of this mighty constituency as well as some of his political allies. That spells danger for Khan at a time when his opponents, charging mismanagement of the economy, have ganged up to challenge his populist leadership.

First elevated to power in 2018 elections, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has been widely seen as closely allied with the country’s powerful military, which until then had ruled the country for almost half its existence. Now, he appears to have lost some of the backing of this mighty constituency as well as some of his political allies. That spells danger for Khan at a time when his opponents, charging mismanagement of the economy, have ganged up to challenge his populist leadership.

The Pakistan National Assembly will begin to debate the no-confidence motion Imran Khan's government at about 11.30am local time.

With his populist bravado and anti-Western rhetoric, the Pakistani prime minister has stumbled into a trap of his own making.

Pakistan’s military says a group of militants tried to sneak across the border from Afghanistan, triggering a shootout that killed four soldiers

Originally born in Czechoslovakia, Albright became a trailblazer for women on the world stage.

Pakistan’s air force says one of its aircraft has crashed during a routine training mission near the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing a pilot and co-pilot

Off-spinner Nida Dar took four wickets for 10 runs as previously winless Pakistan beat the West Indies by eight wickets Monday in a match shortened to 20 overs per side at the Women’s Cricket World Cup. Pakistan’s battery of spin bowlers came into its own in sticky conditions at Seddon Park to deal a blow to the West Indies' hopes of reaching the semifinals. The West Indies managed only 89-7 from its 20 overs and Pakistan surpassed that total with seven balls to spare, led by opener Muneeba Ali's 37 from 43 balls in her first innings at the tournament.

Australia won the toss and elected to bat Monday in the third and final test against Pakistan, with the batting-dominated series locked at 0-0. Pakistan made one change after an epic draw at Karachi last week, when Babar Azam’s marathon knock of 196 in more than 10 hours led the hosts to 443-7, falling short by 63 runs. Fast bowler Naseem Shah replaced all-rounder Faheem Ashraf as Pakistan went with three pacemen and retained the two spinners -- Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam hit a career-best 196 before the tailenders hung in to escape with a draw in the second test against Australia on Wednesday. Veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon grabbed three late wickets to finish with 4-112 but Pakistan vice captain Mohammad Rizwan thwarted Australia with an unbeaten 104 off 177 balls to guide Pakistan to 443-7 in a sensational last hour on the final day. No. 9 batter Nauman Ali successfully defended 18 balls without scoring and saw off the last eight overs with Rizwan after Pakistan had slipped to 414-7.

Captain Babar Azam's first test hundred in two years and Abdullah Shafique's 71 led Pakistan's resistance after Australia set up a huge target of 506 on day four Tuesday of the second test. Babar was unbeaten on 102 off 198 balls and opening batter Shafique followed his maiden test hundred in the drawn first test with an undefeated 71 off 226 balls to take Pakistan to 192-2 at stumps. Pakistan still needs an improbable 314 runs to achieve a world record run chase on the last day or survive the remaining 90 overs to deny Australia taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Mitchell Starc snapped up 3-29 to help Australia take complete control against a tired Pakistan side on the third day of the second test on Monday. Pakistan, replying to Australia's huge first-innings total of 556-9 declared, was bowled out for just 148 after having spent more than two days toiling in the field. Australia, touring Pakistan for the first time since 1998, then decided not to enforce the follow-on as it raced to 81-1 in 17 overs by the close — a lead of 489 runs.

Australia's lower-order, led by Alex Carey’s 93, blunted the Pakistan bowling attack to reach 505-8 on the second day of the second test on Sunday. Carey missed out on a deserving century when he was clean bowled attempting an ambitious slog sweep against Pakistan skipper Babar Azam’s part-time off spin late on. Carey and Mitchell Starc, who was unbeaten on 28, nearly played out the entire last session as they put on 98 runs on a slow wicket to the frustration of Pakistan’s bowlers.

Pakistan's air force officially inducted its first batch of Chinese-built J-10C fighter jets on Friday, holding a ceremony with officials from both sides in Islamabad. Several of the jets flew overhead as Prime Minister Imran Khan welcomed the purchase, made for an undisclosed amount. Pakistan hasn't said how many aircraft were bought in the deal, though authorities had earlier spoken of up to 25 jets.

Pakistan's military on Thursday claimed that an unarmed surface-to-surface missile launched from neighboring India violated Pakistan's airspace and ended up in eastern Punjab province, damaging a wall in a residential area but causing no casualties. Maj. Gen. Babar Iftikhar protested over the “flagrant violation” and demanded an explanation from India. Speaking at a news conference in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, Iftikar said the “supersonic missile” struck in the city of Mian Channu on Wednesday evening.

First elevated to power in 2018 elections, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has been widely seen as closely allied with the country’s powerful military, which until then had ruled the country for almost half its existence. Now, he appears to have lost some of the backing of this mighty constituency as well as some of his political allies. That spells danger for Khan at a time when his opponents, charging mismanagement of the economy, have ganged up to challenge his leadership.

Usman Khawaja narrowly missed out on a century in the country of his birth as Australia's top batters made full use of a placid wicket to reach 271-2 on the third day of the first test against Pakistan on Sunday. Khawaja, whose family migrated to Australia when he was four, capitalized on two dropped catches to score 97 while his opening partner David Warner (68) and Marnus Labuschagne (69 not out) also scored aggressive half centuries. Bad light and heavy clouds brought an early closure to the third day’s play, 21 overs ahead of schedule as Australia batters prospered on a grassless wicket.

Pakistani police say gunmen have shot and killed a female polio worker during a vaccination campaign in the country's northwest.

Australia arrived for its first tour to Pakistan in 24 years on Sunday with the visitors due to play three test matches, three one-day internationals and a one-off Twenty20 during their six-week tour. Australia last toured to Pakistan in 1998 when it won the test series 1-0 while also winning all the matches in the limited-overs series. Pakistan has struggled to attract visiting sides since a fatal terrorist attack on the visiting Sri Lanka team’s bus in 2009, and Australia pulled out of a tour five years earlier after a suicide blast at a Lahore church.

Pakistan awarded Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates its second-highest civilian honor on Thursday, in recognition of his work to alleviate poverty and diseases like polio and tuberculosis. On a daylong visit to the capital, Islamabad, Gates was given the prestigious Hilal-e-Pakistan award by President Arif Alvi in a televised ceremony, after he met with Prime Minister Imran Khan at his office. “Pakistan’s commitment to ending polio is inspiring,” Gates said in a statement released by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

A Pakistan court ruled Waseem Azeem could be released after his parents granted him forgiveness for killing his sister, triggering a legal pardon under Islamic law.

A Pakistani man sentenced to life in prison in 2019 for strangling his sister, a model on social media, was acquitted of murder Monday after his parents pardoned him under Islamic law, an attorney for the man's family said. Waseem Azeem was arrested in 2016 after he confessed to killing Qandeel Baloch, 26, for posting what he called “shameful” pictures on Facebook. Islamic law in Pakistan allows a murder victim’s family to pardon a convicted killer.

Pakistan is allowing nuclear rival India to deliver tons of wheat to ease food shortages in Afghanistan

An enraged mob stoned to death a middle-aged man for allegedly desecrating the Quran in a remote village in eastern Pakistan, police said Sunday. The custodian of a local mosque said he saw the man burning the Muslim holy book inside the mosque Saturday evening and told others before informing police, according to police spokesman Chaudhry Imran. The violence took place in a village in the district of Khanewal in Punjab province.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met Sunday with leaders from Poland and Pakistan in a flurry of diplomacy on the sidelines of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Xi told President Andrzej Duda that China seeks to further improve ties with Poland, whose warm relationship with Beijing has not sat well with main rival the United States. Poland was the only European Union nation to send an elected leader to the Games despite a U.S.-led diplomatic boycott.

Pakistan's military said security forces cleared two areas in a southwestern province of separatist militants after they attacked two army camps, leaving nine soldiers dead and six others wounded. The military statement issued late Saturday said militants attacked security forces camps in Baluchistan province in the districts of Naushki and Panjgur late Wednesday and both attacks were eventually repulsed. A recently formed separatist group, the Baluchistan Nationalist Army, claimed responsibility for the attacks in a Twitter post.

Pakistan's police say gunmen shot and killed a police officer providing security for polio vaccination workers.

The World Health Organization says the number of new coronavirus cases globally rose by 20% last week to more than 18 million, marking a slowdown in the surge caused by the omicron variant.

Officials say at least 22 people, including 10 children, died in a popular mountain resort town in Pakistan after being stuck in their vehicles overnight during a heavy snowstorm.

Islamic countries are scrambling to find ways to help Afghanistan avert an imminent economic collapse they say would have a “horrendous” global impact.

Officials say a powerful gas explosion in a sewage system in Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, has killed at least 12 people and injured 11 others.

Pakistan is rallying Muslim countries to help Afghanistan stave off an economic and humanitarian disaster.

A Pakistani official says the country has freed 20 Indian fishermen who spent four years in a prison in the port city of Karachi for violating the country’s territorial waters.

Envoys from the United States, Russia and China have met in Pakistan to discuss the path forward in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover.

Pakistan's police say violent clashes have erupted between security forces and Islamists in the eastern city of Lahore, killing at least two policemen and two demonstrators.

U.N. agencies say Afghanistan's Taliban rulers have agreed to a nationwide polio vaccination campaign for the first time in three years.

A powerful earthquake has collapsed at least one coal mine and as many as 100 mud houses in a remote, mountainous part of southwest Pakistan.

Pakistan’s planning minister says the government will begin a drive to vaccinate children aged 12 or above to protect them from coronavirus.

The speeches may be scripted, but the United Nations General Assembly can sometimes be the only direct window into the regional challenges that command global concern.

Only five women addressed the United Nations General Assembly in the first half of its session this year.

Members of Afghanistan’s women soccer team have arrived in Pakistan.

A government spokesman says a massive fire broke out at a chemical factory in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, killing at least 10 workers and injuring several others.

Social media users shared a video showing a group of men dancing with guns that was edited to feature rapper Drake’s track “In My Feelings.”

A top official at the European Medicines Agency says a decision on whether to recommend that Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine be authorized for children is expected late next week.

American diplomats are escalating a charm offensive with Central Asian leaders as they work to secure a spot to respond to any resurgence of outside militants in Afghanistan after the U.S. military withdraws.

Afghan officials say that gunmen targeted members of polio vaccination teams in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least five staffers.

Pakistani officials say the death toll from a collision of two trains in the country's south has risen to 65 after rescuers pulled 15 more bodies from crumpled cars a day after the crash.

Summer is arriving in Tuscany’s wine country.

A new study has calculated that more than one-third of global heat deaths can directly be attributed to human-caused climate change.

A lawyer for the oldest prisoner at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, says authorities have approved his release after more than 16 years in custody.

A committee of journalists in Pakistan says the media is increasingly facing censorship, attacks and harassment.

Ontario will be getting help from Canada’s military in dealing with a surge of coronavirus infections, while several other Canadian provinces are tightening health restrictions in hopes of avoiding a similar situation.

President Joe Biden says the U.

A lawmaker from Pakistan’s ruling party has kicked off a debate in Parliament on whether the French ambassador should be expelled over the publication of controversial cartoons depicting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.

Prosecutors have charged a Minnesota man with felony assault and allege that he attacked a home improvement store employee and a police officer after the store worker told him to wear a mask.

Pakistan briefly blocked access to all social media after days of anti-French protests by radical Islamists opposed to cartoons they consider blasphemous.

The French embassy in Pakistan is advising all of its nationals and companies to temporarily leave the country amid violent anti-France protests by supporters of a radical Islamist political party.

Pakistani security forces swinging batons and firing teargas have moved to clear sit-ins by protesting Islamists in the garrison city of Rawalpindi and elsewhere.

A surge in virus cases and deaths is hitting all regions of the world.

Afghanistan is inoculating millions of children against polio after pandemic lockdowns stalled the effort to eradicate the crippling disease.

New coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Utah have been on a downward trend since January. Ad___SAO PAULO, Brazil — Brazil has reached 300,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and become the second nation to top that figure. ___BOISE, Idaho — The governor of Idaho has said COVID-19 vaccine eligibility will be open to all Idaho residents 16 and up starting April 5. ___WAILUKU, Hawaii — A hospital on Maui had to throw out nearly 1,400 vaccine doses after a refrigerator thawing the vials did not properly seal. Also, COVID-19 deaths have dipped below 1,000 a day on average for the first time since November.

Prime Minister Khan handily won a vote of confidence from the National Assembly on Saturday, March 6, 2021, days after the embarrassing defeat of his ruling partys key candidate in Senate elections. The need for the confidence vote arose after former Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani in Senate elections Wednesday defeated Hafeez Sheikh, the finance minister in Khan’s Cabinet. AdThe Senate vote was seen as a test for Khan, who came to power in the 2018 parliamentary elections. AdKhan said his party members went through agony after the Senate vote but now he wants to make the country great. Outside Parliament, opposition leaders from the former ruling party Pakistan Muslim League argued heatedly with Khan’s supporters.

FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2020, file photo, Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, bottom right, speaks at the opening session of peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar. After more than a month of delays, escalating violence and a flurry of diplomatic activity peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government have resumed Monday, Feb. 22, 2021, in the Middle Eastern State of Qatar. When talks ended abruptly in January, just days after beginning, both sides submitted their wish lists for agendas. The priority for the Afghan government, Washington and NATO is a serious reduction in violence leading to a cease fire. AdWashington is reviewing the February 2020 peace deal the previous Trump administration signed with the Taliban that calls for the final withdrawal of international forces by May 1.

Kabulov was in Pakistan, a key regional player in efforts to find a peaceful end to Afghanistan's protracted war. Few details came out of the meeting except that Afghanistan and getting to a peace deal dominated talks. Zamir Kabulov, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for Afghanistan, was in Pakistan on Friday for talks with officials. AdWashington and Kabul have been pressing for a cease-fire while the Taliban say they will negotiate it as part of peace talks with the Afghan government. Few details came out of Kabulov's meetings except a statement saying that Afghanistan and efforts to reach a peace deal dominated the discussions.

A healthcare worker administers a polio vaccine to a child in Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Despite a steady rise in coronavirus cases, Pakistan on Monday launched a five-day vaccination campaign against polio amid tight security, hoping to eradicate the crippling children's disease this year. Chaudary)ISLAMABAD – Despite a steady rise in coronavirus cases, Pakistan on Monday launched a five-day vaccination campaign against polio amid tight security, hoping to eradicate the crippling children’s disease this year. Pakistan has registered more than 504,000 cases of the virus, including 10,676 deaths since the first infection was detected in February. These attacks increased after it was revealed that a fake hepatitis vaccination campaign was used as a ruse by the CIA in the hunt for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

People are silhouetted on vehicle's headlights on a dark street during widespread power outages in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. Pakistan's national power grid experienced a major breakdown late night on Saturday, leaving millions of people in darkness, local media reported. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)ISLAMABAD – A major technical fault in Pakistan's power generation and distribution system caused a massive power outage that plunged the country into darkness overnight, the energy minister said. Hours after the late Saturday outage, Energy Minister Omar Ayub said on Twitter that power was being restored in phases, starting with Islamabad. He said the cause of the power outage was being investigated and work was being done to fire up Pakistan's main Tarbela power station in the northwest, which would lead to a restoration of power in the rest of the country in phases.

People from the Shiite Hazara community gather around coffins of coal mine workers killed by gunmen near the Machh coal field, during a sit-in to protest, in Quetta, Pakistan, Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. Saying that the miners would not be buried until he visits the protesters amounts to blackmail, said Prime Minister Imran Khan. But the Shiites have continued their sit-in to protest the killing of the miners in Baluchistan province, where Quetta is the provincial capital. The miners were killed on Sunday after being abducted near the Machh coal field, 48 kilometers (30 miles) east of Quetta. IS militants abducted and then shot and killed the miners on Sunday in Baluchistan.

While the diplomats were there to finalize deals to ensure millions of doses reached Indonesian citizens, the clerics had a much different concern: Whether the COVID-19 vaccine was permissible for use under Islamic law. Spokespeople for Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca have said that pork products are not part of their COVID-19 vaccines. In Indonesia, the government has already said it will include the Muslim clerical body in the COVID-19 vaccine procurement and certification process. “Public communication regarding the halal status, price, quality and distribution must be well-prepared,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo said in October. The government has announced several COVID-19 vaccine procurement deals with the company totaling millions of doses.

The extensive report was published earlier this week by EU DisinfoLab, a Brussels-based nongovernmental organization. The EU DisinfoLab report, entitled “Indian Chronicles,” did not explicitly attribute the campaign to the Indian government or its intelligence agencies. “The scope and extent of India’s operations against Pakistan under their hybrid war is now apparent for the world to see. The EU DisinfoLab report comes less than a month after Pakistan accused India of sponsoring “terrorism” aimed at destabilizing the country and targeting its economic partnership with China. India has likewise accused Pakistan of sponsoring militant groups that have carried out attacks inside its borders in recent years.

Worst off in the region has been Iran, where infections have soared in recent months, filling up hospitals and driving up the death toll. Iran shattered its single-day death toll six times in the last two weeks, bringing the total count of fatalities past 43,400 — the highest in the Middle East. From Pakistan, Faisal Sultan, special assistant to the prime minister for national health services, told reporters the winter surge had arrived. Tunisia is another country that thought its worst virus days were in the past, only to see cases soar in recent weeks. “We cannot — and should not — wait until a safe and effective vaccine becomes readily available for all," he said.

___Georgia soccer coach Billy Lesesne has tested positive for COVID-19. ___A cricket player in Pakistan has tested positive for the coronavirus. The player tested positive during a match in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournament. Dynamo, Verl and Meppen say they have canceled training ahead of more coronavirus tests or rulings from local health authorities. Two games in the league have previously been rescheduled because of coronavirus testing results.

Supporters of religious group burn a representation of a French flag during a rally against French President Emmanuel Macron and republishing of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad they deem blasphemous, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 30, 2020. Muslims have been calling for both protests and a boycott of French goods in response to France's stance on caricatures of Islam's most revered prophet. Crowds of Islamist activists hanged an effigy of French President Emmanuel Macron from a highway overpass after pounding it furiously with their shoes. Turkey has led regional condemnation of the French president, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s verbal attacks on Macron prompting France to recall its ambassador to Turkey last weekend. Demonstrators trampled on portraits of Macron and called on Afghan leaders to shut down the French embassy, halt French imports and ban French citizens from visiting the country.

(AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)PARIS – France is increasing security at religious sites as the interior minister said Tuesday that the country faces a “very high” risk of terrorist threats, amid growing geopolitical tensions following the beheading of a teacher who showed his class caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. European allies have supported Macron, while Muslim-majority countries are angered by his defense of prophet cartoons they consider sacrilegious. The prophet cartoons deeply upset many Muslims around the world. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has led the charge against France, questioning Macron’s mental state, and France recalled its ambassador to Turkey for consultations, a first in French-Turkish diplomatic relations. But this new spat has quickly spread to other countries in Europe and the Muslim world.

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan blocked the Chinese social media app TikTok, saying the company failed to fully comply with the instructions to develop an effective mechanism to control unlawful content. In a statement, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority said Friday that it took the step after receiving complaints against “immoral and indecent” content on the video-sharing platform. But TikTok “failed to fully comply with PTA’s instructions,” after which the authority decided to ban it in Pakistan. Shortly after the ban, the app began to show a blank interface with no text or images loading. The telecommunication authority kept the door open for a return of TikTok, saying “it is open for engagement” and would review its decision if TikTok develops a mechanism to moderate the content.