US envoy Steve Witkoff and members of President Donald Trump’s family spoke to nearly half a million people in Tel Aviv who had gathered to celebrate the imminent return of Israeli captives. The crowd booed every time Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was mentioned, who they blame for prolonging the war.
Soldiers from a Madagascar army unit have declared support for the youth-led anti-government protests, urging police to disobey ‘unlawful orders.’ President Andry Rajeolina says an ‘attempted illegal seizure of power’ is under way.
Bangladesh has begun a nationwide vaccination campaign to protect millions of children from typhoid, a life-threatening disease that is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.
The monthlong drive, launched on Sunday, aims to immunise about 50 million children aged between nine months and 15 years with a single dose of the typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV).
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The vaccine, approved by the World Health Organization (WHO), offers protection for up to five years and is being distributed free under the government’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI).
The campaign follows mounting concerns over drug-resistant typhoid strains spreading across South Asia. Pakistan has been battling a strain since 2016 that is resistant to nearly all antibiotics except one.
Health workers in Bangladesh are administering the vaccine through schools, clinics, and door-to-door visits, prioritising urban slums and remote villages. The campaign will run until November 13, after which TCV will be included in the country’s regular immunisation schedule.
Typhoid, caused by Salmonella Typhi bacteria, spreads through contaminated food and water. It triggers fever, abdominal pain, and nausea, and can cause fatal complications if untreated.
Researchers in Bangladesh have recently identified ceftriaxone-resistant strains – a worrying development, as ceftriaxone remains one of the last effective treatments.
Experts warn that without preventive action, resistant strains could make typhoid far harder to manage. Supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the campaign aims to lower infection rates and limit the spread of resistance.
Inaugurating the drive, the government’s health adviser, Nurjahan Begum, said it was “shameful” that children still die from typhoid in Bangladesh. She expressed hope that the country would defeat the disease as it did diarrhoea and night blindness.
A military unit in Madagascar says it is taking control of the country’s security forces as President Andry Rajoelina alleged an “attempt to seize power illegally” was under way.
The CAPSAT contingent, based in the Soanierana district on the outskirts of the capital, Antananarivo, joined thousands of antigovernment demonstrators on Saturday, calling on security forces to “refuse orders to shoot” and condemning police action taken to quell more than two weeks of youth-led protests that have rocked the Indian Ocean island.
The demonstration in the capital, Antananarivo, was one of the largest since the protest movement erupted on September 25, sparked by anger over power and water shortages.
Police used stun grenades and tear gas in attempts to disperse the crowds of several thousand people. Few left as soldiers from the CAPSAT contingent of administrative and technical officers entered the city in army vehicles to join the demonstrators.
They were greeted with cheers from protesters, who called out, “Thank you!” to the uniformed soldiers, some waving Madagascar flags.
On Sunday, Rajoelina released a statement saying: “An attempt to seize power illegally and by force, contrary to the Constitution and to democratic principles, is currently under way.”
“Dialogue is the only way forward and the only solution to the crisis currently facing the country,” he said while calling for unity.
Madagascar is one of the world’s poorest countries and has experienced frequent popular uprisings since its independence from France in 1960.
Faced with near-daily protests since September 25, Rajoelina dismissed his government on September 30 and appointed an army general as prime minister, but the move failed to quell the uprising.
Pakistani and Afghan forces have exchanged deadly fire at multiple locations along their border, and the two sides claim to have captured and destroyed border posts in one of the worst border clashes in recent years.
The Taliban administration’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said at least 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed in “retaliatory” attacks on Saturday night, two days after blasts were reported in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and the southeastern province of Paktika.
The Pakistani military admitted 23 of its soldiers were dead while claiming to have killed 200 Taliban and affiliated “terrorists”. Pakistan’s interior minister called the Afghan attacks “unprovoked firing”.
The Taliban government has accused Pakistan of carrying out Thursday’s bombings. Pakistan has neither confirmed nor denied the allegations.
Pakistan was accused of backing Taliban fighters during their rebellion against the United States-led occupation of Afghanistan and was one of only three countries that recognised the first Taliban government from 1996 to 2001.
But the rise of attacks inside Pakistan since the return of the Taliban to power in 2021 has strained their ties as Islamabad has accused the Taliban administration of providing safe haven to fighters from the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistan Taliban. Kabul has denied the allegations.
So what’s the latest on the fighting? What triggered the clashes? And is the situation expected to escalate further?
The Taliban attacks on Pakistan border areas began about 10pm (17:00 GMT) on Saturday, and the exchange of fire took place at multiple locations.
Pakistani officials and state-run radio noted that those locations included Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir and Chitral – all in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province – and Bahram Chah in Balochistan.
Mujahid said Afghan forces killed 58 Pakistani soldiers, captured 25 army posts and wounded 30 soldiers in their attacks.
“The situation on all official borders and de facto lines of Afghanistan is under complete control, and illegal activities have been largely prevented,” Mujahid said at a news conference in Kabul.
Afghanistan’s TOLOnews channel reported on Sunday that the Ministry of Defence is deploying tanks and heavy weapons in several areas of Kunar province on the 2,640km (1,640-mile) border, also referred to as the colonial-era Durand Line.
The Pakistani military on Sunday condemned what it called “the cowardly action”, saying it was aimed at destabilising the border to facilitate terrorism”.
“Exercising the right of self-defence, the alert Armed Forces of Pakistan repelled the assault decisively,” Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said in a statement.
“Last night’s episode vindicates Pakistan’s long-standing position that the Taliban government is actively facilitating the terrorists,” ISPR said. At least 29 soldiers were injured during the overnight skirmishes, it added.
The Pakistani military claimed multiple Taliban locations were destroyed along the border and “21 hostile positions on the Afghan side of the border were also briefly physically captured and multiple terrorist training camps used to plan and facilitate attacks against Pakistan were rendered inoperative.”
While the exchange of fire is mostly over, residents of Pakistan’s Kurram area reported intermittent gunfire.
On Thursday, Kabul was rocked by the sound of two explosions, and another took place in a civilian market in the border province of Paktika, the Taliban Defence Ministry said on Friday.
The Taliban government accused Pakistan of violating Afghanistan’s “sovereign territory”. Islamabad did not outright deny the blasts but asked the Taliban to curb the activities of the Pakistan Taliban.
A Pakistani security official told the Reuters news agency air strikes were carried out and their intended target in Kabul was the leader of the TTP, who was travelling in a vehicle.
Al Jazeera could not independently verify if the leader, Noor Wali Mehsud, had survived.
Pakistan and the Taliban, once allies over shared security interests, have grown increasingly hostile over Islamabad’s claim that the Taliban is giving refuge to the TTP, which is accused of carrying out years of attacks inside Pakistan.
At least 2,414 fatalities have been recorded in the first three quarters of this year, according to the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), an Islamabad-based think tank.
In its latest report issued last month, CRSS said that if the current trend continues, 2025 could be one of the deadliest years in Pakistan. Last year, at least 2,546 people were killed in attacks.
The attacks have risen since the ouster of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in April 2022. Khan’s government had involved the Taliban in efforts to get the TTP to agree to a ceasefire. Although the ceasefire unravelled during Khan’s tenure, the frequency of attacks remained lower.
Ties have deteriorated as Islamabad has increased its use of air strikes inside Afghanistan to target hideouts it says are used by TTP fighters.
Analysts said a recent surge in TTP attacks against Pakistani soldiers was the main trigger for the deadly clashes.
The TTP attacks, including suicide bombings, compelled Pakistan to strike in Afghanistan, said Mehmood Jan Babar, a
Peshawar-based political and security analyst.
“The message was to clearly show that if the Afghan Taliban won’t control the elements on their soil, Pakistan will strike inside the Afghan territory. The issue is that the TTP has enough support within the ranks of the Afghan Taliban, and that is also why the government often chooses to look the other way when the TTP carries out its activities inside Pakistan,” Babar said.
“If the Kabul government chooses to take some action, they fear there could be a big revolt in their internal ranks as not only TTP fighters but even the Afghan Taliban rank and file might end up joining hands, or worse, join the so-called Islamic State in Khorasan Province.”
Relations have also soured over Pakistan’s decision to deport tens of thousands of Afghan refugees. At least 3 million Afghan refugees had taken shelter in Pakistan after fleeing decades of conflict.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the Afghan attacks late on Saturday, adding that the country’s army “not only gave a befitting reply to Afghanistan’s provocations but also destroyed several of their posts, forcing them to retreat”.
Mohsin Naqvi, the interior minister, said the Afghan attacks were “unprovoked” and civilians were fired at. Strongly condemning the Taliban’s attacks, he said: “The firing by Afghan forces on civilian populations is a blatant violation of international laws.”
“Afghanistan is playing a game of fire and blood,” he said in a post on X.
Enayatullah Khowarazmi, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence, said its attacks on the Pakistan border posts were a retaliatory operation, adding that they concluded at midnight.
“If the opposing side again violates Afghanistan’s airspace, our armed forces are prepared to defend their airspace and will deliver a strong response,” Khowarazmi said.
The escalating tensions have prompted regional concern as they come amid rapidly changing security dynamics and relations in South Asia.
“Our position is that both sides must exercise restraint,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said during a live interview with state television, adding that “stability” between the two countries that border Iran “contributes to regional stability”.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also urged “both sides to prioritise dialogue and diplomacy, exercise restraint, and work to contain the disputes in a way that helps reduce tension, avoids escalation, and contributes to regional peace and stability”.
Expressing concern, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “The kingdom calls for restraint, avoiding escalation, and embracing dialogue and wisdom to contribute to reducing tensions and maintaining security and stability in the region.”
“The kingdom affirms its support for all regional and international efforts aimed at promoting peace and stability and its continued commitment to ensuring security, which will achieve stability and prosperity for the brotherly Pakistani and Afghan peoples,” it added.
India, which is currently hosting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on his first visit there, has yet to comment on the border clashes. Islamabad has viewed New Delhi’s engagement with the Taliban with suspicion.
Ibraheem Bahiss, a Kabul-based senior analyst for the International Crisis Group, said Muttaqi’s red-carpet welcome in India was “probably a factor in the ultimate decision by the Pakistan army to escalate in the major way that we saw”.
Security analysts and a former diplomat Al Jazeera spoke to suggested both sides would like to avoid escalating the matter.
Asif Durrani, a former Pakistani ambassador and special representative to Afghanistan, told Al Jazeera he believes “the chances of this clash [spilling over] to something bigger and more serious [are] minimal.”
“Afghanistan does not have any conventional military capacity when compared to Pakistan,” Durrani said, adding, “Guerrilla warfare is not the same as conventional warfare, which is a whole different beast and something where Pakistan is considerably ahead of Afghanistan.”
Bahiss said he believes that priority for both Islamabad and Kabul is to de-escalate. “Neither side wants major escalation on their frontiers as they are already grappling with several issues,” he told Al Jazeera.
“Pakistan is dealing with violence with attacks against security personnel, and it would lead to the compounding of this issue if the Afghan Taliban also started carrying out attacks, putting broader security under pressure, and that is something Pakistan would want to avoid.”
The Afghan retaliation, Bahiss said, was “to reassure their domestic audience, showing that they are in control of the situation and can avenge any strikes inside their territory”.
Babar says both sides need to engage through diplomacy. “It is the only way they can somehow find a way to resolve their differences. Pakistan’s deputy prime minister, Ishaq Dar, who is also the foreign minister, has met his Afghan counterpart multiple times this year, and they have both promised not to fight,” he told Al Jazeera.
“Both countries have a similar set of friends, particularly China and other Muslim nations. Saudi Arabia, in fact, has already issued a statement urging restraint from both sides and disengagement from battle. China and Russia too will not want this border to heat up and will want both to get back to the negotiation table, so I don’t think there will be any further escalation,” he said.
But Durrani said the TTP remains the central issue in the countries’ fraught relations.
“The Afghan government refuses to acknowledge their [the TTP’s] existence on their soil, and as long as that irritant remains present, the situation will remain tense,” he added.
China has called United States President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on Chinese goods hypocritical as it defended its curbs on exports of rare earth elements and equipment, while stopping short of imposing additional duties on US imports.
In a lengthy statement on Sunday, China’s Ministry of Commerce said its export controls on rare earths, which Trump had labelled “surprising” and “very hostile”, were introduced in response to a series of US measures since their trade talks held in Madrid, Spain, last month.
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“China’s stance is consistent,” the ministry said in a statement posted online. “We do not want a tariff war but we are not afraid of one.”
Trump on Friday retaliated to the Chinese curbs on rare earth exports by announcing a 100 percent tariff on Chinese exports to the US and new export controls on critical software, effective from November 1.
Beijing cited Washington’s decision to blacklist Chinese firms and impose port fees on China-linked ships as examples of what it called “provocative and damaging” actions, calling Trump’s tariff threat a “typical example of double standards”.
“These actions have severely harmed China’s interests and undermined the atmosphere for bilateral economic and trade talks. China firmly opposes them,” the ministry said.
Unlike earlier rounds of tit-for-tat tariffs, China has not yet announced any countermeasures.
Rare earths have been a major sticking point in recent trade negotiations between the two superpowers. They are critical to manufacturing everything from smartphones and electric vehicles to military hardware and renewable energy technology.
China dominates the global production and processing of these materials. On Thursday, it announced new controls on the export of technologies used for the mining and processing of critical minerals.
The renewed trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies also risk derailing a potential summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea later this month. It would have been their first face-to-face encounter since Trump returned to power in January.
The dispute has also rattled global markets, dragging down major tech stocks and worrying companies reliant on China’s dominance in rare earth processing.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s economy ministry on Sunday said China’s latest export restrictions on rare earth elements are unlikely to impact its semiconductor industry.
“The rare-earth elements covered by the expanded ban differ from those required in Taiwan’s semiconductor processes, so no significant impact on chip manufacturing is expected at this time,” the ministry said.