An Indian officer and two soldiers died in clashes with Chinese troops on Monday night along a disputed border, the first such confrontation to lead to fatalities since 1975. The Indian army confirmed the “violent face-off” in the Galwan Valley in the Ladakh region, adding that senior military officials later met at the location to defuse the tension. India reported casualties on both sides, but Chinese officials only confirmed the fighting.

Near the entrance of Dzaleka Refugee Camp, white tents sit in long rows. They form a new center opened on April 20. Some red with dust, the tents are yet fresh sentinels to the new realities of caring for the world’s displaced amid a fast-moving pandemic. 

The first reality: A global quarantine has not stopped refugees from fleeing war and deprivation. More than 20 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi quickly filled reception tents at Dzaleka, 30 miles outside Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi in Africa’s southeastern quadrant.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen took the advice of the United Nations and announced a truce in the war with Houthi rebels during the coronavirus pandemic. The two-week, unilateral cease-fire begins Thursday, but the coalition could extend it to allow the warring sides to discuss a permanent solution. Yemen has no confirmed cases of COVID-19, but an outbreak could spread rapidly in the squalid conditions caused by the conflict.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to and from Afghanistan on Monday to jump-start stalled peace talks. He met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his political rival, Abdullah Abdullah, before a joint meeting with both men. It was not immediately known what, if any, agreements the leaders made.

An end to the war within Afghanistan seems as far away as ever despite the United States and Taliban signing a peace deal last month. The Afghan government on Saturday postponed the release of 1,500 Taliban prisoners, a precondition for getting intra-Afghan negotiations started. Political turmoil at the highest levels of the Afghan government and the threat of the new coronavirus have cast even more doubt on the tenuous peace process.

As rocket fire landed within earshot, incumbent Afghan President Ashraf Ghani told attendees at his swearing-in ceremony on Monday, “We’ve seen bigger attacks. Don’t be afraid of just two blasts.” Many Afghans fear more violence ahead after Ghani and his political rival, Abdullah Abdullah, each took the oath of office at simultaneous ceremonies. Both claimed victory in September’s election, which Ghani officially won but Abdullah said was tainted by fraud.

A truce went into effect at midnight on Thursday amid escalated fighting in northwestern Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to create a security corridor along a major highway and conduct joint patrols beginning March 15. They also plan to help more than 900,000 people displaced by the fighting to return home.