Spin Boldak, Afghanistan: After a week of violence, residents on the frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan are hoping a new ceasefire deal will end the clashes and revive crucial cross-border trade. While the crossings remain closed, life has regained a semblance of normality, with bakers kneading bread, fruit and vegetable sellers wheeling out their carts, and customers frequenting shops. "People can breathe and feel relieved. (But) before that, gunfire damaged a few houses in our village," said Sadiq Shah, 56, a shopkeeper from Baizai on the Pakistani side.

CHAMAN/BALOCHISTAN: Hajji Abdul Bari Achakzai’s office wears a deserted look. The empty chairs in his office in the southwestern Pakistani city of Chaman reflect the impact that…

Spin Boldak, Afghanistan: After a week of violence, residents on the frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan are hoping a new ceasefire deal will end the clashes and revive…