PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Pakistan’s airstrikes on eastern Afghanistan killed 46 people, mostly women and children, a Taliban government official said Wednesday, raising fears of further straining relations between the two neighbors.

Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman for the Afghan government, said those killed in the strikes that targeted four locations in Barmal, a district in the province of Paktika, were refugees, adding that six others were also wounded.

This came a day after Pakistani security officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity in line with regulations, told The Associated Press that Tuesday’s operation was to dismantle a training facility and kill insurgents in Paktika.

Earlier Wednesday, Mohammad Khurasani, the spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, claimed in a statement that 50 people, including 27 women and children, died in the strikes. He said they were “unarmed refugees” who fled to Afghanistan because of Pakistan’s offensive in the northwest.

The TTP — a separate group but also a close ally of the Afghan Taliban — also shared photos, alleging they were of children killed during the Pakistani operation.

The strikes came hours after Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, traveled to Kabul to discuss a range of issues.

Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry in Kabul summoned the Pakistani envoy and lodged a strong protest over the strikes by Pakistan’s military. In a statement, it said while a representative of the civilian government of Pakistan was busy in talks with the Afghan officials, the strikes were carried out by Pakistani forces to “create mistrust in the relations between the two countries.”

It said Kabul “will not accept the violation of the country’s territory under any circumstances, and the country is ready to defend its independence and territory” and “such irresponsible actions will definitely have consequences.”

Pakistan has not commented on the latest strikes. However, the Pakistani military said Wednesday that security forces killed 13 insurgents in an intelligence-based operation in South Waziristan, a district located adjacent to eastern Afghanistan’s Paktika province.

Mozambique unrest: At least 56 people have been killed in Mozambique since Monday, a nongovernmental organization, Plataforma Decide, said Wednesday as police officers and protesters clashed in the latest wave of unrest over a presidential election that demonstrators claim was rigged by the governing party.

Prisons have been attacked and hundreds of inmates freed, a police commander, Bernardino Rafael, said at news conference Wednesday. At Maputo Central Prison, which housed 2,500 inmates, more than 1,530 prisoners were freed, he said. In a confrontation with guards, 33 prisoners were killed and 15 others wounded, he said.

Since the protests erupted after the country’s October election, human rights groups have asserted that Mozambique’s security forces have responded with excessive force, including by firing live rounds and rubber bullets into crowds. More than 150 people have died in sporadic protests since the election was held.

Tensions escalated this week after the nation’s top court Monday upheld the result of the election in favor of Daniel Chapo, the candidate for Frelimo, which has governed Mozambique since it gained independence from Portugal in 1975.

The top opposition candidate, Venâncio Mondlane, has asserted that he won the election. He has called for a national shutdown and for Mozambicans to take to the streets in protest.

Mega Millions jackpot: Hang onto those stocking-stuffer lottery tickets.

The Mega Millions jackpot has surpassed $1 billion after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn Christmas Eve. That means the estimated jackpot for Friday’s drawing is $1.15 billion, potentially the fifth-largest jackpot in the game’s history.

Tickets for the game are sold in 45 states, along with Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

China-Japan talks: China and Japan agreed Wednesday to set up talks on often contentious security issues as they seek to improve a relationship riven in recent years by a range of issues, from territorial disputes to the discharge of water from Japan’s tsunami-wrecked nuclear power plant.

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya sounded positive after meetings with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, saying the talks were “very candid” and wide-ranging.

Wang agreed to visit Japan next year for a high-level economic dialogue including cooperation on the environment, energy conservation and health and nursing care.

Japan also announced an easing of visa requirements for Chinese visitors, following China’s recent decision to allow Japanese to enter without a visa.

Baltic Sea power cable: A power cable linking Finland and Estonia under the Baltic Sea suffered an outage, prompting an investigation, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Wednesday.

Writing on X, Orpo said power transmission through the Estlink-2 cable stopped Wednesday and that authorities were investigating. He said the interruption would not affect electricity supplies in Finland.

Estonian network operator Elering said there was enough spare capacity to meet power needs on the Estonian side, public broadcaster ERR said on its website.

Authorities have been on edge about undersea infrastructure in the Baltic. Two data cables, one running between Finland and Germany, the other between Lithuania and Sweden, were severed in November.

Germany’s defense minister said officials had to assume the incident was “sabotage,” without providing evidence or suggesting who might have been responsible.

Royal Christmas message: King Charles III used his annual Christmas message Wednesday to hail the selflessness of those who have cared for him and the Princess of Wales this year, after both were diagnosed with cancer.

The 76-year-old monarch said he and his family are “continually” impressed by those who dedicate their lives to helping others.

“From a personal point of view, I offer special, heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who this year have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and anxieties of illness and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed,” he said in a prerecorded speech.

The monarch’s holiday message is watched by millions of people in the U.K. and across the Commonwealth, with many households timing Christmas lunch around it.