At least 18 people, including women and children, were killed when a cargo truck carrying recently returned Afghan refugees from Pakistan overturned on a major highway in eastern Afghanistan, authorities said.

Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the crash took place in the Qarghayi district of Laghman province on Saturday.

The vehicle, heavily loaded with displaced families and their household belongings, veered off the road at approximately 5:30am local time (01:00 GMT) near the Surkhakan intersection in Qarghayi district.

The provincial Director of Public Health Aminullah Sharif said the accident occurred when the truck fell into a ditch after the driver fell asleep.

Authorities said at least 10 children were among the dead.

Abdul Malik Niazay, a spokesperson for the Laghman provincial governor, said more than 30 other passengers were injured, some critically. The families had been temporarily staying in eastern Kunar province and were en route to the capital, Kabul.

Emergency services quickly transferred the wounded to medical facilities in neighbouring Nangarhar province, where several remain in intensive care.

The central government expressed formal condolences to the families of the victims. The Taliban’s Mujahid said in a post on X, “we pray for the speedy recovery of the injured”, adding that he was “deeply saddened” by the tragedy which took place at the end of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Authority announced 730,000 afghanis ($10,000) in emergency financial assistance for the affected families.

[Aljazeera]

The former head of China’s famous Shaolin Temple – known as the birthplace of kung fu – has been sentenced to 24 years in jail for crimes including embezzlement and bribery.

Shi Yongxin had misappropriated temple assets worth more than 282m yuan ($42m; £31m) from 2003 to 2025, a court in the central Henan province said.

It said Shi had also used his official position to illegally obtain millions from temple construction projects, as well as offering huge bribes to Chinese officials.

Shi – whose birth name is Liu Yingcheng – had earlier admitted his guilt, China’s state Xinhua news agency reported. On Friday, he said he would not appeal against the verdict.

The 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple – located on a mountain range – attracts thousands of disciples from China and elsewhere every year.

Shi took office there as abbot in 1999, soon earning the nickname “CEO monk” for transforming the institution into a global brand.

Under his leadership, the temple started opening schools outside China and formed a travelling troupe of monks who performed Shaolin kung fu shows – the temple’s signature style of martial arts.

Last year he was defrocked, China’s Buddhist association said.

Shi was investigated for embezzlement and fathering several children in 2015, but was later cleared of the charges.

In an interview with BBC Chinese that year, he said: “If there were a problem, it would have surfaced long ago.”

The name “Shaolin Temple” has gained prominence in pop culture over the years, including being the title of a 1982 film starring Jet Li.

The temple is referenced in songs by American hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan and inspired a spin-off of the video game Mortal Kombat.

[BBC]

India’s top anti-crime agency has arrested the mother-in-law of an Indian woman whose death has sparked conflicting claims of murder and suicide.

Twisha Sharma’s parents and siblings have alleged that she was tortured by her lawyer husband, Samarth Singh, and his mother – retired judge Giribala Singh – over dowry demands and that she was murdered, allegations they have denied.

The 33-year-old model and actor had been married for just five months when she was found dead in her matrimonial home in Madhya Pradesh state’s Bhopal city on 12 May.

On Thursday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Giribala Singh after questioning her for several hours.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court had earlier cancelled her anticipatory bail, finding that a trial court had ignored key evidence and witness testimony.

Following Twisha’s death, the police had registered a case of dowry death against the Singhs. Earlier this week, the investigation was taken over by the CBI.

Twisha’s death has made national headlines and has once against brought the issue of dowry deaths into the spotlight. Every year, thousands of women are murdered for bringing in insufficient dowries, even though the practice was banned in 1961.

The case has drawn significant attention because of the family’s prominence. Twisha was a former beauty pageant winner and actor, while her husband and mother-in-law were lawyers.

Twisha’s parents allege that dowry-related harassment began soon after her marriage to Singh. They also claim that when she became pregnant, Singh and his mother accused her of infidelity and forced her to terminate the pregnancy.

The Singhs deny the allegations, saying Twisha had mental health issues and took her own life. They also contend that the decision to terminate the pregnancy was hers.

Singh is currently in police custody. He had reportedly absconded after Twisha’s death and was arrested by police in Jabalpur on 22 May.

Twisha was cremated on Sunday after a second autopsy. Her family had alleged that the first post-mortem was flawed and accused the police of a cover-up, a charge the police denied.

[BBC]