Truck Accident Kills 18 in Afghanistan

 A general view of a road commonly used by cargo trucks entering eastern Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP)
A general view of a road commonly used by cargo trucks entering eastern Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP)
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Truck Accident Kills 18 in Afghanistan

 A general view of a road commonly used by cargo trucks entering eastern Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP)
A general view of a road commonly used by cargo trucks entering eastern Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP)

A truck overturned in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing 18 people on board including 10 children, a provincial official told AFP.

Deadly traffic crashes are common in Afghanistan, due in part to poor roads after decades of conflict, dangerous driving and a lack of regulation.

The vehicle was carrying Afghan families returning from Pakistan, where they had been living, according to Abdul Malik Niazay, spokesperson for the governor of Laghman province.

"Eighteen people (have died), including 10 children, five women and three men. In addition, 29 people have been injured," the spokesperson said.

The accident happened on the road between Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan and capital Kabul.

Authorities in Pakistan have toughened their stance on Afghan migrants and refugees in their country, causing an outflow that often includes families travelling with their belongings in trucks.

Since the start of the year, 447,400 Afghans have returned from Pakistan, according to figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration.

Last August, a collision between a bus carrying Afghan migrants returning from Iran and two other vehicles in western Afghanistan killed 78 people, including 19 children.



Russia Recalls Envoy to Armenia for 'Consultations' over Yerevan's EU Ties

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gives a speech during a state dinner in honor of the French leader at the presidential palace in Yerevan on May 4, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gives a speech during a state dinner in honor of the French leader at the presidential palace in Yerevan on May 4, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
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Russia Recalls Envoy to Armenia for 'Consultations' over Yerevan's EU Ties

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gives a speech during a state dinner in honor of the French leader at the presidential palace in Yerevan on May 4, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gives a speech during a state dinner in honor of the French leader at the presidential palace in Yerevan on May 4, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)

Russia said Saturday it had recalled its ambassador to Armenia for "consultations" over Yerevan's growing ties with the EU, a day after President Vladimir Putin warned the Caucasus country against pivoting to Brussels.

Armenia has angered the Kremlin by warming ties with the EU in recent years, frustrated with Russia's perceived failure to protect it during conflicts with Azerbaijan, AFP said.

"The Russian ambassador to the Republic of Armenia, S. Kopyrkin, has been recalled to Moscow for consultations on steps taken by the Armenian leadership on a rapprochement with the European Union, undermining cooperation within Eurasian Economic Union," Moscow's foreign ministry said in a statement, referencing the Russian-led customs union.

The diplomat was called back after Putin escalated his rhetoric on Armenia during a summit with allies.

Speaking in Kazakhstan on Friday, Putin said the "Ukrainian scenario" began with Kyiv trying to join the EU and called on Armenia to hold a referendum on the issue "as soon as possible".

Putin said Armenia had to choose between the EU and the EEU, as it was "impossible to reconcile the two".

Armenia will hold an election next Sunday in a test of the premiership of Nikol Pashinyan, who has pursued ties with both Russia and the West.

Armenia held a European summit earlier this month, with the EU hailing a "leap forward" in ties.


Ukrainian Drones Strike Port, Oil Depot in Southern Russia, Authorities Say

Servicemen of the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine take part in a tactical training exercise on a shooting range at an undisclosed location in the Kharkiv region, northeastern Ukraine, 29 May 2026, amid the Russian invasion. (EPA)
Servicemen of the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine take part in a tactical training exercise on a shooting range at an undisclosed location in the Kharkiv region, northeastern Ukraine, 29 May 2026, amid the Russian invasion. (EPA)
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Ukrainian Drones Strike Port, Oil Depot in Southern Russia, Authorities Say

Servicemen of the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine take part in a tactical training exercise on a shooting range at an undisclosed location in the Kharkiv region, northeastern Ukraine, 29 May 2026, amid the Russian invasion. (EPA)
Servicemen of the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine take part in a tactical training exercise on a shooting range at an undisclosed location in the Kharkiv region, northeastern Ukraine, 29 May 2026, amid the Russian invasion. (EPA)

Ukrainian ‌drones struck a tanker at Russia's port of Taganrog overnight and hit an oil depot in the city of Armavir, authorities in the southern regions of Rostov and Krasnodar said on Saturday.

Rostov region Governor Yury Slyusar said on Telegram ‌that fires on ‌the tanker and in ‌the ⁠port of Taganrog - ⁠a city of about 240,000 - had been extinguished, with no oil spill reported. Two people were injured, he said.

The city's mayor, Svetlana Kambulova, ⁠said a local state of emergency, ‌introduced ‌on May 27, had been extended.

In ‌the neighboring Krasnodar region, ‌authorities in Armavir, which has a population of 185,000, said a fire at an oil depot in the ‌city's industrial zone had been brought under control and ⁠that ⁠there were no injuries.

Rostov governor Slyusar said that almost 50 drones had been downed in the region, with attacks reported across the province, which borders Ukraine's Donbas, the focus of fighting between Russia and Ukraine.

Outside Taganrog, he said, only minor damage was reported.


US Sanctions Iranian Buyers of Military Technology

People wave Iranian flags during a rally in Tehran, Iran, May 29, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
People wave Iranian flags during a rally in Tehran, Iran, May 29, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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US Sanctions Iranian Buyers of Military Technology

People wave Iranian flags during a rally in Tehran, Iran, May 29, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
People wave Iranian flags during a rally in Tehran, Iran, May 29, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

The United States announced Friday that it is "dismantling a sophisticated Iranian network" used to obtain sensitive military technology.

The network "impersonated and defrauded" dozens of American technology companies out of millions of dollars to "acquire advanced equipment, including spectrum analyzers and security detection devices, for Iran's defense sector," State Department Tommy Pigott said in a statement.

The statement did not name the technology companies who were lured into doing business through fake websites that "mimicked real American companies, using intermediaries in Dubai to receive shipments, and then smuggling the technology into Iran in violation of US sanctions."

The network was led by Iran-based Ali Majd Sepehr, the State Department spokesman said.

On Thursday, the State Department announced a $15 million reward for any information "leading to the disruption of the financial mechanisms of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its various branches."

On Friday, the White House said US President Donald Trump will only sign an agreement to end the war with Iran if it meets all his demands, amid uncertainty over the outcome of talks between Tehran and Washington.