China keen on stable Australia ties despite tensions
China on Monday sought to keep ties with Australia on an even keel despite tensions over military encounters in the South China Sea this year and broa...
Afghan farmers are shifting away from opium cultivation as the interim government ramps up efforts to eliminate the drug trade, offering alternative crops and local support.
Noor Agha, a farmer in eastern Afghanistan, now works among apple and cherry trees with a shovel in hand and a smile on his face. After over a decade in agriculture, he says his community is embracing a major shift.
"In the past, people grew opium, which was a disaster and didn't benefit anyone," Agha said. "We now cultivate seedlings, wheat, and potatoes." He added that fruit trees, especially apples, have become a reliable source of income.
His views echo a broader national trend as Afghanistan’s interim government intensifies its campaign against drug cultivation. Farmers are being encouraged to grow legal crops with the help of alternative seeds and resources.
"When we cultivated opium, it harmed everyone, our families, relatives, and the country. People became addicted, and the recovery process was difficult," Agha said.
Zargo Stanikzai, a 44-year-old farmer in Wardak province, has replaced opium with orchards of almonds, peaches, apples, and cherries on his 10-acre plot. He now employs five people and earns around 1 million Afghanis (roughly 14,224 U.S. dollars) annually.
"Our life is going well. Gardening is better than other crops," he said. "It would be great if people focused on agriculture. Gardening is more profitable than opium, and the work is clean and problem-free."
Still, Stanikzai warned that ongoing droughts could threaten this progress and urged international donors not to abandon Afghan farmers in their climate-related challenges.
The interim government has supported the anti-drug effort with public awareness campaigns and local enforcement. "It is our duty to educate others," said Mawlawi Habibullah Mujahid, Wardak’s director of information and culture. "We need to convince people that planting opium is wrong."
Mujahid blamed the past U.S. military presence for worsening drug production and addiction. He said that local anti-narcotics commissions are now actively inspecting and destroying opium fields. However, he noted that no international organisation has yet provided direct assistance to these efforts in Wardak.
In September 2024, the Afghan government formed a 27-member High Commission to coordinate the fight against drugs, treat addiction, and prevent trafficking. Authorities continue to call for stronger international support to sustain this shift.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Snapchat will start charging users who store more than 5GB of photos and videos in its Memories feature, prompting backlash from long-time users.
China on Monday sought to keep ties with Australia on an even keel despite tensions over military encounters in the South China Sea this year and broader rivalry in the Asia-Pacific region.
A U.S. Navy fighter jet and helicopter crashed in two separate incidents over the South China Sea, the U.S. Pacific Fleet confirmed, adding that all crew members ejected safely and are in stable condition.
Russian air defence systems destroyed 193 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 34 that targeted Moscow and 47 over the Bryansk region where one person was killed and five others were injured, Russian authorities said on Monday.
Residents of the historic coastal town of Port Royal worked to secure boats and homes on Sunday, 26 October as Hurricane Melissa churned toward Jamaica, bringing fears of flooding and powerful storm surge.
Early results in Argentina's legislative elections on Sunday showed a landslide victory for President Javier Milei as voters overwhelmingly backed his free-market reforms and deep austerity measures, providing a strong boost for the libertarian leader to continue his economic overhaul.
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