Taliban supreme leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada has outlawed the cultivation of poppy, the source of sap that is refined into morphine and heroin, in a decree issued on Sunday, fulfilling its promise to ban the narcotic, made after seizing power last year. Afghanistan is estimated to have accounted for 90% of global opium trade in 2021. “If anyone violates the decree, the crop will be destroyed... 

  A stampede during Shanghai’s New Year’s Eve celebrations has killed more than 36 people. For many people around the world, New Year was a time of celebration and joy, but for some it was quite the opposite. Stabbings, mortar shelling, massive fires and a fatal stampede all hit seasonal revels, causing havoc and heartbreak. Stampede ‘over fake money’ kills dozens At least... 

Britain’s military involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost UK taxpayers almost £30 billion, a think tank says. In a book published on Tuesday, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) said that the UK’s contribution to the US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq was £19.59 and £9.56 billion respectively. The think tank described the invasions as “strategic failures” despite... 

America’s war on drugs is failing in Afghanistan, with opium production at record levels, despite spending $7.5 billion to tackle the problem. Over 200 thousand hectares is used to grow opium, an increase of 36 percent, according to a US report. The report, which was commissioned by SIGAR, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction makes grim reading, with opium poppy cultivation... 

The Canadian federal government is getting tough with fraudulent immigrants as they plan on stripping the citizenship of more than 3,100 people, who they believe have cheated the system. Immigration minister Jason Kenney said thousands more are being investigated, but admitted that only 19 of the 3,139 Canadians’ citizenships have been revoked, and stated that this is part of a long-term crackdown... 

Afghan citizens Taliban radicals have reportedly beheaded 17 civilians, including 2 women, in Southern Afghanistan. Local authorities say the dead were executed for attending a party where unrelated men and women were present. ­The attack happened during a celebration near the Musa Qala district, about 75km north of the capital of Helmand province, Lashkar Gah, said district governor Nimatullah. The... 

Afghan demonstrators burn a US flag during a protest against Koran desecration in Helmand province on February 23, 2012. Germany and France have withdrawn their staff from Afghan ministries after two US forces in Kabul were shot dead, as tensions over the desecration of the holy Quran by US-led forces intensify. “The Risk Management Office on Sunday morning ordered its German and international...