The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime announced on Thursday that poppy cultivation and opium production will rise sharply in Afghanistan during 2026, describing this as the first significant increase since the country's ruling Taliban imposed a drug ban in 2022.
The office attributed this rise to worsening poverty, which it said had prompted some farmers to grow opium poppies secretly.
The office called on the international community to provide more support to farmers, to help reduce their dependence on illegal crops, according to what the American Associated Press reported.
The office explained that the areas cultivated with opium poppies increased by 330 percent, and the volume of opium production increased by 400 percent during the year 2026, compared to last year.
The office added that the areas cultivated with opium poppy expanded to exceed 43,000 hectares (106,000 acres) in 2026, compared to about 10,000 hectares (27,000 acres) in 2025.
The executive director of the office, Monica Juma, said in a statement, “The quadrupling of opium poppy cultivation shows how difficult it is to maintain the decline of illicit opium cultivation, in the absence of any alternatives for poor farmers that would allow them to provide food for their families.”
The South Korean military said that North Korea fired about 12 short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area on Thursday, according to the South Korean Yonhap Agency.
The South Korean Ministry of Defense had previously announced that North Korea had fired an unspecified projectile off its eastern coast, less than a week after Seoul proposed holding talks to resolve disputes related to the borders between the two countries.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense confirmed the launch, noting what “appears to be a ballistic missile.” The South Korean military said that “the North fired an unspecified projectile towards the East Sea,” which is the name Seoul gives to the Sea of Japan.
The launch comes in light of escalating tensions between the two Koreas following a landmine explosion in a border area that injured three South Korean soldiers. A joint investigation conducted by Seoul and the United Nations earlier this month concluded that North Korea had planted the mine in the demilitarized zone, angering Pyongyang, which denied it.
Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong, also described South Korea's demand for Pyongyang to apologize as "despicable."
In October, North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles, one day after US President Donald Trump hinted at the possibility of meeting leader Kim Jong Un during this year.
The Indian authorities issued orders to evacuate about 100,000 people in the coastal states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha in the east of the country, ahead of the arrival of a powerful cyclone, on Wednesday, according to what the local meteorological authority reported, according to “Agence France-Presse.”
Authorities in Nepal and Sri Lanka, neighboring India, issued weather warnings.
The Indian Meteorological Department expected, in its bulletin, that Cyclone Arnab would hit the coast as a severe cyclonic storm, accompanied by strong winds reaching speeds of up to 150 kilometers per hour, on Wednesday morning.
The coastal city of Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh state witnessed heavy rains on Tuesday, while huge waves hit the beaches.
In neighboring Sri Lanka, schools were closed due to warnings of heavy rain, according to the local meteorological authority, which warned of the risk of floods and landslides.
The authorities urged about 50,000 people to evacuate their homes to safe areas in the state of Andhra Pradesh, and 48,000 others in the state of Odisha, according to Indian media.
Also, the Nepal Disaster Management Authority issued a warning on Tuesday, warning that the storm will move inland towards the Himalayas, most likely during the night from Thursday to Friday.
The authority explained that the storm will be accompanied by heavy rains and “a great risk of heavy snowfall, blizzards, and avalanches.”
Tourists were asked to avoid moving in high mountainous areas, while those already there were asked to remain in safe places.
