Thread - A BBC investigation in #Afghanistan has found a dramatic drop in opium poppy cultivation after the Taliban's ban on it. @Imo_Anderson@sanjayganguly & I went to multiple provinces & remote areas, in some parts farmers complied, where they defied, opium fields destroyed.
This is backed by findings of @AlcisGeo and @mansfieldintinc who have used satellite analysis and other research to conclude that opium cultivation could be down by as much 80% pan Afg, by more than 99% in opium heartland Helmand. Their map.
This has big global ramifications. 80% of the world’s opium used to come from Afghanistan. Nearly all the heroin sold in Europe is made from Afghan opium. Read more here - bbc.com/news/world-asi…
In Nangarhar, we had rare access to a Taliban anti-narcotics patrol. We met angry locals who say they’re going hungry - opium made them far more than crops like wheat can. Taliban go armed, in large numbers. There have been violent clashes, 1 civilian killed.
Farmers in Helmand, many who are now growing wheat, also told us they have been forced to take loans to fulfil basic needs – to buy food and clothes. But they don’t believe anyone will resist the ban, as this area is a Taliban stronghold.
We asked Taliban spokesman what they’re doing to help. He said intl community should help as heroin addiction is global problem. How can they when you’ve put their ops at risk by banning women from them, I asked. "Humanitarian matters shouldn’t be linked to political issues.
We met a farmer holding on to a small stash of harvest from last year. Each bag will earn him 5 times what he made before ban. He’s waiting for price to rise further so it can sustain his family longer. Experts say it'll take time for rise to reflect in street price of heroin.
Billions were spent by the US to destroy the opium trade iwhich they, the UN and others assert was a major source of funding for the Taliban. Taliban deny this. For now, they appear to have achieved what the West couldn’t. Amid widespread hunger, how long can they sustain it?
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Thread - Judging past leaders through the lens of the present might leave the world with no heroes at all. But it's hard to make progress without the acceptance of the full truth of their lives. I write about the legacy of Winston #Churchill in #India bbc.com/news/world-asi…
In the UK, he's adored by millions for his rousing speeches and actions during World War 2. As historian Rudrangshu Mukherjee tells me, there is a very different perception of #Churchill in #India.
Bengal famine is recorded to have been triggered by a cyclone and flooding,but many blame #Churchill & govt for making things worse.3 million died,6 times the Empire's casualties in WW2 raging at same time. War's losses frequently commemorated, not too many remember the famine.
Frontline doctors have told the BBC that official #coronavirus numbers do not reflect the real scale of the outbreak in #India.This doctor from Mumbai explains why he says there is underreporting.Didn't want to be identified because of fear of reprisal. #Covid_19@KunalSehgal92
A doc from southern #India said 'What they were trying to do is people who were dying of underlying conditions, they were not listing them as #COVID deaths' She also said not enough testing. Interview at 1'43" in below radio report @KunalSehgal92 soundcloud.com/yogita-limaye-…
She also said of late,data collection has been better, but lots of people with symptoms not tested. Doctors in other parts of the country had similar accounts, but they didn't want to comment on the record. They all said community transmission was a reality.#India#COVID
Thread #India#UttarPradesh In Muzaffarnagar, a woman told us how her home had been vandalised by the police in the dead of the night. Their car, windows, mirrors, electronic appliances, crockery all broken. Jeweller, cash stolen.
She says police told her and her family to leave, and that her home would soon become theirs. She says there were also some people in plain clothes with the police. She says #Muslim families are living in terror in #UttarPradesh
Photos from another home in the neighbourhood. They also told us police barged in at night and broke everything. We heard similar stories in every #Muslim locality we went to. #India#UttarPradesh Police have denied the allegations & told the BBC they've recd no such complaints
7 weeks today since #Kashmir special status revoked by Indian govt. Landlines returning to life, but mobile phone and internet services still blocked. Fearing violence, parents aren’t sending children to schools. @soutikbbc bbc.com/news/world-asi…
Except for pharmacies, most shops closed. Some open, only in the evening. Police say militant outfits have been distributing pamphlets warning people against opening shops, banks, fuel stations. bbc.com/news/world-asi…
Locals allege security forces are spreading fear by illegally detaining men and boys. The BBC spoke to 17 families that alleged a child from their home was locked up for several days. Some said they were beaten. @shaluyadavbbc bbc.com/news/av/world-…