WORLD BRIEFS
Houthi missile hits tanker off YemenːUS military
WASHINGTON—A missile launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels struck a Norwegian-flagged tanker off Yemen on Monday, causing a fire, US Central Command said, adding that no casualties were immediately reported. The Strinda “reported damage causing a fire on-board, but no casualties at this time,” Centcom said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, adding that a US Navy destroyer had heard the ship’s mayday call and was giving assistance. The night-time attack occurred as the chemical tanker passed through the Bab-el-Mandeb, the strait between Yemen and northeast Africa. The strait leads to the Red Sea, a key route toward the Suez Canal. —AFP
Myanmar is now ‘world’s biggest opium producer’
BANGKOK—Myanmar became the world’s biggest producer of opium in 2023, overtaking Afghanistan after the Taliban government’s crackdown on the trade, according to a United Nations report released on Tuesday. Myanmar has produced an estimated 1,080 metric tons of opium—essential for producing heroin—this year, according to the latest report by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The figures come after opium production in Afghanistan slumped an estimated 95 percent to around 330 tons following the Taliban’s ban on poppy cultivation in April last year, according to UNODC. The total estimated value of Myanmar’s “opiate economy” rose to between $1 billion and $2.4 billion—the equivalent of 1.7 to 4.1 percent of the country’s 2022 GDP, UNODC said. —AFP
Last two BTS members start military service
SEOUL—The last two members of K-pop superstars BTS to enlist for mandatory military service, Jimin and Jung Kook, were set to begin their training on Tuesday, South Korean media reported, resulting in the entire megagroup being on hiatus. All able-bodied men in South Korea must serve at least 18 months in the military. BTS members J-Hope and Suga enlisted earlier this year. Two more members, RM and V, enlisted on Monday. The final two members of the group will begin their five-week basic training at an army boot camp on Tuesday, the Yonhap news agency reported. “I think I will be able to rely on Jung Kook a lot since we are enlisting together,” said Jimin during a livestream with fans on web platform Weverse late Monday. “I’ll be back after doing a good job,” he added. BTS’s agency HYBE announced in September that all seven members of the group had renewed their contracts, without giving further details. The announcement implies that all seven members are likely to stay with the agency after completing their military service. —AFP
