Aizawl, Nov 13: The Assam Rifles, in a joint operation with Mizoram Police, recovered highly addictive Methamphetamine tablets valued at Rs 45 crore from Saitual district and arrested two drug peddlers, officials said on Thursday.

A defence spokesman said that based on specific intelligence about the movement of drugs on the Ngopa-Saitual road in northern Mizoram’s Saitual district, a joint operation was launched on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.

The team of Assam Rifles established a vehicle check post, which intercepted the suspected vehicle carrying drugs at Ngopa.

During the search operation, 15 kg of banned Methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 45 crore were recovered from two persons — Rabizul Haq and Naasiruddin, both residents of Barpeta in western Assam.

Recovered contraband, smuggled from Myanmar, along with apprehended individuals and their vehicle, were handed over to the Saitual district Police for detailed investigation and further legal proceedings.

As part of its continuous efforts to curb the spread of the drug menace in Mizoram, the Assam Rifles conducted yet another successful anti-narcotics operation, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the Assam Rifles, in a joint operation with Assam Police, recovered heroin valued at Rs 4.65 crore from near Jhujang Pahar in Cachar district of southern Assam on November 11.

The November 11 drug seizure took place within two days in the same Cachar district.

The Assam Rifles, in a similar joint operation with Assam Police, recovered methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 6 crore on November 9. The banned methamphetamine tablets, also known as Yaba or party tablets, contain a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine and are commonly referred to as the ‘crazy drug’.

The highly addictive drugs are very popular among drug addicts in India, Bangladesh and the neighbouring countries.

Notably, Myanmar shares a 1,643-km-long unfenced border with four Northeastern states — Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland — which serve as a key transit point for drugs, particularly heroin and methamphetamine tablets.

At least six of the 10 districts of Mizoram — Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual and Serchhip — share a 510-km border with Myanmar. Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and southern Assam have turned into major corridors for drug smuggling from Myanmar, with the illegal consignments being ferried to other parts of the country and abroad.

United Nations, Nov 13: Nearly 25 million people, over 20 per cent of the population, are facing high levels of acute food insecurity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a UN spokesperson said.

The DRC remains one of the countries most affected by food insecurity, with the situation particularly severe in the east, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, at a daily briefing on Wednesday.

According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis, the number is projected to rise to nearly 27 million people in the first half of 2026, he said.

Dujarric said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) remains deeply concerned about continued attacks against civilians in Beni and Lubero territories in North Kivu and also in Ituri province, with more than 1,000 people reportedly killed in the two provinces since the beginning of this year.

The impact on health services has been devastating, with at least six facilities attacked since the beginning of 2025 and a total of at least 28 health sites affected by armed attacks since 2024, said the spokesperson.

He said OCHA reiterated its call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Since January, the security situation in eastern DRC has worsened sharply amid renewed fighting involving the March 23 Movement rebel group, which seized several key towns, including Goma and Bukavu, Xinhua news agency reported.

Humanitarian agencies say the escalating violence has displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians, deepening an already dire crisis.

Earlier on October 14, the government of the DRC and the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group had signed an agreement in Doha to establish a ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism, under the facilitation of Qatar.

New Delhi, Nov 6: As polling for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections got underway on Thursday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday welcomed 16 delegates from six countries under its International Election Visitors’ Programme (IEVP).

The initiative, aimed at fostering global cooperation and transparency in electoral processes, saw participants from Colombia, Indonesia, Thailand, The Philippines, Belgium, and South Africa witnessing the on-ground arrangements of one of the world’s largest democratic exercises.

“Under the International Election Visitors’ Programme (IEVP) of the ECI, 16 delegates from 6 countries – Colombia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Belgium, South Africa are witnessing the never before arrangements made by the ECI,” the poll panel said on X.

According to the ECI, the IEVP 2025 began earlier this week at the India International Institute for Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in New Delhi on November 4.

The inaugural session was chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi, who interacted with the visiting delegates and briefed them about India’s robust electoral framework.

During the Delhi leg, participants were given a detailed presentation on the functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), voter roll management, and logistical preparedness.

“IEVP includes a two-day tour of Bihar from November 5-6, 2025 where the participants will visit the EVM dispatch centres and witness the actual polling on November 6, 2025,” the ECI said in its Press note earlier.

The IEVP is a flagship program of the ECI for international cooperation and engagement with the Election Management Bodies (EMBs) of other countries and international organisations.

The IEVP, launched in 2014, serves as the ECI’s flagship platform for international engagement with Election Management Bodies (EMBs) and global democratic institutions. Through this programme, India showcases its electoral best practices and fosters mutual learning with partner nations.

This year’s edition underlines India’s growing role as a leader in electoral management, with the ECI using the Bihar polls as a live demonstration of its operational scale, transparency, and integrity.