More than half of Afghanistan 'under Taliban' By Kim Sengupta Published: 22 November 2007

More than half of Afghanistan is back under Taliban control and the Nato force in the country needs to be doubled in size to cope with the resurgent group, a report by the Senlis Council think-tank says. A study by the group found that the Taliban, enriched by illicit profits from the country's record poppy harvest, had formed de-facto governments in swathes of the southern Pashtun belt.

The Afghan government and its Nato allies strongly deny the Senlis version of what is taking place in the country and say the extent of alleged Taliban control – 54 per cent – is a major exaggeration. In particular, British troops in Helmand have, in recent months, recovered territory lost to the Islamist group.

But senior defence sources say that a lack of frontline combat forces has meant that areas clawed back from the Taliban often cannot be held and have to be retaken after costly and fierce fighting. There is also an acknowledgement that the dangers on the ground have meant that aid efforts are being stymied.

Hobart teacher wins prestigious art prize

A landscape featuring high gloss paint on aluminium has won this year's Glover prize.

Neil Haddon from Hobart won the landscape painting award at Evandale in northern Tasmania with his painting entitled 'Purblind Opiate'.

Mr Haddon says his painting was inspired by the Tasmanian poppy farming industry.

"It's an image which is taken from a media image in fact of a field of poppies, and it's just a very small segment of that media image and it obviously relates to the fact that Tasmania has 50 per cent of the world's opium production," he said.

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Gus: no wonder there's a surplus of drugs on the streets... Afghanistan has 80 per cent of the world production and Tasmania has 50 per cent... Something mathematical tells me the market is flooded.

What? You mean Tassie has 50 per cent of the medicinal opium production? to make things like morphine and stuff?... For hospitals?...