Large numbers of elephants from Zimbabwe’s biggest national park are moving to neighbouring Botswana to survive.

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesman said Monday (Sep. 18) that “water bodies had dried up” in the Hwange National Park leading to the migration of the mammals.

Tinashe Farawo added he couldn’t quantity how many elephants moved since August.

bʌf.ə.ləʊz and “all types of animals present in the park” are also migrating in scores in research for water and food he said.

Hwange National Park covers an area of more than 14,600 square kilometres and is home to about 50,000 elephants.

With the increase in water shortages over the years, wildlife migration between the park and Botswana is not uncommon. However, the spokesman warned the migration came “too early” this year, citing climate change.

The migration could lead to an increase in conflict between humans and wildlife as animals pass through populated areas in Zimbabwe.

“It means more animals are going to invade communities, people competing for water with animals,” Farawo warned.

Conflict between humans and wildlife is a significant problem in remote parts of Zimbabwe, caused in part by population growth.

Elephants killed at least 60 people last year, according to government figures.

Zimbabwe has around 100,000 elephants, the second largest population in the world and almost double the capacity of its parks, conservationists say.

Botswana is home to around 130,000, the world’s largest elephant population.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has classified southern Africa as a region at risk, facing increased risks of extreme heat and reduced rainfall due to global warming.

“We never boycott artists,” French Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak told RTL on Friday, as professionals denounced a government directive on Thursday calling for the suspension of all collaboration with artists from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.

“We do not currently have a visa service in operation in these countries for security reasons”, she explained, denouncing “confusion” and explaining that it was “materially” impossible to “issue visas to come to France”.

“There is no question of stopping discussions with artists”, she insisted, adding that all those “who already have visas and who have tours or shows planned will be able to come as planned”.

“We never boycott artists anywhere”, she stressed, adding that “there is no boycott, no reprisals”.

In a press release published on Thursday, the Syndeac (Syndicat national des entreprises artistiques et culturelles) and its counterparts the Aac, Accn, A-CDCN, ACDN and ASN reacted strongly to the message they claim to have received on Wednesday “from the DRACs”, the regional directorates for culture, and “drafted on the instructions of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs”.

This message, which is scathing in tone, asks our members to “suspend all cooperation with the following countries until further notice: Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso”: Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso”, the unions wrote in their press release.

For the Minister of Culture, “France has always been ready to welcome artists in danger”. “We will continue to do so”, she also said.”This is an adaptation to an extremely deteriorated security situation, which is particularly targeting French buildings and French teams in these three countries”, she added.

On 29 July and 6 August, France suspended all its development aid and budget support operations with Niger and Burkina Faso. It had already done so for Mali in November 2022.

France super-star Paul Pogba was questioned Friday (Sep. 15) alongside five acquaintances and childhood friends suspected of involvement in a March 2022 extortion attempt against him.

The joint questioning session at the Paris criminal court is the latest step in an investigation into a March 2022 break-in at the Juventus midfielder’s home, just one of a string of woes including a provisional suspension this week for doping.

Two intruders held Pogba, 30, against his will demanding 13 million euros ($14 million at today’s rates).

Accounts of the night’s events differ between the five men, charged with armed extorsion and criminal conspiracy, and World Cup-winner Pogba himself.

The sixth suspect, Pogba’s older brother Mathias, was not present at the court on Friday morning.

Investigators believe he pressured Paul for months to pay the sum demanded — which Mathias denies — but was not there at the time of the March 19-20 break-in.

“The only people who can hurt you are the people who are close to you,” Paul Pogba told Al Jazeera in a recent interview.

“They’re the ones who can destroy you.”

A criminal team

The investigating magistrate will also be able to compare the different versions of events given by suspects in records of their questioning seen by Africanewguru.com.

It remains unclear who participated in a dinner on the night of March 19, whether Pogba was forcibly moved to another apartment that same night, and whether his phone was taken away or simply shut down in a “habit” the group of friends had — a claim made by Roushdane K., one of the main suspects.

The intruders’ method of access into Pogba’s living room is also unknown.

Among the five suspects are three of Paul Pogba’s childhood friends and two other old acquaintances from their neighbourhood.

A police summary of the case seen by our source describes them as “a criminal team made up of childhood friends alongside an individual with a confirmed criminal profile, Roushdane, with the aim of embezzling 13 million euros from Paul, who cut them off financially at the beginning of the year”.

All five have denied involvement in individual questioning.

Roushdane K. claimed he was afraid for his own safety, calling himself a “victim” and saying he had been shot over Pogba’s failure to pay up.

Pogba’s questioning comes days after the midfielder, once the world’s most expensive footballer, was provisionally suspended for a doping violation.

Italian anti-doping authority NADO said Monday that his tests showed elevated levels of testosterone.

Since returning to Juventus in July last year, he has started only one match after suffering a serious knee injury in pre-season.

US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson is under investigation in South Africa for allegedly charging “excessive” prices for a key tuberculosis drug, the country’s antitrust regulator said on Friday.

The South African Competition Commission said J&J’s Belgian subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, was also under investigation.

The Commission, which regulates marketing practices, said it opened an investigation this week based on reports that the companies ” may have engaged in exclusionary practices and excessive pricing” of bedaquiline , a tuberculosis drug sold under the brand name Sirturo.

The Competition Commission declined to give further details of its investigation, but health groups in South Africa say bedaquiline is priced more than twice as much as in other middle- or middle-income countries. weak.

Bedaquiline was approved in 2012 and is used to treat drug-resistant tuberculosis.

South Africa desperately needs it, as this infectious disease is the leading cause of death, with more than 50,000 deaths in 2021. South Africa has more than 7 million people living with HIV, more than any other country in the world.

According to the World Health Organization, almost a third of deaths among people with HIV/AIDS are due to tuberculosis.

According to the WHO, tuberculosis cases increased globally in 2021 for the first time in years.

J&J has previously faced calls to cut prices for bedaquiline and said last month it would provide a six-month course of treatment for one patient through the Stop TB Partnership’s Global Medicines Facility, for a cost of 130 dollars.

The South African government buys bedaquiline directly from J&J and Janssen, not through the TB scheme, and pays about $280 for a six-month course of treatment for one patient, according to Professor Norbert Ndjeka , who leads the management and control of tuberculosis within the national ministry of health.

Mr Ndjeka said South Africa had recently reached a new two-year deal with J&J for bedaquiline at a price of just over $280 per treatment, according to a report on the News24 website.

The Competition Commission said it was confirming the investigation due to increased media interest, but it did not respond to requests for comment or further information about the investigation.

The investigation comes a week after a health advocacy group released details of South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccine procurement contracts with numerous pharmaceutical companies, including J&J and US company Pfizer. This information was obtained after the group, Health Justice Initiative, won a freedom of information case in court.

The group says contracts show J&J billed South Africa for a vaccine dose 15% higher than that charged to the much wealthier European Union.

Pfizer charged South Africa more than 30% more per vaccine than the African Union, even as South Africa scrambled to acquire doses and the number of COVID-19 infections was higher there than anywhere else on the continent.

In the contract, South Africa was to pay Pfizer $40 million up front for the doses, with only $20 million refundable if the vaccines were not delivered, the Health Justice Initiative said .

J&J also required a non-refundable deposit of $27.5 million.

Pfizer reported record revenue of $100.3 billion in 2022. J&J had revenue of $94.9 billion last year.

Pope Francis used his weekly audience to pray for the victims of the flooding in Libya and for the people of Morocco hit by a deadly earthquake.

He made a heartfelt appeal on Wednesday, expressing his hope that God would grant the two countries and its people “strength to recover after this terrible ‘ambush’ they have endured ,” Vatican News reported today.

“My thoughts are with the people of Libya hit hard by violent rains that caused flooding and inundation, causing numerous deaths and injuries as well as extensive damage.”

The magnitude 7 earthquake that struck Morocco’s Al Haouz region on Friday caused massive destruction in several Moroccan regions, including Ouarzazate, Taroudant, and Chichaou a, among others

“My thoughts go out to the noble Moroccan people who have suffered these earthquakes. Let us pray for Morocco, let us pray for the inhabitants that the Lord will give them the strength to recover after this terrible ‘ambush’ they have been through.”

Countries across the world have rushed to offer support, including Spain, the UK, and Qatar, which have deployed teams to assist in rescue operations.

Many other countries, such as Egypt, Germany, and India, have expressed their willingness to provide aid.

Rescue and relief efforts are ongoing in the impacted communities. However, the rugged terrain of the Atlas Mountains has posed considerable challenges for the rescue teams in their mission.

This was further exacerbated by the dispersed nature of the affected population, living in small, remote villages scattered throughout Morocco’s mountainous regions.

In addition, the disaster has made the already narrow roads impassable, making it difficult for relief teams to reach the earthquake-stricken population.

The tragic earthquake was the strongest and deadliest quake to hit Morocco in decades, according to the US Geological Survey. Its impact was felt in Algeria, Mauritania, Spain, and Portugal.

Nigeria experienced a nationwide power outage Thursday after the country’s electrical grid collapsed due to technical failures, the West African nation’s electricity distribution companies reported.

The outage affected all of Nigeria’s 36 states and the capital city of Abuja. The grid has collapsed multiple times, and it was not clear when power would be restored.

The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), which supplies electricity to southeastern Nigeria, issued a statement announcing a “total system” collapse. “Due to this development … we are unable to provide service to our customers,” company spokesperson Emeka Ezeh said.

Such power failures are common in Nigeria which battles with dilapidated energy infrastructure that has caused frequent power outages.

“Power supply shall be restored as soon as the national grid is powered back,” the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, which supplies power to parts of northern Nigeria, said in a statement Thursday.

Oil-rich but energy-poor Nigeria generates a daily average of 4,000 megawatts of electricity  some of which it is unable to distribute for a population of more than 210 million people, far from the 30,000 megawatts a day authorities have said it needs.

The inadequate power supply leaves millions of residents relying on gasoline-powered generators for electricity. However, gasoline prices have more than doubled this year after the government ended decades-long subsidies, and many households and businesses have struggled to find an alternative source of power supply.

Tunisia has banned a delegation from the European Parliament from entering its territory, provoking strong reactions from MEPs, some of whom have called for the suspension of the migration agreement concluded between the EU and Tunis.

Signed with great fanfare in July in Tunis, this partnership is notably supposed to reduce the number of migrants leaving the Tunisian coast in exchange for European aid of several hundred million euros.

The delegation made up of five MEPs, including three French, was to go to Tunis on Thursday “to better understand the current political situation” and take stock of this agreement.

Led by the German Michael Gahler (EPP, Christian Democrat), she was to meet members of civil society, trade unionists and representatives of the Tunisian opposition.

In a letter addressed to the EU delegation in Tunis, which our source was able to consult, the Tunisian authorities limit themselves to indicating that these deputies of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament will “not be authorized to enter the national territory” .

“This attitude is unprecedented since the democratic revolution of 2011 ,” reacted the latter, demanding a “detailed explanation” in Tunis. The Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament immediately called for the “immediate” suspension of this “migratory partnership” .

A Commission spokesperson, questioned about the impact of the Tunisian decision, expressed her “surprise” on Thursday , but judged that the continuation of the dialogue was “even more important in the face of the unprecedented challenges we are encountering” .

“It’s both surprising and exceptional ,” reacted French MEP Mounir Satouri (Greens), member of this delegation, interviewed by journalist.

“I expect from European leaders a firm response and frank support for our institution ,” said another French MEP, Emmanuel Maurel (left), also a member of this delegation.

During her State of the Union speech on Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen cited this partnership as an example, which was however criticized by some MEPs.

“It’s a model that makes us dependent on autocratic systems which can then blackmail us ,” lamented French MEP Raphaël Glucksmann (Socialists and Democrats group).

“We have already had experience with Turkey. With these agreements we are putting ourselves in the hands of the States, and we are opening the way to blackmail. This is not the right solution,” declared French elected official Valérie Hayer ( Renew Europe, centrists and liberals).

The Commission defended this agreement this week, arguing that it had allowed an increase in boat interceptions and rescues.

But he is criticized on the one hand by the left and the Greens, who denounce the authoritarianism of President Kais Saied and the abuses suffered by sub-Saharan migrants in Tunisia. On the right and the far right, however, MEPs consider its implementation insufficient to reduce the number of migrant arrivals in Europe.

Tunisia is, along with Libya , the main departure point for thousands of migrants crossing the central Mediterranean towards Europe, and arriving in Italy.

Ms von der Leyen went to Tunis on the occasion of the signing of this agreement, accompanied by the heads of government of Italy Giorgia Meloni and the Dutch Mark Rutte .

After the 2015 migration crisis , EU countries concluded an agreement with Ankara aimed at curbing the arrival of migrants to Europe, in return for a heavy financial compensation – part of the 6 billion euros then promised must still be provided.

Mali’s ruling junta has cancelled celebrations planned for next week to mark the anniversary of the country’s independence.

The announcement was made public Wednesday following a council of ministers.

Last year, Guinea’s ruling military leader attended the military parade organized for the festivities of Mali’s 62nd independence anniversary.

During Wednesday’s council of ministers, Mali’s military leader ordered the government to allocate the funds planned for this year’s festivities to help victims of a series of recent attacks and their families.

The council also discussed the possible mobilisation of reservists.

The announcement of “sober” independence anniversary coincides with a renewed military activity by the Tuareg separatists, and a succession of attacks attributed mainly to the Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist alliance Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM).

On Tuesday, Tuareg armed separatist groups launched an offensive against army positions in the garrison town of Bourem, which the army said it had repelled.

The two sides provided contradictory reports of events, but both reported dozens of deaths.

An attack on a passenger boat on the Niger River, blamed on jihadists, left dozens of civilians dead last week.

These events take place under the backdrop of the ongoing withdrawal of the UN peacekeeping mission to Mali.

Mali was plunged into turmoil in 2012 after a separatists and Islamist insurrections broke out in the north.

Goita expressed his “deep distress” at the losses caused by “the savage and barbaric attack against the boat (and) the assaults on the camps in the towns of Bamba, Gao and Bourem”, the council of ministers said.

It was his first public remarks on the boat attack.