Page 8 - AHATA

A6 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 19 sepTember 2024
Blinken says surprise escalations threaten to derail talks for a

cease-fire in Gaza

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER rael that launched the war.
Associated Press When news came of their
CAIRO (AP) — U.S. Secre- deaths, negotiators had
tary of State Antony Blink- been making progress on
en expressed frustration the timing and other de-
Wednesday at surprise es- tails of a swap that would
calations that threaten to have freed hostages in ex-
derail efforts to broker a change for the release of
cease-fire deal in Gaza, Palestinian prisoners in Is-
noting that the United raeli detention, America’s
States is assessing a deadly top diplomat said.
attack that caused pagers Blinken, who had meetings
used by Hezbollah to ex- with Egyptian President Ab-
plode in Lebanon. del Fattah el-Sissi and Egyp-
Blinken spoke to reporters tian Foreign Minister Badr
in Cairo, where he trav- Abdelatty, said the most
eled for talks on the cease- dire need in the troubled
fire negotiations and U.S.- cease-fire negotiations was
Egyptian relations. While for both sides to show they
Israel has not publicly spo- actually wanted a deal.
ken on responsibility in the “The most important thing
pager attack, a U.S. official in this moment is to see a
has said Israel briefed the demonstration of political
United States after the ex- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a joint press conference with Egypt’s Foreign Minister will,” Blinken said.
plosions. The United States, Badr Abdelatty in Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. Associated Press He headed to his 10th trip
Egypt and other interna- to the Middle East since the
tional partners are work- backed Hezbollah militants about the previous day’s tack and declined to make war in Gaza began without
ing for an agreement be- in Lebanon and the pager explosions in Lebanon. more specific comments. the optimistic projections
tween Israel and Hamas to attack risking further esca- Personal pagers used by In other unexpected events that the Biden administra-
halt nearly a year of war in lation. “Time and again” Hezbollah in Lebanon ex- that have put a cease-fire tion has previously con-
Gaza and release hostages when the U.S. and other ploded nearly simultane- deal at risk, Blinken spoke of veyed of a breakthrough in
held by the militant group. mediators believe they ously Tuesday, killing at the discovery this month of the negotiations.
The U.S. says such a deal is are making progress on a least 12 people, including the bodies of six hostages he U.S., Egypt and other al-
the best chance at tamp- cease-fire deal in Gaza, two children. who Israel said had been lies say a deal is essential to
ing down wider regional “we’ve seen an event that Blinken reiterated that the recently killed by Hamas. quelling escalated attacks
tensions, with Israeli leaders ... threatens to slow it, stop U.S. was still gathering in- They were among those by Iranian-backed groups
threatening to step up mili- it, derail it,” Blinken said formation on the circum- still held in Gaza following in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq
tary action against Iranian- in response to a question stances of the pager at- Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks in Is- and Syria. q

Zimbabwe and Namibia will kill scores of elephants to feed people

facing drought

By FARAI MUTSAKA and Management Authority, “We will start culling as soon The hunting will take place to drought. More animals
MOGOMOTSI MAGOME said permits would be is- as we have finished issuing in areas such as Hwange could die of thirst and hun-
Associated Press sued in needy communities out permits,” Farawo said. National Park in the coun- ger in the coming weeks
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) to hunt elephants and that The elephants will be taken try’s arid west where there as the country enters the
— Zimbabwe and Namibia the agency also would kill from an area where the has been increasing com- hottest period of the year,
have announced plans to some of the overall allot- population has become petition between humans Farawo said.
slaughter hundreds of wild ment of 200 animals. unsustainable, Farawo said. and wildlife for food and Zimbabwe’s Environment
elephants and other ani- water as rising tempera- Minister Sithembiso Nyoni
mals to feed hunger-strick- tures make the resources told Parliament last week
en residents amid severe more scarce. that she had given the go-
drought conditions in the Hwange has move than ahead for the culling pro-
southern African countries. 45,000 elephants, but now gram.
Zimbabwe said Monday has the capacity to sustain “Indeed Zimbabwe has
it would allow the killing of only 15,000, Farawo said. more elephants than we
200 elephants so that their The country’s overall popu- need, more elephants than
meat can be distributed lation of about 100,000 el- our forestry can accommo-
among needy communi- ephants is double what the date,” Nyoni said.
ties, while in Namibia the country’s national parks She said the government
killing of more than 700 can sustain, park officials was preparing “to do like
wild animals including 83 say. what Namibia has done
elephants is under way as The El Nino weather phe- so that we can cull the el-
part of a plan announced nomenon has worsened ephants and mobilize the
three weeks ago. the situation, with the women to dry the meat,
Tinashe Farawo, a spokes- A herd of elephants make their way through the Hwange parks agency in Decem- package it and ensure that
man for the Zimbabwe National Park, Zimbabwe, in search of water, on Nov. 10, 2019. ber saying that more than it gets to some communities
National Parks and Wildlife Associated Press 100 elephants died due that need the protein.”q