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Migrating elephant herd in SW China’s Yunnan heads for home after long trek

On the evening of August 8, 14 wild elephants which had been migrating northward in southwest China’s Yunnan province crossed the Yuanjiang River safely and continued to head south, according to a press conference held recently in Kunming city, capital city of Yunnan.
The elephant herd is now in a wood near Honghe subdistrict, Yuanjiang county, Yuxi city of Yunnan, which is 26 kilometers away from Mojiang county, Pu’er city of the province.
This means that all the original 15 Asian elephants heading north, including one male separated from the herd that was returned to their original habitat in a nature reserve in Yunnan’s Xishuangbannan Dai autonomous prefecture on July 7, have been on their way home.
According to Wan Yong, who heads the headquarters in charge of monitoring the migrating elephants, these elephants left their original habitat in March 2020. In July 2020, the herd entered Pu’er city. Then on April 16, 2021, they wandered into Yuanjiang county, Yuxi city of Yunnan.
Since then, the herd has trekked more than 1,300 kilometers and over 110 days through eight county-level regions under Yuxi city, Hani and Yi autonomous prefecture and Kunming city of Yunnan.
In response to the migrating elephants, Yunnan has evacuated residents and promoted claims settlement regarding relevant damages while monitoring the elephants, making efforts to ensure the safety of both residents along the route as well as the animals.
As of August 8, Yunnan province had dispatched over 25,000 police officers and relevant staff members, deployed 973 drones and over 15,000 vehicles to monitor and guide the migrating elephants. Meanwhile, the province had evacuated more than 150,000 residents to avoid conflicts between them and the migrating elephant herd and provided nearly 180 tons of food for the herd, pointed out Wan, who is also head of the forestry and grassland bureau of Yunnan.
Wildlife public liability insurance companies had received 1,501 cases of declaration of losses caused by the migrating elephants, and assessed the losses at about 5.13 million yuan (about $790,548). They have completed 939 claims and redeemed insurance premiums of over 2.16 million yuan, advancing insurance work in an orderly manner.
In just a few days, staff members of the headquarters in charge of monitoring the migrating elephants walked along the 76-kilometer-riverway of the Yuanjiang River and finally found the best route for the elephant herd to cross the river based on its location and the potential risks and dangers in river-crossing. They decided to guide the elephant herd to an old bridge near the Yuanjiang entrance toll station of Kunming-Mohan Expressway, helping them overcome the biggest obstacle on their way back south, according to Yang Yingyong, who has been in charge of safety precautions and emergency response for the migrating elephants in Yuxi city.
Although the elephant herd has crossed the Yuanjiang River safely, relevant safety precautions and emergency response work will continue until the elephants enter their habitat in Mojiang county, where they will be put under regular management by Pu’er city and Xishuangbannan Dai autonomous prefecture, Wan noted.
The population of Asian elephants in Yunnan has grown to over 300 from about 150 in 1978. As of the end of 2020, the home ranges of Asian elephants have expanded to 55 townships in 11 county-level regions of three cities and prefectures of Yunnan, many are outside the nature reserve.
“Next, we will gather pace in building a national park for Asian elephants and improving their habitats, striving to enable human beings and elephants to live together in harmony,” Wan said.
Since the beginning of the migration, many experts and technicians in wildlife, information communication, and other fields have joined the efforts to protect the herd and local residents and help with the migration. They have conducted research while applying research findings in their work, and preserved massive data from scientific research, monitoring and early warning, and emergency response in the whole process, said Chen Fei, director of the Asian elephant research center under the National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China as well as a member of the expert team established for the migrating elephants.
The headquarters have creatively and gently intervened in the migration by predicting the elephants’ migration routes, conducting security control, and attracting them with food, which can be helpful for alleviating “human-elephant conflict” and even “human-animal conflict” in the future, Chen pointed out.
By Wan Yu, People’s Daily
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Joint patrol team neutralises notorious kidnapper in Nasarawa

The Nasarawa State Police Command has neutralized a notorious kidnapper, identified as Honour, during a security operation in Akwanga Local Government Area.
SP Ramhan Nansel, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Lafia. He revealed that the operation, conducted on Friday at about 10:00 p.m., was a joint effort involving the police, the army, and local vigilantes.
According to Nansel, the suspect, who had been on the police wanted list for multiple kidnapping and robbery offences, was intercepted near the Akwanga Central Mosque while riding a motorcycle. He was fatally shot after attempting to evade arrest.
During the operation, security forces recovered a Beretta pistol and 12 rounds of 9mm live ammunition. Meanwhile, one of the suspect’s accomplices escaped with gunshot wounds, prompting a manhunt for his capture.
The deceased was taken to Akwanga General Hospital Mortuary for a post-mortem examination. Commissioner of Police Shetima Jauro-Mohammed praised the operatives for their professionalism and urged them to sustain their efforts in tackling crime.
The police reiterated their commitment to maintaining law and order, warning criminals to desist from illegal activities or face decisive action.
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N10bn Alleged Loot: SGF Akume’s PA ,Torhile Uchi Turns Chinery

** as he implicates Sen. Jack Gyado, Shango, Two Reps members, Chia Waya and others
As the ongoing probe into the alleged fraudulent activities of the embattled personal Assistant to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF Senator George Akume, Hon. Andrew Torhile Uchi, continues , our correspondent gathered that he has allegedly turned to Chinery dropping prominent individuals names as EFCC widened up its investigations.
Meanwhile, the operative of the Commission on Thursday, granted an administrative bail to his younger brother, Mr. Tersoo Uchi, who was taken into custody over his alleged complicity in the matter.
Our checks reveals that a mind-boggling scandal was exposed via a petition written to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, intimating them about a controversial office opened in the central business district in Abuja, beside the Federal High Court, to engaged on fraudulent consultancy of awarding Ecological contracts to business men and women, boards appointments and other governments favors amounting to billions of Naira.
Further checks also, revealed that the embattled Uchi, so far, has allegedly implicated two elder statesmen, Senator Jack Gyado and Elder Simon Shango, over the sharing of the largesse.
Also, mentioned are two serving members of the House of Representatives ( names withheld), Mr. Chia waya, Prof. Babatunde, Late. Ortaver Abaagu, a serving director in the SGF office and other three close political associates of the secretary to the government of the Federation, SGF Senator George Akume.
Importantly, a highly placed source at the Commission, told our correspondent that, the SGF, was duly notified about the investigations weeks ago, which he personally okayed that it’s must be carried out to enable him cleared his name and office.
The source who quoted the SGF, that he outrightly distanced himself from the alleged fraud that the law must takes its cause without any hindrance and obstructions.
Investigations from the EFCC, indicates that most of the inflows traced to four new generations banks of Mr. Uchi, allegedly raises serious suspicions with the volumes and the traffic its generated, which clearly indicated its were bribes.
Recall that a highly placed source at the Commission, had confirmed to our correspondent on Friday, that the embattled Uchi was invited by the operatives of the Commission on Monday, upon a petition received by the anti-graft agency over Alleged properties he acquired in Abuja, Jos, Makurdi, Gboko and Wannune in Tarka, local government Area of Benue State amounting to over N6 billion.
According to the source, further investigations so far, has revealed that between December 2023 to date the anti-graft agency has been able to trace a whooping N1.6 billion that was allegedly used in buying purch cars through four new generations banks to nine car dealers in Abuja, Kaduna, Lagos, Jos and Makurdi respectively.
The source further added that two Bureau de change operatives are currently been investigated by the Commission, over their alleged involvement in the scam, owing that most of the funds credited to embattled Torhile Andrew Uchi, emanated from their coys.
He said that the Commission is currently working towards getting a court nod to widen the scope of their investigations to the properties in Abuja, Jos and other part of the country to ascertain the source of the income and how the properties were allegedly purchased.
As of the time of filing in this report Mr. Uchi, is still in custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, telling the dreaded operatives of the Commission how he allegedly got the funds which is largely believed to be proceeds from bribes.
He might end up staying in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC beyond 48 hours as recommended by the law, owing the fact that the Commission has secretly secured an injuction to keep him beyond the required days as stipulated by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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Starship to leave for Mars at end of 2026 – Elon Musk

Elon Musk has announced an ambitious timeline for SpaceX’s Mars mission, revealing that the company’s massive Starship rocket is set to depart for the Red Planet at the end of 2026. The mission will include Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, as part of the spacecraft’s payload.
“If those landings go well, then human landings may start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more likely,” Musk posted on his social media platform, X.
The Starship rocket—considered the world’s most powerful—is central to Musk’s long-term vision of colonizing Mars. However, significant technical hurdles remain before this dream becomes reality.
NASA is also counting on a modified version of Starship to serve as the lunar lander for its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon this decade. But before SpaceX can proceed with interplanetary travel, it must demonstrate that Starship is safe, reliable, and capable of complex in-orbit refueling—an essential requirement for deep space missions.
SpaceX recently encountered a setback when the latest test flight of Starship ended in an explosion. While the booster was successfully caught in its orbital test, the upper stage failed, tumbling out of control before the live feed abruptly cut. The incident mirrored a previous attempt.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated an investigation before Starship can fly again, adding another layer of scrutiny to SpaceX’s ambitious timeline.
Despite these challenges, Musk remains optimistic, continuing to push forward toward his goal of making humanity a multi-planetary species.
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