Scott Morrison didn't mention China when he announced the new task force but its alleged meddling in Australia is causing concern Chinese agents have been accused of trying to infiltrate parliament in Canberra and of running other covert operations in Australia China said the allegations were nothing but lies Mr Morrison said the new foreign interference unit's was the culmination of years of work to me 10 evolving threats the Australian Government has described as an acceptable China's treatment of the detained Chinese born Australian writer a young Honduran the foreign minister Marie's pain expressed deep concern for the pro-democracy activist has been held since January on suspicion of endangering China's national security she says the former Chinese diplomat is subjected to daily interrogation while being shackled news from the b.b.c. . President and dress Manuel Lopez Obrador of Mexico has defended his approach to tackling drug cartels despite an upsurge in violence that saw more than 20 people killed in a single incident on Saturday in a speech marking his personal in office he acknowledged that reducing crime groom ain't his biggest challenge. Summer says they will shut down government offices for 2 days this week so public sector workers can help with a mass vaccination campaign against measles the epidemic has already killed more than 50 people in the Pacific Island nation most of them children under 4 and up as our route has more details the rate of infection is showing no sign of slowing down we do 100 new measles cases in the last 24 hours alone 53 people have died 4000 cases have been recorded since the Samoan measles epidemic began in made October a compulsory vaccination scheme has so far focused on children but will now extend to everyone under 60 so all government services and departments will close disturbs and Friday to Samoan prime minister said those that did not believe in vaccination needed to be convinced that it was the only answer to the epidemic at least 15 people are feared dead in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu they were buried under a wall that collapsed after heavy downpours in the city of Khan but tour schools and colleges have been closed in the state capital Chennai and in a number of other districts because of the torrential rain a sperm whale that died after getting stranded on a beach in northwest Scotland was found to have a ball of litter weighing 100 kilograms in its stomach the comparative mass included items such as fishing nets rope bags and plastic cups that it had swallowed residents of the olive Harris who found the carcass so that it highlighted the wider problem of marine pollution b.b.c. News. Welcome to a special edition of hard talk with me Stephen Sackur I'm on the road in Zimbabwe to witness the effects of change in Southern Africa's climate Zimbabwe in the post Mugabe era is wrestling with an economic crisis endemic corruption and widespread poverty which leaves him Bob We ns extremely vulnerable in the face of prolonged drought crops of failed hydro power is down the taps of run dry also at risk is in Bob ways wildlife population animals and people now in a desperate competition for resources I began my journey at Victoria for one of the wonders of the natural world where the waters of a zombie easy river plunge more than a 100 meters down the ravine that divides them bob way from Zambia. Long before David Livingstone got here and named this spectacular place Victoria Falls local people new it is the smoke that fund but right now this smoky mist isn't so thick and the sundering roll Well it isn't so relaxed. By life for more or less the Zimbabwean government's leading climate change research he is constantly monitoring his performance. Of course the falls are seasonal but something is happening it seems which goes beyond seasonal change yes you'll find that the Twitter follows the blunder of water although it is says no where it peaks around March for margin a lot of plot on much may play of the peak of amount of water falling through the Falls if you find out that during the past the recent years there's been a change in the amount of water that flows past through the week to the 4th and the more 2nd since even the most sitting year by around in Upper Egypt 2000 cubic meters per 2nd that is passed through the falls but for this year 20 $9000.00 the average is the $1000.00 to $1.00 pleat cubic metres per 2nd so it's down by almost 50 percent done by almost 50 percent now I'm going to stop here because here we are at this viewpoint it's called the Horseshoe Falls viewpoint but there's no force So this is remarkable this is where the water here is. The change in the trend is that the change in the low falls they're becoming more frequent right and this is a worry to this is one of our tourists trump card and also this is their little and most down theme in the upstreams and who knows maybe one year they'll be known for completely north and while that's quite a fall I mean that's scary if you could imagine Victoria Falls virtually dry you think that is a serious possibility it is many possibilities to if you look at the climate models just some 2 weeks ago would have pointed out on 8 to 7 could be meta specific and when I don't use 10 supposed to be 3 and a cubic meters per 2nd goodness me so that means my math is not great but that means you're getting barely a quarter between the core from the entire earth or the water that you would expect at this time of year Sure and it is a fish. Electricity generators of the hydro power those I don't bear and Zimbabwe rely on the huge reservoir Yes let for Zimbabwe's public draws about 60 percent of its electricity from Korea but true ours from Victoria Falls is a novel or of Zimbabwe's natural splendors Wangi national. Business is the biggest in because if I say the Yes Wow I mean me and I want to tell the elephants here how many this is the way we have it because with inflation of the elephant in the world to gnash a father was is the public face of Zimbabwe the or thorough see that runs Wangi this vast unspoiled stretch of Western Zimbabwe boasts Africa's highest concentration of elephants it is everyone's idealized image of Wild Africa except for one thing this land is dying of photos so this is why I can be in mid November this should be the rainy season but from the dried grass and the leafless trees the rains haven't come the drought continues. In other parts of Africa elephant herds of been devastated by poaching and habitat destruction not here Wang huge elephant population is around 50000 and that's good news and bad in prolonged drought Wangi lacks sufficient food and water for its elephant population. As a group of elephants just over there they're feeding each elephant needs about 300 kilograms of food and day they strip the trees and then they move along and in a drought like this that means they're constantly on the move in a desperate. Food. The parks will for a few years using solar pumps to keep the water holes from drying out not taking more drastic measures to $600.00 elephants or to be shipped to areas less ravaged by drought more than 30 young wild elephants were recently captured and sold into captivity in China and every year Zim parks permits $500.00 elephants to be killed by Hunt. How desperate do you think they become these elephants in these very unusual drought conditions I think the situation is very desperate it is dire because if you look at the distance that the animals are travelling in set off and set off what is termites for them and also if you look at I mean was coming to starvation they're dying within 50 metres hundreds of metres as you can see the cut us off and it's within 15 metres from the water source and that's the situation and it's not only what that we have been telling history there's no food I can give you for example the dead that we've collected between September and October we have lost at least $200.00 elephants. From starvation from starvation is what about the intense. Potential conflict now between the elephants and the human population or around the park what is happening so far we've lost at least they did the lives from January to 2 human right left corner that people have died I mean these are 33 people in local villages who have been killed by elephant throughout the country Countrywide and they did that in more than 50 percent human elephant conflict and that means that the communities close to this park are becoming increasingly frightened and angry about the elephants and they see you from Zimbabwe prox authority whose job is to protect these elephants. And there actually I'm beginning to resent you 2 of those at some point which is the infamous you know we ended if you know where. In the eastern part of the country was killed by an elephant the community chased us away they almost distorted us we had to go through the traditionally dead to say we are here and these are the problems that are facing we must do more to give that we my support he said that if climate change is getting worse the conflict between the wildlife particularly here the elephants and the human population is only going to get worse is one of the good going to get with the numbers I mean. I am saying the political caving capacity of this part is 15000 we are talking of between 4 decided in 50000 elephants that's not is Muamba we have more than doubled the number so that's where we are so you are in a sense you're avoiding the hard truth that what you want You are essential to telling me is that thousands of elephants in this park will have to be killed or transported away from here to make this park so this thing that they need to be moved from here to this sustainable this this era jet that's the Elliott The cynics will point to what you do and say you do not actually have the best interests of the elephants at heart for example recently you sold more than 100 young elephants to China sold them to China to go to zoos that to many people in conservation is simply unacceptable you know it was not the ones of sale of 500 elephants you know people try to evoke emotions they can you justify it or don't let them explain people try to evoke emotions they use like baby elephants big wads to evoke emotions we don't sell baby elephants we kept sub I dealt elephants those who are independent outside their mad look at your budget so there you are the National Park Service Office them but that was I should be doing that's what I'm saying that people used to. Evoke emotion we don't just woke up one morning and take the animals there's a lot of the sage which is dead and that the stage now leads to the translocation of those and how much how much money did you and your organization get from selling . From 2012 to $26.00 and was we only did that thing from 2012 to criticize how much money when $3000000.00 yeah what are you going to end on a 1000000 u.s. Dollars Yes What happened to that money at. The breakdown we had used up 150002 buy you door saving. And to patrol units we have. Some vehicles for the patrols that we do for and to put in pay model with put more money into and pushing also to have a system tends for engines will spend $21.00 days in the bush looking up that is the international community support the similes that they were making we need to $105.00 elephants elephants to attain a dimension also make the same noise that climate change is the seas are destroyed division is lost those are the issues you know it's not you know 1010 young elephants you know. It's a drop in the ocean will not be felt even even if you take thousands that just mean from Windy we drove down rough trying to meet the communities who from the neighboring land. Right now were heading down an extremely bumpy difficult track to get to a village which has become one of the front lines in the confrontation between people and wildlife. And Gamble villages home to subsistence farmers from the number trying at the best of times life here is hard no electricity no paved road along me to school for the kids. The dry riverbed one sign of a farming community in. Deep trouble the drought has forced elephants out of Wangi in the search for food Madelene a shock is preparing her cloth for sure compliant though nothing will grow without rain last month her brother was out here when elephants passed through. That. Well haven't done. So about God. It was on a Thursday when he left nice in the afternoon for the bush to look for his cats. He never returned. And. We assume on his way back that evening he used to clear. Avoiding the road we normally used which is Bush's to avoid elephant. Unfortunately the elephants the river drinking and I think as they left the river that's when they attacked him. And I buy a lot of people will worry about the security and the future for the elephants here in the drought but you seem to be saying the problem really is for the human beings more than the elephants. They can say the elephants have the challenges people we are also experiencing challenges from them those people who look after them should try to move them away from the community to a specified secluded place Jordan got it. After leaving Gamba village we flew across Zimbabwe to the capital Harare. From the air the parched landscape stretching to the far a rice drought has stretched this country's infrastructure to breaking point in Harare alone 2000000 people have no water in their taps that. Romo half a 1000000 people live in the sprawling township of Embury in the outskirts of Harare this place simply isn't equipped to cope with an environmental crisis they've had no piped water here for months collar and tie for a looming threat. And Somerset the entire neighborhood is plunged into darkness the electricity grid has been crippled by a lack of hydroelectric power so the only light comes from oil lamps fires on the lucky few would generate. 6 there's my mother this is my sister down a maze of dark alleys and a block originally built for a single male laborers but now teeming with families I meet Yvonne Mogambo she and 3 generations of her family live in one room and after dark they huddle together by candlelight hive Yeah we have the electricity we have no want to also to use the king. Or sometimes we use the toilet just Yvonne in the dark at night when there's no power there's no lights to you and the kids feel safe here you know you don't feel safe where some of the people are being roped it tonight they are the 1st all over this community so we don't feel safe if there's no electricity he just sits sometimes we just see didn't talk we don't dare food to eat sometimes they just left without eating what do you think the future is going to be for your family how the future is not good at all because these Does no one going to school there is no one who's going to lose quite a job we just seats we just wait for people to help us to find food to eat us for people to help us. Yvonne expresses a frustration and disenchantment that you hear frequently in Zimbabwe food shortages and power outages have been exacerbated by prolonged drought but these problems come after years of misrule and economic collapse under President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu p.f. Party Gabi is gone of course but for many Zimbabweans life has not improved under his successor emma she went and got his They're getting less than lethal the places that when what what was the largest. It was doesn't leave most everything is downdrafts ready and do you have children yet and they're not going to school I can't afford to let the school fees for the I'm a crowd gathers around the store selling basic provisions when I ask them whether life has improved on them and got there on his unanimous was. Right for us outside of Harari bank hundreds wait in a long queue under Mugabe hyperinflation meant the Us dollar became the de facto currency now there's an effort to reintroduce the Zimbabwean dollar but only in limited amounts and people tell me that they can withdraw barely enough to last a single day one woman I met was prepared to give President one and God a chance yes and what's the difference you are using many people here are not white why are you so comfy everything when she thinks the course enough is enough he said it is going to destabilize the chronically sick being sent home from one of Harare's biggest hospitals almost all the doctors are refusing to work they don't call it a strike they say they've been incapacitated by salaries that have been dramatically devalued to people Mungo for had initially been proud to qualify as a medic but not now people are dying out we do board did because of the current situation in the hope is dimming in Zimbabwe his last days no York is due to talk about what the government would say that is on your conscience years but it's not on our questions cause we cannot afford to come to a game they cannot choose make to pay for my views they cannot use my questions to pay for transport I am just an ordinary employee like in the employee and I need to pick up a stupid for me to do my job. The Zimbabwean government fears as many as. 7 and a half 1000000 people will need emergency food aid next year officials deny that this is the result of mismanagement or mis rule the Environment Minister Mangal e. So in love who blames continued sanctions and the impact of Zimbabwe's prolonged drought we suffered quite heavily the impact of the drought has been quite severe and the humanitarian aspect is that that it is out of that and climate change of course well with respect it's not just about the drought as it is to do with problem long mis management incompetence and corruption inside the Zimbabwean economy that's your government's door that's not the drought I doubt that is correlate with all due respect because when we talk of people going hungry we had literally talking about food on the table and food on the table these that direct impact coming from the drought that we have experienced and this has pledged if I may say. Governments social protection expenditure because we have had to import close to 70 percent of our grain just to make sure that these adequate Crain in the country so we have had to contend with the effects of isolation with the effects of sanctions and this is impaired our ability really to compete and provide services as we would like and we have begin you know just annoy you rather tactfully put it in there reference to sanctions as though some of this could be blamed upon the international community for the very limited targeted sanctions which the u.s. And the e.u. Have put on Zimbabwe going back many years the truth surely is that again scapegoating sanctions will not work because in the words of the u.s. Ambassador to this country just the other day he said it is unacceptable to talk about sanctions as a scapegoat when's. Bob ways real problem is a fundamental betrayal of public trust there are people getting rich many in Zimbabwe's political elite as they call me continues to deteriorate around them and it is the Zimbabwean people who are suffering that's from the u.s. Ambassador. I wouldn't expect him to say anything different would you I mean is them imposing the sanctions if they're so ineffective but justifies the systems because they're targeting individuals who are deemed to be thoroughly corrupt I am former Minister of Industry and Congress the biggest company we ever had in this country where this course it's still under sanctions today one of the biggest companies that were formed to spearhead industrialization I was under sanctions how to get it these sanctions when you look at banks that have been penalized just for facilitating transactions business transactions you think these attack it this is smart because it's targeted it call ups in the economy Mr I want to weigh in with a question not just about the her