Two baby elephants intended as a gift to North Korea are unlikely to survive the journey by air, Zimbabwean conservationists said Thursday...The independent Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said the 18-month-old elephants were being held in pens in the western Hwange National Park, along with pairs of most of the park's other animal species bound for North Korea.

Africa's population is set to boom, but the direction of Canada's Africa policies is less clear. Ottawa has closed embassies, dropped several African countries from its list of targets for bilateral aid and declared a priority shift to the Americas.

The Department of Arts and Culture will host a Cultural Diplomacy conference on 21-22 May 2010 in Pretoria, South Africa...The theme is "Redefining the Role of Culture in the 21st century". The main focus of the conference is to open opportunities to share ideas and exchange knowledge with prominent thinkers on issues of cultural diplomacy.

The United States and the African Union will increase their already close cooperation to promote democracy and development in Africa. Following three days of talks in Washington, it was agreed that meetings will be held at least annually...

Like China, Brazil or the EU, Turkey in recent years has upgraded its engagement with Africa. Ankara's new interest in Africa is not just economically driven, but exemplifies a recalibration of Turkish foreign policy.

Iran's recent intensified nuclear diplomacy, including its foreign minister's meeting with the IAEA chief and the president's two-nation visit to Africa, demonstrates its intent to break through the West's blockade, according to analysts...

The new scramble is not as overtly and arrogantly unilateral as in the late 19th century and reflects the changed realities of today. Europeans have united themselves in a constantly expanding community and the 27 members largely offer a common position in international affairs.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) will be exhibiting at the Global Village in Johannesburg, South Africa, during the FIFA World Cup. The Global Village is an initiative aimed at using the FIFA World Cup to show the world what will remain in Africa after the last whistle is blown, namely, sustainable partnerships in business, culture and sports