Ghana`s Muntari vows to give his all

Perceived by many observers and fans as Ghana's 'bad boy', Sulley Muntari has promised to give everything he has to make all of Africa proud of him as the Black Stars aim to make World Cup history against Uruguay on Friday.

With Michael Essien missing the tournament through injury, the Inter Milan midfielder had been expected to be one of the West African country's leaders in South Africa. Instead, the 25-year-old has yet to start a match in the tournament and came close to being sent home after a dressing-room bust-up with Ghana's Serbian coach, Milovan Rajevac.

With Andre Ayew suspended, Muntari is in line to finally get on the starting sheet for Friday's quarterfinal against the Uruguayans at Johannesburg's Soccer City.

Muntari, who has a history of clashes with the management of his national side, insists he is playing his part. "We are on a fantastic adventure and we want to keep going to make all of Africa happy. On a personal level I want to leave all the negative stuff behind me,” Mundari told journalists at Ghana's training camp on the outskirts of Sun City in northwestern South Africa.

The Inter Milan player claimed reports of his clash with Rajevac had been exaggerated and he insisted that he had never objected to being left on the sidelines as Rajevac opted to start with French-based star Ayew, the son of Ghana legend, Abedi Pele.

"It depends on the coach," Muntari told AFP. "The coach has to decide who will play. For me, the most important thing is the group. I give it all my support and that's it!"

Muntari, who was part of the Inter side that won this season's Champions League, said a pre-tournament hamstring injury had affected his chances of starting Ghana's opening matches, and played down his clash with Rajevac. "I never got upset! Before the World Cup started I got injured. The manager spoke to me about it. He was concerned; he wanted me to heal well. He decides everything. He said I should be careful. I should take it easy."

Muntari's clash with Rajevac came in the aftermath of Ghana's group-stage draw with Australia and sources close to the squad said the country's biggest star would have been sent home if he had not made a public apology to the coach and his team-mates.

The midfielder vowed to never play for his country again after being sent home from the 2004 Olympics for being a bad influence. He reportedly smuggled a girlfriend into the team hotel.

After patching things up over that incident, he clashed with Ghana's football hierarchy again last November when he refused to play in a friendly against Angola. That led to him being left out of the squad for the African Nations Cup two months later.

A depleted Ghana squad finished runners-up behind Egypt but Ayew took the chance that Muntari's antics had afforded him and performed well enough in Angola to displace his better-known compatriot from Rajevac's first-choice line-up. "Sulley couldn't imagine that life might be possible without him," one member of Ghana's backroom staff described the attitude that has made Muntari, a Muslim in a squad dominated by devout Christians, something of an outsider in an otherwise tightly-knit group.

The sight of him snapping at a young team-mate who had the temerity to tap the mud off his studs next to him after a training session this week seemed to confirm that impression.

But all the diva behaviour will be quickly forgotten if Muntari can prove on Friday, July 2, that he is capable of being as big a star on the pitch as he seems to be in his own mind.

A victory will make Ghana the first from the continent to reach a World Cup semifinal, surpassing previous quarterfinalists Cameroon (1990) and Senegal (2002).

Somalia: Eight journalists wounded

Eight Somali journalists were injured on Tuesday after mortars hit at a police school in Abdiasis district of northern Mogadishu. The pressmen were covering a news conference organized by Al-Shabaab spokesman in the training facility at a base that had been seized since Monday.

Four of the wounded journalists were identified as Ilyas Ahmed Abukar, Abdirisak Elmi Jama, Abdinasir Idle and Muse Mohamud Jisow.

The journalists alleged that the attackers knew that a press conference was taking place at the base. One told AfricaNews on phone that the attackers were against their covering of the press conference.

Somalia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. Islamist gunmen have shot dead Sheikh Nur Abkey, who worked for the state-run Radio Mogadishu in May and he was the first reporter to be killed in Somalia this year.

Reporters Without Borders say nine journalists were killed in Somalia in 2009, including three killed in December when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives at a university graduation in Mogadishu.

Congo army kills 80 rebels

The Congo army has killed 80 rebels from neighbooring Uganda and Rwanda who entered volatile eastern Congo. General Amuli Bahigwa of Congo army said on Tuesday that the army killed the rebels in an operation that started on the first day of June.

He added that four of government soldiers were dead in the mission while Ugandan rebels killed eight civilians.

Eastern Congo has been mired by violence since Rwanda's 1994 genocide spilled war across the border. Ugandan rebels have spread their 20-year fight to Congo, Sudan and Central African Republic.

Since 2008, LRA leader Kony with his militias has been on the run after regional States launched a chase to nab him after he rejected to sign a peace deal with Uganda. It is also alleged that his fighters have been moving in the forests of south Sudan, north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic (CAR).

Five LRA commanders including its leader Joseph Kony are wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for murder, torture, rape, abductions and forced conscription of children into fighting.

The LRA, which has been fighting against Ugandan government since 1988, has killed 849 civilians and kidnapped a further 1,486, including 185 children in 2009, according to OCHA report released last February.

World Cup trophies stolen - Police

World Cup trophies have been stolen from the Johannesburg temporary headquarters of world football governing body FIFA. The national police commissioner Bheki Cele confirms the report but said the trophies were replica ones that would have taken centre stage at the Soccer City final in Johannesburg on July 11.

Cele said: "We knew that there was a theft and we are investigating."

La Repubblica reported that besides the trophies, sports equipment was also lifted by the thieves.

The police also confirmed that 316 people, 207 of South African origin, have been arrested for World Cup-related crimes since the start of the tournament.

DRC: ``It`s been 50yrs of poor leadership``

The Democratic Republic of Congo celebrates its Golden Jubilee today. Looking back at a country that has been plagued with civil wars and instability, an aspiring presidential candidate said it has been 50 years of time wasted and milking of the poor to enrich the pockets of the few elites in power.

US-based Dr Bent Francis Mboyo with Media recently, the leader of the opposition Congolese United for Change on his thoughts about Congo 50 years back and the way forward.

Media: Your country is 50 years old, how do you feel?
Dr Mboyo: I have mixed feelings – joy and sadness. I’m happy because everybody is excited to grow but growth without achievements is meaningless. Congo has matured but lacks proper sense of judgment that would bring the needed development for Congolese. Our people have lived in abject poverty and subjected to ill treatments for too long. It has been 50 years of suffering, self-centered leadership, hunger, war and deprivation. Our leaders blew that time away and we are still at where we started 50 years back.

Media: How do you see the country 50 years on?
Dr Mboyo: We can’t boast of any proper achievement. We still have to rely on the UN to protect our people. We can’t live in peace. Innocent people are being killed. The rule of law is not working. Everything seems to have turned upside down in my country. Congo is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of natural resources but we are the poorest. It’s a shame and we must not boast of it. We should rather bow our heads in shame. For me it’s been 50 years of shame under Mobutu, Kabila I and Kabila II.

Media: What’s your view about development in DRC over the last 50 years?
Dr Mboyo: Our roads are still unmotorable. Farmers have difficulties transporting foodstuff to the urban areas. Hospitals have broken down without modern equipment and qualified medical personnel. There is total social and economic breakdown. Hardship stares in the face of everyone everywhere you go. There is no electricity and water supply in most parts of DRC. The people in government are enjoying the national largesse with their cronies. The economy is in shambles and it would take us another 50 years plus to bring it back to track.

Media: What has been some of the significant improvements in your country?
Dr Mboyo: I’m sorry but there is nothing significant to point fingers at. Kabila and his people have succeeded in improving themselves. They continue to milk the people and it appears they are not prepared to improve the lots of the poor. We need to see change and radical transformation of the whole system in DRC. It’s a pity and the world sit watching for Congolese to suffer. I will continue to fight on behalf of my people and that change would surely come.

Media: Which areas demand the government’s attention?
Dr Mboyo: DR Congo needs a total overhaul. The people in leadership position lack ideas and administrative acumen. Among the major areas that need to take shape are security, economy, infrastructure, economy, utility supply, health and employment generation.

Media: DRC is beset by instability especially the North Kivu areas. As an aspiring president how in your opinion can such situation be resolved or avoided?
Dr Mboyo: The poor security situation is not restricted to Kivu alone but most parts of the country. The youth have taken to arms because they are idle. I mean the unemployment rate is skyrocketing. Government need to create employment to occupy these men. Once they see people in government living good they become restive and would want to take up arms. My government would generate more employment through the agricultural sector. We have large tracts of land in DRC but lack technology and ideas to grow our own food. I’ll use our unemployed youth to revive the agricultural sector. Again, our security men lack the needed motivation to protect the interest of the locals. The rebels in Kivu and other places are more sophisticated than our corrupt police. I still don’t see the need for the UN forces to leave at this premature stage. But the government is insisting because they want to have the room to rig the 2011 elections. If I had my way I want MONUC to stay until the elections are over to protect the opposition.

Media: How do you hope to make DRC a better place to live under your tenure in office?
Dr Mboyo: The Congolese United for Change has a comprehensive document that has diagnosed the ailing situation of DR Congo. We are looking at increasing the budget for education, creating employment for the youth, flushing aliens who have infiltrated our national security and causing troubles, involving the local people in the processing and marketing of our natural resources and above all making DRC a better place to live.

Media: How are people receiving your message?
Dr Mboyo: It has been positive. We have set up offices in most provinces back home. Our support base is growing daily and we hope the government would give us chance to campaign freely without any intimidation when the time comes. I’m impressed with what I have seen so far and ready for the elections anytime. The change that Congolese have long waited for is really coming and we would deliver.

Media: Finally, what is your 50th anniversary message to Congolese?
Dr Mboyo: It has been 50 years of struggles and time wasted. We have lost a lot of innocent people through civil war. Past and current governments ignored Congolese for their selfish interest. All is not lost yet. Change is coming. The Congolese United for Change is bringing that rapid transformation that would better the lives of poor Congolese. Our people have suffered for long and this is the time to see the light. We must not allow dictators to ruin our fate. Our women and children deserve to be treated with dignity. We need a government that respects the rule of law, human rights and protects the interest of the people. My government is going to be a listening government and would invest in the people. I’ll strive to put Congo in its rightful place in the comity of nations. Congolese deserve to live in peace. My government would create the enabling environment for Congolese to be proud of their nation and be willing to return home to invest. That change would come.

Mbeki: Let`s support Black Stars

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki expressed glee with the Ghanaian national team on its continuing success at the World Cup in South Africa as well as invited all across the African continent to throw their weight behind the lone African representative still in quest of the coveted trophy.

The Black Stars beat the United States in a Round of 16 match Saturday, June 26 and will face Uruguay in a quarterfinal on Friday, July 2 at the 46, 500 capacity Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth. They are the only African team left in the tournament, which is taking place on African soil for the first time.

Ghana has already equaled Africa's best-ever World Cup performance. Cameroon and Senegal also reached the quarterfinals in 1990 and 2002, respectively.

"It is clear that the Black Stars will now have to discharge the highly honorable and well-deserved responsibility to represent Africa and the African Diaspora in the next stages of the World Cup," Mbeki said in a message sent to the Ghana Football Association.

"In this regard the Black Stars will remain true to the role that Ghana has played as an eminent leader of the peoples of Africa and the African Diaspora as they have worked to resolve the challenges we have had to confront. I am certain that these millions will now rally behind the Black Stars to guarantee that we cap the fact of the very successful hosting of the World Cup by Africa by ensuring that on behalf of the continent and the Diaspora, the Black Stars, now of Africa, win the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup," Ghana Football Association's website quoted the ex-President.

Mbeki served as South Africa's President from 1999 to 2008.

Plan underway to save 96% chimpanzees

East and Central Africa have developed a 10-year plan to save the eastern chimpanzees from illegal hunting, habitat loss, disease, the capture of infants for the pet trade and other threats, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced.

The eastern chimpanzee is currently classified as endangered on IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species, and lives in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Zambia. Eastern chimpanzees share an estimated 98 percent of genes with Homo sapiens and are among the best studied of the great apes.

The Plan - Eastern Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii): Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan: 2010-2020 - calls for the conservation of 16 areas, which if protected would conserve 96% of the known populations of eastern chimpanzees, estimated to be around 50,000. However, the total number could be as high as 200,000, almost double the estimates that have been made previously.

“We know about the distribution and abundance of only a quarter of the world population of the eastern chimpanzee,” stated Dr Liz Williamson, IUCN’s Species Survival Commission Great Ape Coordinator. “There are large areas of the Congo basin where we know very little about this ape. The plan identifies key areas for future surveys that are likely to be of importance for chimpanzees.”

“This effort to assess the status of eastern chimpanzees will help us to focus our conservation actions more effectively,” said Dr. Andrew Plumptre, director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Albertine Rift Program and the plan’s lead author.

“In the next decade, we hope to minimize the threats to these populations and the ecological and cultural diversity they support.”

Malawi: UNDP commits $1.3m for polls

The United Nations Development Programme is making available US$1 million funds towards Malawi's Local Government Elections slated for August.

Assistant Resident Representative of the UNDP Fred Mwathengere told the press government adopted the 2010/2011 budget in which MK2 billion is meant for the polls, whose timing is disputed by political parties as 'too close' to allow adequate preparations and campaign.

"Yes, the funds are available," he confirmed.

The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) announced the polls would take place this year around August.

However, Mwathengere assured the parties everything has been carefully looked into in consultation with other stakeholders.

"Some logistics in the running of the polls will be handled by the UNDP. We are in consultation with the finance ministry and MEC. Hopefully, technical assistance will be deployed within the next few weeks to support the electoral body through the polls," he said.

The parties, supported by the Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD), an organization that is behind financial and resource support of some main political parties in the country, however, insist the polls must be shifted.

"The date is too close to have donors fully support the polls," expressed CMD's executive director, Kizito Tenthani at a Political Leaders Training recently. "We asked MEC on behalf of the political parties to consider the timing."

"There is a general understanding the timeframe is very constrained. A major effort will be needed for parties to stick to the current poll timetable," Mwathengere added.

Sudan to close border with Libya

Sudan has said it will close borders with Libya to protect travellers and traders from attacks by Darfur rebel militias. The country's interior ministry said the border will close the first day of next month. "The decision will be enforced starting on the first of July 2010 and until other directives are issued," a statement said.

Sudan’s Interior Minister, Ibrahim Mahmud Hamid, said in the statement that the passage has become subjected to threats and attacks from rebels and outlaws who commit robberies and extortion.

The decision comes a day after Sudan had called on Libya to expel the leader of Darfur rebel militias of Justice and Equality movement, Khalil Ibrahim.

Government accused JEM leader of making statements to undermine peace efforts in Darfur and threatening attacks on Khartoum. Chad, on Libya's southern border, has already rejected to shelter the JEM leader.

JEM forces have been carrying out attacks against Sudan's army inside Darfur since the rebel group stopped its participation in peace talks early May.

Law and order in the Western Region of Darfur has collapsed since 2003 when black African rebels began to take arms against the Sudan government.

The ongoing conflicts in Darfur has killed some 300,000 people and displaced more than 2.7 million others, according to a UN report. Sudan however said only 10,000 people are dead.

Madagascar postpones referendum

Madagascar has postponed indefinitely a referendum on its constitution as the new charter has not been completed, the head of the election commission said.

"For now, the constitution has not yet been finalised, so we can no longer organise the referendum on August 12," Hery Rakotomalala told Reuters.

The referendum on the constitution is the first concrete step towards holding elections aimed at ending a leadership battle that has paralysed the Indian Ocean island since Andry Rajoelina toppled former leader Marc Ravalomanana with the help of dissident troops in March last year.

Cholera epidemic intensifies in Cameroon

A cholera epidemic that broke out at the beginning of June 2010 in the northern parts of Cameroon has intensified with 11 people reportedly dead out of 73 diagnosed cases.

The 73 cases and 11 deaths are reported to have occurred in Gobo in the Mayo Danay Division in the Far North region of Cameroon. Among the death is said to be a soldier of the Rapid Intervention Battalion with French acronym, BIR.

The Mayor of the locality, Elias Voumsoumna, is quoted as saying measures have been taken to treat all water points while sensitisation messages on the observance of hygiene and sanitation have been going on over the media and in Churches, mosques and other meeting points.

He said the population is also being called upon to immediately take all suspected cases to the nearest hospitals for optimum medical attention.

According to official sources, since the outbreak was reported in Mada and Makary in the Logone and Chari Division at the beginning of June 2010 and Mogode in Mayo Tsanaga division in mid June, 157 cases have been reported with 20 deaths. However, it should be noted that this does not include cases that died at home and cases not declared.

To add to efforts of the Far North Regional Delegate of Public Health with the support of international partners to fight the epidemic, the Minister of Public Health, Andre Mama Fouda, was expected in the Region on 28 June 2010 to take stock of the situation in a bid to seek solutions.

Kenya’s PM admitted in hospital

Kenya's PM Raila Odinga has been admitted to hospital after he felt generally exhausted, a statement from his office said on Tuesday.On top of day-to-day work in his office, Odinga has travelled to Britain, France, South Africa and Egypt in recent weeks while also traversing the length and breadth of Kenya, campaigning for the adoption of a proposed new constitution.

"After tests, doctors started treating him for fatigue. The doctors have further recommended complete bed rest for a few days and they will confine him in hospital for that period," said a statement from his spokesman, Dennis Onyango.

Together with President Mwai Kibaki, Odinga leads the grand coalition government that was formed in 2008 to end weeks of bloodshed that followed a disputed presidential election. Both leaders are backing the new constitution.

Voters go to a referendum on August 4 to decide whether to adopt the proposed new constitution, which is seen as important to securing investor confidence in the region's largest economy.

Opposition to the draft is led by Higher Education Minister William Ruto, several lawmakers and church leaders who are unhappy over two clauses in the draft that will enshrine Muslim Kadhi courts in the constitution and legalise abortion under certain circumstances.

Senegal: Women in drug trafficking increases

The number of women involved in drug related offences is increasing in Senegal, according to the chief of Senegal's anti-narcotic body.

''Currently, many Senegalese women engage in drug trafficking between Brazil and Senegal. There are signs that they are involved in the trafficking of cocaine,” Commissioner Abdoulaye Niang, Head of the Central Office for the Suppression of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs (OCRTIS), said on Saturday, on the sidelines of a ceremony witnessing the destruction of over 3 tons of drugs seized during the last wave of campaign against the scourge.

According to Niang, the number of women arrested for smuggling drug during the course of last year totalled twelve: ten South African, one German and one from the Netherlands.''

The commissioner also pointed at an increase in consumers of marijuana, revealing that 1600 and 3000 consumers and traffickers respectively were arrested in the region of Dakar alone last year.

''This number,” he said, “is impressive compared to last year, despite a decrease in consumption of cocaine and heroin.''

Senegal neighbours Guinea Bissau, a country at the middle of heightened concern over international drug trafficking.

AU chair calls for responsible spending

The African Union chairperson, Bingu wa Mutharika, has called on African countries to be accountable and transparent with donor funding when he took centre stage at the just ended G20 Summit in Toronto, Canada.

Mutharika, who was invited on the behest of the Prime Minister Stephen Harper said African leaders must learn to live up to donors' expectations on aid.

"We have to be accountable and use donor resources for their intended purpose. Only then can we realize meaningful development and build a better working relationship," he said.

Canada's CBC News said the leaders themselves agreed: "Serious challenges remain," in the closing statement released as Harper spoke Sunday.

A communiqie released by the G8 at the end of its summit also recognized that: "While growth is returning, the recovery is uneven and fragile, unemployment in many countries remains at unacceptable levels, and the social impact of the crisis is still widely felt."

On development, the communique sourced from CBS indicated that support for development, based on mutual responsibility, and a strong partnership with developing countries, particularly in Africa, remains a cornerstone of the G8's approach.

“We will pursue our comprehensive approach to development aiming at sustainable outcomes. We reaffirm our commitments, including on ODA and enhancing aid effectiveness. We call on developing country governments to meet their primary responsibilities for social and economic development and good governance, in the interests of their citizens.

"Since the most vulnerable states have made the least progress towards the MDGs, we will place special emphasis on helping them build the foundations for peace, security and sustainable development," it read in part.

Its sister summit, the G20's communique, also acknowledged the problems faced by many countries - particularly those in Africa. It also recognized that not all countries are at the same levels of development.

The G20 also renewed its commitments and reflected on its steps.

"We have endorsed the important voice reforms agreed by shareholders at the World Bank, which will increase the voting power of developing and transition countries by 4.59% since 2008," it read.

Today, adds the agreement, we build on our earlier commitment to open, transparent and merit-based selection processes for the heads and senior leadership of all the IFIs. We will strengthen the selection processes in the lead up to the Seoul Summit in the context of broader reform.

However, the G8 on Saturday said the global economic crisis threatened to undermine the 2015 global targets for reducing extreme poverty worldwide, and avoided to make new bold promises.

The world's richest group of eight fell US$18 billion short of a US$50 billion pledge to double aid to poor countries by 2010.

Only US$5 billion has been committed to an initiative to readuce deaths among mothers and babies - a growing concern in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Ghana to appeal Ayew`s suspension

Ghana will appeal against the decision to suspend influential midfielder Andre Dede Ayew from their crucial quarter-finals game against Uruguay following his accumulation of another yellow card during Saturday's 2-1 win over the United States at the World Cup, media reports say.

The youngster was booked by referee Viktor Kassai of Hungary for a tackle on American striker Jose Altidore but television replays showed that he did not clip the player from behind.

But Ghana Football Association (GFA) boss Kwesi Nyantakyi said they want FIFA to rescind the decision because the referee got it wrong.

“We are going to Johannesburg where Fifa has its tournament headquarters to appeal the decision to show Ayew the yellow card,” Nyantakyi told Ghanasoccernet.com.

“We have noted that the decision taken by the referee was a hasty and unfair one and this will be the basis for our appeal.

“With the evidence we have from television replays we are confident that we will be successful with the appeal.”

Ayew’s absence will be a massive blow for the Black Stars as he is one of the key players for the team in the tournament in South Africa.

The son of legend Abedi Pele says he is delighted that the Ghana Football Association have decided to take up the booking with Fifa.

“I am happy that the Ghana FA chiefs want to pursue the booking with Fifa because it is the right thing to do,” Ayew told Ghanasoccernet.

“As you can see I didn’t injure the player or go with an intention to injure him so I will be very happy if Fifa looks into it.

“I will be very happy if I am available to help my country Ghana and Africa progress because the quarter final is a crucial stage of the World Cup.”

Ghana will definitely miss defender Jonathan Mensah for the game against Uruguay as he was also given his booking of the tournament during the game against the United States.

The Ghana FA will not appeal that decision.

The Black Stars have joined Cameroon and Senegal as the only African countries to have reached the quarter finals of the World Cup.

Rwanda police have arrested two people over the shooting of a reporter last week and stated that it was a revenge attack.

The reporter Jean Leonard Rugambage, the acting editor of Umuvugizi newspaper, was fired on by two men who then fled in a car.

The government has denied as "baseless" accusations it was behind the killing. However, a police statement noted that one of the suspects is related to someone allegedly killed by Rugambage during the 1994 genocide.

Rugambage, who is survived by his wife and a child, was acquitted of genocide crimes by a local "gacaca" court in 2006.

According to the BBC, Human rights groups have accused President Paul Kagame of intimidating the media and the opposition ahead of elections due to take place in August.
A police statement quoted by the pro-government New Times newspaper said the pistol used to shoot Rugambage has been recovered.

The authorities recently suspended the Umuvugizi paper, prompting it to start publishing online instead.

The report quoted the editor Jean Bosco Gasasira, who fled to Uganda in April after his paper was suspended, to have said Kigali had masterminded the assassination of Mr Rugambage who died in hospital after the shooting.

"I'm 100% sure it was the office of the national security services which shot him dead," he told the Voice of America.

G8 Leaders Discuss Economic Growth, Fiscal Restraint

President Barack Obama arrives at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Canada, 25 Jun 2010, for the G8 and G20 Summit

Articles

• G8
  

On the first day of the G8 summit in Canada, President Barack Obama and other world leaders held initial discussions on ways to strengthen the global economy and build on commitments from past summits. Senior U.S. administration officials point to what they call an emerging consensus on the issues of sustaining global economic growth, and fiscal responsibility.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper formally welcomed President Obama and other leaders to the resort north of Toronto, shaking hands with each before the G8 group went into a working lunch, and sessions with leaders from African, Latin American and Caribbean nations invited to the summit.

The G8 includes the eight leading industrial democracies, the U.S., Canada, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Russia, while the larger G20 includes such major emerging powers as China, India and Brazil.

In remarks before he departed Washington, Mr. Obama said he hopes nations will decide to build on progress by coordinating efforts for economic growth, pursue economic reform, and strengthen the world economy.

"We need to act in concert for a simple reason. This crisis proved and events continue to affirm that our national economies are inextricably linked, and just as economic turmoil in one place can quickly spread to another, safeguards in each of our nations can help protect all nations," he said.

The president has been strengthened by an agreement on Friday by House and Senate negotiators on a final version of legislation to reform the U.S. financial system. Both chambers of Congress will have to approve the bill before the president can sign it.

Senior administration officials said G8 leaders congratulated the president on the development, noting the impact it could have in putting positive rules in to place to prevent another U.S. financial crisis.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs was asked earlier how this would impact president's efforts to steer the G8 and G20 summits toward outcomes he prefers. "I think it demonstrates to the world the steps that we have to continue to take globally in order to ensure that we don't find ourselves in a situation like we did two years ago," he said.

Many G8 leaders face demands in their countries for greater restraint in public spending and pressure to sharply reduce government budgets and deficits. Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called on G20 nations to cut their deficits in half by 2013.

Senior U.S. Administration officials said the president stressed the need to maintain durable growth while stressing that this also involves fiscal consolidation and debt reduction in the medium term.

The officials pointed to confidence about a convergence of views on a broad approach by G20 nations, and said Friday's discussions were a first step on the way to a final outcome on Sunday when the G20 concludes.

President Obama and other G8 leaders also turned their attention to the developing world, meeting with African leaders invited to the summit, and leaders from Haiti, Jamaica and Colombia.

Canada's prime minister said a new G8 initiative aims to direct new resources to reducing maternal and infant mortality, adding that Canada would contribute $3 billion over the next five years. He said the world's wealthier nations must follow through on commitments.

Saying G8 credibility rests on a willingness to honor past commitments, the White House put out a statement listing areas in which the U.S. has fulfilled pledges in areas such as aid to Africa, debt relief, and global health and HIV/AIDS prevention.

US Sees Progress at G8 on Economic Concerns

US President Barack Obama gestures alongside French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the Deerhurst Resort at Muskoka, in Huntsville, Ontario, Canada, 25 Jun 2010

Articles

• G Africa

Leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) nations continue discussions on Saturday focusing on ways to continue global economic recovery, while balancing stimulus with the need to bring down deficits. President Barack Obama on Friday urged leaders to build on past commitments, and senior U.S. officials said there was an emerging consensus on issues of sustaining growth, and fiscal responsibility.

After the first day of G8 discussions at a resort north of Toronto, some optimism was heard about a major question, whether member nations will be able to agree on a way forward to balance the need for more growth with action to hold down deficit spending.

Senior U.S. administration officials said President Obama stressed the need to maintain durable growth while saying the United States believes this should also involve fiscal consolidation and debt reduction in the medium term.

While there were different points of emphasis, U.S. officials said there was a "convergence of views" and a broad consensus on how to maintain growth while reaffirming a shared commitment to fiscal consolidation.

The G8 includes the U.S., Canada, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Russia. The larger G20 which begins its summit on Saturday includes major emerging powers as China, India and Brazil.

In pre-summit remarks on Friday, Mr. Obama said he hopes the G8 will build on progress already made by coordinating efforts for economic growth.

"We need to act in concert for a simple reason," he said. "This crisis proved and events continue to affirm that our national economies are inextricably linked, and just as economic turmoil in one place can quickly spread to another, safeguards in each of our nations can help protect all nations."

President Obama came to Canada strengthened by an agreement in the U.S. Congress on a final version of legislation to reform the U.S. financial system, a measure that could reach his desk soon if it is passed by both chambers of Congress.

Saying he is confident there will be consensus on a range of issues at the G8, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the U.S. financial reform victory could drive the G20 toward a similar result.

"I believe the progress that the U.S. has made will be be important in driving the world not just to agreements here but to conclusions on financial regulation within the kind of time frame we have been looking at," he said.

Many G8 leaders face demands in their countries for greater restraint in public spending and pressure to sharply reduce government budgets and deficits. Canada's Prime Minister Harper has called on G-20 nations to cut their deficits in half by 2013.

G8 leaders also met with their counterparts from Africa who were invited to the summit, and leaders from Haiti, Jamaica and Colombia, talks focusing on Millennium Development goals and policy, and maternal and child health.

Senior administration officials said Mr. Obama stressed the importance of mutual accountability and building sustainable systems in Africa, with African leaders echoing these views. There was a call for accountability reports next year from African governments and from the G8.

Canada on Friday announced a new G8 initiative to direct new resources to reducing maternal and infant mortality. A White House statement Friday listed areas in which the U.S. has fulfilled pledges in areas such as aid to Africa, debt relief, and global health and HIV/AIDS prevention.

On Saturday, G8 leaders will discuss global security issues, including Iran and North Korea. President Obama has the first of his bilateral meetings, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, China's President Hu Jintao and President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea.

US to Host Summit of African Leaders

U.S. President Barack Obama winks alongside Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade during a G8 session with African Outreach leaders at the G8 Summit in Huntsville, Ontario, Canada, 25 Jun 2010

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• > U.S. President Barack Obama has invited 18 African leaders to Washington to commemorate their countries' 50th anniversary of independence.
  

Senior administration officials say the celebration will take place in early August.

They say the president will also invite young leaders from each of the countries to encourage a new generation of leadership in Africa.

The officials say the summit will include discussions about the 50 years that have passed since independence as well as the key challenges that lie ahead for Africa, including development, food security, global health, and conflicts.

President Obama made the invitation Friday in Toronto where he is attending the Group of Eight and Group of 20 summits. The president met with six African leaders at the G8 summit.

Officials say Mr. Obama told the African leaders that his father was one of the first generations of Africans who came to the United States with the hope of returning to build a new Africa.

The U.S. president's father was born in Kenya and studied in the United States.

Officials Concerned About Anti-Foreigner Violence After World Cup

Photo: VOA Photo – J. Swicord

Bishop Paul Verryn offers a blessing to his parishioners in a dimly-lit downtown Johannesburg church

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Once the World Cup is over, and the world's attention turns away from South Africa, there are fears there could be another outbreak of xenophobic, or anti-foreigner, violence in Johannesburg, similar to that of two years ago. In May, 2008, gangs of local black South Africans attacked immigrants from Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe - accusing them of taking away jobs, among other grievances. More than 60 people - both immigrants and South Africans - were killed.

In a dimly-lit downtown Johannesburg church, Bishop Paul Verryn offers a blessing to his parishioners.

The songs are in Shona, one of the languages of Zimbabwe. The Church is home to almost 1,500 refugees from outside South Africa. Bishop Verryn says 80 percent of them are political refugees from Zimbabwe. The rest are economic refugees. He is concerned there might be another outbreak of xenophobic violence against foreigners after the World Cup, much like that in 2008 when more than 60 people were killed.

"There has been threats," says Bishop Verryn. "Particularly once the World Cup is finished - 'you must understand that as the world leaves South Africa, so will you.'"

The threats are focused on people like Noeo Muguti, who came to South Africa to escape what he calls the state-sponsored terror of President Robert Mugabe's government. In 2008, he was a parliamentary candidate for the opposition Movement For Democratic Change, or MDC party. After he lost to the Mugabe-backed candidate, the violence began.

"On the 26th of April, while I was away, they abducted my wife and killed her – they abducted her – and she is still missing. Just outside my homestead," Muguti said. "I don't know where she is and I assume and believe she is dead."

Noeo was arrested twice. The first time he was beaten. After the second time, he knew if he did not leave the country he would be killed.

"I endured the worst torture for some days. Again I got a second rib broken," he added. "How I fled from Goromonzi I can not talk about it or I can not explain. I found myself along the Goromonzi-Harare road, waiting for a lift."

Now he lives here, deep within the bowels of the church with no electricity and little light.

Noeo says there are thirty to forty people living in this room. He himself suffers from broken ribs, diabetes and asthma, which make it difficult for him to work.

"At the moment, I am struggling to get medication," said Muguti. "At the moment I am struggling to get adequate food. The Bishop helps here and there, and the most important thing he has done in my life is given me shelter."

Bishop Verryn says there are 40,000 to 50,000 African refugees living in the city. They often work for lower wages than South Africans, and a minority are involved in crime. Many South Africans resent their presence.

"The gossip, the speak on the train, is virulent with regard to this and actually very angry," Verryn said. "That South Africans are feeling cheated upon, they are feeling abused, they feel that foreign nationals are criminals, they can not be trusted."

Bishop Verryn says there have been meetings with local African National Congress members to try to head off any possible violence. He says the ANC officials want to hold a mass meeting, possibly in Soweto, to try to ease tensions.

Celebrating Defeat, Drowning Out Vuvuzelas, Other World Cup Stories

A combination of pictures shows supporters from various countries playing vuvuzela horns during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa

The football World Cup is entering its second round in South Africa and fans are gearing up for another two weeks of world-class football. The tournament, like any major event, has produced its share of stories.

Ghanaian football fans were a gloomy lot Wednesday night as their national team fell to Germany, 1-0, after a tense, tightly fought match.

But the mood a few minutes later turned to one of jubilation after news spread that Ghana had qualified for the second round because Australia had won the other Group D game against Serbia, 1-0.

The Ghanaians celebrated their defeat late into the night.

The change in mood was reversed for Slovenia, the smallest country in the Cup with only two million people.

Slovenia was at the top of Group C. But the plucky team fell to third place and an early flight home after the United States scored the winning goal against Algeria during injury time and Slovenia lost to England 1-0.

On the streets of Johannesburg football paraphernalia vendors were in mourning, not just because South Africa failed to qualify for the second round of the World Cup. Most South Africans were proud of their team's 2-1 win over France.

Their complaint was that the bottom had fallen out of sales of South African shirts, hats and horns which had provided the bulk of their business.

And the French? The bickering squad returned home under police protection and to a chilly reception from fans after being knocked out of the Cup and failing to win a single game.

Italy, World Cup champions in 2006, received a similar reception as they returned home early following a win-less first round and loss Thursday to low-ranked Slovakia, 3-2.

The controversial vuvuzela continued to dominate headlines just as noise from the monotonal horns has dominated the sound track of this football festival.

A Johannesburg clinic warned that fans sharing the plastic horns risked spreading germs. Experts have also warned that the instruments are loud enough to damage ear nerves and some have called for them to be banned.

This call is opposed by vendors at the 10 stadiums who have done a brisk business selling ear plugs at a dollar or two each.

South African fans singing the song, Shosoloza, at times drowned out the vuvuzelas during South Africa's win over France.

Shosoloza, as heard in this recording by Peter Gabriel, first emerged as a work song in South African mines but is now sung at sporting events to encourage the home team.

The singing of German fans also drowned out the buzzing trumpets at times during their victory over Ghana.

Despite its unpopularity in some places, the appeal of the vuvuzela appears to be spreading. Foreign fans leaving South Africa have been seen at airports buying dozens of the horns at a time to take home as presents and, no doubt, blow at local matches.

Two Pakistanis Held in Zimbabwe, Possible Mumbai Tie

Zimbabwe has arrested two Pakistani men who were heading to South Africa, one of them under an international arrest warrant that state media says is for terrorism.

The Zimbabwe Herald reports Imran Muhammad is wanted in Pakistan for suspected involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that left 166 people dead.

Muhammad was arrested along with Chaudry Parvez Ahmed for using fake Kenyan passports to try to enter South Africa. Police made the announcement Saturday, though the two have been detained since June 20 when they were stopped at the Beitbridge border post.

Zimbabwe and South Africa have tightened border patrols since the start of the World Cup that kicked off in Johannesburg June 11 and will end next month.

African Union Praises Eritrea, Djibouti Border Mediation

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki (File Photo)

The African Union has welcomed an agreement between Eritrea and Djibouti that calls on Qatar to mediate their long-standing border dispute.

AU chief executive Jean Ping said Tuesday that he hoped the talks would have a positive impact on the overall situation in the Horn of Africa, especially in Somalia.

Qatar's news agency said Monday that Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh had signed the mediation deal.

It reported that Eritrean troops had already withdrawn from at least one disputed area as a result of the agreement.

Djibouti and Eritrea both claim Ras Doumeira, an area on the Red Sea coast. The dispute came to a head in 2008 when more than 35 people were killed during three days of fighting.

The U.N. Security Council blamed Eritrea for the fighting, and has repeatedly called on the country to withdraw its troops to their previous positions.

The U.N. imposed sanctions on Eritrea last year for refusing to resolve its dispute with Djibouti and for allegedly backing insurgent groups in Somalia.

Oil-rich Qatar has made efforts to mediate in various conflicts recently, most notably the war between Sudan's government and rebels in the Darfur region.

Somali Government Denies Use of Child Soldiers

As Somalia's Transitional Federal Government struggles to maintain its loose grip over parts of the capital, Mogadishu, controversy is erupting over the use of child soldiers in the Horn of Africa nation.

The Somali government has vehemently denied that its armed forces, which consist in part of loosely affiliated independent militias, recruits child soldiers to battle Islamist insurgents in Somalia.

The controversy is due to a report published by The New York Times on Sunday. The article, quoting Somali human rights activists and United Nations officials, said government forces were fielding children as young as 9 years old on the front lines.

Government spokesperson Abdurisaq Qeylow called the report totally unofficial and false. Qeylow said that all Somali soldiers were at least 20 years of age and expressed the government's willingness to conduct investigations into the matter.

It is widely known that child soldiers are active in Somalia. Around 45 percent of the country's population is under the age of 15, and rebel groups such as Hizbul Islam and the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Shabab have increasingly drawn children into their efforts to overthrow the Somali government.

But increasingly, the international community has been raising concerns about government recruitment of under age fighters.

The U.N. secretary-general's annual report on children in armed conflict observed a steady increase in the use of child soldiers in Somalia over the past three years and estimated that at least 1,500 children had been recruited by government affiliated militias in 2009 alone. The report said in the same year more than 280 child soldiers had been killed and 550 wounded in the fighting.

The U.S. State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons report also found evidence that children were being conscripted into military service. The report highlighted increased government efforts to combat underage recruitment but indicated that government affiliated militias were recruiting children from Somalia as well as refugee camps in Northeastern Kenya.

New York-based Human Rights Watch has called on the United States to exert pressure on the Somali government to end the practice. The United States is one of the largest donors to the Somali government and the organization has expressed concern the nation's money is being used to recruit children.

These appeals are starting to reach Washington. The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on African Affairs, Democratic Senator Russ Feingold, has been a frequent critic of the Somali government. In a letter sent to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Thursday, the senator said all aid to the government should be cut until the Somali government can guarantee its recruitment does not target children. Democratic Senator Richard Durbin also called for pressure on the Somali government, expressing concern that funding for child soldiers was a violation of U.S. law.

In a move that was applauded by human rights groups in Somalia, President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed ordered a probe into military recruitment. The president also instructed his military chief to immediately demobilize any underage recruits found in the Somali forces. The report is due in one month.

Somalia has been without a functioning government since 1991 when President Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown by warring factions. The U.N.-backed Transitional Federal Government controls only parts of the capital and faces opposition from various rebel groups seeking to establish an Islamic state.

Defoe: England are buzzing

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England's FIFA World Cup™ saviour Jermain Defoe has hailed his winner against Slovenia as the most important goal of his career and revealed the Three Lions are "buzzing" about the prospect of facing Germany in a second round showdown on Sunday.

Defoe's first-half strike was enough to give England a 1-0 win over Slovenia on Wednesday and pull Fabio Capello's squad back from the brink of an early flight home.

"It is up there," Defoe said of his goal. "What a moment. You can imagine all the phone calls and texts I had.

"It is hard to say how it felt. It is something I'd dreamt of since I was a young lad, something I'd pictured in my mind, but to actually score in a World Cup. Wow! What a feeling!"

Defoe's strike earned England a last 16 tie against their biggest rivals in Bloemfontein and Defoe said he and his team-mates were confident of overcoming a Germany side that overran Australia in their opening match but then lost to Serbia before qualifying for the knockout stage by scraping a win over Ghana.

The lads are buzzing. It was great to win the game and the performance was good. Everyone worked from front to back, the spirit was great and everyone is looking forward to Germany.

Jermain Defoe, England forward.

"It is important to prepare for it just like any other game," Defoe said. "The lads are buzzing. It was great to win the game and the performance was good. Everyone worked from front to back, the spirit was great and everyone is looking forward to Germany."

England's draws in their opening matches with the United States and Algeria ensured they could only finish second in group C, meaning they have to face Germany rather than preparing for a meeting with Ghana, with Argentina possibly waiting in the quarter-finals.

"It would have been nice to face Ghana to be honest," Defoe added. "But to win a tournament you've got to face the best teams and beat them.

"I think it is important not to think about all the history between England and Germany and the previous games. We just have to be confident and approach it like any other game.

"Germany have looked bright, they've looked sharp. They've got a few players who've come up from the under-21s and they're well organised. When they lose the ball they get back in their shape quickly and they are difficult to play against.

"But it is important to stay positive and think positive. Germany are a great football nation and they are fantastic in tournaments but we are a great side too. We were in a tough situation yesterday and we coped, we won the game."

Defoe played down the reports of unrest in England's camp that had overshadowed the build-up to the Slovenia match, with Capello obliged to slap down John Terry for publicly questioning the way the campaign was being run.

"I really don't think there have been any problems," Defoe said. "It is always difficult when you are not winning games and players are a bit low at times. When you win everyone is happy and the lads are buzzing today. Everything is cool. The manager has been brilliant. He picks you up. After the first game he just said 'keep going, you're great players' and that is nice to hear."

The striker shrugged off a suggestion by German legend Franz Beckenbauer that England looked tired as a result of the players' gruelling club season and absence of the winter break common in other European leagues.

"I certainly don't feel tired," he said. "The Premier League is one of the toughest to play in and if you are playing in Europe and in cups as well there are a lot of games. But if you look after your body and prepare right, it should not be a problem."

An England-Germany clash inevitably raises the spectre of the outcome being decided by penalties, which invariably result in a German victory.

While England have been practising penalties on a daily basis since they began their preparations for South Africa a month ago, Defoe admitted he hopes Sunday's match does not come to that.

"Hopefully we can win it in the 90 minutes, we're good enough to do that."

Nigerian President Faces Re-election Challenges Within Own Party

In Nigeria, several prominent northern politicians have made it clear they don’t want President Goodluck Jonathan to run in next year’s elections. The opposition within the ruling PDP Party follows President Jonathan’s refusal to rule himself out of the race and leave the door open for a northern Nigerian candidate.

Jonathan, who’s from the south, succeeded the late Umaru Yar’Adua, who was from the north.

VOA reporter Chinedu Offor, who’s on assignment in Abuja, Nigeria, says the opposition to Mr. Jonathan includes well known names in the ruling PDP.

“The prominent candidates include the former military head of state General Ibrahim Babangida, also former vice-president Atiku Abubakar and… a former head of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Audu Ogbe,” he says.

They are part of a nearly 50-member team put together at a weekend meeting of northern political leaders to block Mr. Jonathan’s possible political ambitions.

Taking turns

The northern opposition stems from an unofficial, unwritten agreement to alternate the presidency between the north and the south.

“They say Goodluck Jonathan has to abide by the zoning arrangement of the Peoples Democratic Party. They say although it’s not in the constitution,” he reports, “it’s a gentlemen’s agreement that Mr. Jonathan must abide by because it was through the same process that produced Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo as president for 8 years.”

Obasanjo is from southwestern Nigeria.

“They say the 8-year term for the north started with Yar’Adua. And though unfortunately Mr. Yar’Adua died, they say the north must take another four year slot before power can rotate to any other part of Nigeria,” says Offor.

The agreement, however, could cause problems for the young democracy.

“Major problems in the country,” says Offor, “That’s why a lot of people say the ruling People’s Democratic Party is not helping the birth of democracy in Nigeria. They say even internal workings of the…party are not democratic.”

Pro-democracy groups say the PDP is not transparent in choosing its leaders. The groups say place of birth should not be a determining factor.

Keeping quiet

President Jonathan is not saying whether he’ll be a candidate next year. At least not yet. And his decision to remain quiet about his political plans triggered the northern opposition.

President Jonathan has said announcing whether he’s a candidate too soon could affect support for his programs. He says, for instance, if he declares he won’t be a candidate, he could lose influence in the country.

South African union blames FIFA for World Cup security strike South African union blames FIFA for World Cup security strike

The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) on Wednesday blamed FIFA and the South African World Cup local organizing committee (LOC) for the trouble surrounding the strike by thousands of security guards at the tournament in the country.

Workers employed by Stallion Security this week went on strike at FIFA World Cup stadiums in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg. World Cup matches were unaffected as the work was taken over by thousands of South African police.

In a statement to Xinhua on Wednesday, SATAWU said FIFA and the LOC "are fully responsible for the fiasco that is unfolding with regard to the employment of security workers for the World Cup".

It said these bodies have created a situation which is undermining South Africa's national pride, and they should be made liable.

SATAWU said FIFA and the LOC ignored organized labor during the tender process, and appointed service providers who are non compliant with South African law.

FIFA and the LOC are dodging their responsibility by referring to the dispute in Stallion Security as an "internal labor relations matter", the union said.

"They signed the contract. They must now ensure legal compliance."

The union described the situation as an attack on the working class and the poor by capitalist forces who do not respect the national pride of South Africa, and who have put their narrow profit interests first.

Proud Bafana look to the future

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Sometimes dreams end in heartbreak. When the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosts, South Africa embarked on their ambitious campaign on 11 June, there was so much hope and romance in the streets of South Africa. But as they exited on Tuesday, they did so with their heads held high after a gutsy and tenacious performance against the runners-up at Germany 2006.

The 2-1 victory against France took South Africa to four points – the same number of points they accumulated at their last appearance at a FIFA World Cup in 2002, but again it was not enough to see Bafana Bafana go through to the Round of 16. They left the Free State Stadium with mixed feelings – happy to have beaten a credible side like France, but heartbroken to be eliminated from the world’s greatest showpiece in their own backyard.

Pride in defeat
In his post-match analysis, team coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira decided to focus on the positives. “I'm proud of these boys,” he said. “We know South Africa didn't have a great position in the FIFA ranking when I came here in November, and since then we’ve only lost one game against Uruguay. We've played against a lot of good teams and these boys today have showed that the hard work has paid off. Today they have an identity, this is what I said before, we need to have an identity, we need to have a face.”

Despite the set-back, the hosts have a lot to celebrate after picking themselves up from their 3-0 defeat by Uruguay. Against France, South Africa were hungry, passionate and polished. They were innovative in attack and largely solid in defence, bar a slip in concentration which led to Florent Malouda’s consolation.

This team now has an identity and the face of this team was very clear: ball on the ground and possession – it’s a distinct technique.

Carlos Alberto Parreira

Ultimately, an inferior goal difference proved to be South Africa’s Achilles’ heel and rather than questioning the back four, South African fans appear to looking at the teams misfiring strikers. Katlego Mphela, picked to be the heir to Benni McCarthy’s crown, was often culpable in missing opportunities, but feels that the experienced gained during the competition, together with the legacy left by the tournament, will stand South Africa in good stead.

“Actually I’m not sad, we gave our best, we showed the same spirit that we showed against Mexico and we were a bit unfortunate that we missed a couple of chances but. I mean a win is a win, especially against France in the World Cup, that’s history and that will be always remain like that,” Mphela said.

A bright future and a new coach
Having been rehired to build side capable of competing with the best at the World Cup, Parreira’s reign came to a bittersweet end. Although the performances against Mexico and France were that of a well-drilled, fully-motivated side, their Brazilian coach’s primary mandate was to lead the team successfully through the group stages, and ultimately he fell agonisingly short.

The Brazilian FIFA World Cup-winning coach, however, believes that he has laid a solid base for future development. While his side’s ball retention continued to frustrate him, Parreira certainly succeeded in lifting confidence levels, which had slumped under former coach Joel Santana. “I believe the foundation is there for a bright future for South African football,” said Parreira. “This team now has an identity and the face of this team was very clear: ball on the ground and possession – it’s a distinct technique. Of course we're disappointed because we didn't qualify, but I do not consider that a failure. My main feeling is pride. Everybody sees and knows that this group was one of the toughest in this World Cup.”

The search for Parreira’s successor will now begin in earnest, with South Africa on the lookout for a man can take the team back to the pinnacle of African football. However, Parreira himself is not interested in influencing SAFA’s decision. “No, it's not my business (to appoint a new coach),” he said. “I think the federation has already decided and I think the decision is a wise one. You're going to know very soon.”

Senegalese Basketball Legend Helps Motivate Girls

Girls in Dakar, Senegal play basketball in Anne Marie Dioh's after-school program

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Senegalese basketball legend Anne Marie Dioh is helping to train the next generation of women basketball players in her country. Dioh is making a difference through her after-school program that also encourages young people to stay in school.

Anne Marie Dioh captained Senegal's women's basketball team to two African championships in the early 1990s. The retired shooting guard now helps girls learn the game she loves in a country where women's athletics are overshadowed by men's teams.

Dioh says that everything she knows about sports and basketball she must pass on to young people. And that is what pushed her to create this school.

Players from across Dakar come to Dioh's after-school program three times a week for basketball and the structure of organized athletics.

Dioh says that helps her draw in the children, so they can stay in school, learn and play basketball.

Renata Maniaci is a Fulbright scholar from the United States who has spent the last year studying women's basketball in Senegal.

"This teaches them discipline," said Maniaci. "A lot of the ex-national team players say that the most important thing that they learned playing basketball was discipline, hard work and respect for each other, respect for the people they play against... And I see a lot of the girls learning that here every day with Anne Marie."

With girls from six to 18 years of age, the program builds camaraderie among teammates who often play together in neighborhood tournaments season after season.

Abibatou Diallo is a point guard on the school's cadet team.

Diallo says the program has changed her life. She says she could not play basketball before; now she can. She says she started when she was six years old and that she is now one of the best players at the school.

Dioh says that a successful career on and off the court shows her players that women have the power to create their own opportunities.

Dioh says these girls are not necessarily going to play basketball for a living; they can be other things. She says they can be referees. They can be coaches or even international players who represent their country.

Renata Maniaci says Anne Marie Dioh is a role model for a generation of young Senegalese women.

"They see Anne Marie and they see what she has become and how much she has given back to the women who play basketball. So it really gives them something to strive for," added Maniaci.

Student Abibatou Diallo says she has learned what it takes to succeed. Dioh, she says, is her idol. She wants to be like her, do what she did and play like her.

Diallo was one of Dioh's first players. But when her father died, Diallo's family could no longer afford the program's fees. Dioh kept her on the team because she says this time in her life is not about making money.

Anne Marie Dioh uses her university salary to subsidize the cost of insurance and uniforms for the team. She says the children who cannot pay are often the players who work the hardest and that she does not want to hold them back simply because of money.

Johannesburg's Ivorian ‘Queen’ Keeps World Cup Hopes Alive

Osso Reine holds one of the wooden figurines sold in her shop...this one's in the image of an Ivorian soccer player

There’s a section of the African Queen Arts store in the Johannesburg suburb of Bramley that’s a veritable shrine to one of Africa’s greatest-ever footballers, Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba.

An illuminated wall in a corner of the shop is pasted with posters of the striker in familiar goal scoring poses in the blue of his club, England’s Chelsea, and in the orange of his national team, known as The Elephants - currently participating in the soccer World Cup in South Africa. Below the wall is an old television showing hazy highlights of Drogba’s illustrious career, and media interviews with the man himself.

The adulation for the often-scowling Drogba – this year’s leading scorer in the English Premier League and a hero throughout the continent – doesn’t end with the wall and battered TV. It’s even on the airwaves in the store, a radio constantly playing the hit Ivorian song, ‘Didier Drogba, King of Football’ in homage to the player.

The dealership’s owner, Osso Reine, says she admires Drogba for far more than his soccer prowess. He comes from her home village in Abidjan and does a lot to help the poor in Ivory Coast.

Reine devotes a corner of her shop to Ivorian soccer star Didier Drogba

“Ah, people enjoy Didier Drogba because he put water in everybody’s house and he help them to finish (building) the house and he sometimes buy them the cars,” she says.

Carved World Cup players

In art circles in Johannesburg, Reine is known as “The Queen.” She explains that ‘reine’ is French for ‘queen’ and then giggles, “I’m queen of art – African art.”

In her capacity as a well known art dealer, Reine is arguably the most prominent member of South Africa’s small Ivorian community.

Lately, she’s become especially famous for her range of wooden figurines carved specially for the World Cup by her relatives back in Ivory Coast. The statues are all over her shop, painted in the colors of all the teams currently participating in the tournament. They’re proving to be very popular among many international football fans in South Africa.

“Yesterday we meet the Germany people. They come, they buy the soccer players, and they (are) very happy,” Reine says, adding that she comes from a family of artists.

After studying marketing at a college in Abidjan in the 1980s, she traveled throughout Europe and the United States to sell her relatives’ traditional Ivorian artworks, especially wood carvings and masks. “The ethnic people of Cote d’Ivoire, they make many special, ceremonial masks; the masks they have spiritual power,” Reine states.

She also visited South Africa in 1994, and the country “captured” her heart. “I decided to stay here. I feel safe here; I also enjoy the wide open spaces,” Reine says. In little more than a decade the original “tiny and poor” art shop she opened has now expanded to sell works from all over Africa.

‘Not sleeping’ because of bad African results

As an “adopted South African,” Reine says she’s “proud” to welcome the globe to Johannesburg for the World Cup extravaganza. She maintains South Africa’s so far performing “fantastically” in hosting the massive event.

“I was 20 years ago in Italy when it was also World Cup there. To tell you the truth, it was not the same (good) organization (in Italy). Here (in South Africa) it’s very (much) better,” Reine comments.

Unfortunately, she agrees, the same good organization can’t be applied to South Africa’s underperforming national soccer squad which is already virtually eliminated from the competition.

Reine describes Bafana Bafana – as South Africa’s football team is called – as “almost as special” to her as her beloved Ivory Coast Elephants. She’s saddened by Bafana’s poor showing thus far in the tournament. South Africa could only draw 1 – 1 with Mexico and was hammered 3 – 0 by Uruguay in its opening matches.

“I’m not even sleeping because Bafana Bafana is my heart, you see. To see them in that condition, I was very disappointed,” Reine says.

She’s also “not so pleased” with Ivory Coast’s play thus far. Although Africa’s great hopes to lift the trophy have managed a creditable 0 – 0 draw with highly-rated Portugal, the Elephants then slumped to a 3 -1 defeat to Brazil - a result Reines says that left her “numb … but not without some hope ...”

‘Portugal can beat Brazil’

Ivory Coast must now beat North Korea by an avalanche of goals on Friday in their last group match if they’re to stand any chance of progressing to the next round. This follows Portugal’s 7 – 0 drubbing of the Asians.

The art dealer insists that Drogba and company will “fill their part of the deal” by “smashing” North Korea. “I wish them that, because I want to see my country go up,” she says.

To further guarantee Ivory Coast a place in the last 16 of the World Cup, Brazil must beat Portugal on Friday – an outcome Reines says is far from certain, despite the South Americans’ brilliance.

“All the soccer players, they are professional, so I can’t say [Portugal] can’t beat Brazil. No, they can beat Brazil,” she says.

If the results go against it later this week, Ivory Coast will become the latest African team to be knocked out of the competition. Reines says this would be “humiliating” given that many prominent people from her homeland are presently in South Africa to witness the Elephants adopting the mantle of “the pride of Africa” and making the semifinals at least.

“All our ministers are here; everybody – even our president! We can’t just go back like that (having being knocked out of the World Cup in the first round); no. We come from far; we come here to win,” she asserts.

But, even if Ivory Coast falls at the first hurdle, Reines will not be tearing down her Didier Drogba posters. “I’ll put more up,” she declares defiantly. “This is Africa and we do not turn the back on people who have fought for us.”