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Ramatlhakwane got the goal that sealed Bostwana's the Nations Cup place
Minnows Botswana secured their first ever Africa Cup of Nations place on Saturday when beating Chad 1-0 in Group K of the 2012 qualifiers.
Striker Jerome Ramatlhakwane scored the early second half goal that brought Botswana a 1-0 triumph in Chad.
The win in Ndjamena moves the Zebras to 16 points, making them the first team to qualify for next year’s tournament.
The southern Africans are now guaranteed to finish at least second in the five-team group.
Two teams from the group will qualify for the tournament to be played in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
Botswana’s stunning performances in reaching this stage have surprised watchers of the African game everywhere as they have won five of their six group matches and drawn one.
It was fitting that Ramatlhakwane should score the 50th-minute winner as he has contributed five of the seven goals that reaped 16 points from six matches, including home and away wins over over 2004 African champions Tunisia.
All of his goals have been match-deciders and another hero is coach Stanley Tshosane, who shunned the limelight as Botswana pulled off victory after victory in the only mini-league that offers two automatic finals places.
Meanwhile, Malawi survived a stern test to boost hopes of qualifying for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations after beating Togo 1-0 on Saturday.
Goalkeeper Simplex Nthala saved an early penalty to deny the Hawks before Moses Chavula struck the only goal.
The Group K victory in Blantyre moves Malawi to second on the table with nine points, seven behind leaders Botswana.
Togo’s hopes of reaching the tournament are hanging by a thread as they are fourth on the table with three points.
The 2006 World Cup finalists hired coach Stephen Keshi this week to help revive their flagging campaign.
But the former Nigerian international could not prevent the defeat as they fluffed a penalty and missed several opportunities to punish the home side.
Malawi defender James Sangala handled the ball in his own goal area which gave gave Togo the hopes of taking the lead.
But the resultant penalty was beautifully saved Nthala before Chavula hit the match winner in the 18th minute.
Togo must now win their two remaining matches and hopes other results go their way before they can qualify for the tournament in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea
25 March 2011 –As many as 1 million people have been driven from their homes in Côte d’Ivoire in the months-long turmoil stemming from the outgoing president’s refusal to leave office, with violence mounting and his loyalists using heavy weapons against civilians, a top United Nations official said today.
“The deteriorating security situation and the escalation in the use of heavy weapons has had a serious toll on the lives and well-being of the Ivorian people,” Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Atul Khare told the Security Council, ascribing most of the violence to forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, who lost a UN-certified and internationally recognized election to opposition leader Alassane Ouattara last November.
“The human rights situation is very grave, with a high number of human rights violations reported,” he said of the violence that has beset Abidjan, the commercial capital, and the western regions as a result of Mr. Gbagbo’s refusal to respect the results of a democratic election that was meant to reunite a country split by civil war in 2002 into a Government-held south and rebel-controlled north.
The massive displacement in Abidjan and elsewhere is being fueled by fears of all-out war,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Melissa Fleming told a news briefing in Geneva today. “This week, we have seen panic in Abidjan as thousands of youths have responded to the call for civilians to join the ranks of forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo.”
Showing slides, Mr. Khare detailed some of the worst attacks of the past three months, including an attack by pro-Gbagbo security forces loyal using heavy machine guns against a group of women demonstrating peacefully in Abidjan’s Abobo neighbourhood in support of President Ouattara, killing seven and seriously wounding many more.
In another instance Gbagbo loyalists fired several mortar shells into an Abobo market, killing more than 25 people and wounding more than 40 others. In all, 462 people have been killed since violence erupted in September. More than 93,000 people have fled across the western border into Liberia, while up to 1 million others have been internally displaced, Mr. Khare said.
Just yesterday UN peacekeepers, intervening in Abobo where Gbagbo loyalists were raining mortars down on civilians, opened fire, putting the attackers to flight. The 9,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI), which has been supporting the stabilization efforts over the past seven years, is mandated to protect civilians.
Earlier this year the Security Council not only rebuffed Mr. Gbagbo’s demand for its withdrawal but also authorized the immediate deployment of 2,000 additional troops and three armed helicopters.
Gbagbo loyalists continue to obstruct UNOCI’s activities by blocking access and attacking personnel, Mr. Khare said. The mission has increased the number of patrols in vulnerable neighbourhoods, is arranging for round-the-clock patrols in Abobo, and is conducting aerial surveillance of Abidjan and the rest of the country. “We believe these measures have prevented further killings,” he added.
He also noted reported attacks by President Ouattara’s supporters, including an alleged assault by so-called “invisible commandos” in which 5,000 people were driven from their homes outside Abidjan.
He warned that an $87 million appeal for aid in Côte d’Ivoire and five neighbouring countries to face a potential major humanitarian crisis was seriously under-funded, “hampering the ability of the United Nations to provide much needed services to those forced to flee their homes.
“Access to those impacted by the ongoing crisis remains a serious concern. It is essential that all sides allow unhindered access for humanitarian actors to reach those in need,” he added.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said today it had received reports, as yet unconfirmed, that an additional 200 nationals of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), including people from Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Guinea and Togo, had been killed in the Guiglo area in western Côte d’Ivoire. ECOWAS supports Mr. Ouattara.
“In general, we are extremely concerned about the worsening situation, particularly given the continuing incitement by the outgoing president Laurent Gbagbo,” OHCHR spokesperson Rupert Colville told a news briefing in Geneva.
The UNHCR office in Guiglo was attacked and plundered on Wednesday and three vehicles, two motorbikes and all office equipment and furniture were stolen. “We condemn this plundering of our premises and reiterate our call to all parties to protect civilians and refrain from any further deliberate targeting of humanitarian organizations,” Ms. Fleming said, noting that vehicles were also stolen from several other humanitarian agencies in the area.
The Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council today decided to send an independent international commission of inquiry to Côte d’Ivoire to investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding allegations of serious rights abuses.
Yesterday, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos voiced serious concern over the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation. “I call on those involved in the violence to respect civilians, including aid workers, and to allow rapid, safe and unimpeded access by humanitarian organizations,” she said.
You tried every trick your Mom taught you. You’ve practiced every skill you learnt from your room-mates in college but this girl is not budging. The guy doesn’t just seem to notice you. Well, before you take it personal, you may have to read a new scientific discovery that may be responsible for your situation.
Scientists have identified a chemical in the brain that controls sexual preference in mice. The chemical is called Serotonin. Researchers in China report that Male mice bred without serotonin lose their preference for females.
Serotonin belongs to a group of compounds called neurotransmitters, which are chemical substances that carry impulses from one nerve cell to another. It is the first time a neurotransmitter has been credited with playing a role in sexual preference in mammals, the scientists claim. The report is available in the Journal Nature.
Now Summary of the experiments:
The scientist bred male mice whose brains were not receptive to serotonin. They also had control mice that were not modified and have the brains receptive to serotonin.
They conducted a series of experiments on the two group of mice. The results undeniably showed that the first group had lost the preference for females shown by unmodified males.
When presented with a choice of partners, they could not show any preference for either males or females.
In fact the modified males were as ready to mount on the fellow males and mate with them as they do to female mice. When serotonin was later injected into the brain of mice which lacked the tryptonphan hydroxylase-2 gene (a gene needed to produce serotonin), their preference for the girl mice was restored. They were now chasing and working hard to mount on the females and mate with them.
You’ve tried the valentine day teddy bear thing, the birth card with red arrows, and the invitation to youth program at church but none of these worked. But you think you’re hot and, in fact, people say you’re hot. It may be a good idea not to take it personal but attribute it to the lack of Serotonin in his or her brain. Doesn’t that make you feel good?
Disclaimer: This is a high level scientific discovery but I have tried to simplify the report for your comprehension. Please note that there are dangers in drawing conclusions about human sexuality from such a study. It is provided for your information only.
24 March 2011 –A week after the Security Council authorized “all necessary measures” to protect civilians in Libya from Colonel Muammar Al-Qadhafi’s forces, speedy and decisive action by the world community remains crucial amid serious concerns of human rights abuses, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.
“The international community has acted together to avert a potential larger-scale crisis. I expect the international community to continue to exercise full diligence in avoiding civilian casualties and collateral damage,” he told the 15-member body in a briefing requested by the resolution at the start of consultations on the air and missile strikes launched by several countries to enforce a no-fly zone and hit pro-Qadhafi forces besieging civilians in cities.
“Given the critical situation on the ground, it is imperative that we continue to act with speed and decision. The resolution places great responsibilities on the UN system. I assure you that we will work closely with Member States and regional organizations to coordinate a common, effective and timely response,” he said, citing the resolutions goal of stopping “the brutal campaign of violence by the Libyan regime against its own people.”
Mr. Ban stressed that although the Libyan authorities have repeatedly claimed to have instituted a ceasefire, there has been no evidence that that is the case.
“To the contrary, fierce battles have continued in or around the cities of Ajdabiya, Misratah and Zitan, among others. In short, there is no evidence that Libyan authorities have taken steps to carry out their obligations under Resolutions 1970 or 1973,” he said, referring to last week’s resolution and an earlier one calling for a ceasefire and full protection of civilians.
“We continue to have serious concerns… about the protection of civilians, abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, and the access of civilian populations to basic commodities and services in areas currently under siege.”
He detailed the recent visit to the North African country by Special Envoy for Libya Abdel Elah Al Khatib. In Tripoli, the capital, Libyan Foreign Minister Musa Kusa told Mr. Khatib the Government had been forced to act by perceived threats from Al-Qaida and Islamist terrorists, adding that it offered amnesty to rebels who laid down their arms and rebel forces should also be required to abide by any ceasefire.
In Tobruk, eastern Libya, Mr. Khatib met with the armed opposition, who reiterated their call for a ceasefire and lifting the siege Government forces on some cities in rebel hands. “They also expressed deep concern about the hardships inflicted on the Libyan people and demanded an end to the use of tanks and heavy weaponry targeting civilians,” Mr. Ban said.
Yesterday Mr. Ban discussed with African Union Commission Chairperson Jean Ping cooperation between the UN and the regional organization on Libya, and tomorrow, Mr. Khatib will go to Addis Ababa for an AU meeting which representatives of both the Libyan Government and the opposition will attend in a bid to reach a ceasefire and political solution.
“My Special Envoy’s mission [to Libya] was too brief to reach definitive conclusions about the human rights situation, but they found many worrying signs, including threats and incitement against the armed opposition,” Mr. Ban said.
“Colonel Qadhafi’s threats were aired repeatedly on national television. Journalists continue to be arrested. Foreign reporters in Tripoli told the UN mission about the population’s general state of fear, tight control by the security services, and instances of arrest and disappearances.”
He noted that some 336,000 people have left or fled Libya since the beginning of the crisis, which began five weeks ago as mass protests by civilians seeking an end to Mr. Qadhafi’s 41-year rule, and there are also contingency plans to deal with possible new waves of migrants and refugees of up to 200,000 to 250,000. Meanwhile, the $160 million flash appeal to deal with the exodus and other aspects of the crisis is 63 per cent funded.
Mr. Ban, who was speaking to the Council on his return from a visit to Egypt and Tunisia, where largely peaceful mass protests led to the ousters of entrenched leaders in those countries before the eruption of violence in Libya, said that he was setting up an expert panel, as requested by the resolution, to monitor implementation of sanctions, which include an arms embargo and assets freeze on Libyan Government officials.
As also requested by the resolution, he noted that so far the United Kingdom, France, United States, Denmark, Canada, Italy, Qatar, Belgium, Norway, Spain and the United Arab Emirates have sent letters confirming their participation in the actions to protect Libyan civilians. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has also informed him of its decision to begin an alliance operation in support of the arms embargo.
A U.N. official in Ivory Coast says forces loyal to incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo are “indiscriminately” shelling areas seen as backing Mr. Gbagbo’s rival, Alassane Ouattara.
Human rights official Guillaume Ngefa told a news conference Thursday that the shelling and other attacks have killed at least 50 people in the last week, including five children, and wounded dozens more.
Ngefa, who was speaking in Abidjan, said the attacks bring the confirmed death toll from post-election violence in Ivory Coast up to 462.
The Gbagbo government has denied using heavy weapons against civilians, and accuses the U.N. of siding with Mr. Ouattara in the Ivory Coast political crisis.
Mr. Gbagbo has rejected calls from the U.N., African Union, and the west African bloc ECOWAS to give up power. All three bodies recognize Mr. Ouattara as the winner of last November’s presidential election.
Fighting between Ouattara and Gbagbo supporters has intensified in recent weeks, sparking fears that Ivory Coast will fall back into civil war.
A brief war in 2002 left Ivory Coast split into a rebel-controlled north and a government controlled south. The former rebels are now backing Mr. Ouattara, and have captured several towns in the country’s west.
24 March 2011 – The head of the United Nations rural development agency is set to arrive in Kenya on Saturday to offer assistance to the Horn of Africa nation, where nearly 2.4 million poor people in rural areas are struggling to get enough to eat as a result of the recent drought.
The visit by Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), follows the release earlier this month of a report by the Kenyan Government and its partners showing a rapid decline in food security among some agricultural households.
The report found that the number of people needing food and other assistance jumped by 50 per cent in just six months, from 1.6 million in August 2010 to 2.4 million in February 2011.
During his visit, Mr. Nwanze will discuss issues such as the need to boost the incomes of smallholder farmers and rural entrepreneurs and better equipping them to manage risks, which will enable them to both feed their families and contribute to economic growth and food security in the country.
He will also address new opportunities for business in rural areas presented by changing agricultural markets. These will require more investment to help rural people deal with issues such as food price volatility, risks posed by severe weather such as the drought and long-term uncertainties due to climate change.
In addition to meeting with Government officials, Mr. Nwanze will also visit projects IFAD is supporting in the central and eastern parts of the country, including those focusing on improving rural livelihoods, especially among women. He will also inaugurate a new maternity facility, a borehole and a water treatment plant built with project funds.
Mr. Nwanze will also review the progress of several initiatives on Mount Kenya, including one that works with community groups to address rising poverty linked to deterioration of natural resources, particularly water, related to poor agricultural practices.
Since 1979, IFAD has invested more than $214 million to support Kenyan Government efforts to reduce rural poverty.
ELECTIONS are periodic democratic exercises that lead to the change of government in a robust competitive and transparent manner. But elections in Nigeria since in the 1960s, have been reduced to violent clashes either between or among political opponents, rival political groups and some times between communities. Many lives have been lost without justice done to redress.
Barely few weeks to general elections, instead of political parties strategizing on the best methods of outwitting their opponents in the race; they are beating the drums of war. They are singing the swansong of disunity. Everywhere you turn in the country, there is tension and unspoken fear in the faces of the citizenry. Political rallies have been reduced to battle grounds between supporters of politicians. Rival political groups have made it so difficult for other political parties to campaign smoothly in their area of control, using all means, including state apparatus to bar them. From the city of Port-Harcourt to Jos; from Niger state to Akwa-Ibom state; the death-tolls from political rallies are increasing in geometrical progression. What we are seeing in the body polity today, are they different from events that led to Western riot in the then Western Nigeria, that was dubbed “Operation wild wild west” , consequent upon was the Nigerian civil war that lasted between 1967-1970?
It all began with verbal war on the pages of newspapers, and it has graduated to arson and the exchange of bullets in rallies. The effect has been death and destruction and creating cloud of fear among the population who are to vote. Which kind of signal are they sending to the electorates? The various political parties in the country do not care what happens to those whose votes they seek. For instance, presidential campaign rallies of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has recorded not less than 20 deaths since the ban on political campaign has been lifted. The gory recorded in Gen. Buhari (Rtd) Jos campaign rally; few days back still remain fresh. The story has not been different for others especially Governorship aspirants. We do not know where it would happen next! Are these signs of good days ahead?
Many challenges are responsible for these anomalies in the body polity of Nigeria. First, while the entrenched political class in Nigeria is after what they will benefit from the end-game of the election, they pay less attention to serious issues that have to do with the structuring of these parties before they get ready for election. In it is suffice to say that these political parties lack internal democracy that should guide party business; hence they are being reduced to mere organizations of few party stalwarts, who hijack the whole party affairs for their self-aggrandizements. It is only in Nigeria, that one man is stronger and bigger than his political party. He and his family with his cronies are above the laws guiding the code of conduct of the party activities. If all members of a political party receive equal treatment no matter the position one occupies, there will be discipline, and that would reflect in the way and manner the party affairs are to be conducted and vice versa.
One other challenge that gives roots to this pre-election massacre is the politics of non-tolerance. Opposition parties do not accommodate one another. In Nigeria political arena, the winner takes all, while the loser remains so for the rest of his life. Rather than pursuing an all-inclusive programmes that would cater for all political interests, the party that forms the government of the day become vindictive. Thus, nobody wants to lose an election and it ‘must be a do or die’ affair to win and be part of the government cake.
Another challenge is that of ethnicity, whether at the Federal or state level, the ethnic group one comes from can increases or decreases a candidate’s chance of winning an elective post. And over the years, despite the ‘gentleman’ arrangement in some quarters to zone both elective and ‘appointive’ posts in turns; ethnicity has been a major cause of fighting and killing of many persons before or after elections. In this case, diversity breeds destruction and death in our communities.
The strength of political opponents can only be tested on the field of different polling units on the Election Day. The test of democratic culture and party popularity rests with people’s votes. For people to come out of their homes and cast their votes for any candidate; there must be a peaceful atmosphere that will allow for freedom of choice to participate in the process. There is urgent need for true party restructuring in a manner that would be fair to all. Meanwhile politicians must learn to shed-off the attitude of ‘winner takes all’ and be ethnic-sensitive. Nigeria is the only country we have. We must not allow it to slip into the deadly hands of civil conflict just as Cote de’Ivoire. Those who beat the drums of war and talking tough should ask Mr Gbagbo, to tell them how sweet it looks to dance in a conflict-ridden economy.
First published in the NIGERIAN GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER, Nigeria
It is only recently that Africa is beginning to come up partly because of rejecting external meddling. This, and the acquiescence by Africans into that meddling, have been responsible for the stagnation in Africa.
The wrong priorities in many African countries are, in many cases, imposed by external groups. Failure to prioritise infrastructure, for instance, especially energy, is, in part, due to some of these pressures. Instead, consumption is promoted.
I have witnessed this wrong definition of priorities in Uganda. External interests linked, for instance, with internal bogus groups to oppose energy projects for false reasons. How will an economy develop without energy? Quislings and their external backers do not care about this.
If you promote foreign backed insurrections in small countries like Libya, what will you do with the big ones like China, which has got a different system from the West? Are you going to impose a no-fly-zone over China in case of some internal insurrections as happened in Tiananmen Square or in Tibet?
The Western countries always use double standards. In Libya, they are very eager to impose a no-fly-zone. In Bahrain and other areas where there are pro-Western regimes, they turn a blind eye to the very same conditions or even worse conditions.
We have been appealing to the UN to impose a no-fly-zone over Somalia so as to impede the free movement of terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda who killed Americans on 9/11, killed Ugandans last July and have caused so much damage to the Somalis, without success.
Why? Are there no human beings in Somalia similar to the ones in Benghazi? Or is it because Somalia does not have oil which is not fully controlled by western companies on account of Gaddafi’s nationalist posture?
The West is always very prompt in commenting on every problem in the Third World — Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, etc. Yet, some of these countries were the ones impeding growth in those countries.
There was a military coup d’état that slowly became a revolution in backward Egypt in 1952. The new leader, Nasser, had ambition to cause transformation in Egypt. He wanted to build a dam not only to generate electricity but also to help with the ancient irrigation system of Egypt.
The West denied him money because they did not believe that Egyptians needed electricity. Nasser decided to raise that money by nationalising the Suez Canal. Israel, France and Britain attacked him.
Another negative point is going to arise out of the habit of the Western countries overusing their superiority in technology to impose war on less developed societies without impeachable logic. This will be the igniting of an arms race in the world. The actions of the Western countries in Iraq and now Libya are emphasising that might is “right.”
I am quite sure that many countries that are able will scale up their military research and in a few decades, we may have a more armed world.
All this notwithstanding, Mr Gaddafi should be ready to sit down with the opposition, through the mediation of the AU, with the opposition cluster of groups which now includes individuals well known to us — Ambassador Abdalla, Dr Zubeda, etc. I know Gaddafi has his system of elected committees that end up in a National People’s Conference.
There is now, apparently, a significant number of Libyans that think that there is a problem in terms of governance. Since there has not been internationally observed elections in Libya, not even by the AU, we cannot know what is correct and what is wrong. Therefore, dialogue is the correct way forward.
The AU mission could not get to Libya because the Western countries started bombing Libya the day before they were supposed to arrive. However, the mission will continue. My opinion is that, in addition, to what the AU mission is doing, it may be important to call an extraordinary Summit of the AU in Addis Ababa to discuss this grave situation.
Regarding the Libyan opposition, I would feel embarrassed to be backed by Western war planes because quislings of foreign interests have never helped Africa. We have had a copious supply of them in the last 50 years — Mobutu, Houphet-Boigny, Kamuzu Banda, etc.
Recently, there has been some improvement in the arrogant attitudes of some of these Western countries. Certainly, with Black Africa and, particularly, Uganda, the relations are good following their fair stand on the Black people of Southern Sudan.
With the democratisation of South Africa and the freedom of the Black people in Southern Sudan, the difference between the patriots of Uganda and the Western Governments had disappeared. Unfortunately, these rash actions on Libya are beginning to raise new problems. They should be resolved quickly.
Therefore, if the Libyan opposition groups are patriots, they should fight their war by themselves and conduct their affairs by themselves. To be puppets is not good.
Mr Museveni is President of UgandaThis piece was first published in Daily Nation (Nairobi) on Tuesday 22.03.2011 and pubished at talkafrique.com on 24.03.2011
