Sports

Leader of the Niger Delta Vigilante Movement, Mr. Ateke Tom has asked President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to define the terms of the amnesty he is offering rebel groups in the Niger Delta, following which he will be prepared to immediately surrender all the arms in his possession to benefit from the government's olive branch.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter says those who underestimate South Africa will be proven wrong by the country's capability of hosting major international events such as the FIFA Confederations Cup.

More than 20 people died in a crush at Abidjan's Houphouet-Boigny Stadium ahead of the soccer World Cup qualifying match between Côte d'Ivoire and Malawi on Sunday.

The BBC reported that at least 22 were killed and more than 130 injured in a stampede when thousands of Ivoriens tried to get into the game to see Didier Drogba, who plays for Chelsea in England, return to international football.

An attempt by South African soccer authorities to show how the 2010 Fifa World Cup could promote peace and harmony not only in South Africa, but through Africa and the world, was transformed into a public relations own-goal Tuesday – by the government's foreign policy.

Port Elizabeth: Ike Uche snatched a 70th-minute winner to hand Nigeria a 1-0 win over South Africa in their World Cup qualifier in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

The result all but ends South Africa's chances of qualifying for the 2010 African Nations Cup finals in Angola, a major embarrassment for the hosts of the 2010 World Cup finals.

Beijing: Argentina retained their Olympic men's football title as they overcame the heat to beat Nigeria 1-0 in the Bird's Nest stadium.

Benfica striker Angel di Maria's neat chip after 58 minutes was enough to give the Argentines victory.

Nigeria had their fair share of chances, but were unable to beat goalkeeper Sergio Romero.

Beijing: Sammy Wanjiru won Kenya's first ever gold in the men's marathon, breaking the Olympic record despite the soaring heat in Beijing.

Wanjiru, who was among the leading pack which set the fast early pace, pulled away in the final kilometres to win in 2 hours six minutes and 32 seconds.

Johannesburg: South Africa's preparations for hosting the 2010 soccer World Cup will cost more than 2 billion rand ($256 million) more than budgeted because of global economic trends, the deputy finance minister said on Wednesday.

"We are talking about something that is north of 2 billion rand as we speak. That is the figure," Jabu Moleketi told reporters.

Beijing: Togo won its first ever Olympic medal when Benjamin Boukpeti took bronze in the men's single kayak slalom at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Boukpeti's snapped his paddle in half during wild celebrations.

"I can hardly believe it but I'm not surprised," said Boukpeti, who became the first non-European male kayaker to win an Olympic slalom medal.

Beijing: When teenage Somalian sprinter Samia Yusuf Omar competes in the women's 200m in Beijing, her mother and six siblings in Mogadishu plan to find a neighbor with a television so they can watch her.