The News Review:

- Niang escapes Senegal sanctions
- New magazine on environment launched in Senegal
- Michael the magician
- From cinema to rubbish dump
- Ghana intensifies investigation into Gambian killings
- Diack elected for final term in saka
- KessbenFM 93.3 :: Sports | Kessben Sports

Niang escapes Senegal sanctions
BBC News – Aug 23, 2007
The 27-year-old was reported to Fifa last month for absenting himself from the games against Tanzania and Mozambique in June. But the lympique Marseille striker who claimed he was injured during the Group Seven matches has apologised for his absence. “He has realised he made a big mistake and has written to us to apologise” Senegal coach Henri Henri Kasperczak told BBC Sport. “We have informed Fifa that are we are longer pursuing the disciplinary action against Niang.

New magazine on environment launched in Senegal
People's Daily nline – Aug 23, 2007
execCommand(“saveAs”)>. Edited by natural and artificial radiation laboratories (LRNA) based at the faculty of sciences and technologies of Dakar University this magazine is meant to be "a practical and informative tool for decision making. " It also seeks to provide "an exchange forum between the populations companies and the state" says an introductory editorial signed by the magazine’s director. An article on "domestic waste management" is featured in the first issue of this 50-page magazine as well as another one on " how to prevent natural calamities during the 2007 rainy season. "Source: Xinhua.

Michael the magician
South African Star – The South African Star – Aug 23, 2007
Le Roy made Essien captain for his team’s 1-1 friendly draw with Senegal in London on Tuesday and was rewarded with a typical lung-bursting display from the Chelsea midfielder. Essien’s performance was even more impressive considering he had played in Chelsea’s Premier League match at Liverpool just 48 hours earlier. “Michael is a not a normal player he is from another planet” Le Roy said. “I was telling him there is no player of his level anywhere in the world. It is unbelievable… “At Millwall’s New Den on Tuesday Gyan Asamoah gave Ghana the lead on the stroke of halftime when he ran on to Sulley Muntari’s pass and drove a low shot past Tony Sylva. But El Hadji Diouf had the last word when he pounced on Babacar Gueye’s shot and grabbed the equaliser from close range in the 73rd minute. Senegal captain Diouf believes that the way his side competed shows they can make a big impact in Ghana. The Bolton Wanderers forward sees no reason why the Lions of Taranga shouldn’t reach the final but he is fed up of talking a good game and just wants Senegal to prove how good they are when it counts. “It gives us confidence to play a big team like Ghana and do well” he said. “If we have a result like that in the African Nations I will be very happy. “We have a big chance but we don’t need to talk – we need to do it.

From cinema to rubbish dump
iAfrica.com – Aug 23, 2007
Most of the pirated movies are foreign and the country’s film industry has also felt the repercussions. Senegal produced some of Africa’s leading film makers such as usmane considered to be a “lighthouse” of African cinema. But its film sector which received generous state support from the government during the rule of the country’s founding leader the late Leopold Sedar Senghor saw that backing start to evaporate when the poet-president retired in 1980. The state now issues between 60 and 70 filming permits every year and more than half this number of films are actually produced. “But these films (short and long features and documentaries) are screened more outside the country” according to the director of cinematography in the culture ministry Amadou Tidiane Niagane. After receiving state backing in the post-independence 1970s producers directors and distributors have largely had to fend for themselves since the 1990s when the government cut funding due to pressure from global lenders… After receiving state backing in the post-independence 1970s producers directors and distributors have largely had to fend for themselves since the 1990s when the government cut funding due to pressure from global lenders. “We were misled by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which recommended privatisation of the cinema” in the 1980s said the president of the association of Senegalese script writers Sheik Ngaido Ba. “It is the worst privatisation we have ever seen in Senegal. With little funding few to no cinema schools and a poverty-struck public African filmmakers now have to look abroad for support. 5-million fund promised to the film industry early this year in the form of a grant has yet to materialise.

Ghana intensifies investigation into Gambian killings
Joy nline – Aug 23, 2007
The delegation comprising experts from the criminal Investigations Department the Ghana Police The Attorney Generals Department the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Information are working in close collaboration with the Ghana Mission Dakar Senegal and other contacts in the Gambia on the matter. The statement signed by Mr. Jefferson Kwamina Sackey Media Relations fficer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the final phase of Ghana’s investigations is due for completion in September 2007 after which a final and comprehensive report would be presented to the Government. It recalled that President John Agyekum Kufuor in receiving the report in 2005 sent a high level fact-finding Mission to the Gambia to meet with the Gambian leader President Yahyah Jammeh and other high-ranking Gambian security officials on the matter.

Diack elected for final term in saka
Saipan Tribune – Aug 23, 2007
The election was held yesterday at the saka Grand Cube where 210 of the 212 IAAF member federations took part in the voting process. The IAAF Congress will run from Aug. saka City will be hosting the 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics where 203 member federations have entered athletes competing in various events at Nagai Stadium from Aug.

KessbenFM 93.3 :: Sports | Kessben Sports
Kessben FM – Aug 23, 2007
The FIFA rankings which were released on Wednesday show that Ghana has fallen from the 37th position the team occupied to the 43rd position in the month of August. The Black Stars have consistently dropped on the monthly rankings as a result of inactivity over the past five months. Tuesday’s one all draw with Senegal was the team’s first match since playing against Brazil in March 2007. In two months Ghana has dropped a total of 24 places. The Stars ranked 4th in Africa three months ago but they are now 8th on the continent. The only African country ranked at the highest position is Cameroon at 16th position in the world and Nigeria is at the 26th place. The Senegalese are ranked 46 in the world and they occupy the 9th position in Africa.