The News Review:

- African champions Etoile Sahel crush Senegal´s AS Douane
- The New Nation – Internet Edition
- IC urges MILF-MNLF to coordinate peace efforts
- Aimless Bolton Wanderers give Gary Megson cause for concern
- Darfur peacekeeping force at risk of failing already
- Vodafone reportedly wants stake in South Africa’s MTN
- Clinton’s Schedules ffer Chance to Test Assertions

African champions Etoile Sahel crush Senegal´s AS Douane
Soccerway – Mar 23, 2008
Etoile demonstrated why they are the best football club on the continent by overwhelming AS Douanes 5-0. JHANNESBURG (AFP) – Etoile Sahel of Tunisia demonstrated why they are the best football club on the continent by overwhelming Senegal visitors AS Douanes 5-0 in the African Champions League this weekend. Etoile the only club to have won every African Football Confederation competition were expected to win their opening match in defence of a title snatched in Egypt last year with a stunning 3-1 triumph over holders Al-Ahly. However the ease with which they succeeded in the second round tie against the west Africans must have surprised French coach Bertrand Marchand who joined the ‘Red Devils’ in mid-2007 and quickly built an exciting young side. Regular international campaigners Douanes can point to ‘rust’ as the fallout from a disastrous showing by Senegal at the 2008 African Nations Cup in Ghana has delayed the launch of the national league. But leaders Etoile are approaching the end of an intensive domestic season in one of the most competitive championships on the continent and eight of their stars were involved in the Tunisian Nations Cup squad.

The New Nation – Internet Edition
New Nation – The New Nation – Mar 23, 2008
Abdul Ruffn the sidelines of the IC summit in Dakar Senegal the presidents of Chad and Sudan Chad’s Idriss Deby and Sudan’s mar al-Bashir have signed an accord on 13 March aimed at halting five years of hostilities between the two neigboring countries. They agreed to implement past failed peace pacts at a Dakar summit. The deal – known as the Dakar agreement – commits the two nations to implementing past accords that have failed. The accord was struck under Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade’s mediation. The signing ceremony was witnessed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

IC urges MILF-MNLF to coordinate peace efforts
sunstar.com.ph – Mar 23, 2008
The three factions of the MNLF on the other hand sent a larger group with Assemblyman Hatimil Hassan Mayor Isnaji Alvarez former Muslim Affairs Executive Director Habib Mujahab Romeo Sema nephew of Cotabato City Mayor Moslimin Sema representing the MNLF-Executive Committee; and Sharif Zain Jali and an American lady representing the MNLF-Misuari. Visibly absent was Sheikh Abdulbaki Abubakar who is considered a mainstay of the MNLF delegation to the IC. This was the second summit conference of the IC in Senegal that the MILF sent representatives. The first was on December 9 to 12 1990 when the MILF sent Mohagher Iqbal chairman of its information committee and Sheikh Abdulfatah Delna. Al Haj Murad Ebrahim chair of the MILF central committee earlier visited the headquarters of the IC in Jeddah Saudi Arabia and briefed the IC Secretary General of the progress of the GRP-MILF Peace Talks. He told the IC officials that the MILF in its talks with the government does not intend to set aside what the MNLF and the Bangsamoro people have achieved but to complement the GRP-MNLF Final Agreement of September 2 1996. “We are willing to fuse the best of the FPA and what we sign with the government” he told the IC officials.

Aimless Bolton Wanderers give Gary Megson cause for concern
Times nline – Mar 23, 2008
Ali Al Habsi could only punch away Elano’s long-distanceeffort and when the ball was played back into the box another Citysubstitute Felipe Caicedo seemed certain to score but Joey ’Brien managedto clear off the line. Diouf then had the best chance of the second half for Bolton when Nedum nuohamade a rare mistake heading on a long clearance into his path. From the edgeof the six-yard box the Senegal international attempted to chip the keeperbut Joe Hart blocked brilliantly with an outstretched leg. Bolton had one final shot at redemption right at the end but Davies’s headerfrom a Stelios corner was cleared off the line by Petrov. Afterwards Sven-Göran Eriks-son claimed he wasn’t giving up hope of a UefaCup place even if some of his players appeared to be thinking they werealready on holiday albeit one in a very cold climate. For Bolton theArctic conditions could last for some time yet. Match statsStar man: Vedran Corluka (Man City)Player ratingsBolton: Al Habsi 6 Steinsson 6 Cahill 6 ’Brien 6 Gardner 6(’Brien 45min 6) Diouf 5 Nolan 6 Campo 6 (McCann 63min) Guthrie 5Taylor 5(Stelios 83min)Davies 6Manchester City: Hart 7 Corluka 7 nuoha 6 Dunne 6 Garrido 6Ireland 6 (Elano 58min 7) Gelson 6 Johnson 6 Petrov 5 Vassell 5(Caicedo 58min 6) Mwaruwari 5 Yellow card: Bolton: NolanReferee: A MarrinerAttendance: 22633.

Darfur peacekeeping force at risk of failing already
International Herald Tribune – Mar 23, 2008
The thousands of troops deployed by Rwanda Nigeria Senegal and other nations were mainly there to protect the military observers who were unarmed and the unarmed civilian police whose job was to guard the camps for the internally displaced people. But the original cease-fire was quickly violated and subsequent agreements failed to produce peace. The African troops soon were seen perhaps unfairly as useless note-takers who visited the scene of atrocities long after the fact gathering testimony that seemed to disappear into a bureaucratic black hole. All of that has changed with the new hybrid mission. The force has a robust mandate to protect civilians.

Vodafone reportedly wants stake in South Africa’s MTN
International Herald Tribune – Mar 23, 2008
Adjusted headline EPS rose to 682 cents from 585 cents which helped boost its stock by nearly 5 percent. MTN which has pursued an aggressive acquisition spree in risky but lucrative African and Middle East countries said it was actively seeking more expansion opportunities in emerging markets including outside those two regions. In an interview with the Sunday Times published on Sunday Nhleko said he was seeking opportunities in Angola and Senegal as well as in developing southeast Asian markets. An industry source who asked not to be named said that given market dynamics it was highly unlikely that MTN would enter into any talks with Vodafone. Vodacom South Africa's largest mobile phone company is jointly owned by Telkom and Vodafone. It competes with sub-Saharan Africa's largest operator MTN and third-ranked mobile operator Cell C in South Africa. In January Vodafone Group Plc said it topped market forecasts with solid third-quarter revenues and held out the possibility of another full-year upgrade.

Clinton’s Schedules ffer Chance to Test Assertions
New York Times – Mar 23, 2008
It clearly got the president’s attention. ”The calendars for March 1997 when Mrs. Clinton traveled to six countries in Africa show that she met with several government leaders including President Abdou Diouf of Senegal and President Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania. According to her book “Living History” she lobbied Mr. Diouf to support legislation banning.