Johannesburg- Lady Luck smiled brightly on the hosts of the 2009 Confederations Cup on Saturday as they were drawn into Group A with Iraq, New Zealand and Spain.

Johannesburg - The chief executive of South Africa's transport parastatal Transnet, Maria Ramos, on Friday announced plans to leave the company at the end of February 2009.

Since taking the job in 2003, Ramos has turned around the once-loss-making, heavily-indebted company, which manages the country's ports, oil and gas pipelines and freight rail.

Portuguese-born Ramos, 49, said the decision to depart had been one of the toughest decisions she had taken.

Johannesburg - Football's controlling body FIFA on Friday said that the global economic crisis has not caused a problem for the organization.

"We are glad that the crisis has not touched FIFA. We are not Swiss for nothing. We are still a safe company," general secretary Jerome Valcke said.

Addressing a press conference in Johannesburg a day before the Confederations Cup draw Valcke said that any unplanned changes that the FIFA expected to be implemented by the local organizing committee (LOC) that placed a financial burden on the LOC would be discussed between the parties.

Johannesburg - This weekend's Confederations Cup draw in Johannesburg will draw on the input of some of the world's most beautiful women, world football body FIFA announced Friday.

Eight contestants in the Miss World competition that takes place in South Africa in December will assist FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke in the draw to determine two groups for the eight-team championship.

"Hosting as prestigious an event as the Miss World competition again underlines South Africa's ability to stage major global events. And as for the beautiful contestants assisting me on Saturday, it's certainly a draw I will be looking forward to more than most," Valcke said in a statement.

Harare/Johannesburg - Former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan said Thursday that he and former United States president Jimmy Carter planned to forge ahead with a visit to Zimbabwe at the weekend, despite their visit being rebuffed by President Robert Mugabe's regime.

Annan, Carter and Mozambican social activist Graca Machel, members of The Elders group of leading activists and ex-world leaders, are planning to spend Saturday and Sunday in Zimbabwe "to meet those working on the ground to better assess the extent of the crisis and how assistance can be improved," Annan said.

Johannesburg - Former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan assured Thursday that he, former United States president Jimmy Carter and a third member of The Elders had "no intention" of interfering in Zimbabwe's power-sharing talks.

Annan was responding to the Zimbabwean government's put-down of the trio's plans to visit Zimbabwe to assess the extent of the country's humanitarian crisis.