Darfuri asylum seekers sent home to Sudan, Ronaldinho reminds soccer fans of hunger, and U.S. firms give more to charity...

In three days the world's biggest sporting event kicks off and World Cup soccer fans will begin to gorge themselves on a month-long diet of TV, beer and nachos. Between belches, some may spare a thought for the 300 million hungry children around the world thanks to a U.N. World Food Programme public service announcement featuring Brazilian super striker Ronaldinho, who, when not performing sleights of foot in the penalty area, moonlights as a WFP ambassador against hunger.

The 30-second clip shows Ronaldinho opening a refrigerator and taking out a football, which he proceeds to stew on the stove before sitting down to tuck in with a knife and fork. "Unfortunately, not everyone can live off football," reads the subtitle.

Ronaldinho is a good WFP ambassador - and not only because his goofy smile and sublime skill on the pitch make him one of the world's best-loved soccer stars. He's also a hero of Brazil's "favela" slums, who knows a thing or two about going to bed hungry. "I was lucky - soccer rescued my family from poverty," he says on the WFP site. "Now I want to help WFP rescue other kids who aren't so fortunate."

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A new report claims dozens of Darfuris seeking asylum in the United Kingdom are being flown back to Khartoum, where some are being tortured.

The author of the report UK charity Aegis Trust - which campaigns against genocide - is particularly concerned about the non-Arab Darfuris. Hundreds of thousands have been killed or hounded out of their villages in Darfur by Arab militias and the Sudanese government.

Of the 467 non-Arab Darfuris who contacted Aegis for help, only 179 had been granted asylum.

The UK Home Office has responded to the report saying: "We fully recognise conditions in Sudan for those of non-Arab ethnicity originating from Darfur. We acknowledge that as such that there are individuals who are able to demonstrate a need for international protection.

"We do not however consider that each and every Sudanese national from Darfur who applies for asylum is in need of international protection ... If specific allegations are made that any returnee has experienced ill-treatment on return from the UK, then these are followed up through the Foreign Office."

Aegis interviewed three African Darfuris who say they were sent back to Khartoum, and tortured on arrival. It has also heard of failed asylum seekers from other European countries who have 'disappeared' after they were picked up by the security services.

One asylum seeker called M.Y.K. who is waiting to be deported back to Khartoum says how desperate his situation is now that his application has been rejected.

"Today I am a failed asylum seeker. I am homeless. I have no right to work, no support to eat, to survive, even to wash.

"If my village was safe, east or west, home is best. But you should kill me here before you send me to Khartoum. It would be better for me. From where do you think our attackers get their orders?"

To find out more, read 'Safe as Ghost Houses'

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While everyone's attention is on the terrible situation in Darfur, some worrying reports are also coming out of East Sudan where there's another insurgency brewing.

One shocking figure in an Agence France Presse article today says nearly twice as many people die every day in the east compared with Darfur.

It also says that acute malnutrition in the east is 19 percent, well above both the emergency level of 15 percent and Darfur's 12 percent.

The article was written by one of the few western journalists who managed to get to the drought-prone region. After having their permit application turned down several times by Khartoum, the anonymous journalist managed to hitch a ride on a WFP plane.

On arrival they found that it isn't only journalists who find it tough getting in. Aid agencies too are scarce and say they face lots of restrictions compared with non-governmental organisations in Darfur.

The data wasn't sourced, but we'll be digging up the figures to add to our East Sudan crisis profile.

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It seems 'philanthropy' is a growing buzzword among U.S. firms and their staff.

Last year everyone dug deeper into their pockets for charities, compared with 2004.

Employees gave a substantial $685 per person. And 91 companies gave away $10 billion - a 14 percent rise on 2004 - according to the U.S.-based Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy.

Ah, it's because of Hurricane Katrina, I hear you say. But no, just $300 million of the company money was donated to Gulf Coast hurricanes relief.

And it's not just the dollars they're doling out - staff are encouraged to take (paid) time off to volunteer.

Call me a cynic, but since the leading lights include Wal-Mart and Halliburton, maybe some of the giants are hoping this will help salvage their image.

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We've all heard of the conference junkie but it seems things have gone one stage further in some parts of Africa.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post says delegates from countries like Malawi, Ghana and Uganda effectively get bribes to attend seminars on how to prevent AIDS.

Enock Phiri who's worked with World Vision and Population Services International is quoted as saying that people just won't attend HIV/AIDS events without at least a small golden handshake.

It seems the going rate in Malawi is $87.

It all began innocently enough, the article says, with NGOs offering to pay for transport, accommodation and food.

But now at the end of a conference HIV workers, government officials and civil servants are handed an envelope containing a 'sitting fee'.

Some HIV workers apparently now shop around for the most lucrative training sessions.

Phiri from Malawi blames the international agencies.

"You are killing development ... It was not Malawians who brought this, it was agencies from outside and now our people are hooked on it."

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Polish photographer Wojcech Lembryk has won an International Committee of the Red Cross award for his portrayal of people suffering the effects of war in Afghanistan.

"People in war zones lead tragic lives, but their tragedy is compounded by the fact that in most cases they are totally forgotten by the rest of the world," Lembryk said at the ceremony in Warsaw yesterday.

And his prize? A contract to take photos of the horrific legacy of war in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Here's the winning photo:

The ICRC has also just produced a series of films showing the impact of war on ordinary people in Yemen, Angola, Darfur, Kashmir, Nepal and northern Uganda.

That's it for now. Alex Whiting