SALVADOR, Brazil, June 11 (Reuters) - Africa's hopes of increased future World Cup representation rest heavily on achievement in Brazil this year where five countries seek to break new ground and force FIFA's hand.

ACCRA, June 11 (Reuters) - Ghana's central bank is funding the country's budget deficit but the amount does not exceed 10 percent of revenue and any excess will be made up by the end of 2014, governor Henry Kofi Wampah told Reuters in an interview.

June 11 (Reuters) - The chant "I believe that we will win" has become the trademark of the American Outlaws fan group and has even been incorporated into marketing hype for broadcasts of the United States team's World Cup campaign.

ACCRA, June 11 (Reuters) - Ghana's central bank is funding the country's budget deficit, but the amount does not exceed the limit of 10 percent of revenue collected and any excess will be redressed by the end of 2014, governor Henry Kofi Wampah told Reuters.

JOS Nigeria (Reuters) - Gunmen killed at least eight people and burned down a church in attacks on two villages in Nigeria's central Plateau state on Wednesday, a security official said.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council is set to sanction Abubakar Shekau, leader of Nigeria's Boko Haram, and its faction Ansaru, the first individual and entity to be designated by the world body since the Islamist militant group was blacklisted last month.

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's government, suffering from dwindling oil revenues, will allow its ministries to begin spending the $50 billion budget it submitted to parliament at the start of the year, even though lawmakers have not voted on it.

YOLA Nigeria (Reuters) - Soldiers in a Nigerian state at the heart of an Islamist revolt shut down all venues preparing to screen live World Cup matches on Wednesday, saying they wanted to protect fans from militant attacks.

HARARE (Reuters) - Seven gold miners died and 11 were injured at Zimbabwe's Golden Valley Mine when a hoist cage transporting them down a shaft broke loose and plunged into a pool of water, a union official said on Wednesday.

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - As annual wage talks kick off in South Africa, a five-month strike in the platinum sector weighs large and could influence how other unions negotiate pay demands this year.

BANGUI (Reuters) - Central African Republic approved this year's budget on Tuesday, 10 percent higher than that of 2013, with funds drawn mostly from external donations that aim to strengthen security and boost humanitarian assistance in the war-torn country.

CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian court sentenced leading activist Alaa Abdel Fattah to 15 years in jail on Wednesday for violating a protest law and on other charges, his lawyer said, a move likely to outrage human rights groups.

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Soldiers from the Democratic Republic of Congo exchanged fire on Wednesday with Rwandan troops who crossed the border and seized a Congolese soldier, a Congolese government spokesman said.

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris, whose family owns the Orascom group of companies spanning construction to telecoms, has set up an investment firm to tap into Egypt's growth opportunities.

ACCRA, June 11 (Reuters) - Ghana's annual consumer price inflation rose to a four-year high of 14.8 percent in May from 14.7 percent in April, fuelled in part by a weakening currency, the West African nation's statistics office said on Wednesday.

ACCRA, June 11 (Reuters) - Ghana's annual consumer price inflation rose to a four-year high of 14.8 percent in May from 14.7 percent in April, the West African nation's statistics office said on Wednesday.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China shrugged off Taiwan's concern over the visit of the president of Taiwan diplomatic ally Sao Tome and Principe on Wednesday, saying it was a private visit and that not too much should be read into it.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama called new Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday and affirmed their commitment to a U.S.-Egyptian strategic partnership, the White House said.

June 11 (Reuters) - Germany captain Philipp Lahm and winger Thomas Mueller have signed new deals that add two years to their existing contracts at Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga club said on Wednesday.

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - East African states threatened on Tuesday to slap South Sudan's warring sides with sanctions unless they cease all military operations in a conflict which has sparked fears that it could spiral into genocide.