An African Union committee is meeting this week to consider a proposal by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to transform the AU bureaucracy into a powerful continental authority. The eccentric Libyan leader still casts a long shadow over African affairs, even as his 42-year rule is under threat at home.

But like other pro-Qaddafi groups that have sprung up here since the rebellion in Libya began, what it lacks in logistics it makes up in loyalty. “We’re all ready to die for him,” Mr. Maiga said. “He’s done so much for us, after all.”

The Kingdom of Swaziland is currently being let down by non- existence of an effective communication strategy and information dissemination machinery. In the majority of cases, the propaganda being sold by subversive local elements in collaboration with their international and regional sympathisers can be easily countered by a factual based public diplomacy strategy.

American ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger would not know servant leadership if it bit him in the left armpit. The diplomatic cables released by whistleblower WikiLeaks this week reveal that the American envoy was unable to appreciate Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka’s well-won reputation as an intellectual heavyweight, a first-order altruist and a man of principle.

The UK is prepared for a humanitarian aid effort after the political turmoil in Libya, International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell has said. The UN estimates that 100,000 people have fled Libya over the past week into neighbouring Egypt and Tunisia.

A high power United States Trade Delegation, headed by Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Demetrios Marantis, arrived in Liberia on yesterday on a four-day visit. The American Trade Delegation is in the country to acquaint itself with trade relations between Liberia and the United States.

The international community moved to isolate Libya further on Wednesday, with France pressing for European Union sanctions and Peru severing relations against Moammar Gadhafi's government after the U.N. Security Council condemned his crackdown on government protesters.

Egypt's revolution is momentous. In 18 days, a broad-based, nonviolent social movement overcame an entrenched, autocratic government. However, we are still in the first act of a long play.