My first day of classes back at Wesleyan is done.  I was a little worried about my energy levels when my daughter, Sophie, woke me up this morning at 3:45 am!  But the natural energy that comes with the onset of a new semester more than carried me through!

As usual, I’m very impressed by the Wesleyan undergrads.  My intro to IR course this afternoon was attended by a number of students who had lived abroad. And more than a handful of those had lived abroad for more than five years!  Such real-life experiences really enrich class discussions.

Some of the great news stories on Africa over the past 24 hours:

The Southern African Development Community is set for new talks on Zimbabwe.

Ghana has qualified for the World Cup!

Unfortunately, former UN employee Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein Hussein was jailed for wearing trousers in Sudan. Apparently, she is now free after the country’s journalist union paid her fine.

Madagascar’s new government still isn’t getting recognition from southern Africa.

And floods in West Africa have killed at least 159 people.