Today

Had a very useful meeting with the Director Mark Ashurst and Researcher Aoiffe O'Brien of the Africa Research Institute. Mark Ashurst had just returned from Tanzania, where he said the Parliament was doing useful work in highlighting allegations of corruption against former President Benjamin Mkapa and other senior members of the ruling CCM party.

It was very sad to hear today that my old friend and colleague Russell Johnston had died in Paris. The last conversation I had with him about three weeks ago he said he was feeling tired after treatment for cancer of the bone marrow, but the doctors had told him this was natural and he would find that he would gradually regain his strength. He must have been feeling a bit better to have gone to Paris, and another friend said he thought Russell had had a stroke. e certainly will miss him.

JW beat me 2-0 at ping pong both yesterday and today, so I'm now only one game ahead at 83-82.