Last Summer a barrel of oil still did 147 dollars, now the price has plunged to a meager 40 dollars. A bit of a problem when your government budget is based for 90 percent on oil revenues, like in Angola. Politicians there are becoming very anxious: last year the country's future was still being painted in golden colors, now there will actually have to be cutbacks on government spending. World Bank economist Ricardo Gazel foresees a shrinking of the Angolan economy in 2009. Thus the Southern African country pays the price of its economic monoculture: now oil prices have collapsed the spectacular economic growth proves to be built on sand. Economics have been warning for this all along. That's why Gazel hopes the issue will be an incentive to finally make a serious effort to diversify Angolan economy.

Woken up this morning by two cheerful text messages on my mobile and a mailbox full of the latest news. The Rwandese say they've arrested rebel leader Laurent Nkunda. The Congolese Tutsi and his militia have been wreaking havoc in Eastern Congo, which led to the flight of tens of thousands of civilians the last couple of months. Nkunda's seems to have lost his credit with Rwanda. The relief in Bukavu is enormous. When I was staying in the city on Lake Kivu last month, many told me about their fears to fall into the hands of the troops of the Tutsi rebel, remembering all to well the horror of 2004 when this actually happened. 22-year-old Beni had been having nightmares ever since Nkunda had threatened to take in Goma in November. Not everybody in Bukavu believes that he really has been caught though: neighbouring country Rwanda is deeply distrusted by the Eastern Congolese. And unfortunately Nkunda is not the only problem standing in the way of a lasting peace in the area. But his arrest is a beginning, and maybe at least Beni will finally get a good night's sleep again.