Why is there such uncritical acceptance of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's conviction in the US?

Lost in the diplomatic outrage, the headlines and the motives of Libya - which, again, are not implausible - is a simple matter of legal rectitude. Libya may or may not have been responsible for the attack - its previous admissions of responsibility are not to be taken at face value - and Megrahi is probably no angel either, as few people working for the Libyan secret service (or any secret for that matter) are. The problem is one of due process and the irregularities are so glaring that Scotland's own legal review board has called the conviction into question. Convictions can only be secured on available evidence and testimony, which, in this case, are flimsy to threadbare. We mightn't like it (or like Gaddafi's squalid, brutal regime) but it is highly unlikely that Abdelbaset al-Megrahi planted the bomb on Pan Am Flight 103. That the US media is failing to report this side of the story is a dereliction of journalistic duty.

Read more from Oliver Farry who shows the flimsy evidence that was used to convict Megrahi. 

US of Africa

This week, The African Executive Magazine spoke out on the clamour for the formation of a United States of Africa proclaiming, "we do not need a United States of Africa." According to the magazine, the African Union (AU) summit issued a road-map to a federation of African States (Accra Declaration) without mentioning a single idea on political or economic freedom for African citizens.

Read here as Ken Teyie advises African states to move away from ideology onto action that will lead to economic growth.