TWO news stories from recent days eloquently reveal the madness of a world order that we have come to accept as normal, as “the way things are”.

A senior member of Muammar Gaddafi’s inner circle slipped into Niger along with three carloads of collaborators, an official said, but the toppled Libyan leader was not among them nor were any members of his immediate family.

The government of Niger has ordered the expulsion of 150,000 Arab refugees from Chad and neighbouring countries who have lived there for decades.