Last year, Mutharika expelled a British envoy who was quoted criticizing him in a leaked diplomatic cable, straining relations with one of Malawi's largest foreign donors.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The presence of the British trade envoy Lord Risby and the Algerian energy minister is a reminder that oil and not just security is high on the agenda here.

BBC: Neighbourhood watch not mission creep

In an unusually blunt new pamphlet for the Centre for European Reform, the former British diplomat and special envoy takes on several tenets of Brussels conventional wisdom on the Cyprus dispute.

ECONOMIST: European politics

Tony Blair, the former British prime minister and envoy of the so-called Quartet (America, Russia, the UN and the EU) is discredited in the eyes of many Arabs, not just for his war in Iraq but also for supposedly favouring Israel.

ECONOMIST: Charlemagne

Andrew Pinder, the "e-Envoy", urged delegates at the Confederation of British Industry conference to back a campaign to persuade Mr Brown of the importance of broadband services.

BBC: Brown 'blocking UK internet drive'

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is now an international envoy focusing on Israel and the Palestinians, met separately with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday, emphasizing desires for a stable cease-fire that would ensure Israel's security.

CNN: EU sending delegation to Middle East

On Monday, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown - now the UN's Special Envoy for Global Education - said he was launching a petition in Malala's name "in support of what Malala fought for".

BBC: Malala Yousafzai: Taliban shooting victim flown to UK

The visit, which came a day after former British Prime Minister Tony Blair made his first trip as new Mideast peace envoy, is part of a flurry of diplomatic efforts meant to restart peace talks after a seven-year lull.

NPR: Arab League Presents Peace Plan to Israel