Zimbabwe leaders resume power-sharing talks. On Monday, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai resumed their power-sharing talks, mediated by South African President Thabo Mbeki, reports The Associated Press. The talks, which follow June’s disputed run-off election, have been at a standstill. The main point they can’t seem to agree on is how much power Mugabe should give up. Tsvangirai (who believes he fairly won the first round of elections in March, and says he dropped out of June’s race because of government-sponsored violence against his supporters) wants Mugabe to be only a ceremonial president while he holds most of the power. If that doesn’t happen, he wants “elections under international supervision and see who will carry the day,” he said at a Movement for Democratic Change party rally Sunday.  Mugabe, the country’s longtime leader, is opposed to relinquishing power and recently threatened to go ahead and appoint a Cabinet without help from Tsvangirai. But the opposition leader made it clear he’s not budging. “We should not be pushed into a deal. We would rather have no deal than get a bad deal,” he said at the rally. He has also been vocal about the South African president’s effectiveness as a mediator, saying that President Mbeki is biased toward Mugabe and should be relieved of his duties, reports the news service. “The biggest problem we have is there are people who are putting pressure on the MDC, not (on) Mugabe,” Tsvangirai said at the rally.

Swaziland king catches heat for flossin’ at his party. Last weekend’s party in Swaziland , celebrating both King Mswati III’s 40^th birthday and the African nation’s 40^th independence day, left many up in arms. The lavish event, which could have cost anywhere between $2.5 million and $12.5 million, have many people wondering why so much money would be spent on a single shindig while most of the nation is struggling. Swaziland has the highest AIDS rate in the world and, ironically, only 25 percent of citizens reach the age of 40. Hit hard by the AIDS epidemic, life expectancy in the nation is less than 31 years, reports CNN. Despite those depressing stats, King Mswati III was driven around a stadium in a BMW in front of thousands of cheering people during the celebration. Before the event, people protested against its high cost. “I’m aware that many in the world might be wondering why we are so excited about the celebrations of our 40^th anniversary. The answer is simple. We are celebrating our nationhood,” King Mswati told the audience. That was the closest he came to acknowledging his citizen’s general discontent, adding that citizens should do more to fight AIDS and appealing to tourists. “We are telling a world full of prejudices that we are a happy nation in spite of the challenges that face us,” he said. Zimbabwe leader Robert Mugabe made an appearance as well and was greeted by cheers from the crowd. A controversial and unpopular figure in the international community, many in the region like Mugabe for his stance against the West. The king and his 13 wives have been criticized for their expensive lifestyle. Adding fuel to those concerns, eight of his wives hopped a plane and flew to Dubai ahead of the party to buy birthday outfits.