MBABANE, Aug 27, 2007 (AFP) - Swazi maidens started arriving on Monday at the country's spiritual capital Ludzidzini ahead of this week's annual reed dance, where bare-breasted virgins dance before Africa's last absolute monarch.

A royal announcement aired on state radio summoned all maidens to register on Tuesday and be dispatched by King Mswati III to cut the reeds on the banks of Mbuluzana River in the picturesque Bhamsakhe area on Wednesday.

MBABANE, Aug 14, 2007 (AFP) - Swaziland's King Mswati III, Africa's last absolute monarch, has said a controversial ban on party politics in the kingdom would remain in place, local media reported Tuesday.

Mswati was speaking to the press after returning from a meeting in Malaysia during which he was quoted by media there as saying political parties were now free to operate as the country embarks on democratic reforms.

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 9, 2007 (AFP) - A total of 28 people died and hundreds of homes were destroyed by a series of forest fires which have swept through parts of South Africa and Swaziland since the end of last month, officials said Thursday.

'26 deaths have been reported thus far,' in South Africa alone, said a statement issued after a cabinet meeting Wednesday.

Two people were reported dead as a result of the fire in neighbouring Swaziland.

MBABANE, Aug 8, 2007 (AFP) - Swaziland's government has opened talks with Egypt in a bid to end the impoverished country's shortage of medicinal drugs for hospitals, a spokesman for the prime minister said Wednesday.

'Our talks with Egypt are already at an advanced stage such that we are expecting to sign on the dotted line soon and that would come as a relief to the country's ailing health system,' said spokesman Percy Simelane.

MBABANE, Aug 2, 2007 (AFP) - Trade union leaders in Swaziland have threatened more strikes to force Africa's last absolute monarchy to reform, arguing that the lack of democracy is crippling the economy.

A two-day strike, the biggest in a decade, brought the tiny landlocked country to a standstill last week, and union leaders are threatening further stoppages, refusing to back down unless their demands are met.

JOHANNESBURG, July 30, 2007 (AFP) - At least 21 people have been killed and hundreds of homes destroyed by a series of forest fires which have swept through parts of South Africa and Swaziland, officials said Monday.

Thirteen people died in the rural parts of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province while six firefighters died in neighbouring Mpumalanga over the weekend, said Hilgard Matthews, a spokesman for the water affairs and forestry department.

HLUTHI, Swaziland, July 29, 2007 (AFP) - Swaziland, one of Africa's poorest and most drought-hit countries, is a test ground for a biofuel crop which its champions believe can transform the farming sector and generate vital revenue.

'I do not use the word 'life-changing' lightly but I was amazed when I first saw this plant,' said pop star-turned activist Bob Geldof of the giant jatropha plants that are being cultivated on a farm in southern Swaziland.

'I had never seen something like this in my 23 years of my involvement in Africa.'

MBABANE, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - Swaziland ground to a halt Thursday as thousands of workers staged the country`s biggest demonstration for over a decade in a push for multi-party democracy in Africa`s last absolute monarchy.

As riot police and plain-clothed officers kept a close eye on a mass march in the capital Mbabane, union leaders warned such shows of strength would be repeated if King Mswati III and his government did not meet their demands.

MBABANE, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - Tens of thousands of striking public sector workers gathered Thursday in Swaziland`s capital for a second day of mass protests to demand the introduction of multi-party democracy.

Riot police kept a close eye on marchers arriving from surrounding villages, searching their bags, to avoid the repetition of violence that marred the protests in the country`s second city of Manzini on Wednesday.

At least two shops were looted and one person detained for violent acts when marchers brought the city to a standstill.

MBABANE, July 24, 2007 (AFP) - A United Nations relief agency on Tuesday appealed for 15.6 million dollars (12.5 million euros) in humanitarian aid for more than 400,000 people facing starvation in Swaziland.

'The government of Swaziland is doing all it can, but needs our support. Hundreds of thousands of people face hunger, illness and severe hardship in the coming months and it is critical that we get life-saving activities up and running as quickly as possible,' said UN emergency relief coordinator John Holmes.

MBABANE, July 24, 2007 (AFP) - Swaziland, the last absolute monarchy in Africa, is expected to come to a standstill on Wednesday as thousands of government employees embark on a strike in a push for multi-party democracy.

Teachers, nurses, workers at financial institutions and pressure groups would all take part in the stopppage, starting in the capital Mbabane on Wednesday, and moving to the second city of Manzini on Thursday.