Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe refused to resign on Sunday, but “instead delivered a meandering speech on state television that made clear the 93-year-old leader has no plans to leave power,” the Washington Post reports. Earlier in the day, Mugabe’s own ZANU-PF had dismissed him from the party, warning him to resign by noon on Monday or face impeachment. Mugabe, who is currently under house arrest, said however that matters would be settled in next month’s party congress, prompting questions over whether “he is showing signs of senility” or “displaying the same shrewd, stubborn ability to defy his critics that has kept him afloat for decades.”

Mugabe’s story reminds the Council of Foreign Relations’ Elliott Abrams of Hosni Mubarak. But while Mubarak tried to pass the torch to his son, Mugabe’s downfall came as he tried to position his wife as his successor.

Other international stories of note:

Germany heading for new elections? We won’t say Angela Merkel is one of our peeps, but Germany has been a reliable partner for Egypt on the security and economy fronts like, so color us interested that her bid to form a new government has failed, opening the door to new elections if she can’t cobble together a coalition. Bloomberg has the story.

We’re still trying to get our heads around the notion that Norway’s sovereign wealth fund could sell off USD 35 bn in oil and natural gas stocks, giving a boost to the folks fighting climate change.