The Governments of the Republic of Zambia and of Federal Republic of Brazil have signed eight agreements and two memoranda of understanding to enhance cooperation between the two countries.

During the signing ceremony at State House this morning, the two countries signed the MoU on Food and Nutritional Security and Humanitarian Assistance aimed at implementing a project called ‘Zero Hunger Zambia’.

The MoU will involve the two countries and the World Food Programme, where Brazil contributes 200, 000 US dollars.

The Second MoU in the Field of Sports will focus on support and promotion of sports, exchange of technical visits, courses, seminars, conferences and other matters related to sports administration.

The other agreement which the two countries has signed is in the field of biofuels, which will focus on building capacity and sharing experience regarding the production of change of biofuels from renewable bio mass and other non fuel raw materials.

[pullquote]The two countries also signed the Visa exemption which will allow nationals from both Zambia and Brazil exempted from Visa requirements to enter and leave the territory of the two nations for a period not exceeding 90 days.[/pullquote]

Other agreements include the vocational training which will focus on training technical skills, the health agreement which will focus on training of capacity building for health professionals, and the complementary agreement under the health sector agreement.

Others include the culture cooperation agreement aimed at enhancing mutual awareness between the two countries, the Education agreement which will focus on the exchange of scholars to do under graduate and post graduate courses between the two countries.

The two countries also signed the Visa exemption which will allow nationals from both Zambia and Brazil exempted from Visa requirements to enter and leave the territory of the two nations for a period not exceeding 90 days.

The last agreement was on the remuneration activities by dependants of diplomatic staff.

Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande signed on behalf of the Zambian government, while Celso Amorin, Brazilian International relations Minister signed on behalf of Brazil.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by president Rupiah Banda and his visiting Brazilian counterpart Lula da Silva.

[QFM]

Operation Young Vote (OYV) has expressed delight at the number of young people who have shown interest in registering as voters in the on going voter registration exercise. OYV President Guess Nyirenda said a number of young people have been flocking to various registration centers to register as voters since the exercise begun last month.

Mr. Nyirenda told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka on Wednesday that this is a good indication for the young people interested in acquiring voters cards.
He also said the decision by the Zambian Police to abolish the fees in acquiring police report for those who lost the voters cards would also encourage more people acquire the voter’s cards.

Mr. Nyirenda has meanwhile appealed to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to intensify publicity of the exercise for more people to register.
He said although the response especially from Lusaka has been good, many people were still not aware of the registration exercise in their areas due to lack of publicity.

He added that a number of people have complained over lack of sensitisation and called on ECZ to make their presence known in respective centres.
“The voter registration exercise has been well received by the majority the only problem is that there is little information on the part of ECZ to inform the people in the various wards of where the exercise is been conducted. So if ECZ could intensity their publicity it is likely that there will be high turnout” he said.

Mr. Nyirenda has also called on cooperating partners to help ECZ with funds to do more sensitisation on the exercise.

He has meanwhile disclosed that his organisation is conducting road shows and media sensitisation programmes to people on the on going exercise.
Over 11,000 people had by last week registered as voters in the on-going voter registration exercise in Lusaka .

ZANIS

Former Defense Minister, George Mpombo and Patriotic Front leader, Michael Sata have have both refused to apologise for the various statement that they publicly issued recently.

Mr. Mpombo said he had no intentions of apologizing for having referred to republican Vice President, George Kunda as the most stupid Vice President Zambia has ever had because it is the truth.

Mr. Mpombo, who is Kafulafuta Member of Parliament, has described Independent Churches of Zambia ICOZ board Chairperson, Rev David Masupa as another government megaphone.

Mr. Mpombo said Reverend Masupa does not even have a Church which he presides over and that he is merely using ICOZ as a tool to reap government institutions of resources to survive on.

He accused Reverend Masupa of surviving on handouts from government because he is a man of misplaced priorities.

Mr. Mpombo told QFM in a telephone interview that he will not allow himself to be lured into such unnecessary apologies by anyone stating that he is sure of what he said.

He has further cautioned Reverend Masupa against making unwarranted statements all in the name of serving Zambians through his church organization.

And PF leader, Michael Sata has vowed that he will neither apologize nor defend himself over his claims that Chadian President Idris Debry recently sneaked into the country to hold talks with President Rupiah Banda on an oil deal.

[pullquote]The PF leader wondered why it had taken the government this long to speak out over the issue when the same officials were quick to respond and apologize to United Party for National Development UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema over the statement that republican president Rupiah Banda made about his wife.[/pullquote]

Reacting to calls by Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations, Dickson Jere, for him to apologize to the nation for his untruthful statement as opposed to creating more misleading statements that the times of Zambia was stopped from publishing the purported visit of the Chadian leader, Mr Sata questioned the reason behind State House’s decision to respond to his allegations four weeks after he challenged government to explain itself that the Chadian leader sneaked into the country for talks over an oil deal.

The PF leader wondered why it had taken the government this long to speak out over the issue when the same officials were quick to respond and apologize to United Party for National Development UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema over the statement that republican president Rupiah Banda made about his wife.

Mr Sata has since stated that he will neither apologize nor defend himself over any remarks he has made pertaining to the purported secret visit by the Chadian leader.

QFM

Political parties have announced their candidates for the Chifubu and Luena parliamentary by-elections scheduled for August 5.

The nominations for the candidates for the two parliamentary seats are expected to take place today.

The Chifubu seat fell vacant after the death of area Member of Parliament (MP) Benson Bwalya who belonged to the Patriotic Front (PF) while the Luena seat fell vacant after the resignation of Charles Milupi, who has since formed the Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD).

Mr Milupi would recontest the by-election on the ADD ticket.

In an interview in Lusaka yesterday, MMD spokesperson Dora Siliya said the ruling party had adopted Ndola business executive Frank Ng’ambi as its candidate for the Chifubu seat.

Ms Siliya said Mr Ng’ambi was also the provincial vice-treasurer for the party on the Copperbelt, and that he was a qualified accountant.

With regard to the Luena seat, Ms Siliya said the party had adopted a teacher, Mwangala Maopu, who she said had lived in the constituency for more than 30 years.

Ms Siliya said the other aspiring candidates who were not successful should support the candidature of Mr Ng’ambi and Mr Maopu.

The United Party for National Development (UPND) has adopted former Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) executive director Muyunda Ililonga as the party’s candidate for Luena.

At a Press briefing, UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma said the national executive committee of the party had received various applications but that Mr Ililonga was the most preferred.

When asked who the PF candidate for the Chifubu by-election was, party spokesperson Given Lubinda said the successful applicant would be known today.

“Send your people to Chifubu and you will get the name of the candidate there,” Mr Lubinda said.

But some sections of the media yesterday reported that Ndola business executive and farmer Susan Kawandami had been picked to run for the position.

And UNIP secretary general Jemima Banda said the party had nominated Mutakela Mutakela, a local business executive, to contest in Luena while Poko Mambwe, an educationist, would vie for the Chifubu seat.
[ Times of Zambia ]

Government has demanded for an apology from The Post Newspaper and Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata for the lies they have been perpetuating against President Rupiah Banda and his government.

Chief Government Spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha said the Post Newspaper, in its desperate and fruitless campaign against President Rupiah Banda’s government has continued to peddle lies through its spokesperson PF leader Michael Sata and others.

Lieutenant General Shikapwasha who is also Information and Broadcasting Minister said the conduct of the Post Newspaper leaves much to be desired.

He said the Newspaper has conducted its self so unethically and unprofessionally that requests for an apology or retraction of falsehoods it has published, have gone unheeded.

He stated in a statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka Wednesday that it has not been too long ago that the Post Newspaper, quoting their usual non-existing sources, lied that South African President Jacob Zuma was not aware of President Banda’s visit to that country when in fact, the two heads of state were meeting at the time in South Africa.

The Minister said government proved this fact, but that as usual, the Post never retracted their false story.

He further said at the height of the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) debates, the Post lied that Zambia has had a 50 plus one electoral provision in the constitution.

Lt Gen Shikapwasha said the paper never retracted the lie even when it was clearly proved that this had never been the case in the country’s constitutional history.

“And few days ago, State House Chief of Staff Dr Austin Sichinga, in a statement, dismissed more lies by the Post Newspaper where it was shamelessly alleged that Chadian President Idris Derbie Itno, had sneaked into the country and held a meeting with President Banda in Mfuwe”, He stated.

He said Dr Sichinga also went to great lengths to clarify and confirm the fact that President Banda never flew to Cape Town for review of his knee on his way for a state visit in Namibia recently.

“I shudder to imagine this is the newspaper in the forefront of calling for voluntary media regulation: to volunteer more lies unrestrained?” Lt Gen Shikapwasha asked.

He said Government wishes to assure the people of Zambia that it has a duty to protect them from falsehoods and disinformation because such have potential to breed disharmony and disunity in the nation.

“To this effect, Government demands that the Post Newspaper and Mr Sata apologies, unreservedly for the lies they have been perpetuating against his Excellency President Rupiah Bwezani Banda and his government. This is the correct and honorable thing to do”, the Minister stated.

ZANIS

President Rupiah Banda’s Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations, Dickson Jere, has challenged opposition Patriotic Front leader, Michael Sata to learn to tell the truth and desist from dragging innocent people into unnecessary politics.

Mr. Jere asked Mr. Sata not to use him (Jere) as a scapegoat for the alleged lies he (Sata) told the nation that Chadian President Idris Derby had secretly come to Zambia to hold talks with President Banda in Mfuwe.

He said it was unfortunate that the PF leader has decided to use him as a scapegoat for the wrong things he told the nation.

Mr Jere was reacting to Mr. Sata’s statement in today’s Post Newspaper that Mr. Jere telephoned an editor at the Times of Zambia not to publish the story about the alleged secret visit by Mr. Derby,

He said in a statement to ZANIS in Lusaka today that at no time did he telephone the Times of Zambia or any other news media organisation to drop the alleged story.

Mr. Jere challenge Mr. Sata to name an editor whom he said was instructed to drop the story concerning the purposed visit by Mr. Derby to hold private talks with President Banda.

He added that the best thing Mr. Sata should do is to apologise to Zambia for his untruthful statement instead of creating more misleading statement that the time of Zambia newspaper was stopped from publishing the purported story.

Mr. Jere reiterated that President Derby never came to Zambia .

“The truth still remains that President Derby was never in Zambia . I challenge Mr. Sata and indeed the media to countercheck this basic fact with the Chadian government,” he said.

ZANIS

The Centre for Elections and Governance has strongly condemned former Defence Minister George Mpombo for saying that Vice President George Kunda is the most stupid vice president the country has ever had.

Centre for Elections and governance Geshorm Musonda said the remarks attributed to Mr. Mpombo lacked civility and portrayed personal hatred against the vice president.

Mr Musonda said the use of unpalatable language by political leaders could lead to physical violence and blood shed in the country. He told ZANIS in Lusaka on Tuesday that Mr Mpombo should have respect for Mr. Kunda, Republican Vice President, adding that it was wrong to call him stupid. Mr. Musonda said Mr. Kunda was elected by the people of Zambia and therefore insulting him was tantamount to insulting the people of Zambia.

He urged NGOs and the civil society to defend and protect those in authority from unwarranted attacks from politicians like Mr. Mpombo. Mr. Musonda said no single Zambian would support Mr. Mpombo’s utterances and total disrespect to those in authority. He appealed to MMD to show leadership by not responding to Mr. Mpombo;s remarks.

ZANIS