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LusakaTimes hits reach 1.14m for June.

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By Lusaka Times Reporter

Zambia’s new media online publication Lusaka Times received 1.14 million (1 142 059 ) hits for the month of June. This represents the highest record of visit hits since the web site launch in January 2007.

Lusaka Times is an online newspaper that aims to provide Zambian news for free as it breaks on a consistent basis, and give its readers the opportunity to comment on the issues raised in the content.

Lusaka Times Online board member Timothy Kasonde Kasolo said the 1.14 million hit mark represents a great achievement for the team adding that the group is committed to adding more value to the experience our readers have every time they visit the site.
“We are happy that we have reached the 1 million hits mark in just a short period of time. We have been in existent for less than one and a half years. We thank our readers who have made this possible and we don’t take their contribution for granted. We continue to do everything in our capacity to improve on quality and timely delivery of Zambian content to their browsers,” Kasolo explained.

He added that Lusaka Times Online has taken advantage of the innovation of using the available and appropriate technology in order to add value to the development of new media technology in Zambia.

“Our site runs purely on modern technology based on web 2.0. The 1 million hit mark symbolizes that Lusaka Times Online readers both in Zambia and in the Diaspora want to be informed on what is happening in their own country in a timely manner and that they have an opinion on the issues in Zambia,” Kasolo explained.

He further explained that Lusaka Times Online is still working on some more innovations to bring to the site in the next six month so that the site becomes a primary source of information on business, politics, sports, economy, lifestyle and many more categories. The aim is to provide the best and consistent online content on Zambia.

“When it comes to innovation we are there, we want the site to be the primary source of information on Zambian content. Currently there are still a number of challenges that we face in terms of the quality of content, learning new bad words for our comment filter system on a daily basis and ability to produce good quality football league tables on the fly,” Kasolo added. “These are the issues we are working on in the next six months and with high traffic we might have to improve our comments flood control system to avoid the ‘slow down you are posting too fast error’“

Alleged Rapists Tongue Sliced

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A 23-year-old man of Mfungwe Village in Paramount Chief Chitimukulu’s area in Mungwi District has had his tongue sliced-off by a woman he attempted to rape.

The incident happened last week when the man tried to kiss the woman whilst trying to have unlawful sex with her.

The man identified as Emmanuel Mulenga, was initially admitted to Kasama General Hospital, but has since been discharged after undergoing treatment on his injured tongue.

Local police who revealed the development to ZANIS in Kasama, said the man would be formally charged with attempted rape after his release from hospital.

The police said the fact that the suspect had his tongue cut-off during the attempted rape was enough prove that the man had intent to commit a crime.

Recently, Northern Province Commanding Police officer Charles Lungu said the police were still waiting for the suspect to be discharged from hospital before slapping him with an appropriate charge.

Mr. Lungu said the suspect was kept under police guard while receiving treatment on his tongue at the hospital.

He further explained that the woman managed to escape the sexual ordeal after she bit her assailant’s tongue as he tried to kiss her.

The suspect would appear in court soon for attempted rape.

ZANIS/WS/MK/ENDS

AU Mandates SADC on ZIM

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The 11th Ordinary Session of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) has recommended that Southern African Development Community (SADC),s mediation efforts in Zimbabwe should continue in order to assist the people and the leadership of Zimbabwe resolve their political problems.

The AU said SADC under the leadership of President Levy Mwanawasa should establish a mechanism on the ground to quickly find a negotiated solution to the problems in Zimbabwe.

This is contained in the draft resolution on Zimbabwe, released towards the closure of the two-day AU Egypt summit.
ZANIS reports The African heads of state said they were happy with the willingness of political leaders of Zimbabwe to enter into negotiations to etstablish a government of national unity.

They urged President Mugabe and leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Morgan Tsvangirai to honour their commitment to initiate dialogue in order to promote peace, stability, democracy and reconciliation of the Zimbabwean people.

The African heads of State said they supported calls for the creation of a government of national unity in Zimbabwe and were happy that discussions on this matter had already started under the facilitation of SADC.

The presidents appealed to states and all parties concerned to refrain from any action that may negatively impact on the climate of dialogue.

“In the spirit of all SADC initiatives, the AU remains convinced that the people of Zimbabwe will be able to resolve their differences and work together once again as one nation provided they receive undivided support from SADC, the AU and the world at large,” the draft resolution said.

They registered deeply concerned over loss of life and negative reports of SADC, the AU and the Pan-African Parliamentary observers on the Zimbabwean Presidential run-off elections held on June 27 this year.

They commended SADC, South African President Thembo Mbeki and the chairperson of AU Jean Ping for their on-going work aimed at reconciling the political parties in Zimbabwe.

The leaders recognised however that the political situation in Zimbabwe was very complex to deal with.

ZANIS/MB/MK/ENDS

Kansanshi Mining Plc Empowers Locals

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Kansanshi Mining plc has embarked on a bio-diesel project planting jatropha trees to reduce poverty among people living in the mining peripheral.

Kansanshi Mining plc Environmental Manager, Richard Zyambo disclosed during the stakeholders meeting held at Floriana Lodge in Solwezi today.

Mr. Zyambo said the company has purchased 8000 jatropha seeds to be planted by peasant farmers in the mining areas.

He said the project has also been extended to out grower schemes to the surrounding communities of Kabwela and Mushitala.

He disclsoed that last season , 100,000 trees were planted in the mining plantation.

Mr. Zyambo however said the company could not achieve the outgrower target of 200,000 trees due to lack of commitment by the farmers who could not utilize the seeds which they got.

He urged farmers living in areas that are either disturbed by water logging or charcoal burning to take keen interest in growing jatropha plants as this will enable them generate income and shift their attention from charcoal burning.

He added that the company is in the process of revamping the bee keeping project to assist the farmers.

Mr. Zyambo said jatropha is a source of energy which has less environmental impact hence the need for all stakeholders to support the project and safeguard the environment.

Meanwhile, Chief Mumena expressed concern at the growing number of illegal chacoal burning in the district a situation he described as worrying as it is depleting the environment.
ZABNIS EC/MM/SC/MK/ENDS

Zambia drops on FIFA ranking

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Zambia has in June lost three points to slump down to 14th position in Africa from 11th last month.

ZANIS reports FIFA/ Coca Cola continental rankings showing that Zambia has in the month of June scored 462 points from 465 points the senior team had in May.

The senior chipolopolos boys have in the month of June lost three vital points to take the 70 th position in the world with 462 points on the FIFA world rankings.

Cameroon still leads the table as the best team in Africa and has attained three more points to 1041 points followed Ghana who have 986 points although the latter has dropped three points.

On the world rankings, the West African giants are the 13 th in the world having attained 1041 points and are 55 points ahead of the 2008 Confederation of African (CAF) championships hosts Ghana, who lost two points to end the month of June with 986 points.

The 2008 Africa champions, Egypt are on the third best African country having gained seven points to be at 848 points.

The Pharaohs are 23 best in the world with 848 points having gone up seven points.

Cote D’viore is on fourth position having lost three points and 10 points less than the Pharaohs but are ahead of Nigeria and Morocco who have both attained five points to have 709 and 690 points, respectively.

Guinea is seventh best in Africa with 679 points having dropped a point and are followed by Senegal and Mali who have 667 and 630 points, respectively.

North African giants Tunisia are on 10 th position with 594 points while Angola and Bafana Bafana of South Africa are 11th and 12th best in Africa with 556 and 556 points, respectively.

Neighbouring Zimbabwe and Mozambique are neck to neck on 18th and 19 th position and have scored 367 and 344 points, respectively.

Trailing the table are Somali and Central African Republican with no points at all probably due to the continued war situations in there.

On the world rankings, Argentina is still the best in the World closely followed by their neighbour Brazil at 1559 and 1513 points although the latter has lost five points.

2008 World Cup champions , Italy are third best in the world having attained 28 points to end the month of May with 1424 points.

Spain who the new Europeans champions having beaten tough tested German by a lone goal, Sunday, have lost 20 points on the FIFA rankings to be fourth with 1274 points.

German closely follows them at 1274 points having attained 10 points in May. The Netherlands is the 10th best trailing England at 1111 and 1123 respectively.
ZANIS/MM/ENDS

Levy Evacuated to France for Specialist Treatment

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President Levy Mwanawasa has been evacuated to Paris , France for further specialist medical treatment.

Vice President Rupiah Banda disclosed the development to ZANIS in a press statement last evening.

Mr. Banda said President Mwanawasa was seen off by Egyptian Minister of Health Dr. H Elgabaly , Zambia Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande, Finance Minister Ng’andu Magande , Tourism Minister Michael Kaingu , Local government and housing Minister Sylvia Masebo.

Others that saw him off included Justice Minister George Kundu and Lusaka Province Minister Lameck Mangani.

Dr. Mwanawasa is accompanied by First Lady Maureen Mwanawasa , his daughter , Chipo , Health Minister Dr. Brian Chituwo and State House Minister for Presidential Affairs Cecil homes

Mr. Banda however said Dr. Mwanawasa’s condition still remains stable.

Dr. Mwanawasa on Sunday suffered a stroke in Egypt were he was attending the two day 11th Africa Union (AU) Heads of States and Government summit that closed today.

He was hospitalized in El Sheikh International hospital were he was being attended to by doctors.

Mr. Banda said Egyptian president Hosni Mubaraki, Tazanian President Jakaya Kitwete , Ghanaian President John Kufuor, Malawi’s Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika and Namibia Hifikepunye Pohamba visited Dr. Mwanawasa in hospital.

Meanwhile Mr. Banda said government has continued to receive several messages wishing Dr. Mwanawasa a speedy recovery from various heads of state and government.

And the Bishops Fellowship of Lusaka will tomorrow hold a national prayer meeting for President Levy Mwanawasa’s healing .

The Bishops said in a press statement in Lusaka today that the prayer meeting will be held at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross at 14 hours.

The Bishops are urging all Christians and members of the public to attend the prayer meeting to pray for president Mwanawasa who is hospitalized in Egypt .

And the MMD in Northern Province have engaged in prayers for the quick recovery of President Levy Mwanawasa who suffered a stroke in Egypt on Sunday.

MMD provincial vice secretary Jairus Simunyola made the disclosure in press statement released to ZANIS in Kasama today.

He said the party in the province has received the illness of President Mwanawasa with great shock and sadness.
Mr. Simunyola urged Zambians to continue praying for President Mwanawasa so that he could recovery quickly and move the country forward in development.

Mr. Simunyola said President Mwanawasa is key to Africa’s development as he is a proponent of peace and unity among African countries.

He hoped that the President’s would recovery quickly so that he can help in resolving the problems being faced on the Africa continent and the world as whole.

ZANIS/MK/ENDS.

Attainment of good water supply and sanitation still a big challenge-Levy

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Most African countries are finding difficulties to score remarkable achievements towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on water and sanitation by 2015 because of the ever increasing urban populations.

In a speech read for him by Finance and National Planning Minister, Ng’andu Magande at the ongoing African Union summit in Egypt, President Mwanawasa said internal and external conflicts Africa has been experiencing were also making it difficult for the continent to achieve the MDGs.

Dr Mwanawasa said it was easy to focus on water and sanitation in peaceful environments, and very difficult to do so in conflict areas.

He said conflicts on the continent were resulting in displacement of people thereby making it difficult for them to access basic social facilities such as water and sanitation.

Dr. Mwanawasa said that some countries in Africa have performed better while others still lag behind in meeting their developmental goals.

He said Africa could not claim to have registered economic growth if the majority of its people lacked access to water and sanitation services.

The President said sanitation was key to sustainable social and economic development as lack of it could cause misery through disease and ill-health thereby reducing productivity.

Although there have been pronouncements at national, regional and continental level on how to tackle sanitary issues, there has been no meaningful and visible progress in addressing the problem.

In the case of Zambia, Dr. Mwanawasa observed that proper development of sanitation and water supply infrastructure was being hampered by unplanned urban settlements which were attracting scores of the rural poor.

This made it difficult and costly for local authorities to provide adequate water and sanitation services to the communities.

Dr. Mwanawasa said well planned urban and peri-urban settlements would provide solutions to sanitation and water supply problems the continent was currently experiencing.

"In this regard, I call upon the African Union to support capacity building in the area of urban planning and development," President Mwanawasa said.

Dr. Mwanawasa said with a population of 11.6 million, four million of whom live in urban areas, the sanitation problem in Zambia was still a major challenge.

In 2004, the country's national coverage for water supply stood at 53 percent while sanitation stood at 23 percent.

The president said the country has since embarked on the development of integrated national programmes to improve water supply, sanitation and hygiene in rural, urban and peri-urban areas and set targets of 60 percent for sanitation and 75 percent for water to be achieved by 2015.

He said the programmes would continue to be implemented until the country attained "universal coverage" by the year 2030".

Dr. Mwanawasa said through these programmes, the country intended to alleviate the suffering of the people and contribute to poverty reduction.

The 11th Ordinary session of the AU Heads of State and Government summit opened yesterday in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El Sheikh.

The summit is scheduled to officially close today.

[ZANIS]

UPND wishes Levy a quick recovery

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The opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) has wished President Levy Mwanawasa a quick recovery.

Dr. Mwanawasa on Sunday suffered a stroke while on national duty in Egypt and was subsequently admitted to Sharm-El-Sheikh International Hospital in that country.

UPND president, Hakainde Hichilema, said the general membership, staff and management of his party have been saddened with the illness of Dr Mwanawasa in Egypt.

Mr. Hichilema said in a statement to ZANIS in Lusaka today that the President’s illness has come at a wrong time when the whole world was looking to him as chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to provide leadership over the political crisis in Zimbabwe.

He said there were several other issues at home and in the SADC region which Dr Mwanawasa should attend to hence the prayer for him to recover quickly.

Mr. Hichilema has since urged other political parties and the Christian community in the country to continue praying for the speed recovery of the President.

Dr. Mwanawasa’s condition has been described as stable.

[ZANIS]

Maamba/Batooka road to cost K26 billion for rehabilitation

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The Road Development Agency (RDA) has awarded a K26 billion contract to Reubex Construction Company to do the periodic maintenance of the Maamba/Batooka road.

RDA Public Relations Officer Royce Saili told ZANIS in Sinazongwe that the contractor would work on the 88 Km road.

Ms. Saili said the scope of the work would include edge repairing, surface dressing, Asphat overlay on limited sections of the road, and road making.

She said the contractor was expected to complete the work in eight months and has already started mobilising materials and equipment to be used on the site.

The Public Relations Officer said RDA would ensure that all the temporal bridges that were put up during the last season’s floods would be worked on.

In February RDA Acting Director Erasmus Chilundika disclosed that Maamba/Batooka road was advertised for reconstruction because it had outlived its usefulness.

He said despite the floods that had washed away culverts and cut of the entire district from the rest of the country, the road had reached a rehabilitation stage.

CEEC to Commence the Disbursement of Funds

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The Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission- CEEC will next month begin the disbursement of empowerment funds to all provinces of the country.

This is in conformity with the directives issued by President Levy Mwanawasa and Commerce and Trade Minister Felix Mutati in March this year that the Commission should embark on disbursing funds within six weeks.

CEEC Chairman Jacob Sikazwe announced today at a press briefing that the funds accessed from the Commission will be strictly be for productive purposes and not social investments saying all applicants must be registered entities among other regulatory requirements.

He revealed that each province will be allocated an initial K10 billion from which 40 percent will be accessed by targeted citizens who include women, youths, physically disabled and people living with HIV and AIDS, saying the balance will then be accessed by all other citizens.

The CEEC Chairman explained that the remaining K60 billion will be approved within each province through a process guided by the Commission and that nay project above K50 million will be forwarded to the Commission for appraisal and approval.

Mr. Sikazwe said the commission has achieved a number of milestones with the roll out of the empowerment programmes

He cited the recently launched guideline to developing economic empowerment sector codes as another milestone achieved by the Commission in its work to empower the Zambian Citizens.

On the existing applications that the Commission received from the Youth Empowerment Fund (YEF) , the CEEC Chairman explained the applications would be referred to the provinces for appraisal and disbursement using the CEEC criteria and threshold.

Mr. Sikazwe said new applications must conform to the empowerment guidelines, among them being the need for the projects to be commercially viable and meeting CEEC criteria.

Other guidelines include compliance with all relevant laws and regulations in the particular area such as environmental impact assessment and job creation among others.

Sustainability and exit strategy development fund and good corporate governance are also among some of the guidelines demanded by CEEC on all new applications.

Mr. Sikazwe assured members of the public that the guidelines will be published in the public media in the next two weeks and will further be rolled out to all provinces and districts.

And Mr. Sikazwe stressed that improvement on the repayment culture is cardinal if the empowerment fund is to be sustained as a revolving fund.

He has since urged all those who will borrow from the fund to pay back so that other citizens benefit.

He noted that the success of the Citizens Economic Empowerment Policy depends on the support and participation of all Zambians through hard work.

Government approved seed money to the empowerment fund of about K150 billion which includes pooled funds from the various ministries and the 2008 budget allocation.

The Citizens Economic Empowerment is a broad based multifaceted programme aimed at ensuring the participation of targeted citizens in Zambia and is based on nine pillars of equity, ownership, management and control, skills development, access to finance, transformation of society and foreign direct investment among others.

ENDS/CBM/MK/ZANIS/………..DRY

Banda Upbeat of Under-20 Progress

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Zambia Under-20 midfielder Henry Banda says he is confident the team
will advance to the next stage of the Caf Africa Youth Championship
qualifiers.

This is despite Zambia enjoying a slender 1-0 home win over Mauritius
from their 1st round, 1 leg match played at Woodlands Stadium in
Lusaka on Sunday.

Banda stole the show on Sunday with a fine second-half performance on
his home international competitive debut after coming on late in the
first half for injured Lameck Tembo.

“It wasn’t easy for most of my teammates because it was their first
time in the national team at Under-20 level and especially playing in
front of such a big crowd cheering on Sunday,” the Zanaco midfielder
said.

“Am confident we will play better away and win again now that they
have experienced the pressure and will be more relaxed.”

Banda is not new to the Under-20 set-up after making his competitive
junior debut at the Cosafa Youth Championship in South Africa last
November.

Although he didn’t score a goal, Banda was Zambia’s biggest revelation
and an influential player from midfield despite the team’s shock 1st
round group stage exit from the Cosafa Youth Championship.

Meanwhile, Banda said is keeping his feet firmly on the ground after
attracting much attention in Zambia’s win over Mauritius at Woodlands
at the weekend.

Banda didn’t disappoint and lived up to expectations despite early
watching from the bench for the first 44 minutes.

The Zanaco midfielder constantly danced around Mauritius defence after
coming on for Tembo and left the crowd on its feet every time had the
ball and he raced into the box.

Banda said he was surprised by the massive applause he received with
every move he made on the pitch and the overnight attention he has
received since the game.

“Am a little surprised with the attention I got from the crowd during
the match and on the streets last night and today,” Banda said who
joined Zanaco this season from Kabwe Warriors.

Banda was together with Warriors striker and his former junior
international team mate Emmanuel Mayuka key in Warriors good form last
season that saw them win the BP Top 8 Cup and finish 4th last year on
Faz Premier League table.

However, his move to Zanaco this season saw him drop off the radar and
he was almost forgotten until he popped-up at Woodlands in the 44th
minute.

“I thought that people maybe knew me from Warriors last season but was
shocked by the attention I got,” Banda said.

Banda’s display against Mauritius is contrast to his form at Zanaco
where he has yet to ignite since leaving Warriors where he scored 4
goals last season.

The teenage midfielder and his Under-20 teammates return to camp in
Lusaka this Wednesday to prepare for the final 2nd leg match away in
Mauritius scheduled for the weekend of July 11-13.

And Zambia won Sunday’s game thanks to an 18th minute goal in the
first half via a free-kick from Nchanga Rangers midfielder Tom
Bakala-young brother of ex-Zambia international Ian Bakala.

The winner is likely to face Egypt in the next stage who took a big
step towards their 2nd round qualification after crushing guests
Zimbabwe 5-0 in Cairo on Sunday.

Winner from the two-way 2nd round match will qualify to the 2009
Africa Youth Championship to be played in Rwanda from January 18 to
February 1.

Chief Ishindi Ready to give MMD another Fives Years

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Chief Ishindi of the Lunda people of Northwestern Province says people in his area are ready to give President Levy Mwanawasa’s MMD government another mandate to continue in office.

Chief Ishindi said selfish individuals would not be allowed to destroy the economic development that was taking place in the area.

The traditional leader said this in Livingstone today when he paid a courtesy call on Southern Province Minister Daniel Munkombwe, who was flanked by his Permanent Secretary Darius Hakayobe.

”We are geared and ready to give this government another mandate to continue. That development we have seen in North-Western province should not be destroyed by selfish individuals who would want to come and hijack the economic gain,” he said.

He said the country’s political future demanded that people must remain united and ensure that peace prevailed.

The traditional leader observed that the people of Zambezi in Northwestern province were now enjoying the fruits of independence as the province had transformed into an economic giant.

He said other than minerals, the area had agricultural potential adding that the people in his area were united and hardworking.

”We are united in North Western province and development should change the lives of people. We are thankful to the President for bringing development to the area,” he said.

And Southern Province minister Daniel Munkombwe has called on Zambians to pray for President Levy Mwanawasa’s early recovery.

Mr. Munkombwe said the country was now going through economic recovery through President Levy Mwanawasa’s sound economic policies.

He called on the people of North Western province to continue being a leading example to those who do not want to remain isolated.

Mr. Munkombwe said North Western province is one of the provinces that voted for the MMD in the 2006 elections.

He said the ‘one Zambia One Nation’ that was advocated for by the founding fathers had laid a firm foundation which has in turn played a key role in uniting the people of Zambia.

Mr. Munkombwe said other countries envied the peace and stability that Zambia has continued to enjoy.
ZANIS /FM/MK/ENDS.

Few Zambians are accessing VCT services

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Zambia today commemorated the National Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) Day whose aim is to increase national access to VCT services.

Speaking during the commemoration whose theme is “take the lead, go for VCT,” Minister of Health Dr. Brian Chituwo said utilization of VCT services is still unacceptably low in Zambia.

Dr. Chituwo pointed out that only 15.6 percent of the population has accessed VCT services and undergone HIV/AIDS testing despite government and non-governmental organizations’ efforts to make VCT services widely available.

He stated that VCT is an entry point for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support saying focus must be directed towards vulnerable populations such as orphans, widows and the disabled.

Dr. Chituwo noted that HIV/AIDS continues to be a major public health concern to the country.

He pointed out that infection rates are still high in both urban and rural areas as they stand at 19.7 percent and 10.3 percent respectively.

Dr. Chituwo has since urged Members of Parliament, Traditional leaders, the church, civil society and other cooperating partners to mobilise all the citizens to access VCT.

Speaking earlier, United Nations Population Fund Country Representative Deji Popoola said though VCT is targeted at individuals it significantly benefits the general population as it provides information to reduce the risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV.

Dr. Popoola said wider knowledge of HIV status and its links to interventions will lead to a reduction in denial, stigma and discrimination.

And Network of Zambian People living with HIV Chairperson Mirriam Banda commended government for its commitment to providing the necessary services to reduce the HIV infection and prevalence rates.

Maureen Urges African First Ladies to Spearhead HIV/AIDS fight

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First Lady Maureen Mwanawasa has urged African First Ladies to use their positions to ensure that their respective countries and the continent achieve set goals in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

Mrs. Mwanawasa said when she officially opened the Organisation of African First Ladies Against AIDS (OAFLA) meeting at Sharm EL Sheikh, Egypt today that there was need to put great emphasis on individual responsibility and leadership in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

She said this in a speech read on her behalf by her Senior Private Secretary Florence Chawelwa at OAFLA meeting at Sharm EL Sheikh International Congress Centre.

Mrs. Mwanawasa is the outgoing OAFLA President, the position she had held since 2006 when she was elected.
She said as leaders, African first ladies should promote change and be torch bearers in the fight against the pandemic.
Mrs. Mwanawasa said first ladies should not be seen to be giving up at the time when they should be upping their efforts to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS.

She revealed that over one million people on the continent were on Anti Retroviral Drugs (ARVs) and that young people accounted for more than half of new HIV infections.

Mrs. Mwanawasa explained that youths were particularly vulnerable to HIV infections partly due to lack of emotional and psychological maturity needed to make good decisions.

“They are also susceptible to peer pressure, vulnerable to sexual coercion and do not have proper access to health information and care,” Mrs. Mwanawasas said.

She however said that OAFLA, through its HIV/AIDS campaigns in Africa, has contributed to the reduction of new HIV infections among the youth.

She said the HIV/AIDS campaigns have also reminded adults to mend the social fabric that should be protecting children in the communities.

Mrs. Mwanawasa also said that OAFLA agreed to focus its HIV/AIDS interventions around the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) through the “Save the Unborn Child First Ladies Campaign”.

She said the campaign encouraged women to take control of their reproductive health and move towards giving birth to a generation free of HIV/AIDS.

Mrs. Mwanawasa noted that the prevention of the HIV virus from mother to child was an important cornerstone of prevention strategies that the world was talking about today because it gave hope for the future free of HIV.
The first lady said in all the countries where the campaign has been launched, there has been marked improvement in the numbers of pregnant women going for VCT as well as those accessing ARVs.

She OAFLA wanted to manage HIV/AIDS and reduce the number of children being orphaned by focusing HIV/AIDS interventions on mothers.

“However, to achieve more, we need to further intensify our fight against stigma and discrimination of people living with the virus,” the first lady said.

Mrs. Mwanawasa said stigma and discrimination was the cause of death in many women living with the virus because of the negative tag attached to the infected person.

She said in addition to the campaign, OAFLA Secretariat had developed a partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to promote the new Female Condom.

She said UNFPA was willing to work with OAFLA at national and regional levels in areas ready to launch the female condom.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande told ZANIS in a statement in Egypt last night that the president is in Hospital for high blood pressure.

“I wish to inform the nation that today, the 29th June 2008, his Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Dr. Patrick Levy Mwanawasa, State Council, has been admitted to the Sharm EL Sheikh International Hospital for high blood pressure,” Mr. Pande said.

Dr. Mwanawasa is in Egypt attending the 11th Ordinary African Union Heads of State summit in the resort city of Sharm EL Sheikh.

He said the nation would be up dated on the condition of the president from time to time.
ZANIS/MB/AM/ENDS

President Mwanawasa taken Ill.

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President Levy Mwanawasa was taken to hospital with chest pains on the eve of an African Union summit in Egypt on Sunday but was in a stable condition, medical sources said.

Mwanawasa had been due to take part in a meeting of the pan-African bloc’s Peace and Security Council on Sunday evening expected to be dominated by the crisis in his southern African country’s neighbour Zimbabwe.

But he was forced to skip the meeting after suffering acute chest pains which prompted his hospitalisation in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, medics and a delegate to the meeting said.

The Egyptian health source said Mwanawasa appeared to have suffered a heart problem and mentioned high blood pressure. According to the Egypt’s state news agency MENA, President Mwanawasa had a “sudden health problem”.

MENA further reported that Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit was monitoring Mwanawasa’s treatment in Sharm el-Sheikh, and that President Hosni Mubarak had visited him in hospital.

MENA said Mwanawasa had fallen ill during a session of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), aimed at reducing poverty and promoting good governance.

Mwanawasa was expected to be flown to Cairo, where better medical care is available, overnight or on Monday, Egyptian health sources said.

[MENA]

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