Banda beat off a challenge from Finance Minister Ng'andu Magande and 14 other candidates for the presidential election to choose a successor to late President Levy Mwanawasa.

Zambia, which became a rare African success story under Mwanawasa, faces economic and political uncertainty as the race to replace him intensifies.Banda, 72, told officials of the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) that he will continue with Mwanawasa's policies if elected as the country's new president.

"I want to work with all my comrades in order to unite the party and the country and keep on with our policies," Banda said.He drew 43 votes and Magande 11. Only seven of 19 candidates contested the final vote after the others withdrew, MMD elections official Jeff Kande said.

Banda, who was appointed as Mwanawasa's deputy in 2006, took over as head of the government after the president died last month.

He has held many diplomatic posts, including that of Zambia's representative to the United Nations, before being made foreign minister in the 1970s in the administration of Zambia's first post-independence leader, Kenneth Kaunda.

After his stint as foreign minister, Banda served as a parliamentarian between 1978 and 1988.Magande said he supported Banda for president.

"I accept the defeat because this is democracy. ... I will campaign for him in my constituency," Magande said after the polls.The divisions within the ruling party could cost the ruling party ground to main opposition leader Michael Sata -- who narrowly lost to Mwanawasa in 2006 presidential polls -- particularly if infighting gets worse

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Zambia, which became a rare African success story under Mwanawasa, faces economic and political uncertainty as the race to replace him intensifies.Senior Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) officials met in the capital Lusaka to select a candidate for the election due in November after the death last month of Mwanawasa, who had ruled Africa's biggest copper producer from 2001.

"They will look at a number of preliminary issues before voting and this will take quite some hours before we have a final decision," a senior MMD official said.Officials said Banda and Magande have emerged as the favourites in the candidate vote -- which is contested by 14 other MMD officials.

"The race is virtually between the VP (Banda) and Magande, although the VP has a slight edge from our assessment," a member of the MMD's National Executive Committee, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.

Others in the frame are Home Affairs Minister Ronnie Shikapwasha, a former pilot, prominent lawyer Wila Mung'omba, a former IMF official, and Health Minister Brian Chituwo, a retired army officer and medical doctor. The divisions within the ruling party could cost the ruling party ground to main opposition leader Michael Sata -- who narrowly lost to Mwanawasa in 2006 presidential polls -- particularly if infighting gets worse.

The MMD candidate will face a challenge from Sata, and Hakainde Hichilema, the leader of the United Party for National Development -- which is the third largest party in parliament.Investors hope Zambia's new leadership will stick to Mwanawasa's fiscal discipline, which won him praise from Western donors and billions of dollars in debt relief.

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USA kommer sjua på listan över länder där det söks mycket på Obama, efter Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopien, Kamerun, Zambia och Gabon men strax före Ghana, Nigeria och Elfenbenskusten.

Google Insight är för övrigt fullkomligt beroendeframkallande när man börjat leka med det!

But other than Club, Outreach events and just plain ol' fun. God has blessed this ministry with some great opportunities! For the past 2 years, YL @ Alabama has gone to Jamaica. In Jamaica, we stayed at a boys home run by the IOR (international orphan relief). Bosco Boys. This trip is for everyone that is a part of our ministry and for people who are not. If you have never had the opportunity to do something like this I would pray that you would give it a shot. I hope to have a few people comment on the blog about their experiences in Mandeville and at the Bosco Boys Home. But I bring this up because, WE ARE GOING AGAIN! 

This Spring Break, YL ALABAMA, will be traveling to Jamaica for the 3rd time. March 14-21, We will fly out of Atlanta Airport and head to Jamaica. If you are interested in going on this Mission Adventure (cheesy...I KNOW!) haha I like cheesy! anyways EMAIL or Leave a comment on the blog. The email is under the ABOUT YL! page and it will get where it needs to go. 

All this talk about Mission Trips is getting me excited. So. Construction for Change! Construction for Change is a ministry started by one of our former dudes in charge, Michael James McEvoy. Mike was here in Tuscaloosa for 2 years working to make YoungLife what it is striving to be here in Tuscaloosa. Through his experience here in Tuscaloosa, God showed him where he belonged, ministry. But, throughout his two years here, missions played a huge part in everything we did. And I loved that, because Missions is SO important to me. But, missions led Mike and friends of his back home to start a non-profit org. called at the time Construction for Christ, eventually change to Construction for Change. The organization is just that. Right now they have a project going on just outside Mongu, Zambia. Building a 17,000 sq ft school to house over 500 students, with room for 1000.  I could spend all day talking about this and how we went to Africa and stayed for 3 weeks. But that seems perfect for a whole blog by itself. I can't run out of stuff to write about!

SO CHECK OUT constructionforchange.org, or click the link on the right of this blog. LEAVE COMMENTS!

Map of Zambia

Zambian Safari

Zambia is an enticing destination for active safaris which includes canoeing on the Zambezi, walking with armed guides, bird watching and day and night game drives in the remote unspoilt wilderness in open topped Landover’s.   Zambia is a family friendly safari destination with lots of great activities to keep children of all ages busy. It has been rated as the number one emerging tourist destination with the World Travel Organisation and is guaranteed to delight even the most jaded of travellers.

Why Zambia?

Most of the camps are small, exclusive and private, accommodating a maximum of 6 guests at a time.  Guests are guaranteed superb scenery and an abundance of wildlife on a luxury Zambian safari and the camp managers and guides are some of the best that the safari business has to offer. Unlike many other African countries, Zambia has a strict exam policy for safari guides and the testing standards are very high.

The South Luangwa National Park is a top wildlife destination and considered to be one of the greatest wildlife sanctuaries in the world. It is the Luangwa Valleys most accessible park measuring 9050km² and has some unique features including the Thornicroft giraffe, 14 types of antelope, leopards, 47 species of birds migrating from Russia and Europe and it is also well known for its large numbers of elephants. Nkwali which overlooks the South Luangwa National Park and Chamilandu are two fine camp choices to while away the hours at.

The Liuwa Plain National Park is situated in the far west of Zambia and is famous for the blue wildebeest migration that occurs every November. This much talked about area is well known amongst safari enthusiasts but due to its remoteness and inaccessibility for most of the year is not very well travelled. It is a must do for any enthusiast and on the odd occasion when there is a specialist safari to the area the spaces are limited so it is advisable not to hesitate in booking it should you see it advertised. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

The North Luangwa National Park covers 4,636km² of wilderness and boasts a small number of intimate safari camps that specialise exclusively in walking safaris. Its eastern boundary is the Luangwa River and is home to the Cookson’s wildebeest, Crayshay’s zebra, elephant, black rhino and many species of antelope and birdlife.

The Kafue National Park situated in west central region is Zambia’s second largest national park and one of the third largest parks in Africa. It is the size of Wales and twice the size of the Yellowstone National Park in the USA. The Kafue River supplies water to a large diversity of habitats and this ecological diversity guarantees visitors to the park a fantastic variety of wildlife including antelopes (sable, hartebeest, eland, impala, wildebeest, oribi, and red lechwe to name a few) and predators such as the cheetah, leopard, wild dog, hyena and lion.

Northern Zambia is a hidden gem situated North of the Northern Kafue and the Luangwa Valley which covers a vast area including the incredible Kasanka National Park and the Bangweulu Wetlands with its ecologically significant number of waterbirds. The Kasanka National Park is the only national park in Zambia under private ownership. It is a wilderness of great beauty with woodlands, plains, lakes, rivers and swamps and is a protective area for a host of endangered species such as the elusive shoebill storks. The swamps are home to the rare Sitatunga antelope that are found only in the wetlands and are rarely ever seen. It is also the setting for the migration of millions of straw coloured bats that come to feed on the fruits every year.

The Lower Zambezi National Park lies on the North bank of the Zambezi River and is one of Zambia’s newest national parks covering an area of 4092km².  It is best known for its canoeing, fishing, walking and game drive  safaris and has an impressive array of fauna and flora.  Most large mammals in the national park congregate on the floodplain, including buffalo, elephants, lions, leopards and many antelope, crocodiles and hippopotamuses. It is also an important bird area and therefore of global conservation significance. Chiawa Camp is a fine choice for this area.

The Victoria Falls or Mosi –oa-Tunyi as it is known by the locals (which means the “smoke that thunders”) is a UNESCO world heritage site and is a great choice for first time adventure seekers or for those looking to relax in a bit of luxury after an activity rich safari.  The falls are by some measures the largest in the world which has the most easily seen wildlife than any other. Visitors can enjoy sunset boat cruises, micro light and helicopter flights over the falls.  A stay at the Royal Livingstone or the newly opened David Livingstone safari Lodge and Spa is highly recommended.

Mr Mwanawasa died in France on 19 August, after suffering a stroke in June. He was 59. Mr Mwanawasa became president in 2001 and was re-elected in 2006. He had won praise from the world community for his economic prudence.

Fourteen African heads of state and government are gathering in Lusaka. Among those attending the funeral are South African President Thabo Mbeki, Tanzanian and African Union President Jakaya Kikwete and Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe.

Mr Mwanawasa was one of the few African leaders to criticise Mr Mugabe, describing this year's election in Zimbabwe as an embarrassment.

At home he will probably be best remembered for stripping his predecessor Frederick Chiluba of immunity from prosecution.Mr Mwanawasa's critics accused him of persecuting his political rivals under the guise of fighting corruption.

He was married and had six children. He had been a practising lawyer since 1973.

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Canada / Zambie / La sénatrice Raynell Andreychuk représentera le Canada aux funérailles du Président de la Zambie

LUSAKA, Zambia, 3 septembre 2008/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Le Premier ministre Stephen Harper a annoncé aujourd'hui que la sénatrice Raynell Andreychuk représentera le Canada aux funérailles nationales du Président de la Zambie, Levy Mwanawasa. Les funérailles auront lieu le 3 septembre prochain à Lusaka (Zambie).

« Le Canada se joint à la communauté internationale pour pleurer le décès du Président Mwanawasa, un homme de principe et un dirigeant africain dynamique. La Zambie et toute la Communauté de développement de l'Afrique australe viennent de perdre un grand leader. »

Ancienne juge et haut commissaire du Canada, la sénatrice Andreychuk est actuellement coprésidente de l'Association parlememtaire Canada-Afrique.

SOURCE : Canada - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

I look forward to trying it out on my trip to Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania. Look forward to updating this post with some examples.

• The lions scientific name is Felidae Panthera Leo

• 

  Lions in the grass

  The average lifespan of a lion is 15 years

• A lions eyesight is 5 times better than humans and they can hear their prey from more than 1 mile away

• Lions eat up to 15 pounds of meat per day

• Lions can run with speeds up to 80km/hour

• Lions are the second largest cat in the the world

• Lions are the most sociable of the feline species

• Lions are active during the day but prefer to hunt at night

• Female lions do most of the hunting in groups and the males role is to protect the pride from outsiders

The body of Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa who died last month in Paris, France from complication of a stroke will be lay to rest this Wednesday, September 3 in Lusaka. But already the contest for his successor within the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) is intensifying. The frontrunners are vice president and acting president Rupiah Banda and Finance and National Planning Minister Ng'andu Magande. First Lady Maureen Mwanawasa has added to the drama by endorsing Finance Minister Ng'ande to succeed her husband. She said her late husband had told her he would like for Ng'ande to succeed him after his second and final five-year term ends in 2011.

Supporters of Vice President Banda, the other aspiring successor to President Mwanawasa dismissed the first lady's claims as false. So far, 16 aspiring candidates have filed their nomination papers ahead of the presidential election.

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