| Zambia's president dies in France |
 Zambian leader Levy Mwanawasa has died in a Paris hospital after suffering a stroke in June. He was 59. Vice-President Rupiah Banda, who is expected to take over as acting leader, made the announcement on state TV.
President Mwanawasa suffered the stroke at an African Union summit in Egypt and was then flown to France, where he had remained in hospital. He came to prominence recently for being one of the African leaders most critical of the violence in Zimbabwe. US President George W Bush expressed his condolences to Mr Mwanawasa's family, describing him as "a champion of democracy in his own country and throughout Africa". French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Mr Mwanawasa's death was "a great loss for the African continent". Former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda said he had lost a "personal friend". He was married and had six children. He had been a practising lawyer since 1973. In his most famous case, he defended former Vice-President Lt-Gen Christon Tembo and others who were charged in 1989 with plotting to overthrow Kenneth Kaunda.                |
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