Zambia denies president is dead

Zambia's vice-president denied yesterday media reports that President Levy Mwanawasa had died, saying he was in a stable condition in a Paris hospital.

"The president had (a) satisfactory night at the Percy military hospital in France. The news reports ... are not true," Vice-President Rupiah Banda said in a statement.

Earlier yesterday, South Africa's Talk Radio 702 reported that Mwanawasa had died, quoting a Zambian High Commission spokesman.