Top news items of Zambian major media outlets

The following are the highlights of Zambia's major media outlets on Sunday:

-- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees appealed to former Rwandan refugees in Zambia to heed government's call for them to obtain their country's passport if they are to be integrated locally.

UNHCR Representative Laura Lo Castro said the UN refugee agency was willing to cover the bill for former Rwandan refugees who wanted to obtain Rwandese passports but had no money to do so.

-- Zambia plans to integrate 4,000 former Rwandan refugees following the cessation of their refugee status. (TIMES OF ZAMBIA)

-- Zambia's biggest tourism attraction, the Victoria Falls, recorded an increase in the number of local tourists visiting the facility as compared to the number of foreign tourists.

The National Heritage Conservation Commission, which oversees tourism facilities in the country, said 43,711 tourists have this year visited the falls, of which 18,226 were foreign and 25,485 local people.

The commission attributed the rise in the number of local people visiting one of the world's Seven Wonders to the fact that local people have now started appreciating tourism sites. (ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL)

-- An opposition political leader in Zambia said opposition political parties can decide to boycott this year's general elections if the country's electoral body insists on printing ballot papers from Dubai.

Wynter Kabimba, leader of the Rainbow Party said the Electoral Commission of Zambia should explain to the nation what has gone wrong with the South African company that printed ballot papers in the last general elections.

He said it was evident that the electoral body wanted to rig the August 11 elections in favor of the governing Patriotic Front.

There has been an uproar following revelations that the electoral body has selected a Dubai based firm as its preferred bidder to print ballot papers for the elections. (THE POST) Endit