Top news items in major Zambian media outlets

The following are news highlights in Zambia's major media outlets on Sunday.

-- Zambian President Edgar Lungu has urged citizens to embrace innovation for the country to achieve the dream of a prosperous and united nation.

In his New Year message, the Zambian leader said the journey towards a more unified and prosperous nation will remain a pipedream unless citizens embraced positive attitude towards work.

He further urged citizens to show love, respect and tolerance towards one another and to demonstrate intrinsic values in the promotion of social justice. (Times of Zambia)

-- A senior Zambian government official has warned agriculture officials tasked with applying pesticides on maize fields affected by army worms to ensure that the chemicals are used for the intended purpose.

Army worms have broken out in six of Zambia's 10 provinces, affecting large swathes of maize fields, forcing the government to embark on an emergency operation to spray all affected farms with chemicals.

Central Province Minister Sidney Mushanga said the government has spent colossal sums of money to buy the chemicals and expects farmers to be helped free of charge to rid their fields of army worms. (Zambia Daily Mail) Endit