Top news items in major Zambian media outlets

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

-- Zambia's insurance sector lost over 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in premiums between 2009 and 2015 due to loopholes in trade, an industry body has said.

The Insurers Association of Zambia said there were a lot of premium leakages in the country with significant amounts of insurance policies such as the payment of motor inspection being placed outside Zambia which was not good for economic growth. (Zambia Daily Mail)

-- A top Zambian government official has revealed that the government prefers awarding major construction projects to foreign contractors because local contractors often abrogate their responsibilities and abandon work after being given down payment.

Minister of Higher Education Professor Nkandu Luo said it was unfortunate that local contractors disappear and abandon works after being given part payments, adding that some local contractors given works to rehabilitate colleges under her ministry had disappeared. (Daily Nation)

-- A media watch group has urged Zambians to stand up and fight for press freedom as it was evident that the government has declared war against critical media.

Commenting on the continued harassment of a popular journalist, Fred M'membe and publisher of the country's leading private newspaper, the Post, which is now in liquidation, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia Chapter said it was evident that the fight was not about the closure of the Post Newspaper but a war to close down any media house deemed to be critical. (The Mast) Endit