Top news items in major Zambian media outlets

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

-- Authorities in Zambia's Mansa district in Luapula Province have unearthed a scam where people have now resorted to smuggling anti-retroviral drugs into the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mansa District Commissioner Royd Chakaba said health officials have complained of a shortage of the life prolonging HIV/AIDS drugs which were stolen and smuggled into Congo where they were fetching a good price. (Times of Zambia)

-- Zambian President Edgar Lungu has warned that he would fire any lawmaker from the ruling party who are also serving as ministers if they were unable to balance between the two roles.

Lungu said it was important for the ruling party lawmakers to realize that they were first elected by people to represent them hence the need to ensure that they visit their constituencies instead of spending time on ministerial duties. (Zambia Daily Mail)

-- The Zambian government has clarified that the proposal by the country's power utility for an upward adjustment to electricity tariffs will not affect domestic consumers.

Minister of Energy David Mabumba said the proposed 75 percent increase was for retail tariffs only. (Daily Nation)

-- Zambia is not among 13 African countries enlisted for under five synchronized vaccination against polio by the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to the WHO, more than 190,000 polio vaccinators in 13 African countries be will be simultaneously immunized in a coordinated effort to raise childhood immunity to polio across the continent and to permanently stop polio on the continent.

Among the participating countries include Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Mali. (The Mast) Endit