Acting president and ruling party candidate Rupiah Banda trails with 30.5 percent. Analysts say it is too early to draw any conclusions. Zambians voted yesterday to choose a successor to president Levy Mwanawasa, who died in August following a stroke. Mr Sata has accused police and election officials of plotting to rig the vote, and has already announced he will not accept a defeat.

 

Human misery in DR Congo
Aid agencies warn of a humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Red Cross says thousands are in urgent need of temporary shelter, water, food and medical supplies. A tense ceasefire is still in place in the eastern city of Goma, where tens of thousands have fled as the rebels advanced. Rebel leader Gen Laurent Nkunda has threatened to take the city unless UN peacekeepers guarantee the ceasefire. The African Union is expected to hold a crisis meeting today on the conflict. Oxfam and other leading international aid agencies have pulled out of Goma where homes and businesses have been looted. A race for mineral wealth is helping to fuel the conflict.

Torture conviction for ex-leader's son
The son of former Liberian President Charles Taylor has been convicted of torture by a US court. Charles Taylor Jr, known as Chuckie Taylor, who was born in America, was found guilty torture, firearms and conspiracy charges during his time as head of an anti-terrorist unit in Liberia. He is due to be sentenced in January. The case was the first test of a 1994 US law allowing the prosecution of citizens who commit torture overseas. His father is also facing trial at The Hague charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Maoist soldiers stuck in camps
A failure to rehabilitate thousands of Maoist soldiers is proving a sticking point in Nepal's transition to a peaceful democracy. Some 20,000 former combatants of the People's Liberation Army have been confined to camps monitored by the UN Mission in Nepal for the past two years. Securing alternative employment is proving controversial. Maoist leaders want their former soldiers to join the national army. But there are fears of mutiny if the Maoist soldiers join their former enemies. A special committee representing key national parties is being formed for the integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants. Maoist rebels and Nepalese government signed a peace agreement in 2006 to end a decade-long armed conflict that killed more than 13,000 people and displaced nearly 200,000.

SA locals shun movie millions
A local community in South Africa has blocked a proposed huge film project on their ancestral land. The Khoi-San community in Pella in the Northern Cape say they do not care about the promised millions of dollars, jobs or the prospect of having celebrities in their midst. They want to keep their land which was won in battle by their forefathers. Desert Star Studios wanted to transform their ancestral lands into a giant studio featuring biblical and cowboy film sets, production offices, stunt tracks, a luxury resort and private landing strip. The consortium planned to spend 14 million US dollars on the project. It is now looking to invest in neighbouring Namibia.

Catholic priests face tighter checks
The Catholic Church is tightening its selection of priesthood candidates following a series of sex abuse scandals. Some candidates will now undergo psychological tests. The church says it wants to screen out men it describes as being unable to control their sexual urges and those with strong homosexual tendencies. It has also issued new guidelines to help church leaders weed out candidates with what it calls "psychopathic disturbances". Gay rights groups have accused the Catholic Church of using homosexuals as scapegoats for the abuse scandals. Meanwhile survivors of sexual abuse have called for the Catholic Church to review its strict hierarchy and its culture of secrecy. They claim this has allowed abusive priests to remain in office.