Zambia's president dies age 59

This picture taken on April 12, 2008 shows the Zambian president Levy Mawanawasa attending the opening session of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) meeting on Zimbabwe in Lusaka.

The Zambian president, Levy Mwanawasa, died this morning in a Paris hospital after suffering a stroke in June. "Yes, I can confirm that the president passed on this morning," said a family member, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Zambian cabinet had been summoned today to "an urgent meeting", said a cabinet minister who did not want to be named. Mr Mwanawasa, hospitalised in France after suffering a stroke in June, had required urgent surgery yesterday after a rapid deterioration in his health, the vice president, Rupiah Banda, said. "The team of doctors have reported that the intervention was successful but described the condition of His Excellency the President as serious," Mr Banda said, citing a sudden downturn in Mwanawasa's health on Sunday. The 59-year-old suffered a stroke in Egypt on June 29, on the eve of an African Union summit. It was his second stroke in just over two years. He was airlifted to France after initially being treated in Cairo. Brian Chituwo, the country's health minister, told Zambia's parliament earlier this month that Mr Mwanawasa would likely remain in the intensive care unit at the Percy Military Hospital near Paris for some time. *AFP