Cheeky Monkey Urinates At Zambian President

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A monkey has urinated on Zambian President Rupiah Banda as he spoke to journalists outside his State House offices.

The president softly shouted: "You have urinated on my jacket," and paused as he looked up to see the animal playing in a tree just above his chair.

"I will give this monkey for lunch to Mr Sata," he joked, referring to opposition leader Michael Sata, who Mr Banda defeated in last year's elections.

"Perhaps these are blessings," he said continuing his address amid laughter from the audience of journalists and diplomats.

Several monkeys play around the grounds of Mr Banda's residence and his office.

There are also many species of antelope and birds in the State House grounds in capital city Lusaka.

Mr Banda devoted much of the news conference to reassuring Zambians over the dramatic economic slowdown resulting from plunging prices for copper, the country's main export.

"Our growth prospects have diminished, such that the projected gross domestic product has now been revised downwards to 4.0% or below," he said.

"This reduction has implications for the domestic revenues, with both co-operate and income taxes likely to reduce."