Harare - South African President Thabo Mbeki, regionally- appointed mediator in crisis negotiations between Zimbabwe's political parties, has brought new proposals to just-resumed talks, Zimbabwean state media reported Tuesday.

Talks resumed in Harare on Monday after three weeks of deadlock, with President Robert Mugabe, whose Zanu-PF party has ruled the country for 28 years, and Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change which has a majority in parliament, each refusing to budge over which man should wield overall authority.

Harare - Talks between Zimbabwe's parties on a power-sharing government were due to resume Monday as South African President Thabo Mbeki flew to Harare to broker fresh negotiations between President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF and Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Mbeki's office confirmed to South African media that he was on his way to Zimbabwe to try to breathe new life into the talks that have foundered over how Mugabe and Tsvangirai would share power in a unity government.

The MDC said at the weekend the issue was a matter for a new interim constitution.

Harare - Teachers at Zimbabwe's state schools have gone on strike since the beginning of the new term last week because of low pay, according to teacher union representatives.

"We have declared a strike, and quite a big chunk of the teaching force didn't report for work while those who did report, were not working," Raymond Majongwe, secretary-general of the Progressive Teachers' Union, said Sunday.

The Zimbabwe Teachers' Association, the larger of the two unions and traditionally viewed as pro-government, have not declared a strike, but effectively is part of the action.

Harare- Two Zimbabwe air force pilots on a training flight were killed Friday after the Chinese-made jet they were flying crashed, state media reported Saturday.

The K8 jet trainer crashed at Thornhill air base in the central city of Gweru, the air force's main military base in the country, air force director-general of operations Air Commodore Shebba Shumbayawonda told the state-controlled Herald newspaper.

The two were training for ceremonial flypasts, he said, but gave no indication of how the crash occurred and did not name the victims. An investigation had been launched.

It is the first crash involving one of the air force's squadron of K8 jet trainers since they were acquired in 2005.

Harare- The Harare government Saturday dismissed the decision by Canada to impose targeted sanctions as "misinformed and unfortunate", saying it will further hit ordinary Zimbabweans.

On Friday Canadian Foreign Minister David Emerson announced that his country had imposed targeted sanctions against Zimbabwe saying it was a protest against "intimidation and state-sponsored violence" against opposition supporters by President Robert Mugabe's government.

Harare - Aid agencies trying to distribute food to hungry Zimbabweans are still being stopped by state officials, despite the lifting of the Zimbabwe government's ban on aid agency operations, their representative body said Tuesday.

"We have a situation where military officials want letters authorizing us to resume operations," said Fambai Ngirande, spokesman for the National Association of Non-Governmental Organizations.

"It appears that the message of the lifting of the ban has not been communicated to all state structures, particularly the security structures."