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.

Lusaka/Johannesburg - Over 14 African heads of state, including Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, were expected to attend the funeral in Zambia Wednesday of late president Levy Mwanawasa.

Mwanawasa, dubbed Mr Integrity for his anti-corruption crusade and his outspokenness on Mugabe's authoritarian rule, died in a Paris hospital two weeks ago at the age of 59 of the effects of a massive stroke. He would have turned 60 on Wednesday.

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."

Harare - Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) claimed Saturday that it had unearthed a "plot" by government lawyers and intelligence agents to secure convictions against its lawmakers in a bid to reverse its majority in parliament.

"Johannes Tomana, the deputy attorney-general is leading this plot," the party said in a statement, without giving details.

Tomana could not be reached for comment but deputy information minister Bright Matonga dismissed the claims.

Harare  - The Zimbabwe government finally yielded Friday to major pressure and announced it was lifting a three-month ban on the distribution of food aid in the hunger-stricken country, according to state radio.

A bulletin quoted a statement from the welfare ministry as saying that the government had "with immediate effect lifted the suspension of operations of private voluntary organizations and non-governmental organizations."