In Brief

18 drown on school boat trip KOCHI – Fifteen schoolchildren and three teachers drowned when their overcrowded row-boat capsized on a reservoir in a southern Indian bird sanctuary, police said on Wednesday.

The children were all aged 11 or under. First reports on Tuesday night said at least 18 children had died.Deputy inspector general of police Ravatha Chandrasekhar said 106 children, 10 teachers and two non-teaching staff boarded three boats on Tuesday evening at Thattekade park, 55km east of the port city of Kochi, formerly Cochin.”Ninety six persons survived the tragedy.Rescue operations are continuing with the help of navy divers,” Chandrashekhar said.Kerala police chief Raman Srivastava visited the reservoir on Wednesday morning and told AFP safety procedures were not followed.* Zimbabwe’s police ban protests Police in Zimbabwe’s capital have imposed a three-month ban on political rallies and protests to try to calm tensions, after recent violence.The police said there was “pandemonium and looting” on Sunday when they halted an opposition rally from going ahead.The opposition have likened the move to “a state of emergency” and said the government of Zimbabwe was panicking.Nampa-AFP-BBCsFirst reports on Tuesday night said at least 18 children had died.Deputy inspector general of police Ravatha Chandrasekhar said 106 children, 10 teachers and two non-teaching staff boarded three boats on Tuesday evening at Thattekade park, 55km east of the port city of Kochi, formerly Cochin.”Ninety six persons survived the tragedy.Rescue operations are continuing with the help of navy divers,” Chandrashekhar said.Kerala police chief Raman Srivastava visited the reservoir on Wednesday morning and told AFP safety procedures were not followed. * Zimbabwe’s police ban protests Police in Zimbabwe’s capital have imposed a three-month ban on political rallies and protests to try to calm tensions, after recent violence.The police said there was “pandemonium and looting” on Sunday when they halted an opposition rally from going ahead.The opposition have likened the move to “a state of emergency” and said the government of Zimbabwe was panicking.Nampa-AFP-BBCs