41.   A flotilla of navy gunboats launched a surprise pre-dawn attack against a coastal base of Tamil Tiger guerrillas in northeastern Sri Lanka Wednesday, defence officials here said.

42.   A formal deal still had to be agreed, the defence ministry officials told AFP, but could be announced shortly.

43.   A Japanese destroyer accidentally shot down a US attack aircraft during military exercises in the Western Pacific north of the Marshall Islands on Tuesday, defence officials said.

44.   A long delayed shipment of US weapons is awaiting the signature of Bosnian Croat leader Kresimir Zubak on a decree sacking two defence ministry officials Washington says must go.

45.   A senior air defence official, who requested anonymity, told Interfax the search could take at least a week.

46.   A defence ministry official in Islamabad denied that three Pakistanis had been killed and said only one girl was injured during the clashes which occurred on Thursday and Friday.

47.   A senior defence ministry official Monday accused Pakistan of covertly supporting the Afghan militant Moslem Taliban movement which is battling forces loyal to President Burhanuddin Rabbani.

48.   A senior defence official told the Jerusalem Post that Israel had hoped to keep the Nautilus programme secret so as to surprise its enemies during wartime.

49.   A Japanese destroyer accidentally shot down a US attack aircraft during multinational military exercises in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii Tuesday, defence officials said.

50.   A Kuwaiti defence ministry official said the Bahraini died on Tuesday when another soldier from the same unit fired at him by mistake.