61.   In a statement Tuesday the spokesman of the Nigerian defence ministry, General Fred Chijuka, called on the army and public to ignore such leaflets.

62.   In Beijing, a spokesman for the defence ministry declined to make any comment on this latest series of manoeuvres.

63.   In a similar attack elsewhere in the same region, a Tamil Tiger fighter was killed but there were no casualties among troops, the defence ministry said.

64.   In another development Monday, the Zairean defence ministry denied claims that the government was rearming troops of the former Rwandan army at Tingi-Tingi.

65.   In ground battles, at least six Tamil Tiger rebels and three soldiers were killed in sporadic fighting in the embattled northern region, the defence ministry here said.

66.   In Helsinki, the Finnish defence ministry said three of the victims were Finnish soldiers and the other was a Canadian civilian who had piloted the aircraft.

67.   In London, the British defence ministry said an official announcement on a planned UN-mandated force for Afghanistan will probably be made at the start of next week.

68.   In its reports to the committee, the defence ministry has until now only referred to training exercises carried out by the Tornados.

69.   In Moscow, the defence ministry refused to either confirm or deny the Chechnya raids, Interfax news agency said.

70.   In London, the defence ministry declined to comment on the report.