The South African Defence Union said on Friday Defence Minister Sisulu should be removed from her post in the interests of South Africa.

SA's defence industry, a former world leader side-swiped by apartheid's fall, is aiming for recovery with an eye on the crucial export market.

South Africa's ineffective border patrol poses a threat to the country's security, a report by Parliament's portfolio committee said on Thursday.

Political leaders in Lebanon on Monday adjourned talks on a national defence strategy -- at the heart of which lies the issue of Hezbollah's weapons.

United States forces were drawn deeper into Iraq's four day-old crackdown on Shi'ite militants on Friday, launching air strikes in Basra for the first time and battling militants in Baghdad. The fighting has exposed a rift within the majority Shi'ite community and put pressure on Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

France will renegotiate all its defence accords with African countries, President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday in a move that could scale back France's military support for some of its closest allies. France has defence cooperation agreements with several former colonies under which its forces provide varying degrees of military assistance.

A key conference on cluster bombs began in Wellington on Monday with more than 100 countries expected to decide whether to formally back a treaty banning the controversial weapons. The five-day conference is one of a series held as part of a Norwegian initiative launched in February last year.

General Mahamat Nouri, the main leader of Chadian rebels in control of large parts of the capital, Ndjamena, has accepted a ceasefire proposed by Libyan leader Moammar Gadaffi, Libyan news agency Jana reported. The rebels seized Ndjamena on Saturday after intense fighting with government forces.

Moin al-Wadia lay on his hospital bed beneath a window on Friday, soaking up the last of the day's winter sunshine. Around him sat his family, with boxes of sweet pastries and bouquets of flowers, as they tried to explain the growing anger and frustration of the people of Gaza.

Russia is to supply Iran with a new and lethal anti-aircraft system capable of shooting down American or Israeli fighter jets in the event of any strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. Iran on Wednesday confirmed that Russia had agreed to deliver the S-300 air defence system, a move that is likely to irk the Bush administration.