Britain could send extra military assets to the Strait of Hormuz to deter any attempt by Iran to block Persian Gulf oil tanker traffic, the country’s defence secretary said, as Tehran insisted a European Union ban on the purchase of its oil would have little sting.

A Lithuanian military plane has crashed after colliding in mid-air with a French Nato jet, officials said.

FRANCE has sent weapons to Libyan civilians besieged by Muammar Gaddafi’s forces, a military spokesman has said.

France has sent weapons to Libyan civilians besieged by Muammar Gaddafi’s forces, a military spokesman has said.

French airstrikes have hit an air base deep inside Libya in a bid to stop arms movement or the flow of mercenaries, a military official says.