Quakers, Pax Christi and members of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme have joined in a vigil to mark the fifth year of World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel.

Pax Christi has described the government's Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) as a “lost opportunity” that failed to re-orient security priorities.

A Roman Catholic bishop has sparked controversy after suggesting that British military involvement in Afghanistan would end sooner if there were increased funding for the war there.

The government is facing criticism for the narrow range of its Defence Review, which was presented in a Green Paper in the House of Commons yesterday. Campaigners say that it ignores fundamental questions about security and conflict.