British Defence Ministry’s ‘disastrous’ 500mln pound Chinook chopper deal revealed

September 19th, 2009 LONDON - The British Government has announced a 10-million-pound loan to Indian carmaker Tata Motors for the electric car-manufacturing project in the UK. The loan, part of a scheme backing low-carbon technology in the motor industry, will support a 25 million pound investment by Tata Motors in its West Midlands base, The Scotsman reports.

September 16th, 2009 LONDON - British troops are a long way from winning the battle against a resilient Taliban in Afghanistan, and the conflict in the country could lead to "major shifts" in military spending, said British Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth. "We are facing a resilient enemy which we are far from succeeding against yet," he told an audience of defence experts at King's College London.

August 31st, 2009 LONDON - The British special forces in Afghanistan have destroyed their second Chinook helicopter, after it crash-landed with 19 people on board, to prevent it from being accessed by the Taliban. The Chinook, with a crew of four, was ferrying soldiers from the 2nd Battalion when it landed heavily, east of Sangin in northern Helmand, suffering severe damage to the undercarriage, nose and front rotor, The Times reported.

August 23rd, 2009 LONDON - An opinion poll in Britain has revealed that more than two thirds of people in the country want British troops o pull out of Afghanistan. The BPIX poll, which interviewed 2,031 adults via the Internet on August 20 and 21, found that 69 per cent didn't believe that British forces should be fighting in Afghanistan, as against 31 per cent who thought the mission was worthwhile, The Daily Star reports.

August 21st, 2009 KABUL - British troops have lost a Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan after it was hit by ground fire and destroyed by a NATO bomber to keep it out of Taleban hands. The Chinook was hit by small arms fire as it was taking off north of Sangin, in Helmand province.

August 6th, 2009 British broadcaster ITV posts H1 lossLONDON — ITV PLC, Britain's biggest commercial broadcaster, posted a 70 million pound (euro82 millon) loss in first half net profit on Wednesday, after a decline in advertising revenue hurt the bottom line. The loss in the six months to the end of June did narrow from the same period last year, when the company lost 1.5 billion pounds.

July 26th, 2009 LONDON - The hidden cost of Britain's military campaign in Afghanistan has crossed the 12-billion-pound mark, a comprehensive analysis has revealed. According to The Independent, the "hidden costs" of fighting since the Taliban was ousted in 2001 reveals that the bill works out to 190 pounds for every man, woman and child in the UK - and would pay for 23 new hospitals, 60,000 new teachers or 77,000 new nurses.

July 19th, 2009 KABUL - At least 16 civilians were killed when a helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan Sunday, while a NATO soldier and 35 Taliban militants were killed in the same region, officials said. "International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) can confirm that 16 civilians have been killed in the helicopter that crashed earlier today (Sunday) in Kandahar Province," ISAF said in a statement.

July 13th, 2009 LONDON - Faced with immense pressure to trim the 34 billion pound budget, British Defence chiefs are planning to axe about 800 Gurkha warriors. According to the Daily Express, up to three infantry battalions could go despite calls for more men.

June 21st, 2009 LONDON - European defence ministers are meeting in Spain Monday ahead of the start of Indian trials for a new generation of fighter aircraft in a multi-billion-pound deal eyed by major manufacturers across the world. Although the summit in Seville is expected to focus on the fate of the European A400M military transport aircraft, there is reported to be mounting interest in the Indian competition that is set to begin next month and expected to last a year.

May 31st, 2009 LONDON - Two British soldiers died in an explosion during a military operation in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, the British defence ministry announced here late Saturday. British forces have suffered 165 troops since entering the battle against the Taliban militant movement in October 2001.

May 10th, 2009 Reports: Centrica to buy stake in British EnergyLONDON — British energy firm Centrica PLC is on the brink of a deal to buy a 25 percent stake in nuclear power operator British Energy for 3.1 billion pounds ($4.7 billion), newspapers reported Sunday. The Sunday Times and Sunday Telegraph said French power provider Electricite de France SA had agreed to sell the stake to Centrica, which owns British Gas.

May 2nd, 2009 LONDON - The Taliban is planning to bring down one of the eight Chinooks operating in Afghanistan, in the hope that the attack will weaken Britain's resolve to continue the campaign in Helmand. British Chinook helicopter routinely carry more than 40 armed troops, and aliban insurgents are actively seeking to bring down one of the eight Chinooks operating in Afghanistan, defence sources have said.

April 29th, 2009 LONDON - Manchester United football star Wayne Rooney was spotted test-driving a 64,000 pound BMW after reportedly losing a million pound deal with rival motor giant Mercedes-Benz. Rooney, 23, showed off the 153mph 7 Series model to teammates at their Carrington training ground, reports The Sun.ooney had a customised CL63 coupe worth 121,200 pounds as part of his Mercedes-Benz sponsorship deal.

January 15th, 2009 LONDON - Lakshar-e-Taiba (LeT), the Pakistan-based terror group blamed for the Mumbai attacks, will not give up terrorism if the Kashmir problem were to be solved tomorrow, a senior British MP said Friday. 'Will Laskhar-e-Taiba then go back to driving taxis? Of course they won't.