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British Defense Ministry Agrees to Payout Over Farm Animals Killed, Injured by Jet...
Low-flying by the RAF caused the death of or serious injuries to dozens of horses, cows, chickens and other animals in a series of incidents for which the Ministry of Defence has paid tens of thousands of pounds of compensation.
Details of the payouts show the damage caused by jets and helicopters, with many claims linked to heart attacks, miscarriages and other injuries suffered by spooked animals. In the past 12 months the MoD has agreed to pay more than £13,000 to a poultry farmer for the death of free-range hens as a result of low-flying training that also damaged the hen house.
Other settlements included £17,535 for two high-pedigree milking cows that were injured in September last year by a jet that flew low over farmland in Carmarthen in Wales, and £12,443 for an eventing horse that had to be destroyed after a Tornado flew over it in Wiltshire in June.
Oliver Harwood, chief surveyor of the Country Land and Business Association, said: “Cows can often sit placidly and are untroubled by aircraft in low-flying areas but on other occasions, particularly if they are in calf, they get spooked by the screech of a Tornado as it comes over the horizon. On those occasions, cows can leap 5ft in the air in panic.” Low-flying by the RAF caused the death of or serious injuries to dozens of horses, cows, chickens and other animals in a series of inc... more -
Animal rights group PETA to meet with Ministry of Defence
The Ministry of Defence is to meet an animal rights group to discuss alternatives to the bearskin hats worn by guards at Buckingham Palace.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has approached Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney to design a new shape for the 18in hat.
The charity has previously called for fake fur to be used, but said the MoD was not happy with prototype designs.
Baroness Taylor, minister for defence procurement, will meet Peta on Tuesday.
Tourist sight
The MoD says it is open to alternatives to real bearskin, but that previous attempts to replace it with synthetic fur have failed because the material has not been durable or weatherproof enough.
The ministry also wants to avoid if possible any change in the look of the red-coated sentries guarding Buckingham Palace, whose uniforms have long been one of the top tourist sights in London.
However, Peta is proposing a new hat shape and has also approached designer Marc Bouwer as well as McCartney and Westwood.
Robbie LeBlanc, Peta's director for Europe, said that although the group was proposing a different shape for the hats it did not mean the new design could not become "iconic".
"Most people think it's fake fur and when they find out it's real and it takes one bear to make a hat, they are appalled," he said.
'Inexcusable'
The meeting is the culmination of a media campaign by Peta that has included a naked protest outside Buckingham Palace.
More recently, comedian Ricky Gervais sent an open letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, calling the continued use of real fur inexcusable.
"I understand and appreciate the importance of uniforms, but continuing to use real fur in the 21st century is inexcusable, regardless of 'tradition'," the letter said.
"The public are relying on you to bring about a humane changing of the guards." The Ministry of Defence is to meet an animal rights group to discuss alternatives to the bearskin hats worn by guards at Buckingham Pa... more -
Missing: 747 top secret computers
Since 2004, the British Ministry of Defense has lost:
-89 laptops
-121 thumb drives
-23 desktops (since 1998)
-1 46-page document outlining the nation's response to a terrorist attack
Of the laptops, nine contained information classified as top secret or secret. To date of the 747 lost or stolen laptops in the past four years only 32 had been recovered.
Three of the lost USB drives contained information said to be "secret" with 19 additional ones containing information said to be "restricted." Since 2004, the British Ministry of Defense has lost: -89 laptops -121 thumb drives -23 desktops (since 1998) ... more -
Half of UK military forces 'ready to quit'
Almost half of UK military personnel are ready to leave the forces, a Ministry of Defence survey suggests.
Some 47% of Army and Royal Navy respondents and 44% of those in the RAF said they regularly felt like quitting.
The UK Army is already short of some 5,000 soldiers, amid worries that experienced young officers and senior NCOs are leaving at an increasing rate.
Among the concerns raised by the 9,000 servicemen and women surveyed were the frequency of tours, levels of pay and the quality of equipment and housing. Almost half of UK military personnel are ready to leave the forces, a Ministry of Defence survey suggests. ... more -
Nuclear warhead design flaw means up to 1700 could go off by accident
UK Ministry of Defence admits that a massive number of nuclear warheads are potentially unsafe and could be at risk of explosion if handled incorrectly. UK Ministry of Defence admits that a massive number of nuclear warheads are potentially unsafe and could be at risk of explosion if ha... more
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First female UK soldier killed in Afghanistan is named.
Following the Ministry of Defence' report yesterday, the four soldiers that were killed in Afghanistan, one of whom was the first female to die in active service since UK troops were sent out there, have been named.
Corporal Sarah Bryant, Corporal Sean Reeve, Lance Corporal Richard Larkin and Paul Stout were attacked whilst they taking part in an operation east of Lashkar Gah headquarters yesterday afternoon. Following the Ministry of Defence' report yesterday, the four soldiers that were killed in Afghanistan, one of whom was the first... more -
UK apologises over Iraq abuses
Britain will admit to the country's high court that some of its troops breached the human rights of nine detained Iraqis, one of whom died of asphyxia whilst in custody. Baha Mousa, a 26-year-old hotel worker, suffocated when he was forced to the floor with his arms behind his back as soldiers tried to cuff him, prosecutors said last September.
The Ministry of Defense said it expects to negotiate compensation for the survivors of Mousa, as well as for the other eight former detainees. According to the prosecution, the nine suspected insurgents were held in stress positions and deprived of sleep for two days under extreme heat whilst at a British army barracks near Basra in September 2003.
In a response to the admission, Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth stressed that the men responsible were a tiny minority of the 120,000 British soldiers that have served in Iraq, but that the MoD still 'condemn their actions'. The Ministry has previously argued that British troops on overseas operations were not covered by European human rights law. Britain will admit to the country's high court that some of its troops breached the human rights of nine detained Iraqis, one of ... more -
MoD lost 11,000 military ID cards
A new data security row has hit the Ministry of Defence after it emerged that an "extraordinary" 11,000 military ID cards have been lost or stolen in the past two years. A new data security row has hit the Ministry of Defence after it emerged that an "extraordinary" 11,000 military ID cards ha... more
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Soldiers denied treatment for Iraq war trauma
Amid growing concerns about the pressure soldiers are being put under whilst deployed overseas, it has emerged that hundreds of veterans from the ongoing Iraq and Afghanistan wars are being denied funding by the government for medical treatment to cope with the psychological fallout of war. Combat Stress, a charity that assists veterans with mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder, is dealing with a 27 per cent increase in GP referrals. More than half of those reporting psychotic nightmares, depression and suicidal thoughts have not been granted a war pension and are, therefore, not eligible for specialist psychiatric help. An MoD spokesman said: 'If a link is proved, then they will receive a war pension.' Official figures show that at least 23 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans had committed suicide from 2003 to the end of 2006. Numbers for reservists are not known. Amid growing concerns about the pressure soldiers are being put under whilst deployed overseas, it has emerged that hundreds of vetera... more
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I don't believe it...my data's been nicked again! Police probe theft of...
West Midlands police are investigating the theft of a Royal Navy laptop from a Royal Navy officer. This has held over 600,000 peoples data, as confirmed. Police say the laptop has been stolen from a vehicle parked overnight in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham. (What a good place to leave it. Now I know where my Tax-money goes.) The laptop is reported to obtain peoples passport numbers, national insurance and bank details. They are said to relate to those who have showed interest in or have joined The Royal Navy, Royal Marines, or The RAF. Last November, I happily remember with the shredded remains of sanity, that it emerged 25 million child benefit records had been lost after HM Revenue Customs (HMRC) had sent two unregistered and unencrypted discs to the National Audit Office. The MoD it was treating the latest theft with "utmost seriousness." The police say that they'd received a report that the laptop had been stolen on 10 January. Anyone with information should contact West Midlands police on 0845 5000. So, what d'you reckon? A maniac organisation has already been running around with my life and it's story! They know more of me then me! West Midlands police are investigating the theft of a Royal Navy laptop from a Royal Navy officer. This has held over 600,000 peoples ... more
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Ministry of Defence
