The British army suppressed a dossier that raised questions over a major Israeli defence company’s bid for a £2 billion ($2.6 billion) contract to overhaul military training, an incident that has fuelled corruption concerns.
An investigation into a whistleblower’s file that accused Elbit Systems UK, a subsidiary of Israel’s largest defence company, of breaching business appointment protocols was delayed for seven months, The Times reported.
The UK Ministry of Defence has been forced to admit it failed to look at the dossier about Elbit’s bid for the £2 billion deal following a freedom of information request from the newspaper.
The dossier was given to the ministry in February and the information disclosure request was made in August. But the ministry only responded last week, blaming the delay on “administrative oversight”.
A senior civil servant did conduct an “assurance review” in September but found no business appointment rules were breached and Elbit is continuing the process alongside American bidder Raytheon.
The dossier alleged that business appointment rules had been broken when a former senior army officer disclosed information to the Israeli company shortly after retiring from service. A few weeks after leaving, the brigadier, a leading figure on the contract while serving in the ministry, attended a meeting with Elbit to discuss how to get the deal over the line. In an alleged video recording of the talks, the officer was out of view but stated he “should not be there”.
It was also reported that a senior civil servant examining the bids was taken out to dinner by Elbit Systems UK on seven occasions, but there were no similar interactions with Raytheon.
The man, referred to as the “senior responsible owner” for the Collective Training Transformation Programme (CTTP), was also given a sightseeing tour of Jerusalem by the Israeli parent company, Elbit Systems. However, it is understood this did not breach ministry rules.
The ministry said it did “not hold any findings on an investigation” into whether Elbit breached its rules. “The procurement of the CTTP remains ongoing,” an army spokesman told The National. “It would be inappropriate to comment on any speculation regarding potential outcomes.”
It emerged this week that Elbit had been suspended by Nato from bidding for new tenders amid a wide-ranging corruption investigation involving at least three current or former staff members. Defence companies are alleged to have paid millions of euros to help secure contracts after the company sold at least €50 million ($58.2 million) in ammunition to Nato in recent years.
Elbit is not under investigation itself, but an arrest warrant has been issued for one of its consultants, Eliau Eluasvili, over allegations he bribed staff at Nato’s Support and Procurement Agency.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
West Asia rugby, season 2017/18 - Roll of Honour
Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
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Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
England ODI squad
Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
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Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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RESULT
Everton 2 Huddersfield Town 0
Everton: Sigurdsson (47'), Calvert-Lewin (73')
Man of the Match: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)