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POLICE used capsicum spray on a golfer they later charged with drink-driving after he allegedly did burnouts and doughnuts on a Northern Territory golf course yesterday. The golfer, who was driving a golf buggy, returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.12 after he was arrested at the Palmerston Golf and Country Club. Senior Sergeant Mark Stringer said the Palmerston man was allegedly doing burnouts and doughnuts and driving with a person on the roof. Police were alerted by a member of the public playing in the club's Sunday competition who allegedly saw the man hooning with friends at the 1st,...

Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, will announce a comprehensive reorganisation of the Army today that will see at least 19 regiments, including the Black Watch, amalgamated or disbanded. The Executive Committee of the Army Board (ECAB) agreed earlier this week to get rid of single battalion famous-name regiments and amalgamate them into multi-battalion units. At the same time, it was expected to axe four infantry battalions, effectively getting rid of four single-battalion regiments, as part of the Northern Ireland "peace dividend". But amid anger at the loss of regimental heritage, and cuts in numbers that are widely regarded within the...

The Ministry of Defence has said Geoff Hoon will make a "holding" statement in the Commons regarding UK troops in Iraq. The spokesman said that while Mr Hoon would confirm that a request had been received from the Americans to deploy troops outside the UK controlled-sector, no decisions had been made. Labour's former Defence Secretary Lord Healey has opposed the deployment of British troops around Baghdad. He told Sky's Sunday with Adam Boulton that British forces should leave Iraq as quickly as possible. "If we do anything it is better to do it in Basra where we have managed to...

UK Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has been awarded the Pentagon's highest civilian honour for the British armed forces' role in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Distinguished Public Service Award was given to Mr Hoon by his US counterpart, Donald Rumsfeld, at a small ceremony at the Pentagon. It was awarded in recognition for Mr Hoon's leadership role in the so-called war on terror, a top US official said. It was also a gesture of thanks for the role UK armed forces played in Iraq. 'Instrumental' work The Bush administration has described the work of British armed forces in "liberating" Iraq as...

LONDON/TOKYO (Reuters) - British police revealed on Saturday that a scientist at the center of a row over the government's justification for war in Iraq had died of a slit wrist, leaving little doubt he had taken his own life. A haggard Prime Minister Tony Blair urged the media on a visit to Tokyo to "set aside the speculation and the claims and the counter-claims" over the death of Dr David Kelly, a Defense Ministry weapons expert. Kelly was named as a possible "mole" for a news story saying aides to Blair -- who has staked his career on his...

Hoon to send fresh troops to Iraq By Michael Smith, Defence Correspondent (Filed: 01/05/2003) Britain is sending another brigade of troops to Iraq to relieve some of those involved in the invasion and to take part in the post-war stabilisation force, the Government announced yesterday. British forces are so stretched that nearly a quarter of the replacements sent to Iraq will have to be reservists. Some of the regular troops who are being pulled out will have to be sent back again within weeks while others already there have been told that their tour of duty is being extended. Admiral...

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Apr 08, 2003 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- Pre-emptive military strikes against countries that sponsor terrorism or harbor weapons of mass destruction are likely to become more common, British Defense Secretary Geoffrey Hoon said Tuesday. U.S. President George W. Bush's doctrine of pre-emptive military action against perceived security threats has divided Europe. Germany and France oppose the doctrine, saying it could result in further destabilization worldwide. Britain, Italy and Spain, however, have supported the policy against Iraq. In a speech to the Danish Institute for International Studies in Copenhagen, Hoon singled out terrorism and weapons of mass destruction...

Britain: Chemical Attack by Iraq Possible By JILL LAWLESS .c The Associated Press LONDON (AP) - The discovery of chemical protection suits at an Iraqi command post suggests that Iraq was prepared to use weapons of mass destruction against advancing coalition forces, British officials said Thursday. Soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment found about a hundred chemical weapons protection suits and respirators in an Iraqi command post, said Adm. Michael Boyce, chief of the defense staff. ``This kit was effective, well cared for and in good working order,'' Boyce told a news conference. ``Now we have to ask ourselves why...

To 30 oil wells on fire in Iraq, according to Geoff Hoon To 30 oil wells were set fire to by the Iraqi forces in the south of Iraq, according to last estimates', declared the Minister for British Defense Geoff Hoon in a maintenance with the BBC (radio). "La last estimate which I received before leaving the ministry for Defense this morning is that perhaps to 30 oil wells were deliberately burnt ", specified Mr. Hoon. "Dans the current context, it is perhaps less worse than what us planes fears, because there are several hundreds of oil well in...

DUFF HOON TO GO EXCLUSIVE: He carries the can for Rumsfeld shambles DEFENCE Secretary Geoff Hoon faces the sack as soon as the conflict in Iraq is over. Tony Blair has decided to give the hapless Minister his marching orders after Hoon's latest blunder nearly derailed the Government war strategy. Mr Hoon - dubbed "Buff-Hoon" by colleagues - is tipped to be replaced by Education Secretary Charles Clarke. Mr Blair was furious after Mr Hoon's American counterpart, Donald Rumsfeld, declared that the US could engage in a military conflict without Britain. His statement followed a lengthy telephone conversation with...

Both U.S. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and German Foreign Minister Fischer delivered strongly-worded speeches in which they staked out their positions and crossed verbal swords over the pressing issue of Iraq in Munich. Time's running out --U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld The annual high-level security conference taking place over the weekend in Munich was witness to some strong speeches and verbal sparring on Saturday that reflected the transatlantic tension brewing between Germany and America in the past weeks. At the closely guarded conference attended by more than 250 top-level military officials and politicians from 40 countries, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld...

Britain is pressing for war against Iraq to be delayed for several months, possibly until the autumn, to give weapons inspectors more time to provide clear evidence of new violations by Saddam Hussein.I can't begin to describe how unspeakably angry I am at Blair for this - Saddam should be dead already - I don't care if Blair has problems with left wingers in his party, it is the right thing to do - Ivan Ministers and senior officials believe that there is no clear legal case for military action despite the build-up of American and British forces in the...

London could attack Iraq without consulting the Parliament Wednesday December 18, 2002 - 8h30 GMT LONDON, 18 déc (AFP) - the United Kingdom could launch a possible operation to Iraq without consulting as a preliminary the British Parliament "not to reveal the moment of such an attack in advance", declared Wednesday the British Minister for Defense Geoff Hoon. "In the possibility of a military action, we would not like to necessarily reveal the moment of such a military attack in advance", affirmed with the BBC (radio) Mr. Hoon. "It would clearly not be with our advantage", said Mr. Hoon,...

Monday March 25, 8:46 AM Britain can attack Iraq without a UN mandate: Hoon Britain can use force against Iraq without a United Nations mandate if Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is seen as a threat, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said. The government reserves the right to order a nuclear attack against Iraq if chemical or biological weapons are targeted at British troops or the public, Hoon said in a television interview, echoing comments he made last week. His remarks appeared to be at odds with those of Britain's International Development Secretary Clare Short, who on Friday insisted that any military...