NEW DELHI — India has issued a final notice to AgustaWestland as it moves to cancel the planned purchase of AW101 helicopters for VIP transport that has been tainted by a bribery scandal. “We have issued a final show cause notice to AgustaWestland on Oct. 21 asking why all or any action, including cancellation of the contract, should not be taken against them for violating the terms of the pre-integrity pact and the contract for the procurement of 12 AW101 helicopters,” a defense ministry official says.
The launch of India’s first Mars orbiter, scheduled for Oct. 28, has been postponed for a week due to rough weather in the Pacific Ocean, a senior space scientist says. “The weather in the south Pacific Ocean has slowed things down as movement of two Indian ships, carrying terminals on board to track the rocket after it is launched, was delayed due to bad meteorological conditions,” Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chairman K. Radhakrishnan says.
