New plan for Euro train booking system

Railteam, the alliance of European high-speed rail operators, has shelved plans for a Europe- wide common booking system because of increasing costs. The system would have allowed customers to book tickets for Europe-wide rail journeys in a single transaction. The platform was due to be unveiled this year, but has been scrapped for the foreseeable future, according to Eurostar. Railteam's other members include Thalys, SNCF and Deutsche Bahn. "All seven high-speed operators thought the platform would be a good idea but once we started looking at the system in detail we realised that it would be very complicated and therefore extremely expensive." said Lesley Retallack from Eurostar. At present, although travellers can book some Europe-wide tickets through the individual websites of Railteam's members, passengers often receive more than one ticket for journeys onward from the carriers' normal routes. The new system would have created a one-stop- shop for tickets for complete high-speed journeys across Europe.

Sales rise for Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover had seen its sales rise 23 % in the second quarter after its new models were well-received. Owner Tata Motors said new products such as the upgraded Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Discovery 4 had had successful launches. Although Jaguar Land Rover made a net loss of £60 m in the July-September quarter, it was much less than the £240 m loss it made a year earlier. India's Tata Motors made a net profit of 217.8 m rupees ($4.7 m; £2.8 m) That compared with a loss of 9.4 bn rupees a year earlier. Tata said Jaguar Land Rover's performance was the highlight of the quarter. Tata bought the British marques from Ford for £1.7 bn in June 2008. Sales volumes at Jaguar Land Rover rose to 44 , 300 vehicles from 35 ,900 in the previous quarter. Aggressive cost reduction had also paid off, Tata said. "The [Jaguar Land Rover] business is witnessing some stability in the external environment with certain key markets showing signs of recovery," Tata said in a statement.

It delay test flight for airbus A400 M

Airbus says its long-delayed A400 M military transport aircraft should make its first test flight during the week beginning 7 December. The European aerospace giant said the test flight would go ahead "weather permitting". The A400 M was designed to replace ageing military cargo carriers in several European air forces. However, a series of technical problems have dogged the project and led to the delays. The aircraft was due to enter service with air forces this year, but this has now been put back to 2013. Amid growing concern, French and German officials have given the firm until the end of the year to prove that the project remains viable. Earlier this month, South Africa cancelled a multi-billion dollar contract for eight A400 Ms, citing escalating costs and delivery delays. The deal for the planes was signed a number of years ago, when the proposed cost was significantly less.

Eskom get loan to build power plant

Utility company Eskom has been loaned 1.86 bn euros ($2 ,77 bn; £1.69 bn) by the African Development Bank to finance the building of the Medupi power plant. The 4 ,800 megawatt facility in the Limpopo Province will significantly boost the energy capacity of South Africa, the bank said. This will be the first new plant built by Eskom, a state owned company, in over two decades. The plant is expected to be commissioned by February 2012. Eskom has been rationing electricity this year as the national grid cannot cope with demand. "South Africa's energy problem has been a major impediment to Africa's leading economy," African Development Bank president Donald Kaberuka said. "This operation should be seen in the context of the bank's ongoing efforts to help Africa bridge the infrastructure gap." In September, Eskom announced that South Africa's aim to provide universal access to the national electricity grid by 2012 may not be realised.

Japan's unemployment problem

Japan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate last month was 5.1 percent, down from 5.3 percent in September, according to government figures released Friday. That translates to 3.44 million unemployed people in October -- but still an increase of 890 ,000 , or 34.9 percent, above what it was in October 2008 , Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said on its Web site. Prices for consumer goods excluding fresh food were down 2.2 percent in October from what they had been a year prior, it said.