No plan to disband Gurkha regiment: UK

LONDON: Britain's Ministry of Defence has said that there is no plan to disband the Gurkha regiment.
The MoD denial comes in the wake of media reports that Britain could disband the Gurkha regiment because of the cost.
London's Evening Standard paper, citing military officials, reported on Wednesday that paying for retired Gurkhas could cost British taxpayers between one billion and three billion pounds.
The Daily Express reported that the British army wants to scrap the 200-year-old Gurkha regiment altogether because of the cost.
"These stories that say letting retired Gurkhas live in the UK will cost billions of pounds and be a drain on services like the National Health Service are simply scare-mongering," Indian-born British Actress Joanna Lumley said on Thursday.
Ms Lumley, who helped secure a key legal victory on allowing veteran Nepalese fighters to stay in Britain last year, said the number of them likely to settle here was tiny compared to general immigration.