‘200K Troops…': Germany, Russia War To Kick Off? Berlin Issues Shocking Military Order
A $110 million F‑35B Lightning stealth fighter jet of the UK's Royal Navy remains grounded in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, after it made an emergency landing on June 14 during a sortie over the Indian Ocean. Diverted due to bad weather and later struck by a technical fault, the jet couldn't return to the HMS Prince of Wales, its carrier. Now, a 40-member British aviation engineering team is expected to land in Kerala on July 5 to conduct repairs. Originally scheduled to arrive on July 2, their arrival was delayed for unspecified reasons. The aircraft has since been moved to the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility at the airport. Guarded 24x7 by RAF officers, the fighter remains under UK control. The British High Commission thanked India for its cooperation, while Defence Minister Luke Pollard praised India's support and the RAF's oversight.#kerala #thiruvananthapuramairport #f35 #britishroyalnavy #c17globemaster #f35kerala #strandedfighterjet #ukindiamilitary #rafjetindia #f35repairteam #thiruvananthapuram #lockheedmartin #hmsprinceofwales #c17airlift #defencediplomacy #toi #toibharat #bharat #trending #breakingnews #indianews
2.9K views | 1 day ago
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
3 hours ago
- News18
25-Member UK Team To Assess Grounded F-35 Jet In Kerala Tomorrow
The fighter jet is currently parked at a bay in Thiruvananthapuram Airport and is being guarded by a six-member team from the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. A team of around 25 British aviation engineers is expected to arrive in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday to assess F-35B fighter jet of Britain's Royal Navy, weeks after the aircraft was grounded following an emergency landing at the airport. According to a report by Indian Today citing sources, the 25-member team would arrive in Kerala on Sunday, examine the fault in the parked aircraft and would decide if the fighter jet can be repaired in India or needs to be ferried back to the UK. The team was earlier scheduled to arrive in Kerala on July 2, however, the visit was postponed for unknown reasons, news agency PTI reported, citing sources. The fighter jet is currently parked at a bay in Thiruvananthapuram Airport and is being guarded by a six-member team from the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. India had offered to assist in repairing the F-35 of the British Royal Navy in the closest MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Operations) facility. A spokesperson from the British High Commission said the plane is waiting for repairs. The UK has agreed to move the jet to the airport's MRO facility. The F-35B jet, owned by Britain's Royal Navy, might need to be dismantled for transport or flown out in one piece using a large special aircraft like the C-17 Globemaster. The jet, worth over $110 million, is one of the most advanced fighter planes in the world. The aircraft was conducting operations 100 nautical miles off the coast of Kerala when it made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram airport on June 14 due to a technical problem. The Indian Air Force extended all possible support for rectifying the issue and ensuring its return. However, when the fighter jet was preparing to return to its carrier, a hydraulic failure was detected during pre-departure checks. A small Royal Navy team attempted to repair the malfunction but was unsuccessful. The aircraft is parked at Bay 4 of Thiruvananthapuram airport under Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) protection since then. The F-35B is the only fifth-generation fighter jet with short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capabilities, making it suitable for small decks, austere bases, and ships. First Published:
The Hindu
6 hours ago
- The Hindu
Expert team from U.K. to land in Kerala on Sunday to repair grounded F-35B
Ending weeks-long uncertainty, a Royal Air Force aircraft carrying an expert team of engineers will touch down at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport by Sunday noon to repair the grounded F-35B fighter jet of the Royal Air Force. The combat jet of the U.K. has remained grounded at the airport since June 14 after it made an emergency landing following technical glitches. According to sources, the team comprises around 20 engineers from the U.K. and the U.S., where the manufacturer Lockheed Martin is based. The Royal Air Force aircraft that carries the expert team to Kerala will return soon after dropping the team here. The team will stay here for a few days exploring the possibility of repairing the grounded aircraft at the place where it is stationed now (bay number four of the domestic terminal of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport). If the attempt fails, the U.K. team would consider towing the aircraft to the airport hangar. Dismantling some parts of the aircraft here and airlifting them back to the U.K. or to the U.S. would be considered only if these two options don't work. Only after an inspection of the aircraft by the expert team, a final call on these options will be taken, said sources. Memes galore The continued grounding of the aircraft had caught media attention and subsequent speculation on its future. The celebrity status of the aircraft was used by Kerala Tourism on social media platforms with a catchy tagline, 'Kerala, the destination you'll never want to leave.' The post went viral and was followed by a deluge of memes. The aircraft made an emergency landing following adverse weather conditions in the Indian Ocean. It had serious engineering issues that could not be fixed by the airport crew here.
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Indian Express
Save the Balti: Meet the Englishman trying to save Birmingham Balti, the famous Brit-Asian curry
It's feared that the Balti might kick the bucket soon, but a Birmingham resident has taken it upon himself to keep it alive and simmering. A food writer, a one-time bureaucrat and a proud Brummie, Andy Munro, 78, is fighting to save the famous British Asian curry that is cooked, and also served, in thin, steel-pressed woks that resemble the good-old sub-continental kadhai but are shallower and called Balti — a bucket. From food hubs full of Balti houses in the 70s, when the dish hit the market, to just a handful of them trying to stay afloat now, Birmingham, known as the birthplace of heavy-metal music, is losing its light-metal curry bowl legacy. 'This autumn I am going to put a bid to the British government as they have a department for the protection of cultural heritage. I would like Balti to have a UNESCO-approved mark. I have sent them a video of Balti being cooked. Despite the large-scale shut-downs, there are close to 40 to 50 genuine Balti houses in Britain so I am not worried about the numbers,' says Munro, who is also the secretary of the Association for the Protection of the Authentic Balti and is a writer of two Balti books. Munro was born in Birmingham and lived most of his life in the city's famous Balti Triangle, an area around Ladypool Road, Stoney Lane, and Stratford Road that was once a Balti haven. 'It was me who coined this name. Earlier, this was called Balti Belt and it didn't sound right. So I took some creative liberty and called it the Balti Triangle, inspired by the Bermuda Triangle. I had come up with this line — Balti Triangle, where you get in the sea of spices. But with time, what has remained is just Balti Triangle,' says Munro. To share the Balti story, he is at Ladypool Road's Shababs restaurant, one of the two authentic Balti places on the street. What was once a sprawling Balti den now offers a truly global spread — there's Thai, Turkish, Lebanese and also a burger and fries place called MakHallal. Also around is the Shababs owner Zaf Hussain, 40, whose family has been into Baltis for several decades. It is Munro who starts this 'necessity being the mother of invention' tale. Back in the 70s, Birmingham, England's industrial hub, saw a large exodus from Pakistan. With time, restaurants with sub-continent cuisine would crop up. 'They were very rough and ready eating places. Glass-topped tables and basin in the corner to wash your hands. They were very basic,' he says. However, there turned out to be one restaurateur from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir who thought of attracting the posh white clients, the ones Munro calls the 'Jewel in the crown' crowd. 'So he wanted to invent a dish which would attract the local customers because what he used to originally serve was the chicken-on-the-bone dish that was greasy,' narrates Munro. There were other considerations. He wanted a fast-to-cook dish, since the Brummies, like anyone, didn't like to wait for ages for their order. The Indo-Pak cuisine had other limitations to be on the menu of restaurants in England. 'They used ghee and that heavy duty Indian kadhai was more suited for slow-cooking,' says the riveting story teller, setting up the suspense. 'So instead of ghee, he used vegetable oil since it has a higher smoke point. And he also thought about Balti, a thin flat-bottomed, shallow vessel with handles that was suited to sizzle on high flame. And it was made by Sikhs working in furnaces and factories around Birmingham,' he says. Hussain says unlike the butter-chicken and tikkas that are Asian exports that the British have got hooked to, Balti is truly a 'Made in England' curry. 'I have been back and forth to Pakistan 10 to 12 times in my lifetime but I have never sampled a Balti or found one,' he says before heading to the kitchen to prove the claim that Balti can be done in less than 10 minutes. The flame is rising furiously from the stove, he places a Balti on the fire and gets into a frenzy. Oil, raw chicken, onion, garlic, ginger, tomato slices and several scoops of spices from his jumbo masala box get cooked. He stirs them rigorously and in less than 10 minutes, it is ready to be on the table. 'It's not just a chicken dish, Balti is more of a cooking style. It could be keema, lamb, mixed vegetables and even daal. But the daal needs to be pre-cooked. Vegetables like potato and aubergine can be cooked in the Balti and served,' says Zaf. Munro, meanwhile, draws attention to the side of the Balti, fresh from the fire, the fuming brownish curry whistling the desired smoky aroma. 'You see those little bubbles. Because of the high flame, it caramelises. Michelin chefs would die to get that caramelisation but you get that naturally with a Balti,' he says before giving the final 'how to eat a Balti' instruction. 'Never eat it with rice, it doesn't work. Take a naan or roti, break it with your hands. Dip it into the Balti, take a chunk of chicken and a lot of masala, scoop it out and place it in your mouth.' There are other traditions, though not strictly followed. Like the Wazwan is traditionally relished back in his ancestors' homes in a 'trami', a collective serving, the Balti is recommended to be eaten straight off the serving sizzling wok, like a fondue. There are restaurants who serve the Balti dish in silver bowls and that's what Munro fears the most and wants to stop. 'That worries me, since I am a passionate Birmingham resident. When people come to Birmingham, they have heard about the famous Balti and they sit down to have it. If they are served in silver bowls, it is pseudo-Balti. That way, all the properties are lost. Then people would say 'What's the big deal about Balti? It's just any other curry. That's what makes me determined,' says the Save The Balti campaigner.
