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First Post
14 hours ago
- Politics
- First Post
Targeting the captive: Prison attacks in modern warfare
Whatever symbolism it may carry, targeting prisons in enemy territory is not a new tactic as seen in the Israel-Iran and Russia-Ukraine wars read more On July 28, news broke that Russia had attacked a prison in the Zaporizhzhia region. This left 22 dead and over 40 injured. The Zaporizhzhia region is one of conflict, located in southeastern Ukraine and has been the victim of frequent targeting by Russian forces since the onset of the war in 2022. Four guarded aerial bombs hit the Bilenkivska Correctional Colony destroying the dining hall as well as damaging the administrative and quarantine buildings. Zaporizhzhia governor Ivan Fedorov also stated that neighbouring private residences and homes were destroyed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A month ago, on June 23, Israel attacked the Iranian Evin Prison in northern Tehran. According to Iranian authorities, at least 80 civilians were killed in the attack and consequently labelled it a 'war crime.' History of prisons under siege From Operation Jericho during the Second World War to the Son Tay Raid during the Vietnam War to the most recent Russian attack on the Zaporizhzhia prison, prison attacks during times of war is not an unseen phenomenon. They are often strategic moves — calculated risks. Intentional brush strokes in the art of war. Operation Jericho was an Allied operation, primarily led by the British Royal Air Force, in 1944. Its aim was to free political prisoners and French resistance fighters imprisoned in the Amiens Prison in Nazi-occupied France. Through the use of 18 Mosquito fighter-bombers from the RAF's No.14 wing as well as Typhoon fighters, the Allied forces were able to breach the prison walls and free over a 100 prisoners. In the process over 258 people were killed including prisoners, guards and German personnel. In the aftermath of the war many hypothesized that Operation Jericho was not only a prison break but a psychological message to show Allied support for the French suffocating under the regime of Nazi-occupied France. The Son Tay Raid (officially known as Operation Ivory Coast), was an American military operation in 1970 that aimed to free prisoners of war from the Son Tay prison camp in North Vietnam. During the operation they discovered that the POWs had been moved to another camp in the months before the raid due to flooding and poor conditions. There were no American POWs and no American casualties, but instead the camp became a place for the killing of dozens of enemy soldiers. Operation Ivory Coast failed in its primary mission — to free American POWs; however, it became a symbolic gesture of American fraternity. The world received the message that the United States would not let their soldiers be forgotten and they would go to the most extreme lengths to bring them back. Striking the defenceless Prison attacks and raids are not new, but in today's conflict-ridden world they are a strategic tool that is being used differently. In the past they could be seen as a symbol of solidarity and hope, now they are a show of power and domination. Israel's attack forced the Iranians to move the detainees from Evin prison to Qarchak prison and the Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary (Fashafouyeh Prison) which reportedly have even worse conditions than Evin prison does. Iranian journalist Mehdi Mahmoodian, who was transferred from Even to Fashafouyeh, stated on his Instagram page that the prisoners that were held there were 'long forgotten' due to their non-political nature. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But what did Israel have to gain from the Evin prison attack? The Israeli military stated that Evin was a 'symbol of oppression for the Iranian people' and moreover, stated it was used for 'intelligence operations against Israel, including counter-espionage.' Prisons, under international law, are considered civilian objects not military, which means the attack could be a violation of international humanitarian law. The attack was not a raid or a prison break, it was a way for Israel to demonstrate its power amid heightening tensions during June's 12-day war. Russia's attack on Bilenkivska Correctional Colony was followed by an attack on Tuesday morning in the village of Novoplatonivka in the Kharkiv region. Five people, who had ventured out to acquire humanitarian aid, were killed during this assault. Theatres of power Once prisons were a symbol of repression and oppression. In today's world, prisons and other civilian objects are falling victim to the widening cracks of a once multilateral system. War is waged at the cost of millions of innocent lives, and war-ridden zones are the theatres of power. Most people dream of success in life, but those in war-ridden countries dream of survival.
The Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
UK made ‘Armageddon scenario' plan for mass Hong Kong exodus in handover run-up
The UK government prepared a secret contingency plan dubbed 'the Armageddon scenario' in the lead-up to the 1997 handover for the evacuation of millions of Hong Kong residents who might have wanted to flee the city, according to newly unsealed documents. The British national archive documents date back to 1989 in the period immediately preceding and following the Tiananmen Square crackdown. A number of scenarios and recommendations for UK authorities were outlined in the event Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule triggered an exodus of people from the city. The documents, which were made public on Tuesday UK time, stated that the United Kingdom could 'not handle a mass evacuation alone' and that other countries would need to help, highlighting the United States as 'particularly important'. Repeated references were made to the 'Official Group on Contingency Planning for Hong Kong', which was said to have been formed following then prime minister Margaret Thatcher's meeting with the governor of Hong Kong on June 8, 1989. The governor at the time was David Wilson. The internal communications, labelled 'secret', categorised the plan into three scenarios – green, amber and red. When the most serious red phase was reached, indicating a mass exodus was under way, the British government would launch an evacuation, reception and resettlement plan, according to the file. In the contingency plan dated November in the released files, air and ship operators should be instructed to deploy earmarked aircraft and ships covered by dormant contracts immediately to Hong Kong in the red phase. Planes were expected to reach Hong Kong within 24 to 48 hours, while cruise ships were likely to have taken at least a week. The plan noted that the basic cost of moving 1 million people by sea to Taiwan would be around £165 million on the most favourable set of assumptions, while that of flying them to the island would have reached about £170 million. It set out that civilian evacuation would require the use of cruise ships and 143 of the vessels were available from 21 different countries. Costs were estimated to reach £200,000 per ship every day. The plan noted that efforts would need to be stepped up to get Southeast Asian governments to offer 'immediate, practical help', such as public appeals targeted at ethnic Chinese communities. It added that military deployments 'might be necessary', including using aircraft and vessels to assist in evacuation, as well as the deployment of land, air and sea assets to 'deter or counter Chinese military action'. But the plan noted that the capacity of military assistance in transporting a large number of people was 'small' compared with the size of the potential exodus and the capacity of the civil sector. The document said the British Royal Air Force had a readily available maximum single lift capacity of about 5,000 people. The team also drew up resettlement plans, in which the cost of reception centres would be about £5 million per 1,000 people and £5 billion per million based on past experience. The figures assumed each refugee would stay in a reception centre for six months, where basic needs would be met with some minimal English language training. The team said accommodation capacity would 'pose severe problems' in the event of an influx of arrivals. It estimated that only 400,000 properties would be available in the UK for resettlement in the short term, of which 300,000 would have to be requisitioned from the private sector. The internal documents outlined four scenarios that could trigger such an exodus, including two before and two after the 1997 handover. The report outlined one potential situation in which there would be a 'steady ebbing away of confidence' among people in Hong Kong before the handover, leading to an outflow of capital and talent from the city. Another pre-handover scenario referenced a 'panic provoked by further developments in China', such as the use of military force against Chinese civilians. It said Hong Kong people would be more sensitive than before to such developments. The post-handover scenarios were predicted to play out largely similarly – one based on people losing confidence in whether the Sino-British Joint Declaration was working, and a second that outlined a 'greater' risk of Beijing directly interfering in the city's affairs after 1997. The declaration is an agreement signed by Britain and China in 1984 to settle the future of Hong Kong. The two governments agreed China would reassume control of Hong Kong from July 1, 1997. One document, signed off by a DG Manning in August, included an attachment to a report commissioned by the South China Morning Post in 1989 outlining 'best case scenarios' on the impact of 3 million arrivals in the UK from Hong Kong. The report was produced by experts from well-known UK universities, who found that the economic costs were not 'dramatic', even in the extreme case of 3.2 million immigrants. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
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First Post
21-07-2025
- Automotive
- First Post
What did it cost to park UK fighter jet stranded in Kerala for over a month?
A British fighter jet stuck in Kerala for over five weeks is ready to leave India after repairs on Tuesday (July 22). The F-35B Lightning II stealth aircraft has been grounded in the southern state since it landed at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in mid-June. Now, the plane has incurred a hefty parking fee of Rs 26,261 per day read more A British Royal Navy fighter jet being moved to a designated facility for British engineers to assess it after remaining stranded for about a month following a technical issue, at Kerala airport in Thiruvananthapuram, July 6, 2025. File Photo/PTI A stranded British fighter jet is set to leave Kerala after more than five weeks. The state-of-the-art F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter jet is expected to fly out of the southern Indian state on Tuesday (July 22). The British Royal Navy's plane had landed in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in mid-June and remained grounded since then. The jet inadvertently became a unique ambassador to promote the state's tourism, with the prolonged grounding making it a subject of jokes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But how much did it cost to park the British plane in a foreign airport? Let's take a closer look. Why British jet remained grounded in Kerala for weeks The UK Royal Navy's F-35 Lightning II fighter jet made an emergency landing at Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on the night of June 14. The highly advanced stealth jet, built by Lockheed Martin, is worth more than $110 million. According to defence officials, the British aircraft was running low on fuel. It also faced bad weather as the jet was flying about 100 nautical miles off the coast of Kerala, leading to the pilot onboard the plane seeking permission to land at the civilian airport in Thiruvananthapuram. The Indian Air Force (IAF) helped with refuelling the UK's advanced stealth aircraft, which was part of the fleet of the HMS Prince of Wales. However, the jet encountered hydraulic failure during its attempted return. Despite efforts to repair it, the plane continued to be grounded. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) guarded the British aircraft, which was parked at bay number 4 of the domestic terminal. While India offered to move the jet to a hangar or temporary shed amid concerns about monsoon rains, the UK initially resisted the calls. How the British fighter jet was finally repaired A 24-member British Royal Air Force technical team landed in Kerala on July 6 on board a Royal Air Force Airbus A400M Atlas aircraft to inspect the grounded jet. It comprised 14 technical experts from the British Royal Air Force and 10 crew members. The team came with specialist equipment necessary for the movement and repair process. A British Royal Air Force transport aircraft Atlas ZM417 lands at the Trivandrum International Airport, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Sunday, July 6, 2025. File Photo/PTI The UK Ministry of Defence said they had deployed a team of 14 engineers 'to Thiruvananthapuram airport to assess and repair the F-35B aircraft'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The British Royal Navy's F-35B was later towed to Air India's maintenance hangar at the airport following the arrival of the team of experts from the UK. The team worked under intense security and secrecy, operating in a restricted zone of the hangar, Mathrubhumi reported. The repair operations have been kept under wraps, with British military officials providing protection to the jet. As per The Hindu report, the auxiliary power unit of the combat aircraft developed some major snags, which needed services of an expert team. The maintenance work on the grounded British fighter jet was finished last week. There were speculations that if the expert team from the UK failed to repair the aircraft, it would be dismantled and flown out in a bigger cargo plane such as a C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft. The F-35B will now depart Kerala on July 22. However, the exact time of its departure is 'yet to be communicated, which airport will be used for refuelling on the way to London or when the backup aircraft will arrive to transport the technicians and equipment back,' an airport official told the BBC. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD #WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: Latest visuals of the British Navy's F-35 fighter jet, which made an emergency landing at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on June 14. It is likely to fly back soon. Official confirmation is awaited. A technical team of the UK… — ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2025 Parking the British jet in India for over a month cost… The UK authorities will have to pay a hefty sum in parking fees for the aircraft for each day it was stationed at the Thiruvananthapuram airport since June 14. The fee for using the hangar facility since July 6 will be charged by AI Engineering Services Ltd, which owns the hangar and provides the maintenance, repairs, and overhaul facility, reported The Hindu. According to the Indian Defence Research Wing (IDRW), the British fighter jet F-35B has reportedly incurred daily parking charges of Rs 26,261. This amounts to about Rs 9.19 lakh for over 35 days. With inputs from agencies
TimesLIVE
17-07-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Blue Bird returns to Welsh beach 100 years on from record run
The record now stands at 1227,985km/h, set in 1997 by retired British Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green who thundered across Nevada's Black Rock desert to break the sound barrier on land for the first time with the jet-powered Thrust SSC. The record has stood still this century, though a Bloodhound project is still seeking the funds to hit the 1,609km/h mark with a jet engine and monopropellant rocket working together. An Australian rocket-propelled 'Aussie Invader 5R' project also needs millions. Wales, from a family of record-breakers and whose late uncle Donald died in 1967 at speed on Coniston Water in his Bluebird K7 boat, doubted anything would happen soon. 'You look at the problems that Thrust SSC had getting enough money to do the sound barrier, which again is a magic figure that captures the imagination,' he said. 'A thousand miles an hour, yes, it's a big figure, but it just doesn't seem to have the attraction at the moment.' Wales, whose records were set in a steam-powered vehicle and on a lawnmower, cited the space race and even the ever-increasing popularity of Formula One as possible reasons for waning interest. 'I don't think the appetite is there anymore. At the moment there is no money in record-breaking,' he said. 'The adage of 'if you want to make a small fortune from motorsport, start with a large one' is so true in record-breaking.'
Observer
14-07-2025
- General
- Observer
France's military pigeons race in memory of brave predecessors
MONT VALÉRIEN: These days, French military pigeon number 193-529 is no longer needed to carry tiny messages during war-time communication blackouts. But the racing bird serves as a reminder of the brave service of its predecessors in World Wars I and II; and the 1870 siege of Paris. Inside Europe's last military pigeon loft, Sergeant Sylvain cradled 193-529, an alert feathered athlete with an iridescent green neck. "He's a carrier pigeon, like the ones who served in World Wars I and II", said Sylvain, withholding his surname for security purposes. "But today he races", added the member of the armed forces, whose grandfather was also a pigeon fancier. In Mont Valerien outside Paris, Sylvain flits between dovecotes, tending to some 200 pigeons — cleaning their shelters and making sure they have enough to eat. These days, they only use their navigating skills when they are released during competitions, military ceremonies, or demonstrations for visitors, he said. Humans have been using homing pigeons since Antiquity, but the French military started using them as a communication tool during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 after the Prussians besieged Paris. In October that year, the interior minister boarded a hot-air balloon to flee the French capital. Around a month later, the French military had elaborated a messenger pigeon plan to communicate with people still in the city, according to a French government account. Patriotic Parisians donated more than 300 pigeons to the war effort, which were loaded into the wicker baskets of hot-air balloons and transported southwards to the city of Tours. Upon arrival they were fitted with small tubes containing 3 to 4 cm (1 to 1.5 inch) of microfilm on which minute messages had been inscribed, called "pigeongrams". They were then released as close to the capital as possible so they could carry them back inside. Only around 50 pigeons made it. Parisians who found the pigeons then placed the microfilm between sheets of glass and, using a magic lantern — an early type of image projector, projected it onto a large screen to read it. They transcribed the contents and delivered the message to its intended recipient. During the two world wars, pigeons were used again when "modern means of communication reached their limits", such as "bombardments ripping down telephone lines", Sylvain said. During World War II, a French pigeon helped alert Allies that six German U-boats were undergoing maintenance in the French port of Bordeaux, leading to aerial raids that destroyed four of them, Sylvain said. The pigeon, nicknamed "Maquisard" like some members of the French Resistance, received an award. A British pigeon too made headlines. Gustav, a homing pigeon in the British Royal Air Force, travelled 240 km (150 miles) back across the Channel to break the first news of the D-Day landings in June 1944, according to the Imperial War Museum. He carried a message from a war correspondent and was also awarded a medal. — AFP
