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A SWARM of unidentified drones varying in "size and configuration" was seen flying over three RAF airbases, the US Air Force has confirmed. Some of them were seen flying over a £40m RAF airbase that is set to house American nuclear weapons. The incidents, which occurred between November 20 and 22, saw “small unmanned aerial systems” spotted over RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall, in Suffolk, and RAF Feltwell, in Norfolk. The USAF, which uses the bases, said it was unclear at this stage whether the drones were considered hostile. It also declined to comment on whether any defence mechanisms were used, but said it retains “the right to protect” installations. A spokesperson for US Air Forces in Europe said: “ We can confirm that small unmanned aerial systems (UASs) were spotted in the vicinity of and over RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, and RAF Feltwell between Nov 20 and 22. "The number of UASs fluctuated and they ranged in size [and] configuration. "The UASs were actively monitored and installation leaders determined that none of the incursions impacted base residents or critical infrastructure" Unconfirmed reports suggest F-15E Strike Eagles were scrambled to chase the drones that affected the flight operations at the base. The US Air Force declined to comment on those claims. “To protect operational security, we do not discuss our specific force protection measures but retain the right to protect the installation,” USAFE told military website The War Zone. RAF Lakenheath is a critical military facility that stores the US Air Forces in Europe's only fourth and fifth-generation fighter wing, besides being home to F-35A & F-15E tactical jets. What makes the drone incident even more important is Vladimir Putin's threat against the West. The raging dictator warned he could strike British and US military targets in his biggest threat yet after Ukraine fired Nato missiles into Russian territory. In a televised address on Thursday, Putin said military facilities inside the UK and the US could become valid targets for the Russian forces as a direct response to Ukraine's use of US-made ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles. He said: "Russia considers itself entitled to use weapons against military facilities of countries that permit the use of their weapons against Russia. "Since this moment, as we have underscored repeatedly, the conflict in Ukraine, provoked by the West, has acquired elements of global nature." Earlier this year, bombshell documents from the Pentagon revealed the US is set to store nuclear weapons at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. The tell-it-all documents from the US Department of Defence’s procurement database revealed plans for a “nuclear mission” set to take place “imminently” at the RAF base. They showed the Pentagon had ordered new equipment for the base, including ballistic shields designed to protect military personnel from "high-value assets" attacks. RAF Lakenheath is expected to take in B61-12 gravity bombs which have a variable yield of up to 50 kilotons. The nuclear warheads will be up to three times the strength of the deadly Hiroshima bomb at the air base, according to the procurement contracts. Nuclear missiles were removed by the US from the UK in 2008 when the threat of Cold War was believed to have diminished. RAF Lakenheath has been run by the US Air Force under British regulations and laws for decades now. The agreement allows the US to have a home for its nuclear weapons that can be deployed by F-35 fighter jets. Russia has previously said it would view the US placing weapons in Britain as an “escalation” that would be met with “compensating counter-measures”. Maria Zakharova, a Russian foreign ministry spokesman, said prior to the latest announcement: “If this step is ever made, we will view it as escalation, as a step toward escalation that would take things to a direction that is quite opposite to addressing the pressing issue of pulling all nuclear weapons out of European countries. “This practice and its development force us to take compensating countermeasures designed to reliably protect the security interests of our country and its allies.” The return of weapons to the UK is part of a huge Nato push to develop and upgrade nuclear sites across the world in preparation for a potential escalation of fighting. The Pentagon has not confirmed it is planning to store nukes in the UK. A spokesman said: “The United States routinely upgrades its military facilities in allied nations. Unclassified administrative budget documents often accompany such activities. “These documents are not predictive of, nor are they intended to disclose any specific posture or basing details. “It is US policy to neither confirm nor deny the presence or absence of nuclear weapons at any general or specific location.” Meanwhile, villagers close to the American military base in West Suffolk, fear they could become Vladimir Putin's target if bombs are stored there . In the event of World War 3, the American Air Force warplanes based in the UK would be called in. But villagers are worried that their little community could find itself at the centre of a major international conflict, with tensions increasing due to Putin's war with Ukraine and Hamas' attack on Israel. One fumed: ”I fear we will become one of the first targets if this conflict escalates. "The enemy will want to neutralise any threat coming from the Americans and us and could well strike first. " It doesn’t bear thinking about. “This is a small happy village and we have got used to having the Americans here. "But there is always the risk that if they get involved in a war in the Middle East we will inevitably be drawn in – and military bases like Lakenheath will become a key target for any enemy.”None
Strictly star STRIPPED in front of me & left me stunned – there’s reason why celebs think they can behave how they want
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state government agencies will have to conduct reviews and publish reports that detail how they're using artificial intelligence software, under a new law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Hochul, a Democrat, signed the bill last week after it was passed by state lawmakers earlier this year. The law requires state agencies to perform assessments of any software that uses algorithms, computational models or AI techniques, and then submit those reviews to the governor and top legislative leaders along with posting them online. It also bars the use of AI in certain situations, such as an automated decision on whether someone receives unemployment benefits or child care assistance, unless the system is being consistently monitored by a human. State workers would also be shielded from having their hours or job duties limited because of AI under the law. State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, called the law an important step in setting up some guardrails in how the emerging technology is used in state government.
These things in your home look tacky but they're easy & cheap to fixNebraska's auditor on Wednesday questioned the creation of a private foundation that has helped fund the secretary of state's overseas trade missions for two years but is "beholden to no one." Established in 2022, the Nebraska Secretary of State Foundation has raised and spent relatively modest amounts in support of Secretary of State Bob Evnen's official trips to faraway nations and domestic dinners where Evnen hosted foreign diplomats. Still, Auditor Mike Foley questioned the foundation's apparent mixing of private and public resources and wasteful use of taxpayer dollars in an audit released Wednesday that raises broader questions about the foundation's role in state government. "No one has access to their books. No one knows when they meet. And they're helping to fund a core function in state government," Foley told the Journal Star. "And I'm nervous about that. I really want the Legislature to take a look at this. Even though it's a fairly new foundation and the monies are small right now, this could develop into something more serious." In a statement, Evnen, a Republican who was first elected secretary of state in 2018 and reelected in 2022, said his office appreciates "the professionalism of the auditor’s office in conducting this review of our international trade mission work." "We have clarified for the auditor’s office some of the questions that were raised, and we will give serious consideration to their other suggestions," Evnen said. Nebraska's secretary of state serves myriad roles in state government, but Wednesday's probe focuses on the Secretary of State Foundation's involvement in Evnen's role as the state's chief diplomat responsible for promoting commercial, educational and cultural exchanges between the state and foreign countries. In that role, Evnen has traveled abroad five times since February 2022, including a February trip to Kenya that is the subject of the bulk of Foley's office's audit. Ahead of the trip, a deputy secretary of state in Evnen's office sent an email to the director of Nebraska's Corn Board asking the state-funded board to sponsor a reception Evnen's office planned to host at a hotel in Nairobi. The board's director agreed to give $500 to pay for food costs at the reception but specifically said the money should not be used to purchase alcohol. Evnen's office sent the Corn Board a $500 invoice on state letterhead Feb. 5 directing the board to make checks payable to the private Secretary of State Foundation. But it was ultimately the state that paid for the food at the reception, not the foundation, which instead paid $1,514.52 for alcohol and other beverages at the reception, including wine, whisky, gin, vodka, lager, sodas, water and juices, according to Wednesday's audit. In a response to Foley's office's findings included in the published audit, Evnen's office said it "does not have control over the Secretary of State Foundation" but said the foundation had confirmed that it did not use the funds provided by the Corn Board for alcohol. The auditor's office, in response, questions "the notion that the Secretary of State’s office lacks any control over the foundation," noting that state employees in Evnen's office were "clearly directing what invoices were to be paid by the foundation — including negotiating specific payment terms." In fact, the audit suggests Evnen and his staff appear to have played "an active role in both creating the foundation and managing its ongoing financial affairs." At least once, the foundation issued a check to Evnen himself, paying Nebraska's top election official $3,855.16 in December 2022, apparently reimbursing Evnen for a dinner at an Omaha steakhouse where Evnen's office hosted the Kuwaiti ambassador. That payment came early in the Secretary of State Foundation's existence. Among the first deposits into the foundation was $9,335.73 from the NebraskaLand Foundation, a separate private nonprofit that had received $12,200 from state agencies the year before it poured money into the Secretary of State Foundation, suggesting the initial deposit included at least some taxpayer dollars. Foley's office's audit also raises questions over inconsistent registration fees that Evnen's office has charged varying state entities to attend trade missions and the purchase of expensive business class plane tickets for the trip to Kenya that cost nearly three times as much as coach tickets. The audit also questioned why Evnen's office paid for five hotel rooms for two nights in Nairobi while the delegates who had occupied the rooms spent those nights on a personal safari in Maasai Mara. Those costs were ultimately reimbursed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture — but were nonetheless a frustration for Foley, who said state actors sometimes tend to think of federal dollars as "monopoly money." "Well, I file a federal tax return, too," the auditor said. 2024 Nebraska high school football state championship matchups Reach the writer at 402-473-7223 or awegley@journalstar.com . On Twitter @andrewwegley Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.