In a closed-door trial Tuesday, a Russian court sentenced a journalist to four years in prison for her work with foreign media outlets. Nika Novak was arrested in December 2023 on accusations of “preparing inaccurate materials” to discredit the Russian armed forces. The FSB security service said that Novak’s work was "aimed at causing reputational damage” to Russia and an attempt to destabilize the country and its war in Ukraine, according to the Interfax news agency. The court, which is in the Siberian region of Zabaykalsky Krai, did not say which foreign media outlet Novak is accused of working for. Novak worked previously for the Russian news websites Chita and Zab.ru, and had been a freelance reporter at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty or RFE/RL. A sister network to VOA, RFE/RL is an independent U.S.-funded media outlet. Moscow designates RFE/RL a so-called foreign agent. RFE/RL President Stephen Capus on Tuesday condemned the sentence handed to Novak. “These politically motivated charges are intended to silence individual reporters and cause a chilling effect. We call for Nika's immediate release to her family,” Capus said in a statement shared with VOA. Russia has ramped up its arrests and harassment of independent journalists since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Shortly after, the government issued directives on how media could report the war, and legislators enacted a law to penalize anyone authorities deemed to be spreading false news or information that could discredit the military. Russian authorities have also issued several arrest warrants in absentia. In October, authorities ordered the arrest in absentia of a CNN correspondent who had reported from Russia’s Kursk region as Ukraine forces made advances. The Memorial human rights group described Novak as a "political prisoner." It added that the journalist appeared to “hold anti-Ukrainian views," based on social media posts, but had criticized local authorities for supporting the offensive, according to AFP. The Coalition for Women in Journalism has also condemned Novak’s detention. In a statement at the time of her arrest, the group said, “The Kremlin is continuously abusing legislation to target journalists and activists. This must stop.” “The serious charges and lengthy prison term facing Novak are deeply worrying,” the statement said, adding that the coalition called on Russia to drop the charges and release the journalist. This report contains information from Agence France-Presse.Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director is an Xbox fan, and with Square Enix testing the multiplatform waters, he says he wants to being the JRPG to "as many players out there as possible"
There wasn’t much that was aesthetically pleasing about watching Kenny Pickett play quarterback Sunday. He wears gloves, for one thing, because he finds that they’re more comfortable and help him better grip a football. But no quarterback who wears gloves appears as graceful and fluid throwing the ball as a quarterback who doesn’t wear them. What’s more, on every pass, whether it was a go route to DeVonta Smith or a screen to Saquon Barkley, Pickett seemed to be putting all his might into every throw. None of these observations meant that Pickett had a poor game in the Eagles’ 41-7 romp over the Cowboys, in the victory that clinched for them the NFC East title and at least the No. 2 seed in the conference playoff bracket. On the contrary, despite some skittish moments early on, Pickett was excellent: 10-for-15, 143 yards, one passing touchdown, one Tush Push touchdown. His style of play was reminiscent of a previous Eagles backup QB, Jeff Garcia, and his production was, too. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Ayatollah Khamenei issued the call in a post published in Hebrew language on his X social media platform on Saturday night. “All the political and military captains of the criminal Zionist terrorist gang must be prosecuted,” the post read. The message of Iran’s leader came just two days after the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Minister of War Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and using starvation as a weapon in the war on the Gaza Strip. This is the first time the ICC has issued arrest warrants for Zionist officials and hailed by many world countries and governments. Iranian officials also welcomed the ICC’s verdict as a “victory” for Palestinians and those who care for the Palestinian cause but said that the warrants should have also included the regime’s "genocide" of Palestinians. 4399ST. PAUL — Gov. Tim Walz, alongside the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association, presented Minnesota’s official Thanksgiving turkey on Tuesday, Nov. 26, in the Minnesota State Capitol reception room. The tom presented by Walz on Tuesday weighed in at 41.8 pounds. Paisley VonBerge, who has helped raise the bird since it was 6 weeks old, said the turkey will return to her family’s farm in Hutchinson “to be enjoyed the way that turkeys are intended to be enjoyed.” President Joe Biden pardoned two Minnesota turkeys , Peach and Blossom, on Monday, Nov. 26, a contrast to Minnesota’s tradition of selecting a turkey to celebrate before it heads to the Thanksgiving dinner table. “We do it differently than in D.C. because here in Minnesota, we know turkeys are delicious, and we do not hide that fact, we celebrate that fact,” Walz said. During the presentation, Walz touted Minnesota’s turkey industry, which, with 600 farms, 40 million birds and 450 turkey farmers across the state, is No. 1 in the nation, according to the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association. MTGA President Jake Vlaminck said the turkey industry in Minnesota has generated $16.5 billion for the state. Vlaminck said Minnesota’s rich industry is what allowed MTGA, alongside Walz, to donate $10,000 worth of turkey to Minnesota families ahead of Thanksgiving this year. “We delivered hundreds of turkeys last week to a long line of people waiting in the cold waiting for their Thanksgiving meal,” said Second Harvest Heartland CEO Allison O’Toole. “We could see the difference in their faces. It’s moments like this that give Minnesota its reputation for a uniquely generous spirit.” Regarding the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump, his proposed tariff increases and their potential effect on some of Minnesota’s agriculture sectors like the turkey industry, Walz said he will “watch those moves closely.” “Agriculture pays the heaviest price, states like Minnesota pay the heaviest price for that,” Walz said. “And I think at this time, we’re waiting to see what the forecast comes in.” Thom Petersen, Minnesota Department of Agriculture commissioner, said Mexico and Canada are some of Minnesota’s biggest markets and that 74% of Minnesota’s exports go to Mexico. Petersen said he and Gov. Walz are already beginning to have conversations with federal officials on how new trade agreements or tariffs could affect Minnesota. “When we were in D.C. yesterday with Peach and Blossom, we were honored to be joined by both Mexican and Canadian embassies,” Petersen said. “Trade is a lot of our [Minnesota’s] relationships. We’re going to be active and engaged in that, those conversations. So we do a lot of that ourselves, but we also have to partner with the federal government if they have a trade agreement.” After the formal presentation of the tom, Walz took a few off-turkey-topic questions — his longest stretch of answering questions from the press since returning from Minnesota. When asked if he regretted running with Vice President Kamala Harris, Walz said his only regret in life is not getting a dog sooner. “I’m proud to have been part of that. I think we put a message out that 75 million Americans liked, but not quite enough,” he said. “I was just glad to be out there, to be honest, glad to tell the Minnesota story, that we get things done together.” Walz said after coming home to a split legislature, he is hopeful leaders will be able to work things out and said he expects productivity from his partnered branch of government. “Look, we are in a split legislature like we were in 2019 and we got a lot done during that time, and it’s my expectation that we can do it, that we will compromise, we will continue to focus,” he said.
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The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress of the US Air Force is practically a household name, as it should be, with some aircraft seeing three generations of pilots from the same families. This mighty bird is an icon of American air power and having served from the Vietnam War to the War in Afghanistan, it has proven to be a reliable and powerful aircraft, time and time again. Worldwide strategic presence relies on a combination of continuous operations, forward deployments , and the posture to meet emerging defense challenges. Originally intended to be primarily a nuclear deterrence platform, the venerable B-52 has evolved to be an incredibly versatile platform that is capable of a vast spectrum of missions and is capable of carrying anything from a nuclear warhead to an experimental aircraft. During Desert Storm , B-52s delivered 40 percent of all the weapons dropped by coalition forces. It is highly effective when used for ocean surveillance and can assist the U.S. Navy in anti-ship and mine-laying operations. In two hours, two B-52s can monitor 140,000 square miles (364,000 square kilometers) of ocean surface. At any given moment, the B-52 fleet is spread around the globe at different bases in the US and allied nations, as well as forward deployments, to provide flexible responses as defense needs emerge and change. The varied deployment cycles and locations of the B-52s reinforce the partnerships between the US Air Force and allied air forces. Whether a permanent overseas base or a joint training exercise, interoperability and cooperative training are valuable sources of improving aircrew and unit-level performance. Training, training, training Maintaining a global presence with the readiness to execute any mission, on-call demands a relentless training regimen for the aircrews and ground crews that operate the mighty B-52 . There are countless scenarios and contingencies, special circumstances or adverse conditions that are all thrown at the Air Force crews in a never-ending cycle of training and training again. As the landscape of global defense evolves and new threats emerge, the dedicated men and women of the Air Force rise to the challenge and ensure their Stratofortress is always ready. Maintenance is often performed under demanding schedules to meet the timelines of combat missions. The ground crew trains for this continuously during peacetime processes until they become second nature, such as checking airframe integrity, engine performance, avionics functions, and weapons systems performance. Extended maintenance periods are crucial for an aircraft that has been in service for so many decades to ensure that every plane receives comprehensive inspections. These depot cycles focus on finding and mitigating problems before impacting mission readiness. Skilled technicians who are masters of nuances in the aircraft work at maintenance depots, following methodical processes based on detailed and stringent guidelines. Even the smallest mechanical irregularities can affect mission performance; no step in this cycle is any less than the other, and all the staff working hard to keep the B-52s in the air are consummate professionals. The B-52J and B-21 Raider are set to become the most unequal of strategic bomber counterparts into the 2050s. Supply chain for a global fleet Maintaining a high readiness level for a fleet spread to the far corners of the earth requires an efficient and bullet-proof supply chain of parts and materials. The B-52 is an old warbird, but over its lifetime, it has learned many new tricks. That means that the logistics apparatus to support these giants of the sky has to accommodate both legacy and modern systems. Another aspect of readiness is prepositioning routine and essential materials and parts, from fuel and lubricants to ordinance and common spare parts. This system requires strong regional partnerships to ensure the timely and safe delivery of important components and everything else required to keep the mighty beasts flying. The B-52 bomber is old , as the National Interest remarked. The aircraft first reached operating capability in 1952, only seven years after the end of the Second World War, and entered service in 1961. The Air Force plans to operate well into the 2050s, meaning the B-52 will likely hit a century in service before it retires. System Upgrades and Modernization Maintaining a legacy platform requires steadily introducing new technologies and periodic improvements to stay operationally relevant. Each upgrade integrates emerging capabilities that expand mission sets and ensure the aircraft remains viable against evolving threats. Avionics modernization allows improved navigation accuracy, digital communications, and integration with modern weaponry. Life-extension programs extend the aircraft's operational lifespan, ensuring the structure can withstand extra flight hours and combat conditions. As each change is made, the aircraft’s operational capabilities expand, rendering it a versatile tool suitable for conducting reconnaissance, long-range strikes, maritime patrol, and other essential mission sets. Boeing B-52 Stratofortress specs : Length: 159 ft 4 in/48.5 m Wingspan: 185 ft/56.4 m Height: 40 ft 8 in/12.4 m Weight Empty: 185,000 lbs/83,250 kg Maximum Takeoff Weight: 488,000 lbs/221,353 kg Powerplant: Eight (8) Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-3/103 turbofan engines, each providing 17,000 lbf /75.6 kN thrust Speed: 650 mph/1,046 kmh Range: 8,800 miles/14,080 km, without refueling Continuous training guarantees that flight crews are competent and confident in various situations, and maintenance procedures ensure that every airframe operates dependably over extended flights. Through training, maintenance, strong supply chains, and constant improvement, the B-52 Stratofortress's ability to operate globally enables it to sustain a global strategic presence that promotes stability and deterrence. The B-52J will see the massive bomber used for missions launching long-range missiles for many years to come.Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time16 years after it was cancelled due to low viewership, the Australian version of is returning to TV. The game show, which previously aired on for 24 years and had a short-lived reboot on for just a few weeks in 2008, was picked up by late last year and will finally premiere on Monday, November 25. While viewers have expressed excitement over the beloved format being rebooted in Australia, many people have called out a “ridiculous” detail in the new series. Not only has Irish comedian taken over the hosting role previously held by Aussie stars like John Burgess, Rob Elliott and , but the show has also been produced in the UK. Filming took place in Manchester in November and December last year with the famous wheel being spun by Australian expats living in the UK. Ahead of the premiere, fans have taken to social media to question why the series wasn’t filmed in Australia with a local host. “It’s a UK show, filmed in the UK, and the host is from the UK. Should have just gotten an Aussie to do it here,” one person wrote, while another replied, “Agreed!”. “So why not an Australian to host?” a third replied, followed by someone else who remarked, “With Aussie expats in the UK. Ridiculous”. Channel 10 has confirmed to that in addition to having Aussie contestants, the game show will also feature an Aussie audience. Meanwhile, there are plenty of people who have said Graham is an “excellent choice” and they’re looking forward to tuning in. “You make everything worth watching, Graham,” a fan commented, followed by another who said, “Omg yes this will be great you’re my favourite host”. “Love this show. So glad it’s coming back,” a different user shared, with someone else writing, “Should be a good Monday night of entertainment”. “Wheel of Fortune with @grahnort will be so fun!” another replied. Graham Norton, best known for his chat show and his role as a judge on , also serves as the host of the British version of . Both shows were filmed in the same studio last year, although the UK series began airing in January. is one of the few Australian shows that has been filmed in the UK with Aussie expats as contestants alongside on Channel 10 and on Channel Nine. However, the latter began filming in Melbourne earlier this year.