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The Bayraktar TB3 UCAV is a game-changer in modern military technology, representing Turkey's growing capabilities in aerospace innovation. Developed by Baykar, the TB3 is a versatile, carrier-capable drone that has achieved remarkable milestones in a short time. The aircraft is scheduled to enter service in 2025. While we anticipate its go-live, check out these cool five fast facts about this cutting-edge unmanned system: 1 The TB3 UCAV is an Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) Featuring a carrier-based medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) capability The Bayraktar TB3 is specifically designed as a carrier-capable MALE unmanned drone, providing advanced functionality for various military operations. Its ability to take off and land on short-deck aircraft carriers like the TCG Anadolu makes it a revolutionary addition to the world of UAVs. According to Baykar , the TB3’s key performance specifications are: Operational range: 1,000 nautical miles (1,150 miles / 1,900 km) Maximum Speed: 160 knots (184 mph / 300 km/h) Cruise Speed: 125 knots (144 mph / 232 km/h) Operational Altitude: Up to 25,000 feet (7,620 meters) Communication Range: line-of-sight propogation Armaments: six hardpoints for laser-guided smart munitions, with provisions to carry a combination of munitions, including a Long Range Anti tank Missile System (L-UMTAS) and Roketsan Cirit (70 mm Missile System). This combination of range, speed, and versatility ensures that the TB3 is capable of both reconnaissance and combat missions, making it a critical asset for modern naval and land-based operations. Plus, its ability to carry munitions makes it a formidable force on the battlefield. 2 It was first unveiled in 2020 And is currently being developed indigenously by Baykar The TB3 UCAV’s journey from concept to reality has been marked by significant milestones, showcasing Turkey's commitment to indigenous innovation in the aerospace sector. The timeline below highlights key events in the development of the Bayraktar TB3, per Global Defense Corp and Naval News : Date Milestone March 27, 2023 First prototype of the TB3 was made public. October 13, 2023 Successful completion of the TB3’s first test run. October 20, 2023 Conducted its initial take-off and landing test, briefly lifting its wheels off the ground. October 27, 2023 Maiden flight performed just before the 100th Anniversary of the Republic of Turkey. November 11, 2023 Flew for the first time with its landing gear retracted. June 1, 2024 Completed the first successful ski-jump ramp test on a mainland ramp replicating TCG Anadolu's deck. As the TB3 nears its entry to service, each milestone demonstrates Baykar’s focus on refining the UCAV’s operational readiness and pushing technological boundaries. 3 It boasts a number of advanced features Including foldable wings that enable use on aircraft carriers The Bayraktar TB3 is designed with features that enhance its adaptability, especially for naval environments. Its foldable wings allow it to operate from short-deck aircraft carriers, which is a critical feature for deployment on ships like the TCG Anadolu. Additionally, the Bayraktar TB3 can be operated from very remote distances thanks to its Line-Of-Sight and Beyond-Line-Of-Sight communications capabilities. According to Baykar , the aircraft’s features include: Fully Autonomous Takeoff and Landing: Seamless operations without manual intervention. LOS (Line of Sight) and BLOS (Beyond Line of Sight) Communication: Advanced connectivity for remote control over vast distances. Short-Runway Takeoff and Landing Capability: Ideal for deployment from aircraft carriers or limited-space airstrips. Baykar has claimed to have successfully conducted a barrel roll with a combat drone for the first time. These features ensure the TB3 is not only versatile but also optimized for the complex demands of modern military missions. 4 The TB3 UCAV also boasts several impressive specifications A compact and efficient design for maximum performance The Bayraktar TB3 is engineered for performance and efficiency. Its dimensions, endurance, and payload capacity make it a standout in its class. Further, it boasts features that make the TB3 well-suited for a range of missions, from ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) to armed combat. Here are the technical details that set it apart, per Baykar : Length: 8.35 meters Wingspan: 14 meters (with foldable wing capability) Payload Capacity: 280 kilograms Endurance: Over 24 hours Maximum Takeoff Weight: 1,600 kilograms By blending endurance, adaptability, and cutting-edge technology, the TB3 is poised to redefine the role of UAVs in modern warfare. It’s a testament to Turkey’s growing expertise in aerospace innovation and its commitment to developing indigenous solutions for the challenges of the 21st century. 5 It achieved a historic milestone on November 19, 2024 The first armed drone to take off and land on a short-deck aircraft carrier One of the most significant achievements for the Bayraktar TB3 occurred on November 19, 2024, when it became the first armed drone to perform a successful takeoff and landing on a short-deck aircraft carrier. According to Air Data News , here’s how this historic milestone unfolded: Keşan, Edirne: The operation began at the Baykar Flight Test and Training Center, authorizing TB3 prototypes PT1 and PT2 for flight. Dalaman Air Base: PT1 performed day and night landing approach maneuvers over TCG Anadolu. November 19, 2024: PT2 successfully took off from the TCG Anadolu’s deck, using the ship’s 12-degree Sky Ramp. The Bayraktar PT2’s flight lasted 46 minutes, with a landing performed without a restraint device, accelerating the operation. This breakthrough opens new possibilities for integrating UAVs into naval combat scenarios. Additionally, the successful operation highlights the TB3’s advanced capabilities and Turkey’s leadership in drone technology. The Bayraktar TB3 UCAV represents a leap forward in unmanned aerial technology, with its carrier-based design, advanced features, and historic milestones. As the first armed drone to take off and land on a short-deck aircraft carrier, it sets a precedent for the future of naval aviation.
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By MIKE CATALINI CHATHAM, N.J. (AP) — That buzzing coming out of New Jersey? It’s unclear if it’s drones or something else, but for sure the nighttime sightings are producing tons of talk, a raft of conspiracy theories and craned necks looking skyward. Related Articles National News | FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup National News | OpenAI whistleblower found dead in San Francisco apartment National News | Judge rejects an attempt by Trump campaign lawyer to invalidate guilty plea in Georgia election case National News | Texas’ abortion pill lawsuit against New York doctor marks new challenge to interstate telemedicine National News | US military flies American released from Syrian prison to Jordan, officials say Cropping up on local news and social media sites around Thanksgiving, the saga of the drones reported over New Jersey has reached incredible heights. This week seems to have begun a new, higher-profile chapter: Lawmakers are demanding (but so far not getting) explanations from federal and state authorities about what’s behind them. Gov. Phil Murphy wrote to President Joe Biden asking for answers. New Jersey’s new senator, Andy Kim, spent Thursday night on a drone hunt in rural northern New Jersey, and posted about it on X. But perhaps the most fantastic development is the dizzying proliferation of conspiracies — none of which has been confirmed or suggested by federal and state officials who say they’re looking into what’s happening. It has become shorthand to refer to the flying machines as drones, but there are questions about whether what people are seeing are unmanned aircraft or something else. Some theorize the drones came from an Iranian mothership. Others think they are the Secret Service making sure President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster property is secure. Others worry about China. The deep state. And on. In the face of uncertainty, people have done what they do in 2024: Create a social media group. The Facebook page, New Jersey Mystery Drones — let’s solve it , has nearly 44,000 members, up from 39,000 late Thursday. People are posting their photo and video sightings, and the online commenters take it from there. One video shows a whitish light flying in a darkened sky, and one commenter concludes it’s otherworldly. “Straight up orbs,” the person says. Others weigh in to say it’s a plane or maybe a satellite. Another group called for hunting the drones literally, shooting them down like turkeys. (Do not shoot at anything in the sky, experts warn.) Trisha Bushey, 48, of Lebanon Township, New Jersey, lives near Round Valley Reservoir where there have been numerous sightings. She said she first posted photos online last month wondering what the objects were and became convinced they were drones when she saw how they moved and when her son showed her on a flight tracking site that no planes were around. Now she’s glued to the Mystery Drones page, she said. “I find myself — instead of Christmas shopping or cleaning my house — checking it,” she said. She doesn’t buy what the governor said, that the drones aren’t a risk to public safety. Murphy told Biden on Friday that residents need answers. The federal Homeland Security Department and FBI also said in a joint statement they have no evidence that the sightings pose “a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.” “How can you say it’s not posing a threat if you don’t know what it is?” she said. “I think that’s why so many people are uneasy.” Then there’s the notion that people could misunderstand what they’re seeing. William Austin is the president of Warren County Community College, which has a drone technology degree program, and is coincidentally located in one of the sighting hotspots. Austin says he has looked at videos of purported drones and that airplanes are being misidentified as drones. He cited an optical effect called parallax, which is the apparent shift of an object when viewed from different perspectives. Austin encouraged people to download flight and drone tracker apps so they can better understand what they’re looking at. Nonetheless, people continue to come up with their own theories. “It represents the United States of America in 2024,” Austin said. “We’ve lost trust in our institutions, and we need it.” Federal officials echo Austin’s view that many of the sightings are piloted aircraft such as planes and helicopters being mistaken for drones, according to lawmakers and Murphy. That’s not really convincing for many, though, who are homing in on the sightings beyond just New Jersey and the East Coast, where others have reported seeing the objects. For Seph Divine, 34, another member of the drone hunting group who lives in Eugene, Oregon, it feels as if it’s up to citizen sleuths to solve the mystery. He said he tries to be a voice of reason, encouraging people to fact check their information, while also asking probing questions. “My main goal is I don’t want people to be caught up in the hysteria and I also want people to not just ignore it at the same time,” he said. “Whether or not it’s foreign military or some secret access program or something otherworldly, whatever it is, all I’m saying is it’s alarming that this is happening so suddenly and so consistently for hours at a time,” he added. Associated Press reporter Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy meet with Republicans to talk spending cuts. They face a steep climb.As Hegseth’s public profile grew, he faced deepening private turmoil
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA's two stuck astronauts just got their space mission extended again. That means they won't be back on Earth until spring — 10 months after rocketing into orbit on Boeing's Starliner capsule. NASA announced the latest delay in Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams' homecoming Tuesday. The two test pilots planned to be away just a week or so when they blasted off June 5 on Boeing's first astronaut flight to the International Space Station. Their mission grew from eight days to eight months after NASA decided to send the company's problem-plagued Starliner capsule back empty in September. FILE - This image made from a NASA live stream shows NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore during a press conference from the International Space Station on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (NASA via AP, File) HOGP Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts Now the pair won't return until the end of March or even April because of a delay in launching their replacements, according to NASA. A fresh crew needs to launch before Wilmore and Williams can return and the next mission was bumped more than a month, according to the space agency. NASA's next crew of four was supposed to launch in February, followed by Wilmore and Williams' return home by the end of that month alongside two other astronauts. But SpaceX needs more time to prepare the new capsule for liftoff. That launch is now scheduled for no earlier than late March. NASA said it considered using a different SpaceX capsule to fly up the replacement crew in order to keep the flights on schedule. However, it decided the best option was to wait for the new capsule to transport the next crew. NASA prefers to have overlapping crews at the space station for a smoother transition, according to officials. Most space station missions last six months, with a few reaching a full year. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with a crew of two astronauts, lifts off from launch pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Chris O'Meara A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with a crew of two astronauts, lifts off from launch pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Chris O'Meara NASA astronaut Nick Hague, left, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, left, gives a thumbs up as they leave the Operations and Checkout Building on their way to Launch Complex 40 for a mission to the International Space Station Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024 at Cape Canaveral, Fla., (AP Photo/John Raoux) John Raoux NASA astronaut Nick Hague, right, talks to his family members as Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov looks on after leaving the Operations and Checkout building for a trip to the launch pad 40 Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Two astronauts are beginning a mission to the International Space Station. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Chris O'Meara In this image from video provided by NASA, Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, left, and astronaut Nick Hague travel inside a SpaceX capsule en route to the International Space Station after launching from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (NASA via AP) HOGP A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with a crew of two astronauts, lifts off from launch pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Chris O'Meara A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of two lifts off from launch pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024 at Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) John Raoux The Falcon 9's first stage booster returns to Landing Zone 1 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024 at Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) John Raoux A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of two lifts off from launch pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024 at Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) John RaouxQatar’s extensive investments help maintain ‘high levels of satisfaction’ with digital services: Report
A reprieve for under pressure Julen Lopetegui after a near perfect away performance. But a big setback for Eddie Howe and Newcastle’s quest to put pressure on the top six. Goals from Tomas Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka earned the Hammers, and 3,700 travelling fans a Monday night away victory - the first on their travels since August. After three consecutive wins Newcastle wanted to close in on the elite but lost out and the international break has killed their momentum. Pressure was growing on Lopetegui before this game with reports he had only two games to turn around a run of two wins in ten. He’s earned a few more in charge with this excellent result. St James’ Park under the lights is no simple place to visit but the Hammers stunned Newcastle with an early goal in each half, weathering a Newcastle attacking storm and exploiting defensive weakness. The opener came direct from a corner. Emerson Palmieri swung in the set piece which was attacked by Tomas Soucek, and his firm header powered beyond Nick Pope. Defender Lloyd Kelly was caught flat footed, after being called in to replace the suspended Dan Burn. There was a Newcastle fightback hampered by slack finishing, which West Ham exploited early in the second half. After Anthony Gordon poked inches wide, Bruno Guimaraes was robbed by his best mate Lucas Paqueta who powered on to release Jarrod Bowen on the right wing. The England winger slid a clever ball inside to full back Aaron Wan-Bissaka. He wasn’t closed down by left sided centre back Kelly who failed to get a block on the shot which crept inside the far post. It was a powerful and combative away from home performance from the Hammers. And it was a disjointed one from Newcastle, messy in front of goal and suffering from too many in game changes of position. Toon striker Alexander Isak got the Wor Flags, tifo treatment pre-match with the Leazes End spelling out his name in Swedish colours and the Gallowgate banner proclaiming him Alexander the Great. Only a tight VAR offside ruling denied him a goal inside five minutes before the home side were rocked by Soucek’s opener. The visitors grew in confidence and only a loose shot from Carlos Soler after Jarrod Bowen’s lay off denied a second goal. Michail Antonio led from the front with some punchy tracking back and tackles as well as breaking well. He earned a huge rip in his shorts which he had to swap. Boss Eddie Howe had plenty of options off his £100m-plus bench with Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier fit again after injuries, and Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes both desperate for a role when they came on in the second half. Earlier Willock slashed just wide and Sean Longstaff’s header was the Geordies' first effort on target after 29 minutes. New England senior cap Lewis Hall flashed wide after surging into the box. Gordon had the best first half chance when Jean-Clair Todibo failed to clear eight yards out but the shot was saved. Isak’s half volley after a precision ball from Bruno Guimaraes also skidded wide, as chances came but were not converted in a decent forceful spell for Howe’s men. Newcastle had a Wilson penalty claim turned down by VAR, as they threw everything at getting a goal back. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £240 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Drones, planes or UFOs? Americans abuzz over mysterious New Jersey sightingsSnowflake EVP Christian Kleinerman sells $2.7 million in stockA veteran soldier and national defense expert believes that if the Pentagon is refusing to reveal the source of a recent flurry of drone activity , it’s likely because they are involved. “Usually when they don’t say anything it’s because the information will embarrass them in some way,” said Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Colonel who is an expert on defense and security for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan think tank in Washington DC. “It’s entirely possible that they tested UAVs [Unmanned Aerial Vehicles] out and created public hysteria, and are now embarrassed to say, ‘it was us’.” At a Monday press briefing, a spokesman for the Department of Defense said that there was no evidence the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety risk, but refused to explain the rash of drone sightings in the Tri-state area and beyond. Cancian added the military could also be testing new technology. “One conceivable thing is that they [the Department of Defense] are using some mechanism that they don’t want to publicize,” he added. Cancian, who has held positions with both the Department of Defense as well as the Office of Management and Budget overseeing budget strategy and military procurement, told The Post Tuesday drones fall into three risk categories, with most ‘benign’ or ‘semi-benign’, and a small percentage classified as ‘malign’. “[Malign] would be the equivalent of aerial vandalism,” he said. “They could be people snooping around or hobbyists trying to disrupt communications. It’s conceivable that some small number of them are foreign intelligence drones.” But most foreign powers have satellite systems in place, Cancian said, and don’t need to rely on drones. These include manned aircraft on legitimate flight patterns. He described semi-benign drones as those belonging to “the hobbyist who is curious to see what is on the other side of the fence and is not trying to be malicious but still doing something they shouldn’t be doing.” Last week, The Post revealed one of the sites where many of the mystery drone sightings have been reported is a military installation in New Jersey that has been helping develop robotic drones that can counter weapons of mass destruction. The US Army’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, located at the Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County, awarded a Maryland company a $50 million contract in 2018 to develop robotic drones, which can generate three-dimensional maps of urban areas and engage in surveillance to counter WMDs. However, a spokesman for the Picatinny Arsenal said the military installation has nothing to do with the recent drone activity over the state — which has resulted in over 5,000 reports made to the FBI since the beginning of the month and has many local residents on edge. A New Jersey mayor added to the drone panic Tuesday when he said that the drone sightings might be linked to missing radioactive material. Belleville Mayor Michael Melham proposed the drones flying in a grid-like pattern over his Essex County township may be “looking for something.” “What might they be looking for? Maybe that’s radioactive material,” Melham told Fox TV’s “Good Day New York .” Federal officials said the material poses no serious threat. “The truth will come out in the new administration if only to embarrass the Biden administration,” added Cancian. “One conceivable thing is that they [the Department of Defense] are using some mechanism that they don’t want to publicize. But this is going to be an increasing problem, of drones flying over airfields.” President-elect Donald Trump on Monday accused President Biden and the Pentagon of hiding information about mysterious drones. “The government knows what is happening,” Trump said after Biden representatives pleaded ignorance despite thousands of Garden State and New York City residents seeing — and in some instances video recording — the unidentified aircraft. “Look, our military knows where they took off from — if it’s a garage, they can go right into that garage. They know where it came from and where it went, and for some reason they don’t want to comment,” the once and future president said during a wide-ranging, 70-minute press conference in Palm Beach, Fla. “And I think they’d be better off saying what it is. Our military knows and our president knows. And for some reason, they want to keep people in suspense.”
House Intelligence Committee gets classified briefing on mystery drones
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Quintrevion Wisner ran for a career-high 186 yards and Quinn Ewers threw a touchdown pass to lead No. 3 Texas to a 17-7 win over 20th-ranked archrival Texas A&M on Saturday night, sending the Longhorns to the Southeastern Conference championship game. Texas (11-1, 7-1 SEC, No. 3 CFP) will face No. 6 Georgia next Saturday in Atlanta for the SEC title, with the winner getting a first-round bye in the 12-team College Football Playoff. The highly anticipated return of this rivalry, which dates to the 1890s, had all the hype of a heavyweight title bout. It looked to be headed for a blowout after Texas raced to a 17-0 halftime lead. But Ewers turned the ball over in the red zone on consecutive possessions to keep the Aggies in the game, the first giveaway an interception that Will Lee III returned 93 yards for a touchdown. Texas A&M (8-4, 5-3, No. 20 CFP) had a shot to cut the lead to three with about 4 1/2 minutes remaining, but Ethan Burke dropped Amari Daniels for a 3-yard loss on fourth-and-goal from the 1. The Longhorns stopped the Aggies on three fourth downs on the night. Backup quarterback Arch Manning ran for a score early to help Texas get its 11th straight win on an opponent’s home field and its fifth consecutive victory overall since a 30-15 home loss to Georgia. The Longhorns get a rematch next week. The crowd of 109,028 included Texas superfan Matthew McConaughey, A&M Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, former Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner (26) is tackled by Texas A&M defensive back Will Lee III (26) after a catch and run during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in College Station, Texas. Credit: AP/Sam Craft DJ Hicks tipped the pass that Lee intercepted and returned 93 yards for the touchdown to cut the lead to 17-7 with about six minutes left in the third quarter. The Aggies' defense came up big again on the next possession when Cashius Howell stripped the ball from Ewers and it was recovered by Taurean York at the A&M 11 near the end of the third. Texas A&M failed to cash in on that error and punted. The Aggies blocked a punt by the Longhorns on their next drive to get the ball back in the red zone. But the Longhorns’ defense secured the win after Texas failed to score after halftime. The Longhorns made it 7-0 when a video review confirmed that Manning scored on a 15-yard run on fourth-and-2 with about three minutes left in the first quarter. It capped a 93-yard drive that started after Michael Taaffe intercepted Reed to give Texas at least one takeaway in 20 straight games. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, center left, reacts as his team recovers a fumble late in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in College Station, Texas. Credit: AP/Sam Craft Ewers connected with Jaydon Blue on a 7-yard TD pass that pushed the lead to 14-0 with about eight minutes left in the second. It was initially ruled an incomplete pass, but a review showed he had a foot in bounds for the score. Matthew Golden had a 44-yard reception on that drive. The scene around Kyle Field before the game was almost as entertaining as the game itself. Former A&M coach R.C. Slocum used a miniature chainsaw to saw the horns off a longhorn that tailgaters were cooking across from the stadium. The university police said a man riding a horse and another riding a longhorn while holding a dog and wearing a 10-gallon hat were asked to leave campus hours before the game. Police also said two men “wearing reflective vests and hard hats entered the stadium with fake construction credentials” and were arrested for criminal trespass. The takeaway Texas will need to clean up its mistakes be more consistent on offense as it heads into the conference title game and likely the playoff. Up next Texas moves on to face the Bulldogs. The Aggies wait to see which bowl game they’ll play in to wrap up another disappointing season.
Survivors of sexual violence in Haiti face worsening risks and dwindling support amid the growing influence of armed gangs, a collapsed healthcare system and a frozen justice system, a report warned on Monday. Nearly 4,000 women and girls reported being victims of sexual violence in the first 10 months of 2024, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in the report, noting that many people do not report due to fear of retaliation and poor prospects of receiving help. Those who do seek care often cannot do so within the critical 72-hour window to access drugs to treat HIV exposure or emergency contraception, the report said, as many cannot afford private healthcare and as public clinics shut down due to violence. In October, the U.N. warned that just 24% of health facilities were operating in Port-au-Prince's metropolitan area. This month Doctors Without Borders, a major free healthcare provider, halted operations, citing rape and death threats from police. Haitian feminist organization Neges Mawon said it has this year received reports of some 230 rapes in just two neighborhoods outside the capital, and four pregnant women died due to poor healthcare and blocked medical supplies. Abortion is illegal in Haiti. A 25-year-old mother of four told HRW that she was raped by four men in Port-au-Prince's Cite Soleil area while looking for water. "Now they do whatever they want to all of us," she said. "I couldn't go to the doctor. I didn't have money." In a separate report released on Monday, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GITOC) said outgunned police, a "woefully" under-resourced international mission, political infighting and violent vigilantism are aggravating Haiti's general crisis. "It is difficult to identify any meaningful inroads on the part of law enforcement," it said, adding that the transitional presidential council's recent ouster of the prime minister resulted in the council's "reigning over a mountain of ashes." The prime minister's replacement saw the two women who previously held senior cabinet positions - foreign affairs and economy - removed from their posts. "More than 150 feminist and human rights groups have endorsed an action plan to ensure the full participation of women," said Neges Mawon on X. "It is clear fighting violence against women and girls is not a priority for this government." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel nowBy MIKE CATALINI CHATHAM, N.J. (AP) — That buzzing coming out of New Jersey? It’s unclear if it’s drones or something else, but for sure the nighttime sightings are producing tons of talk, a raft of conspiracy theories and craned necks looking skyward. Cropping up on local news and social media sites around Thanksgiving, the saga of the drones reported over New Jersey has reached incredible heights. This week seems to have begun a new, higher-profile chapter: Lawmakers are demanding (but so far not getting) explanations from federal and state authorities about what’s behind them. Gov. Phil Murphy wrote to President Joe Biden asking for answers. New Jersey’s new senator, Andy Kim, spent Thursday night on a drone hunt in rural northern New Jersey, and posted about it on X. But perhaps the most fantastic development is the dizzying proliferation of conspiracies — none of which has been confirmed or suggested by federal and state officials who say they’re looking into what’s happening. It has become shorthand to refer to the flying machines as drones, but there are questions about whether what people are seeing are unmanned aircraft or something else. Some theorize the drones came from an Iranian mothership. Others think they are the Secret Service making sure President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster property is secure. Others worry about China. The deep state. And on. In the face of uncertainty, people have done what they do in 2024: Create a social media group. The Facebook page, New Jersey Mystery Drones — let’s solve it , has nearly 44,000 members, up from 39,000 late Thursday. People are posting their photo and video sightings, and the online commenters take it from there. One video shows a whitish light flying in a darkened sky, and one commenter concludes it’s otherworldly. “Straight up orbs,” the person says. Others weigh in to say it’s a plane or maybe a satellite. Another group called for hunting the drones literally, shooting them down like turkeys. (Do not shoot at anything in the sky, experts warn.) Trisha Bushey, 48, of Lebanon Township, New Jersey, lives near Round Valley Reservoir where there have been numerous sightings. She said she first posted photos online last month wondering what the objects were and became convinced they were drones when she saw how they moved and when her son showed her on a flight tracking site that no planes were around. Now she’s glued to the Mystery Drones page, she said. “I find myself — instead of Christmas shopping or cleaning my house — checking it,” she said. She doesn’t buy what the governor said, that the drones aren’t a risk to public safety. Murphy told Biden on Friday that residents need answers. The federal Homeland Security Department and FBI also said in a joint statement they have no evidence that the sightings pose “a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.” “How can you say it’s not posing a threat if you don’t know what it is?” she said. “I think that’s why so many people are uneasy.” Then there’s the notion that people could misunderstand what they’re seeing. William Austin is the president of Warren County Community College, which has a drone technology degree program, and is coincidentally located in one of the sighting hotspots. Austin says he has looked at videos of purported drones and that airplanes are being misidentified as drones. He cited an optical effect called parallax, which is the apparent shift of an object when viewed from different perspectives. Austin encouraged people to download flight and drone tracker apps so they can better understand what they’re looking at. Nonetheless, people continue to come up with their own theories. “It represents the United States of America in 2024,” Austin said. “We’ve lost trust in our institutions, and we need it.” Federal officials echo Austin’s view that many of the sightings are piloted aircraft such as planes and helicopters being mistaken for drones, according to lawmakers and Murphy. That’s not really convincing for many, though, who are homing in on the sightings beyond just New Jersey and the East Coast, where others have reported seeing the objects. For Seph Divine, 34, another member of the drone hunting group who lives in Eugene, Oregon, it feels as if it’s up to citizen sleuths to solve the mystery. He said he tries to be a voice of reason, encouraging people to fact check their information, while also asking probing questions. “My main goal is I don’t want people to be caught up in the hysteria and I also want people to not just ignore it at the same time,” he said. “Whether or not it’s foreign military or some secret access program or something otherworldly, whatever it is, all I’m saying is it’s alarming that this is happening so suddenly and so consistently for hours at a time,” he added. Associated Press reporter Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lynne Roberts wasn’t looking to leave the Utah women’s basketball team. Then she got a call from Los Angeles Sparks general manager Reagan Pebley that changed her thinking. Roberts was introduced Thursday as coach of the Sparks, becoming the second coach to make the leap from college to the WNBA this month. Karl Smesko of Florida Gulf Coast got the Atlanta Dream job last week. “I was 100 percent invested at Utah,” Roberts said. “It just kind of felt like this is a golden opportunity. As a competitor, the chance to coach the best in the world, it’s what I want.” She replaces Curt Miller , who was let go in September and now is general manager of the Dallas Wings. Roberts inherits a team that has a strong young nucleus of Rickea Jackson, Cameron Brink and Dearica Hamby. The Sparks have the No. 2 pick in next year’s WNBA draft. “We’ve got kind of a cool combination of some veteran leadership and then we’ve got a really dynamic young group,” Roberts said. “That’s a good roster right there and then we can keep working with it.” Los Angeles finished 8-32 last season for the league’s worst record and has missed the playoffs for four straight years. “I want to compete, I want to win now,” Roberts said. “I know that’s easier said than done, but I’m up for the challenge and I can’t wait to get started.” Roberts is friends with Southern California women’s coach Lindsay Gottlieb and UCLA coach Cori Close. “That was intentional,” Sparks general manager Reagan Pebley said. “That we were bringing somebody into this role that had existing relationships because again this is a community of women’s basketball that is exceptional.” Roberts added, “I want to be the top of that pyramid with the Sparks.” Roberts is returning to her native California. The 49-year-old coach grew up in the Northern California city of Redding. She played college ball at Seattle Pacific and then began coaching at Chico State before moving to Pacific and then Utah. Roberts was 165-116 in nine-plus seasons at Utah and recently signed a six-year extension. She led the team to three straight NCAA Tournament berths and was the Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2023. The Utes have started this season 3-1 and will be coached by Gavin Petersen, who was promoted from associate head coach. “I poured 10 years of my life into that place and I loved it. I loved every minute of it,” Roberts said. “Where we started wasn’t great, where it is now is great and I’m very proud of that.” Roberts said the current upheaval in college basketball including name, image and likeness, the transfer portal and Utah's move to the Big 12 this season had nothing to do with her leaving. “I'm sitting here because it's a chance to coach the best people in the world and win a championship in LA. That's it,” she said. “As a competitor and as someone that kind of thrives in pressure, being in this market, being in LA, it sounds like heaven to me." AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketballCatholic Nun, 57, Arrested After Cops Busted A Deadly Italian Mafia Ring- Here’s What She Exactly Did