Belarus has started taking the delivery of Russian tactical nuclear weapons, president Alexander Lukashenko announced, claiming that some of these were three times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Mr Lukashenko said “the bombs are three times more powerful than those (dropped on) Hiroshima and Nagasaki”, adding to his previous statement that he didn’t simply ask Mr Putin for the weapons, but "demanded" them. The Vladimir Putin ally was speaking to Russian state TV channel Rossiya-1 on a road in a forest clearing with military vehicles and a storage facility visible in the background seen around him. This will be the first such warhead deployment by Moscow, comprising shorter-range less powerful nuclear weapons that could potentially be used on the battlefield, outside of Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. The interview was posted on the Belarusian Belta state news agency’s Telegram channel on Wednesday. This comes five days after the Russian president announced plans to start deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, even as Moscow will retain their control, after the special storage facilities to park them were ready. Mr Lukashenko further confirmed his close ally’s statement in the state television interview where he said Belarus has numerous nuclear storage facilities from the Soviet-era and has restored five or six of them. On control of nuclear weapons in Russia’s hands as a move to prevent the arsenal from being used up quickly, Mr Lukashenko played down the concern and said that Mr Putin and he could pick up the phone to each other “at any moment”. Just hours before on Tuesday, he had said that the Russian tactical nuclear weapons will be physically deployed on the Belarusian territory “in several days” and he had the facilities to host longer-range missiles too if ever needed. Mr Lukashenko further alleged that Belarus has “always been a target” for the West. "They (the West) have wanted to tear us to pieces since 2020. No one has so far fought against a nuclear country, a country that has nuclear weapons," Mr Lukashenko said, adding that the nuclear deployment will act as a deterrent against potential aggressors. Belarus has been an active participant in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine as it has consistently allowed its territory to be used by Russian forces to attack Kyiv. The first announcement of tactical nuclear weapons was made in March by Mr Putin who had blamed the US deployment of such weapons in a host of European countries over many decades. The US, however, maintained that it did not see any signs of Russia’s willingness to prepare for nuclear weapons use in the continuing invasion, as it criticised the decision of deployment by Mr Putin. Read More Putin says Russian tactical nuclear weapons to be deployed to Belarus next month The dam attack in Ukraine is a ruthless act of destruction – and shows just how desperate Putin is US, allies clash with Russia, China over North Korea's failed military spy satellite launch Watchdog: Nuclear states modernize their weapons, Chinese arsenal is growing What weapons does Russia have? Deadly arms Putin uses in Ukraine from phosphorus bombs to hypersonic missiles

The 2023 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest triumphantly happened after reports came out that it would be canceled. Here's who won.Torrential downpours and flash flooding put the annual Fourth of July Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in jeopardy for several hours on Tuesday. The conte...

Serena Williams and husband Alexis Ohanian are officially the parents of two. Williams, 41, shared a video to TikTok on 22 August to announce the arrival of her second child. The one-minute video started off with Ohanian looking at a computer and sitting at a table, before his wife sat down next to him. The pair were then joined by their five-year-old daughter Olympia. The video went on to show Williams leaving the room, before she returned with her newborn baby in her arms. After the tennis star exchanged a kiss with her husband, Olympia leaned toward them to give her little sister a kiss on the forehead. The clip ended with a few sweet snaps of the now family of four. In the caption of the video, which was set to Bazzi and Camila Cabello’s hit song, “Beautiful”, Williams wrote: “Welcome my beautiful angel.” Ohanian also shared a photo of himself and his family on Instagram to announce the baby news, revealing his child’s name: Adira River Ohanian. He continued the caption of his post by expressing his gratitude for his second daughter and wife, along with the doctors who cared for them. “I’m grateful to report our house is teaming with love: a happy & healthy newborn girl and happy & healthy mama,” he wrote. “Feeling grateful. @serenawilliams you’ve now given me another incomparable gift - you’re the GMOAT. Thanks to all the amazing medical staff who took care of my wife & our daughter,” he wrote. “I’ll never forget the moment I introduced @olympiaohanian to her baby sister.” In the comments, many fans and famous faces went on to celebrate the newest addition to Ohanian family. “Congratulations!!!! Such a beautiful family. I’m so happy for you guys!!!!!!,” LaLa Anthony wrote, while another fan added: “Congratulations on your beautiful baby girl! Such a beautiful family! I love her name.” A third commented: “Such a blessing! So happy for you both.” During the Met Gala earlier this year, the Grand Slam winner first revealed that she was expecting her second child. As she walked the red carpet alongside her husband in May, Williams showcased her baby bump in a black long-sleeves dress with a deep neckline and a white tulle skirt. She also celebrated the news on Instagram at the time, writing: “Was so excited when Anna Wintour invited the three of us to the Met Gala.” Earlier this month, Williams and Ohanian also shared that they had an adventure-themed gender reveal party to unveil the sex of their baby. In a video shared to the tennis star’s YouTube account, which documented the “baby shower slash gender reveal” event, Ohanian had arranged for a drone display in the sky to reveal to his wife that they were having a girl. @serena Welcome my beautiful angel ♬ original sound - Serenawilliams Prio to sharing the display, the Reddit founder pulled a gender reveal prank on his partner by giving her a decoy cake that was yellow inside, instead of the usual blue or pink to indicate what the baby’s gender is. The arrival of Williams’ second child came one year after she revealed that she was retiring from tennis. In an essay for Vogue in August 2022, she wrote that she was leaving the sport to focus on her family, as she expressed how Olympia had often told her that she wanted to be a big sister. “Believe me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family,” she wrote. “I don’t think it’s fair. If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labour of expanding our family. Williams continued: “Don’t get me wrong: I love being a woman and I loved every second of being pregnant with Olympia… But I’m turning 41 this month and something’s got to give.” Read More Serena Williams celebrates second pregnancy with ‘pre-push party’ Pregnant Serena Williams pokes fun at sister Venus’ hilarious response to gender reveal prank Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian share gender reveal party footage with fans Serena Williams celebrates second pregnancy with ‘pre-push party’ Exercise apps could help boost healthcare workers mental health Alabama Barker shares autoimmune, thyroid disease struggle amid body-shaming comments

England has reached the knockout stage of the Under-20 World Cup with a 3-2 win over Uruguay

Snowflake Inc. gave a sales outlook for the current quarter that fell short of expectations, suggesting that many

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Sudanese health officials say an airstrike in Sudan’s capital Khartoum has killed at least 17 people, including five children as fighting continued between rival generals seeking to control the country

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 8, 2023--

The Southeastern Conference will play eight league games in 2024 when it expands to 16 teams with the additions of Oklahoma and Texas, but beyond that the schedule model is to be determined

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Braves Rumors: Dylan Dodd getting his last shot?The bullpen games were clearly not a viable option for the Atlanta Braves moving forward after the two most recent iterations ended up in losses for the club. It was something that manager Brian Snitker clearly wanted to try and move on from, having ...

Donatella Versace slammed the Italian government for what she described as anti-gay policies in a heartfelt and personal speech that referenced her late brother, Gianni Versace, while receiving a fashion award this weekend. “Our government is trying to take away people’s rights to live as they wish," Versace said in a speech Sunday night, citing in particular a government policy that allows only the biological parent in same-sex couples to be officially recognized as the parent. “They are restricting our freedoms,” she said. “We must all fight for freedom, in a time that still sees trans people suffering terrible violence, a time when children of same-sex couples are not considered their children, a time when minority voices are attacked by new laws,'' Versace said. The speech received a standing ovation from a fashion crowd at La Scala, where Versace received a humanitarian award. Gay rights activists praised her for clearly challenging the government’s actions, but called on the entire fashion community to do more. “Donatella Versace was the first person in Italy to be so clear and explicit in the face of the government’s homophobic politics,’’ said Franco Grillini, a longtime gay rights activist. “She is one of the most important names in fashion, and I invite others to follow her example.” Besides blocking recognition of children of same-sex couples, Premier Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government is pushing through legislation that would ban seeking a surrogate abroad, making it punishable with prison terms and stiff penalties. A 2004 law already banned surrogacy within Italy. The head of Italy’s Gay Party also praised Versace’s support and called on her to back their campaign to get a a referendum on gay marriage on the Italian ballot. They hope to begin gathering signatures in January, aware that “this parliamentary majority does not want to give us rights.” Italy approved same-sex civil unions in 2016, the last major Western country to do so. “Donatella Versace’s declaration is important (...) She made clear how this government is diminishing freedoms and rights for the LGBTQ community,’’ said Fabrizio Marrazzo, spokesman for the Gay Party and the referendum for egalitarian marriage. “We ask her to support us, in particular the campaign to make marriage for lesbians, gays and trans people the same as for everyone else.” Versace, who has been creative director of the fashion house founded by her brother since his 1997 murder, was accompanied to the awards by Alessandro Zan, the Democratic Party lawmaker who drafted legislation expanding anti -discrimination protections to the LGBTQ community. The legislation was stalled even before the Meloni government took office. In a touching moment, Versace also recalled the day her brother Gianni came out to her. “I was 11 years old when my brother Gianni told me he was gay. For me it changed nothing. I loved him and I didn’t care who he loved,’’ she told the crowd. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide