Belarus receives nuclear bombs ‘three times size of Hiroshima bomb’ from Russia
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
1970-01-01 08:00
'I am so ashamed': Scarlett Johansson never wanted her children to know about terrible habit she thought was 'cool'
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UKRI announces £50 million to develop trustworthy and secure AI
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced £50 million in funding to develop trustworthy and secure artificial intelligence (AI) that can help solve major challenges. The investment, which will bring experts across different fields together, was revealed during this year’s London Tech Week. As part of the package, £31 million has been awarded to a group called Responsible AI UK (www.rai.ac.uk), led by the University of Southampton. Its aim is to create a UK and international research and innovation ecosystem for responsible and trustworthy AI that will be responsive to the needs of society. AI tends to be looked at by the tech community as AI that has been thoroughly tested Professor Gopal Ramchurn Led by Professor Gopal Ramchurn, the consortium will help people understand what responsible and trustworthy AI is, how to develop it and build it into existing systems, and the impacts it will have on society. Explaining what trustworthy AI means, Prof Ramchurn said: “Trustworthy AI tends to be looked at from a very technical perspective – ie it is tested and validated in well-defined settings. “However, that doesn’t mean it will be trusted by the public, government, and industry.” He added: “AI tends to be looked at by the tech community as AI that has been thoroughly tested. “It can be AI that is trustworthy by the technical functionality of the application and the particular closed environments it has been tested in, but it is not trusted because maybe it uses personal data, you know, uses your personal data in ways that you would not want it to do.” In addition, £2 million will be awarded to 42 projects to carry out feasibility studies in businesses as part of the BridgeAI programme. These will speed up the adoption of trusted and responsible AI and Machine Learning (ML) technologies. The projects will look at developing a range of tools to facilitate assessment of AI technologies, and successful ones will go on to receive a share of an additional £19 million to develop these solutions further. A further £13 million will be used to fund 13 projects to help the UK meet its net zero targets. Universities across the UK, from Edinburgh to Aberystwyth, and Leicester to Southampton, will lead these projects. The UK’s expertise in the field of AI is a major asset to the country and will help develop the science and technology that will shape the fabric of many areas of our lives Kedar Pandya, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council UKRI has also awarded two new Turing AI World Leading Researcher Fellowships, to Professor Michael Bronstein and Professor Alison Noble, both based at the University of Oxford. Kedar Pandya, executive director, Cross-Council Programmes at the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, said: “The UK’s expertise in the field of AI is a major asset to the country and will help develop the science and technology that will shape the fabric of many areas of our lives. “That is why UKRI is continuing to invest in the people and organisations that will have wide-ranging benefit. “For this to be successful we must invest in research and systems in which we can have trust and confidence, and ensure these considerations are integrated in all aspects of the work as it progresses. “The projects and grants announced today will help us achieve this goal.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live ‘Last Beatles record’ was created using AI, says Paul McCartney Put ‘public good’ at heart of AI and new tech, Starmer to say Ukrainian schoolboy to buy home for his mother after selling Minecraft server
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Watch live: ICRC gives update on Ukraine dam collapse and prisoners of war
Watch live as the International Committee of the Red Cross holds a briefing on the Ukraine dam situation and the organisation's visits to prisoners of war. The Nova Kakhova dam, which was under Russian control, was breached on the morning of 6 June, with water surging through it and causing extensive flooding in Kherson - prompting the evacuation of thousands of people. Damage to the area can be seen from space, with huge areas of land submerged in water. As of Tuesday, 13 June, the death toll from flooding in two Russian-controlled towns in southern Ukraine has risen to 17 in the wake of the dam's collapse, a Russian-installed official in Kherson said. It is not clear how the dam was breached. Ukrainian forces have accused Russia of deliberately destroying the dam; Russia says the destruction was an act of "sabotage" by Ukraine to deprive the annexed Crimean peninsula of water. Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary
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UBS Amasses 1,200 Private Bankers in Asia as Region Spared Cuts
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1970-01-01 08:00
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Pro-Russian Hackers Target Website of Europe’s Largest Port
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1970-01-01 08:00
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Man Utd target Kim Min-jae rejects new Napoli contract ahead of possible summer transfer
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