Vladimir Putin has tested Russia’s ability to launch a massive retaliatory nuclear strike as he pulled the country out of an international test ban treaty. “Practical launches of ballistic and cruise missiles took place during the training,” Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said. A Yars intercontinental ballistic missile was fired in Russia’s far east, a nuclear-powered submarine launched a ballistic missile from the Barents sea, and long-range bombers test fired air-launched cruise missiles, according to the Kremlin. On Wednesday, Russia’s parliament unanimously approved legislation pulling the country out of the international Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, designed to limit the proliferation of nuclear weapon testing. It comes as a Russian drone attack damaged buildings near the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant in western Ukraine, wounding 20 people. The Ukrainian air force destroyed all 11 Russian drones, according to the military. Damage was caused by blast waves and falling debris. “At night, the enemy struck territory near the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant. As a result of the explosion, windows in administrative and laboratory buildings have been damaged,” Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said on the Telegram messaging app. Read More Russian drones likely targeted Khmelnytskyi nuclear power station, Zelensky says Business owners in a Ukrainian front-line city adapt even as 'a missile can come at any moment' Russian forces simulate nuclear strike as upper house rescinds ratification of test-ban treaty

President Joe Biden will nominate a former Obama administration official to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, which has been without a permanent leader for a year and a half

Brendan Wall's death during the Ironman race is remembered during a football match.

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In 2019 the gang broke into a museum in Dresden and stole treasures worth €113 million (£98m).

Using a powerful torch, Aliki Buhayer-Mach momentarily drenches a nearby mountain top in light, straining to see if wolves are...

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Israel’s Intelligence Ministry has drafted a wartime proposal to transfer the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million people to Egypt’s Sinai peninsula

The U.S. is making precautionary plans to evacuate two key drone and counter-terror bases in Niger if that becomes necessary under the West African nation’s new ruling junta

Oklahoma’s governor is joining the messaging war against gay, lesbian and transgender Americans with an announcement on Monday that he would veto a bill set to fund the state’s PBS station through 2026. Kevin Stitt made the news on Friday, and expanded on his decision in an interview with Fox News. He told the right-wing network that Oklahoma’s local PBS station OETA was responsible for the “sexualization” of children. “OETA, to us, is an outdated system. You know, the big, big question is why are we spending taxpayer dollars to prop up or compete with the private sector and run television stations? And then when you go through all of the programing that's happening and the indoctrination and over-sexualization of our children, it's just really problematic, and it doesn't line up with Oklahoma values," he said. “I mean, some of the programming that we're seeing… it just doesn't need to be on public television.” he continued. “Oklahoma taxpayers are going, 'Hey, hang on, time out for just a second. That's not my values.” His office provided numerous examples of supposedly objectionable instances of PBS programming to Fox News. Some were typical of the recent anti-transgender panic: A reading of The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish by drag queen Little Miss Hot Mess, while others were more in line with the typical efforts by conservative Republicans to paint any mention of LGBT persons as “propaganda” in support of some sinister political agenda. In that vein, the governor’s office took issue with a PBS Newshour segment where persons who supported the use of puberty blockers were interviewed, as well as a depiction of a same-sex marriage on the show Odd Squad. He argued that the prevalence of digital technology in contemporary life made the concept of a publicly-funded broadcast channel obsolete. Republicans have long made that argument from a government spending standpoint. During the 2012 presidential election, funding for PBS was among the federal programs that would-be president Mitt Romney would have cut had he defeated then-President Barack Obama. At the time, the Obama campaign savaged Mr Romney over his suggestion. “There’s so much television, there’s so much media,” the governor told Fox News. “Maybe in 1957 you could have made an argument that you needed a public television station. That’s totally outdated at this point.” His critics, including some Republicans, argue that his explanation displayed a critical lack of understanding regarding rural life in his home state. “Our broadcast towers are how we inform a lot of rural Oklahoma about disasters like tornadoes and thunderstorms,” said Kenneth Busby, a board member of Friends of OETA and CEO of the Route 66 Alliance. His concerns were highlighted on an MSNBC segment hosted by Joy Reid over the weekend. Mr Stitt dismissed concerns that rural Oklahomans without access to cable news or internet would be adversely affected by a cut to the channel’s broadcast infrastructure. Oklahoma is largely enveloped by an informal section of the American midwest known as “Tornado Alley”, where particularly violent storms are known to form with regularity. "All those towers and our communications, that's all owned by the state and whether we continue to fund an outdated public television station with taxpayer dollars, or we let the free market work, we're still going to have the same capabilities, the same assets, the same towers," he said. "Our DPS system is what rolls out the Amber Alerts, for example. None of that's going away," the governor continued. "So that's just people confusing the issue, not being clear with their mission, trying to make excuses of why the tax dollars should still fund this outdated system. His effort to make his own personal contribution in the campaign to smear content that features LGBT persons or supports their basic rights as the “sexualization of our children” doesn’t appear to be headed for success. If it does, members of his own party (not to mention Democrats) say it will hurt the state’s Department of Public Safety — specifically, the state’s early emergency alert system. A number of Republicans are reportedly against the governor’s veto and told local publication Tulsa World that they plan to override the veto. Doing so would take two-thirds of Oklahoma’s legislature, which leans heavily Republican. The state House speaker and president of the Senate both say they support OETA’s funding. The Oklahoma Senate Pro Tem, Greg Treat, told Tulsa World that he had been reprimanded by his predecessor over his support for a previous attempt to cut OETA’s funds, and was informed at the time about OETA’s importance for the state’s early warning system. “Ever since then, I have supported its continuation,” he told the publication. Read More Turkey’s Erdogan attacks ‘pro-LGBT’ opposition in tight election race To improve kids' mental health, some schools start later Lewis Hamilton criticises Florida’s anti-LBGTQ measures ahead of Miami Grand Prix LOCALIZE IT: States push raises to address teacher shortages Supreme Court blocks Richard Glossip’s execution in Oklahoma Drag queen fronting US Navy’s recruitment drive claps back at critics: ‘They only hate when you’re winning’

The PEN America rights group says award-winning Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina has died from her injuries suffered after a Russian missile attack on a popular restaurant last week

The gunman who killed eight people and injured seven others at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas brought eight weapons with him, police confirmed in a press conference. Mauricio Garcia, 33, the man law enforcement identified as the gunman, used an AR-15-style rifle to carry out the mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets on Saturday (6 May). But according to police, Garcia had seven additional weapons. “He had eight weapons with him,” Hank Sibley, the regional director of the Texas Department of Safety said on Tuesday. Mr Sibley said three of the eight were carried on Garcia while five remained in the vehicle he drove to the outlet. All eight were legally obtained by the gunman, Mr Sibley confirmed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms ran traces on all of the weapons. Garcia used one of his weapons to shoot and kill eight people, three of which were young children, and injure seven others. The victims are 20-year-old Christian LaCour, 26-year-old Aishwarya Thatikonda, 37-year-old Kyu Song Cho, 35-year-old Cindy Cho, three-year-old James Cho, 11-year-old Daniela Mendoza, 8-year-old Sofia Mendoza and 32-year-old Elio Cumana-Rivas. Law enforcement said the shooting only lasted between three to four minutes before a police officer subdued the gunman. Mr Sibley said the motive of the gunman was still unknown though law enforcement indicated Garcia had “neo-Nazi ideation”. Garcia was found at the shooting bearing patches that said “RWDS,” an acronym for “Right Wing Death Squad.” The acronym is associated with far-right groups such as The Proud Boys. An online profile on the Russian website ok.ru that seemed to have belonged to Garcia also included posts from the gunman that had photos of the Allen Premium Outlets mall and location information that showed when the mall was at its busiest. Posts reviewed by The Independent included praise for Adolf Hitler, photos showing SS, incel-like ideas and complaints about the state of his mental health. Read More Texas mall shooting - live: Allen police confirm Mauricio Garcia’s neo-Nazi views as cache of guns revealed Texas mall shooting victim Christian LaCour hailed as a hero for helping person to safety before he was killed Texas mall shooting: All we know about the Allen outlet massacre