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A woman has revealed that she accidentally swallowed her AirPod while distractedly talking to a friend because she mistook it for a vitamin. Tanna Barker, a 52-year-old realtor from Utah, went viral on TikTok when she shared the “embarassing” story of how she ate one of her AirPods. Now, many viewers have sent her advice as she waits for the wireless headphone to naturally pass. “Okay, I’m gonna be very vulnerable right now,” she began the video, which has been viewed more than 2.7m times since it was posted on Saturday 9 September. “I had a situation happen this morning that I’m still dealing with.” Barker explained that she was on her morning walk when she ran into her friend, Kathleen, who she hasn’t seen in quite some time. “She was filling me in on her life and it’s been very, very busy and full and a lot went on, actually,” she said. However, Barker couldn’t hold back her laughter as she recounted: “Halfway through my walk, I decided to take my vitamins. So I put my vitamins in, took a drink and I was like: ‘Man, those are stuck.’” She then “guzzled” her water to wash the vitamin down, said goodbye to her friend, and kept going on her walk. But when she went to reach for one of her AirPods, she realised it was nowhere it be found. “My pills were in my hand. I swallowed my AirPod,” Barker said, laughing. Much like anyone would do in Barker’s situation, she quickly called friends and professionals in the medical field who “all suggested the same thing” - to let the AirPod pass naturally. “I don’t know if anyone has ever done that, it’s embarrassing, but I did it and we’ll see what happens. I’m gonna follow the advice of professionals,” she added. Despite swallowing her one AirPod, Barker pointed out that there’s still a “bonus” to the unfortunate situation: “I still have my right AirPod.” @tannasellsutah ?OH MY GOOOOOOOSH!!!! You have to watch this! So embarrassing!!! #istillcantbelieveit #whatinthelivingheck #thistooshallpass #whatthe #iamshook #getoutofmybelly ♬ original sound - IamNanaTanna She captioned her TikTok video with the hashtags: #istillcantbelieveit, #whatinthelivingheck, #thistooshallpass, #whatthe, #iamshook, and #getoutofmybelly. Barker’s viral video has since received thousands of comments from TikTok users, a majority of them mostly curious whether the AirPod was still working inside Barker’s body and if she can hear music from her stomach. “The first thing I’d do is play music and see if I can hear it from my stomach,” one person commented. “Play music really loud so you can track its progress,” another user joked. “I’d literally have a panic attack knowing an AirPod is in me,” said someone else. “Not knowing what will happen, possibly blowing up.” @tannasellsutah Part 2…take 2…#2 ♬ original sound - IamNanaTanna In a follow-up video, Barker revealed that it was actually her husband’s AirPod that she swallowed, but he’s maintained a positive outlook on the situation. She recently told her husband that she was going grocery shopping and he asked how long she’ll be out, before telling Barker: “Oh, never mind. I could track you.” Many Apple users are aware that wireless AirPods are able to be tracked on the iPhone’s Find My Devices feature. When one TikToker asked Barker if she’s tried locating the AirPod with the tracking device to see if it still worked, she revealed that the app signaled her AirPods were in her stomach. “We did ‘Find My’ AirPod yesterday and it worked! Today, I think the battery is dead,” Barker replied. Speaking to Insider, Barker explained that she was told by medical professionals to let it pass naturally, and that it shouldn’t cause any harm because the battery is encased in the AirPod. @tannasellsutah PTAS - Post Traumatic AirPod Stress #ptas #thistooshallpass #shareyourshine #findhumorinlife #iammworthy #airpodsareforears #whatinthelivingheck #getoutofmybelly ♬ original sound - IamNanaTanna “One of them asked if I had swallowed both [AirPods] and I said no. And he said: ‘Well, that’s good because it has the magnet in it and that could have caused an issue,’” she told the outlet. Another doctor suggested that she go to the emergency room if she runs a fever, or her “stomach gets hard” and she’s nauseous. “I just have to find humour in my life,” Barker told Insider. “And so that’s kind of a default, thank goodness.” The saga finally came to a close when Barker updated her followers on her recent bowel movements. “When I first posted my post, one of the hashtags was #ThisTooShallPass… and it has,” she said in a video posted on Monday. @tannasellsutah ?Take✌?with Tanna‼️? Wait for it… #thistooshallpass #take2withtanna #iammworthy #shareyourshine #findhumorinlife #airpodsareforears #whatinthelivingheck #ipood #yoursoulisbeautiful #selffull #youarebright ♬ original sound - IamNanaTanna Barker also patted herself on the back for maintaining a positive attitude about the AirPod debacle, and thanked her newfound fans for joining her on the ride. “Oh my goodness, it has been such an amazing experience and such a wild ride, and I am so grateful that I have been able to protect my mindset,” she continued. “When things like this happen in my life - and this has been the most extreme for sure - but I have had experiences in my life where I’ve been able to have my mindset protected, and that I’ve been able to look at it with positivity and lightness. So I hope that I can continue to do that for you guys.” The Independent has contacted Barker for comment. Read More Plane passenger calls out father for leaving his wife with children while he has ‘kid-free flight’ Single woman’s day in a life video met with vitriol after going viral Woman’s ‘terrifying’ NYC apartment tour shocks the internet Schoolboy almost dies from swallowing magnets for TikTok challenge Woman shares honest review of New York City apartment TikTok mom slammed after making 5-year-old son run in 104 degree heat

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Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is in Russia, the Belarusian president has said – despite an agreement with the Kremlin he would move to Belarus in the wake of a short-lived rebellion against Moscow last month. The statements from President Alexander Lukashenko raise fresh questions about the deal the end what was an extraordinary challenge to the rule of Russian President Vladimir Putin. "As for Prigozhin, he's in St Petersburg. He is not on the territory of Belarus," Mr Lukashenko – who helped broker the deal to end the Wagner march on Moscow – said. He added that that "as far as I know" the rest of the Wagner fighters were still at their bases. That could mean eastern Ukraine, where Mr Prigozhin's forces have been involved ins some of the fiercest fighting that has followed Moscow's invasion of the country, or a Wagner training base in Russia's Krasnodar region. Mr Lukashenko said that an offer to Wagner to station some of its forces in Belarus still stands but that, at least for now, "the issue of their relocation has not been resolved". Having said last week that Mr Prigozhin was in Belarus, on Thursday he told reporters that the Wagner chief was in St Petersburg, where he has a home and offices, and that he could also travel to Moscow if he wishes. Part of the deal between Mr Prigozhin and the Kremlin was that all charges against him would be dropped. The Belarusian president suggested that Mr Prigozhin has been given back the cash and weapons that were confiscated by Russian authorities. Reports in local St Petersburg media on Wednesday had also suggested that Mr Prigozhin was in the city to collect the arsenal. A business jet linked to Mr Prigozhin left St Petersburg for Moscow on Wednesday and headed to southern Russia on Thursday, according to flight tracking data, but it was not clear if he had been on board. It was later tracked flying north again. Mr Lukashenko said that that he had spoken to Mr Prigozhin by phone on Wednesday and that he and his Wagner forces intended to continue to work for Russia. The details around Mr Prigozhin's deal with the Kremlin are still murky and the Wagner's movements may be linked to him being allowed to tie up his affairs. But it seems extraordinary that Mr Putin would allow Mr Prigozhin to move with impunity, given the cracks in the Russian president's authority Mr Prigozhin's munity appeared to expose. The latest developments may suggest that the threat posed by Mr Prigozhin has not yet been fully defused and that the Kremlin is treading carefully until it can figure out what to do with troops who may still be loyal to him. But the current situation does not exactly project the strongman image that Mr Putin has built his rule upon. The Kremlin sought to act nonchalantly when asked about Mr Prigozhin's movements on Thursday. "No, we do not follow his movements, we have neither the ability nor the desire to do so," Mr Putin's spokesman – Dmitri Peskov – said. But a better view of the probable thoughts of those inside the Kremlin was provided by state media and pro-Krelim sources. Online newspapers Fontanka and Izvestia posted videos and photos of Mr Prigozhin's opulent mansion that showed stacks of cash and gold bullion. The Rossiya 1 television channel also aided footage from what it said was a raid by Russian security services on the St Petersburg mansion, while hosts called for Mr Prigozhin to face "accountability" for what was a treacherous act. All this plays into the idea that while Mr Prigozhin has postured as an enemy of corrupt elites, he owes his wealth to Mr Putin. Russian media also published a collection of selfies that showed him posing in various wigs, fake beards and foreign uniforms, seemingly another attempt to embarrass. Mr Lukashenko said that he would discuss the situation in an upcoming meeting with Mr Putin. Mr Lukashenko said Mr Prigozhin had his liberty but that journalists were naive if they thought Russian security services were not keeping a very close eye on him. However, the Belarusian leader shrugged off suggestions that Mr Putin might order Mr Prigozhin killed, saying: "If you think that Putin is so vicious and vindictive to finish him off, no, it's not going to happen." The Belarusian leader said he doesn't think the mercenaries' presence in his country would lead to its destabilisation and said any Wagner troops there would be required to sign a contract with Belarusian authorities that would outline conditions and limitations of their actions. Belarusian political analyst Valery Karbalevich told the Associated Press, however, that Mr Lukashenko could feel uneasy about Wagner's presence on his turf. "If this structure rebelled against its master once, it can do it again and again and march on Minsk instead of marching on Moscow," Mr Karbalevich said. Asked about the deployment of Russia's tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, Mr Lukashenko claimed they are intended to deter any aggression against the country. "Don't touch us, and we will never use these deadly weapons," he said. In Ukraine, Russia fired cruise missiles at the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, killing at least five people in an apartment building. Ukrainian officials said it was the heaviest attack on civilian areas of the city since Moscow's forces invaded the country last year. Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky was in Bulgaria yesterday as part of a tour to drum up support from allies ahead of a Nato summit next week. Mr Zelensky then travelled to Prague to meet with Czech officials on Thursday night. In Washington, the administration of Joe Biden has decided to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine and is expected to announce on Friday that the Pentagon will send thousands as part of the latest military aid package for the war effort against Russia. The controversial weapons drop dozens of bomblets that human rights groups say endanger civilians as they release over a wide area, and they can continue to pose a deadly risk long after fighting has stopped. Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary Wagner chief Prigozhin is in Russia, president of Belarus says Son of jailed Belarusian presidential hopeful handed 8-year sentence Belarus opposition leader says anonymous note alleges that her husband died in prison

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