The 64-year-old actor Michael Madson was arrested on Wednesday night in his Malibu shortly after 9pm Pacific time, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.

The distraught actor was photographed being handcuffed by police, who then escorted him to a local hospital before transferring him to the police station.

His arrest comes just a month after his 26-year-old son, Hudson, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

American Wordle players have complained that today’s answer was ‘too British’.

In recent weeks, fans have protested that the popular game – which only offers one puzzle per day to keep players hooked – has become ‘too difficult’ following its transition from its original website to the New York Times site.

Wordle has amassed millions of players since it came online last October – after being created by Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle for his girlfriend Palak Shah, who loves word puzzles.

At the start of November, the simple game – which involves guessing a five-letter word in six tries, and which was purchase by New York Times (NYT) the end of January for an undisclosed seven-figure sum – had only 90 players.

But today, scores of players – who have also recently complained that their winning streaks haven’t been updated in a week because of a technical blunder – took to Twitter to voice their annoyance over today’s ‘British slang’ answer, which was ‘Bloke’. 

Wordle fans have once again criticised the New York Times after American players complained today’s answer was ‘too British’

But today, scores of players – who have also recently complained that their winning streaks haven’t been updated in a week because of a technical blunder – took to Twitter to voice their annoyance over today’s ‘British slang’ answer, which was ‘Bloke’ (pictured)

One person wrote: ‘Good morning to everyone except that bloke who picked today’s Wordle word.’

Commenting on the word – which is British slang for man – another Twitter user said: ‘THIS HAS TO BE THE MOST BRITISH WORDLE I’VE SEEN. F****** BLOKE.’  

A third added: ‘No one else uses “bloke” but the British’, while a fourth said: ‘Now why is Wordle giving me a British word I have never heard of.’

The ‘bloke’ controversy follows further criticisms facing the game this week – including that answers like ‘caulk’ and ‘agora’ were too niche for most players. 

Meanwhile, people also voiced their annoyance over their scores not being updated correctly on the stats screen yesterday. 

Many said the number of days the game showed they had played was actually lower than the number of days they had successfully played in a row. 

Reaction: Social media users from around the world react to the ‘bloke’ controversy today

Sir Paul McCartney, 79, CONFIRMS he will perform at Glastonbury 2022 with cryptic Wordle tweet

Sir Paul McCartney has confirmed he will headline Glastonbury 2022 by sharing a cryptic post on his Twitter page on Thursday morning.

The 79-year-old Beatles legend’s tweet showed a score for popular online puzzle Wordle along with six green squares, which read: ‘Wordle 121 25/6’.

Eagle-eyed music fans noted that Wordle scores only consist of five letters, sparking speculation that the word Macca was refering to was in fact ‘Glasto’.

Hey Paul! Sir Paul McCartney has confirmed he will headline Glastonbury 2022 by sharing cryptic posts on his Twitter page this week (pictured at Glastonbury in 2004)

Let It Be: The 79-year-old Beatles legend’s latest post on Thursday, showed a score for popular online puzzle Wordle along with six green squares, which read: ‘Wordle 121 25/6’

Others noticed that it is 121 days from today until the festival and 25/6 was predicted to represent Saturday June 25 – the day the star will perform.

Paul’s post was true to form, as he also announced that he was headling the festival in 2020 via Twitter, before the event was cancelled due to the pandemic.

At the time he posted photos of composer Philip Glass, actor Emma Stone and the late Chuck Berry, with his clever followers noticing that it stood for glass-ton-berry.  

Paul last performed on the Pyramid Stage in 2004.

With the upcoming festival taking place just a week after his 80th birthday, Paul will be the oldest ever star to headline the event.

 Glasto! Eagle-eyed music fans noted that Wordle scores only consist of five letters, sparking speculation that the word Macca was refering to was in fact ‘Glasto’

Glass-ton-berry! Paul’s post was true to form as he also announced that he was headling the festival i 2020 via Twitter, however the event was later cancelled due to the pandemic

According to the Sun, Paul will follow Noel Gallagher and Haim on Saturday, June 25 and is ‘determined to put on a hell of a show’.

‘Paul’s set will be an absolutely must-see. He is really excited for it and is determined to put on a hell of a show packed with all of the hits,’ a source said.  

‘There was some discussion about whether he should go ahead with shows this year because of the situation with Covid, but he decided he really wants to perform.

‘Glastonbury is such an amazing event to headline and he knows it will be an incredible moment for him.’

Paul will join Billie Eilish at the festival, who is also making history, but as the youngest solo headliner. 

In January, the creator sold the game to the New York Times for a ‘seven figure sum’ and the game migrated to the NYT site.

Since then, players have complained that the game has become more difficult, largely as a result of how niche some of the answer words have been. Others have noted that the game has been glitchy.  

While yesterday’s answer ‘trove’ – meaning a store of valuable things – had not yet attracted many angry Tweets, the game was still facing criticism, with numerous players noting that their streak was not updating – despite them successfully completing the day’s puzzle. 

The New York Times once again faced criticism from Wordle fans, with many saying their streak of days they had been playing the game for had not updated

One Twitter user wrote: ‘I’ve been stuck on a 29 streak for a week ⁦@NYTimes you’re dead to me!’

Another asked: ‘Anyone else’s streak stuck? I’m on 28 and should be on 37.’

And another said: ‘My streak has been stuck at 27 since NYT took over.’ 

The game had similar streak issues earlier this month, when some players scores did not carry over after the game was moved to the New York Times website. The paper told how they could preserve their streaks.

Fans have been annoyed by changes to the game since it was bought by the NY Times, complaining about ‘obscure’ answers, glitches, hard-to-guess answers

In mid-February, the organisation tweeted: ‘Please open the old URL last used to play Wordle. This will automatically redirect to the NYT Wordle page, carrying your streaks with you.’

It added that players needed to ‘migrate their stats’ to keep their streaks, or that they could use a reset link to do so. 

However, as evidenced by their complaints, many are still struggling with streak-related glitches, with others saying the fix didn’t work for them. 

One revealed they had lost days by following the link, writing: ‘You just got me to click that link now I lost four days of wordle wins. WTF guys. Why do you keep messing this up?!’

Social media users complain NYT have made Wordle ‘too obscure’ – but how do the latest words compare with the game’s earlier answers?

Jan 01 2022 REBUS

Jan 02 BOOST

Jan 03 TRUSS

Jan 04 SIEGE

Jan 05 TIGER

Jan 06 BANAL

Jan 07 SLUMP

Jan 08 CRANK

Jan 09 GORGE

Jan 10 QUERY

Jan 11 DRINK

Jan 12 FAVOR

Jan 13 ABBEY

Jan 14 TANGY

Jan 15 PANIC

Jan 16 SOLAR

Jan 17 SHIRE

Jan 18 PROXY

Jan 19 POINT

Jan 20 ROBOT

Jan 21 PRICK

Jan 22 WINCE

Jan 23 CRIMP 

Jan 24 KNOLL

Jan 25 SUGAR 

Jan 26 WHACK 

Jan 27 MOUNT 

Jan 28 PERKY 

Jan 29 COULD 

Jan 30 WRUNG 

Jan 31 LIGHT

NYT SALE COMPLETED  

• Feb 01 THOSE
• Feb 02 MOIST
• Feb 03 SHARD
• Feb 04 PLEAT
• Feb 05 ALOFT
• Feb 06 SKILL
• Feb 07 ELDER
• Feb 08 FRAME
• Feb 09 HUMOR

GAME MIGRATED TO NYT WEBSITE  

• Feb 10 PAUSE 
• Feb 11 ULCER
• Feb 12 ULTRA
• Feb 13 ROBIN
• Feb 14 CYNIC
• Feb 15 AROMA
• Feb 16 CAULK    
• Feb 17 SHAKE
• Feb 18 DODGE
• Feb 19 SWILL 
• Feb 20 TACIT 
• Feb 21 OTHER
• Feb 22 THORN 
• Feb 23 TROVE 
• Feb 24 BLOKE 

Another added: ‘Same, I lost five days. My streak went from 40 down to 35.’    

On top of tech glitches, the game has been criticised over its answers. On Sunday, numerous Twitter users accused Wordle of ‘just making up words’ when they failed to correctly answer, as they did not recognise the day’s word – which was ‘swill’. 

Furthermore, some people who got close found themselves with too many possible words to choose from, like Spill, Still, and Skill, leading to further complaints.

Something similar happened earlier in the week, with some finding that even when a more common word was used – ‘shake’ – they still had problems, saying that even with four correct letters in the right spot, there were too many possibilities for the correct answer. 

Players of the hugely popular online game Wordle have been left furious after complaining the game has become more difficult after it moved to the New York Times (NYT) (pictured) 

Wordle (pictured on the original site), which only offers one puzzle per day to keep fans hooked, has amassed millions of players since it came online last October – after being created by Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle for his girlfriend Palak Shah, who loves word puzzles 

Some found themselves in the frustrating position of missing just one letter to solve the puzzle right the way through, but still failing to complete it in six guesses. 

And earlier this month, an apparent glitch in the game resulted in two different solutions depending on the site used, as well as another hiccup which saw players lose their winning streaks. 

WHAT IS WORDLE? 

Wordle is deceptively simple; you have six chances to guess a five-letter word.

After each guess, each letter will turn green, yellow or grey, meaning:  

Green: correct letter, correct spot 

Yellow: correct letter, wrong spot 

Grey: wrong letter

You can then use these clues for your next guess. 

The game is currently being migrated from the site of its original creator to the New York Times (NYT) website, following its purchase at the end of January for an undisclosed seven-figure sum. 

However, due to some players still being able to access the original URL powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle – despite most finding themselves redirected to the NYT website, it has meant there are two correct answers for Tuesday’s game. 

Tuesday’s original answer was deemed ‘too obscure’ by the NYT, and so was replaced with another word with a fairly similar arrangement of letters. 

Yet social media users – who were left outraged when discovering their winning streaks were not transferred over to the NYT URL – have claimed the words have become ‘too random’ since moving from the original site. 

One player wrote on Twitter: ‘If I was being a cynic, I’d say the NYT are making #Wordle a lot more difficult.’ 

Another commented: ‘I don’t know guys… Wordle just feels different since New York Times took over.  These words are just so randomly random. Two days in a row of me like, “That word?! Really!?” This win isn’t even joyous.’ 

A third added: ‘I swear since New York Times took over Wordle my vocab has went down the drain.’

Another wrote: ‘NYT going for the “no limited-vocab pleb’s allowed” approach to Wordle. Definitely a step up in difficulty over the last couple of days.’ 

The glitch was noticed by Caitlin Welsh, a regular Wordle player and editor for Mashable Australia.   

Some joked the term – a waterproof filler and sealant, used in building work and repairs – wouldn’t be known to anyone who hasn’t done DIY

‘When my partner and I both had all five tiles flip green, we compared notes and found that we’d wound up with different answers, both correct, for the first time in over a month of playing,’ she said. 

‘It soon became clear that Wordle game 241 was actually two different games, depending on which version of the site you’re using.’ 

Welsh said she’s still playing the game on the original site – powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle, which was where creator Josh Wardle first uploaded the game for the public in October after initially only sharing it with family and friends.   

Since the transition, many social media users have been arguing that the game has suddenly become more difficult 

NYT communications director Jordan Cohen has already told an Australian journalist that the original word for Tuesday was removed for being ‘too obscure’. 

‘We are updating the word list over time to remove obscure words to keep the puzzle accessible to more people, as well as insensitive or offensive words,’ Cohen said in an email. ‘***** is an example of an obscure word.’  

Many people around the world noticed the glitch and headed to Twitter to voice their displeasure. 

Twitter user @Zantareous described Tuesday as ‘the day that divided Wordle’, adding ‘Are you team ***** or team *****?’ 

Another user, @judysuthrlandnz, called the whole issue a ‘#WordleScandal’, while @noelhurley tagged the official NYT Twitter acocunt to say ‘you seem to have broken Wordle’. 

‘#WordleScandal’: Fans were left confused by the two answers available to Wordle fans on Tuesday 

NYT communications director Jordan Cohen has already told Australian journalist Michael Slezak that the original word for Tuesday was removed for being ‘too obscure’

It’s also emerged this week that NYT has made other changes to the game since it’s taken it over.  

According to BoingBoing, several words from the upcoming Wordle list have been removed – including ‘lynch’, ‘slave’ and ‘wench’.

NYT staff seem to have deemed these loaded terms that could cause offence, and therefore felt they had to go. 

Other removed upcoming words include fibre (likely because this is the British spelling of the word, rather than the American spelling) and, rather more curiously, pupal. 

Understandably, NYT has also removed some offensive racist and sexual slurs from the list of acceptable guesses, BoingBoing also claims. 

Reaction: Many people around the world noticed the glitch and headed to Twitter to voice their displeasure

It comes days after fans of the game complained they had lost their high scores since moving to the New York Times website. 

Previously, to play the game, people had to go to powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle, the website of Wordle’s creator. 

Now, many people who enter this URL are finding themselves redirected to the NYT website, albeit with reset winning streaks.

Another Shanghai-based Wordle fan said she can no longer access the game because of China’s national firewall, which blocks the NYT website. 

When players win a game of Wordle – i.e. they guess the word in six guesses or fewer – they’re shown stats including how many games they’re played, winning percentage and their winning ‘streak’ (how many games they’ve won on the trot). 

Wordle isn’t an app – it’s web browser-based – and players don’t have to login to a personal account on Wordle. Instead, their browser will remember their past performance including winning streaks.   

It comes days after fans of the game complained they had lost their high scores since moving to the New York Times website

The NYT addressed the issue on Twitter late on Thursday, saying that it’s currently working on a fix. 

@NYTimesWordplay, the crossword and games section of NYT, posted on Twitter: ‘We are aware that your ‘current streak’ has been reset today. Our Games team is currently investigating. Stay tuned for more #Wordle updates.’ 

It later provided an update: ‘We have identified the problem affecting users’ streaks and are actively working on a solution. Thank you for your patience.’ 

BOFFINS FIND LIST OF UPCOMING WORDLE ANSWERS IN SITE CODE 

It’s been increasingly difficult to avoid Wordle spoilers on social media as the game’s popularity has soared.

But several internet boffins have been sharing long lists of upcoming answers after delving into the site’s source code.

Student Owen Yin has leaked the full list of answers on Medium.com. He claims there are enough answers in the website’s backend for the game to last until October 20, 2027.

Meanwhile, Robert Reichel, a software engineer currently at GitHub, has posted an entire blog on how he managed to pick apart the source code and get the right answer on the first try every day.

However, users weren’t impressed; one Wordle fan under the username @IndirectLemon on Twitter said: ‘Oh c’mon @nytimes, you had one job. #wordle #streak #broken.’   

Another Twitter user, @JohnHeaner, wrote: ‘The Times screwed up this simple little pleasure faster than expected.’ 

@HollyLMcKenna said: ‘The B******* at NY Times removed my Wordle streak, excuse ME. I had 29 straight days of Wordle success and now THIS?’  

And @agcornish91 said: ‘Wordle moved to the NYT website and it RESET MY STREAK as a result. I am canceling my subscription and filing a motion to sue the times for psychological damages.’ 

Yet another user, @stardustsummons, criticised the NYT for tweaking the Wordle user interface, which ‘made the logo ugly’.  

Meanwhile, Shanghai-based Wordle fan @mhchiang_ also pointed out that Chinese players can no longer access the game as China’s national firewall blocked the entire NYT site.  

‘I know it’s not your paper to blame on this, but plz keep the original URL for China,’ @mhchiang_ said.   

Other fans reported that they were still accessing the game on the original URL, suggesting the transition to the NYT is still ongoing. 

Wordle creator Josh Wardle decided to sell the virtual puzzle to NYT after it snowballed and became ‘overwhelming’ to run.

NYT has said it will ‘initially remain free to new and existing players’, although fans have expressed fears that it will go behind a paywall sooner or later, like much of the NYT’s website. 

Richard Mann, a British Wordle fan, data scientist and creator of maths-inspired game Nerdle, thinks there are various monetisation strategies NYT might use.

‘I wouldn’t bet on a pay wall – 99 per cent of users would vanish overnight – and I think NYT’s mini crossword is still free,’ he told MailOnline. 

‘I suspect we’ll see promotions on the win screen soon – maybe encouraging an upgrade to a NYT subscription or premium access to other Wordle-like games.’

Pictured is the new user interface for Wordle on the New York Times website. One Wordle fan called it ‘ugly’ 

After the sale was confirmed on January 31, creator Josh Wardle thanked users for sharing touching stories about the effect the game has had on their lives and relationships and added that he was ‘thrilled’ and relieved about the takeover.

He said: ‘Since launching Wordle, I have been in awe of the response of everyone that has played.

‘The game has gotten bigger than I ever imagined (which I suppose isn’t that much of a feat given I made the game for an audience of one).

‘It has been incredible to watch the game bring so much joy to so many and I feel so grateful for the personal stories some of you have shared with me – from Wordle uniting distant family members, to provoking friendly rivalries, to supporting medical recoveries.

‘On the flip side, I’d be lying if I said this hasn’t been overwhelming.’

NO-ONE LIKES A SPOILSPORT! TWITTER BANS A BOT ACCOUNT THAT LEAKED THE ‘WORDLE’ ANSWER TO MILLIONS OF EAGER PLAYERS 

In January, Twitter suspended a bot account that was spoiling the solution to the next day’s Wordle, the wildly popular online word puzzle.

The Twitter profile that called itself ‘The Wordlinator’ (@wordlinator) seemed determined to ruin the fun for players posting their scores.

It’s thought that the person behind the account found the upcoming winning words by simply looking at the Wordle web page’s source code. 

The mean-spirited ‘Wordlinator’ automatically responded to accounts posting their Wordle scores with the message: ‘Guess what. People don’t care about your mediocre linguistic escapades. To teach you a lesson, tomorrow’s word is…’ followed by the next day’s answer.

One Wordle fan on Twitter said: ‘Just what kind of sick, twisted person do you have to be to hate the sight of people enjoying a harmless activity so much you hack Wordle?’

Another Twitter user said: ‘Amazing how fast Twitter can respond to important issues.’   

A suspected serial killer has been charged with the murder of Lois Duncan’s daughter for nearly 33 years after she was shot in the head while returning from a friend’s house.

Paul Apodaca, 54, was formally charged Monday with the murder of 18-year-old Caitlin Arquette in July 1989 after a reception in Albuquerque, New Mexico police that he was the man who killed her and two other young women in the late 1980s.

He had previously been convicted in 1995 of raping his 14-year-old stepdaughter and was arrested for a parole offense in July, when he allegedly confessed to the violent murders while talking about his hatred of women and handing them over to detectives. information that only the killer could know.

Apodaca is now charged with first-degree murder in Arquette’s death, as he also faces charges of the University’s death in New Mexico student Althea Oakley, 21, and Stella Gonzalez, who was just 13 when she was shot and killed.

He said he had pleaded not guilty to at least one of the charges against him COATand now remains in custody at Leah County Correctional Facility while awaiting trial for the deaths of Oakley and Gonzalez.

Apodaka is due to return to court on Friday for a detention hearing, as his lawyer insists he is innocent of the murders and has confessed because he was intoxicated and mentally ill.

Paul Apodaca, 54, was formally charged Monday with the July 1989 murder of 18-year-old Caitlin Arquette.

Arquette’s mother, the famous author of “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” Lois Duncan, spent years searching for justice in her daughter’s death.

Arquette’s death became national news after the famous author of “I Know What You Did Last Summer” Lois Duncan wrote a science book on the mysterious murder in 1992, entitled “Who Killed My Daughter?” And hired a private detective to investigate the circumstances. the death of her daughter.

Over the years, the family has received several theories about Arquette’s death, with some suspecting a so-called Vietnamese mafia involved in car insurance fraud, according to Albuquerque Magazine.

Eventually, two men were charged with her death, but the then district attorney dismissed the case without prejudice, as the evidence was insufficient to prove that they were involved beyond a reasonable doubt.

But for years, the Journal reported, Arquette’s family believed Apodaca may have been involved in her death on July 16, 1989.

Duncan wrote a documentary about the mysterious murder in 1992, entitled “Who Killed My Daughter?”

Arquette was returning home that evening after having dinner with a friend in the city’s Old Town when she was shot twice in the head, causing her to move between sails and crash into a light pole.

Witnesses to the scene at the time described seeing a Volkswagen Beetle near the scene. It was driven by Apodaca, who was 21 at the time.

During the ensuing investigation, Pat Carcito, who was hired by the family to investigate Arquette’s death, said he suspected Apodaca was involved.

said Carsito COB 4 last year that he actually visited Apodaca while serving 20 years in prison for raping his underage half-sister.

“He did not hesitate to be at the scene,” she said. “He was nice again.” [and] cooperative. ‘

However, Carcito noted that there were “twice when he was not”.

The first was when she asked him who was with him at the time, to which he reportedly replied: “What do you mean someone was with me, who said someone was with me? No one was with me.

The only other time he wasn’t “nice and cooperative,” Carcito said, was when he asked, “How did you find me?”

“Those were interesting words to me, as if you didn’t have to find me.”

Now, Caitlin’s sister, Kerry, told KRQE that their mother was “here” and “looking down” after years of seeking justice in Caitlin’s death. Duncan died in 2016.

Apodaca also faces charges of the deaths of New Mexico University student Althea Oakley, 21, left, and Stella Gonzalez, 13, right

Apodaca also faces charges of the deaths of New Mexico University student Althea Oakley, 21, and Stella Gonzalez, 13.

Authorities say Oakley was his first victim when she returned home from a fraternity party on June 22, 1988, after arguing with her boyfriend.

Apodaca reportedly told investigators that he worked as a security guard at the Technical Vocational Institute – now the Central Public College of New Mexico – the night he saw Oakley and began following her.

He said she smiled at him and then he attacked her afterwards, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

Just a few months later, on September 9, 1988, Gonzalez was shot and killed while walking with a friend near Tingley Beach. According to police, “the two girls collided with someone in a car” who “produces shots” that hit Gonzalez. She later died at a nearby hospital in southern Albuquerque, Law and crime reports.

Apodaca also reportedly admitted to authorities in July that it was driven by the girls when it shot her, according to KRQE.

He was eventually arrested by police at the University of New Mexico in July 2021 for violating parole as a registered sex offender, and shortly after being arrested, a police report admitted he killed three young women and raped three others during the same time period.

One of them, since 1993, was stuck in the accumulation of the rape kit and recently received a match through the CODIS DNA database. The case is now being reopened.

Detectives said Apocada had information about the death that only the killer could know.

“In our opinion, Paul Apdodaka is a serial killer and he chose his victims seemingly at random, but they all shared one thing: they were women,” Albuquerque Deputy Commander Kyle Hartsock said when he announced the first of the charges against Apodaka in August. .

“They were vulnerable women at the time who looked alone, and that was his only reason, opportunity, and his own perceived hatred of women at the time.”

However, his lawyer, Nicholas Hart, claims that Apodaka was intoxicated when he confessed.

He issued a statement Tuesday saying: “The district attorney’s office is only interested in trying this case in the press because they know how incomplete and empty these investigations are.

“So it is no surprise that another false accusation has been made, which will certainly be followed by dubious and false public statements.

“We look forward to showing the court and the jury that Mr Apodaka is not guilty of these charges.

Apodaca has not yet been formally charged with Arquette’s murder, but in August a grand jury charged him with Oakley’s murder, and in August he was charged with Oakley’s murder.

Vladimir PutinThe Baptist of Rumors and several leading Russian celebrities sparked a public protest against their nation’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian army is fighting in almost every region of the country this afternoon, fighting Russians for control of military bases, airports, cities and ports after an early volley of cruise missiles and guided bombs aimed at ammunition depots and radar grids.

Until Thursday afternoon, fighting is taking place in Kiev, on the northern border with Belarusin Luhansk and Donetsk in the east and around Kherson, the Dnieper River and the port cities of Odessa and Mariupol in the south.

International condemnation of the Kremlin’s actions is widespread – and some of them RussiaThe biggest celebrities have now joined.

Many have shared black squares on their social media profiles, with the hashtag no war.

Among those who published the black square was Ksenia Sobchak, a secular lioness and former Russian presidential candidate who is said to be Vladimir Putin’s godmother. She denied the rumors, but previously admitted that he was present at her baptism.

In a post today, she said: “I was woken up at six in the morning today with the words, ‘Ksenia, the war has begun.’

“Not on our land, [but] with our people, yes.

“We Russians will deal with the consequences of today for many years to come.”

Ksenia Sobchak, a television personality and former presidential candidate, today spoke out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

She is also rumored to be Vladimir Putin’s godmother. She denied the rumors, but previously admitted that he was present at her baptism

In a post today, she said: “I was woken up at six in the morning today with the words, ‘Ksenia, the war has begun.’ Not on our land, [but] with our people, yes. We Russians will struggle with the consequences of today for many years to come.

Other celebrities who will speak, including actress Anastasia Ivleeva, who has nearly 20 million followers on Instagram. She published a black square with the phrase: “No war”

Many have shared black squares on their social media profiles, along with the hashtag no war

TV presenter and actress Anastasia Ivleeva, who has nearly 20 million followers on Instagram, also posted a black square, commenting: “No war.”

TV presenter Ivan Urgant also responded to the situation, commenting: “Fear and pain. NO to war.

Former world figure skating champion Evgenia Medvedeva wrote: “I hope all this will end as soon as possible, like a bad dream.”

Maxim Galkin, a popular comedian who is also married to Russia’s biggest celebrity, added: “I’ve been in touch with relatives and friends in Ukraine since early this morning. I can’t describe in words how I feel! How is it possible? There can be no excuse for war. There is no war. ‘

Actress Irina Starshenbaum wrote: “How did we get to this point? Nothing justifies the war, and I have no words to express the pain and horror of this morning. Ukrainians, please excuse me for being helpless. We want an immediate end to these heinous actions.

More than 150 senior Russian officials have signed an open letter of condemnation Putinthe invasion of Ukraine as an “unprecedented atrocity” and a warning of “catastrophic consequences”.

Deputies said they were “convinced” that Russian citizens did not support the war and accused Putin “personally” of ordering troops in Ukraine in an attack “for which there is no and cannot be justified.”

In the early hours of today, Putin issued an order to attack, issuing an extraordinary address to the Russian nation, declaring a “special military operation” to “demilitarize” and “denationalize” Ukraine in a manner tantamount to a clear declaration of war.

The letter called on Russians “not to take part in the aggression” and called on citizens to speak out against the invasion, because “only mass popular condemnation can stop the war.”

Among the signatories of the letter were Moscow MPs Elena Rusakova, Maxim Gongalski, Andrei Morev, Elena Kotenochkina and Elena Filina, as well as St. Petersburg officials David Kuvaev and Polina Sizova and Veliky Novgorod MP Anna Cherepanova.

Former world figure skating champion Evgenia Medvedeva wrote: “I hope all this will end as soon as possible, like a bad dream.”

The Olympic silver medalist was among several Russian celebrities who spoke out against the war

Actress Irina Starshenbaum wrote: “How did we get to this point? Nothing justifies the war, and I have no words to express the pain and horror of this morning. Ukrainians, please excuse me for being helpless. We want an immediate end to these heinous actions. “

Russian actress Irina Starshenbaum also spoke out today against the invasion of Ukraine

Maxim Galkin, a popular comedian who is also married to Russia’s biggest celebrity, added: “I’ve been in touch with relatives and friends in Ukraine since early this morning. I can’t describe in words how I feel! How is it possible? There can be no excuse for war. No war ‘

It was a surprising move for Russian officials to speak out against Putin, who usually holds the iron grip of dissidents, and last week televised a meeting with Moscow’s top security chiefs in which they appeared to have been forced to support his plans to invade. in Ukraine.

The letter, which described the signatories as “elected by the people”, said they “unreservedly condemn the Russian army’s attack on Ukraine”.

“This is an unprecedented atrocity for which there is no and cannot be justified. The decision to attack was made personally by Russian President Vladimir Putin. We are convinced that the citizens of Russia have not given him such a mandate. “

The letter warns of “catastrophic consequences” – “Thousands of people will die, wounded and maimed, cities dear to many Russians will be destroyed.”

It says Russia will face “condemnation of the world community”, which will lead to “isolation, rising prices and poverty”.

“Hopes for a good life in Russia are dashing before our eyes,” the letter added.

“We urge you not to take part in the aggression and not to approve it. Please do not be silent: only mass popular condemnation can stop the war.

This comes after heartbreaking photos emerged from Ukraine showing bloodied civilians staggering through the streets of cities in the east of the country after Russian shelling in the early hours of today.

Other civilians were also injured, and some others are believed to have died, although the number of wounded has not yet been confirmed.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it was not targeting cities but using precision weapons, and said “there is no threat to the civilian population.”

However, Luhansk, Sumy, Kharkiv and Chernihiv in eastern Ukraine say they have been attacked, with explosions reported in the west, in Zhytomyr and Lviv, near the Polish border.

Ivanka Trump was dressed to impress in a silky blue frock as she enjoyed a date night with her husband, Jared Kushner, in Miami on Wednesday. 

The former White House senior advisers, both 40, were spotted leaving Arte Surfside, the luxury oceanfront condo building they have called home for the past year.  

Ivanka took advantage of the warm Florida weather and bared her legs in a short shirt dress featuring a collar and cuffed sleeves. 

She topped off the look with a pair of silver pumps with stacked heels and earrings that peeked out from underneath her blonde hair. 

Ivanka appeared to be carrying a black clutch when she stepped out of the building, with her husband following behind on his cellphone.

Ivanka Trump, 40, dressed up in a silky blue frock for a date night with her husband, Jared Kushner, in Miami on Wednesday 

The former White House senior adviser paired her short shirt dress with a pair of flashy silver pumps with stacked heels 

Jared was dressed more casually in a light gray sweater and slim-fit chinos, which he paired with gray sneakers. 

He also had on a watch and a red string bracelet on his left wrist, the same type that Ivanka has worn on numerous occasions. 

Although they haven’t spoken about its purpose, it does bear a resemblance to the type of red string that Kabbalah practitioners wear to ward off the ‘evil eye.’ 

Ivanka had a bright smile on her face when they were greeted by their driver at 7 p.m. The parents of three were presumably headed to dinner, though their destination remains unclear.  

Since moving to Miami, Jared has launched a new global investment firm, Affinity Partners, and has raised more than $3 billion in committed funding from international investors. 

He plans to invest in American and Israeli companies that are looking for international expansion opportunities in India, Africa, the Middle East, and other parts of Asia. 

The move raised eyebrows among ethics experts, given his rapid transition from advising the White House and liaising with world leaders to seeking investments from them for his own firm.

The Wall Street Journal reported that in the past few months, Jared — the New Jersey-born scion of a wealthy real estate developing family — has met with the crown princes of Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi and other high-powered officials. 

Jared, 40, was dressed more casually for their night out in Miami, where they have been living for the past year 

The investor threw on a light gray sweater over a white T-shirt and a pair of chinos 

Jared, the New Jersey-born scion of a wealthy real estate developing family, topped off the look with a pair of gray sneakers 

Ivanka often accompanied him on trips to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar that were both for business and pleasure, sources told the newspaper. 

The couple has kept a relatively low profile since moving to Miami, and they have rarely been seen out on the town without their children.   

They have a daughter, Arabella, 10, and two sons, Joseph, eight, and Theodore, five. Their kids are currently enrolled in a local Jewish school that is located just a short distance from Arte Surfside. 

Ivanka converted to Judaism to marry her husband Jared Kushner, who is a Modern Orthodox Jew, and they are raising their children in the same faith.  

While they appear to be enjoying life in Florida, the time they spent working in the White House isn’t entirely behind them. 

The former first daughter is in discussions with the House committee investigating the January 6th insurrection to speak with them, her office confirmed to DailyMail.com.

‘Ivanka Trump is in discussions with the committee to voluntarily appear for an interview,’ a spokesperson for Ivanka said.

The panel asked her last month to voluntarily come and speak with them about what she saw that day. Ivanka, the daughter of former President Donald Trump, was with her father at a rally where he addressed his supporters before they marched on the Capitol. She was in the White House as the events unfolded. 

Ivanka wore her blonde hair loose around her shoulders, and her earrings shimmered in the light 

The former first daughter had a bright smile on her face as she and Jared left Arte Surfsid, their luxury oceanfront condo building 

They were greeted by their driver at 7 p.m. and were seen getting into the back of a black SUV 

The parents of three were presumably taken to dinner, though their destination remains unknown 

She has yet to agree on a date when she might talk with the committee and the panel has made no threat of an imminent subpoena, the New York Times reported, citing committee sources.   

Ivanka served as an adviser to her father during his White House tenure. She, her husband Jared, and their three children moved to Miami after the Trump administration ended. 

She has stayed out of politics, opting not to challenge Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, and rarely posts to her social media accounts.

The former president has not requested that his daughter defy the committee’s requests, as he has done with his other top aides, the Times noted.

It would unlikely for Ivanka to take any steps that her father did not approve of as the two are extremely close. 

The former president has ordered other aides — including Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff; Dan Scavino Jr., a deputy chief of staff; and Stephen K. Bannon, an adviser — not to speak to investigators.

Meadows and Bannon have been found in contempt of the House. The Justice Department is investigating Bannon and has yet to decide if it will do the same for Meadows.  

Trump blasted the panel after it requested to speak to Ivanka. The panel also has requested to hear from Eric Trump, the former president’s son who ran the business empire, and Kimberly Guilfoyle, an adviser to Trump’s presidential campaign and the fiancée of his oldest son Don Jr.

Jared was on his cellphone and deep in conversation before they got picked up. Since moving to Miami, he’s launched a new investment firm, Affinity Partners, and has raised more than $3 billion in committed funding from international investors

 He plans to invest in American and Israeli companies that are looking for international expansion opportunities in India, Africa, the Middle East, and other parts of Asia

The move raised eyebrows among ethics experts, given his rapid transition from advising the White House and liaising with world leaders to seeking investments from them for his own firm

‘It’s a very unfair situation for my children,’ the former president told the Washington Examiner in January.  

In its letter, the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol referred to Ivanka being present in the Oval Office on the morning of January 6th, when then-President Trump called Vice President Mike Pence to pressure him to try and hold up certification of the 2020 election. 

‘The Select Committee wishes to discuss the part of the conversation you observed between President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence on the morning of January 6th,’ the panel wrote to her. 

The committee noted General Keith Kellogg, the retired general who served as a national security adviser to Pence and was also in the Oval that day, told them after Trump’s call to Pence, ‘[Ivanka Trump] turned to me and said, “Mike Pence is a good man.”’

‘Similarly, the Select Committee would like to discuss any other conversations you may have witnessed or participated in regarding the president’s plan to obstruct or impede the counting of electoral votes.’

The panel continued: ‘The committee has information suggesting that President Trump’s White House counsel may have concluded that the actions President Trump directed Vice President Pence to take would violate the Constitution or would be otherwise illegal.’

‘Did you discuss those issues with any member of the White House Counsel’s Office?’

Ivanka and Jared enjoyed an audience with former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, during their trip to Jerusalem in October 

A spokesperson for Ivanka told DailyMail.com this week that she is in talks with the January 6th committee about cooperating with the Capitol riot investigation

Rep. Bennie Thompson (center), chair of the select committee investigating the January 6th attack, said the panel wants to hear from Ivanka, former President Donald Trump’s oldest daughter 

They said they also wanted to speak with her about Trump’s response to the insurrection. They referenced a tweet Trump sent at 2:24 p.m. that day in which he said Pence ‘didn’t have the courage’ to do what needed to be done.

‘We are particularly interested in discussions inside the White House and with the President before and after his 2:24 p.m. tweet. Testimony obtained by the Select Committee indicates that members of the White House staff requested your assistance on multiple occasions to intervene in an attempt to persuade President Trump to address the ongoing lawlessness and violence on Capitol Hill,’ the panel wrote to Ivanka. 

‘Testimony obtained by the Select Committee indicates that members of the White House staff requested your assistance on multiple occasions to intervene in an attempt to persuade President Trump to address the ongoing lawlessness and violence on Capitol Hill.’ 

And, they added, that White House staff ‘recognized that might be’ the one person who could get Trump to act. 

The panel stated that Kellogg told them he had ‘very strongly’ recommended that Trump not do a live television statement on that day ‘because press conferences get out of control and you want to control the message.’

‘Apparently, certain White House staff believed that a live unscripted press appearance by the President in the midst of the Capitol Hill violence could have made the situation worse,’ the panel noted. 

President Trump ultimately filmed a video statement from the Rose Garden that was posted online. He reportedly had to do multiple takes to get one staff would post.

Ivanka was with her father at his rally outside the White House on January 6th when he addressed his supporters before they marched on the Capitol

Ivanka was in the White House on the day of the riot and reportedly encouraged her father to ask his supporters to stand down 

In its letter, the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol referred to Ivanka being present in the Oval Office on the morning of January 6th

‘The Select Committee understands that multiple takes of the video were filmed but not utilized. Information in the Select possession suggests that the President failed in the initial clips to ask rioters to leave the Capitol. The Select Committee has sought copies of those unused clips from the National Archives,’ the panel noted.

‘You have knowledge bearing directly on the president’s actions or inactions on January 6th and his state of mind as the violent attack occurred at the Capitol. The Select Committee would very much appreciate your voluntary cooperation with its investigation on these matters,’ the panel wrote to Ivanka.

The committee also revealed it’s investigating whether or not President Trump ordered the National Guard to respond. 

‘The Committee has identified no evidence that President Trump issued any order, or took any other action, to deploy the guard that day. Nor does it appear that President Trump made any calls at all to the Department of Justice or any other law enforcement agency to request deployment of their personnel to the Capitol,’ the panel wrote, saying they wanted to discuss that issue with her.

Finally, the panel said they wished to speak to Ivanka about efforts by White House staff and others — including Fox News host Sean Hannity — to have President Trump stop making statements claiming the election was ‘stolen’ from him. 

They cite a text exchange between Hannity and then-press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who has already testified to the panel, in which Hannity wrote to her: ‘Key now. No more crazy people.’  

‘Yes, 100%,’ McEnany wrote back. 

‘The Select Committee would like to discuss this effort after January 6th to persuade President Trump not to associate himself with certain people, and to avoid further discussion regarding election fraud allegations,’ the panel wrote to Ivanka.  

Thousands of political activists gathered for the opening of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday morning, as its organizer said its Awake, Don’t Wake topic caught the mood of people angry that they had been told what to do. they do.

One more time Donald Trump is the keynote speaker as he strives to keep his grip on republican Party before the start in 2024

His son Don Jr. will close the event on Sunday afternoon, while 2024 contenders may have other coveted slots, such as Gov. Ron DeSantis – whose rivalry with Trump provides a key sub-plot – and Gov. Christie L. Noem of South Dakota.

But Matt Schlap, president of the American Conservative Union, which organized the event, said it was all about the nationwide riot.

The topic “wake up, don’t wake up” captured the mood of the moment, he told DailyMail.com.

“Many people around the world have seen the government just come and dictate almost every aspect of their lives – when the church can open, when the church can close or the school can open, when the parent can even learn what’s going on. at school or arrested for asking questions about what is happening at their school, “he said.

“In America, we woke up to the idea that we were teaching our children to hate our country. And that really annoys us.

Matt Schlapp, president of the American Conservative Union, which organized the event, said Americans were tired of being told what to do.

Some 18,000 activists are expected in Orlando, Florida, for the “wake up, don’t wake up” event as Republicans want to bring Congress back to the interim

Former President Trump will headline the event with a speech on Saturday night

Trump remains a major attraction for many Orlando activists, although some Republicans warn that the event has lost its diversity of views and space for debate.

The sessions have populist headlines from “Fiery Fauci” – which includes former Trump employee Sebastian Gorka and representative Matt Gaetz – to “The Chief Idiot.”

Schlap outlined the cultural battle lines that are being discussed, saying not only Republicans are angry.

– These are cops, teachers and coaches. They do not want to be told that they need to teach young children to believe that they are not the right sex. “They don’t want children to receive gender reassignment drugs without telling their parents,” he said.

“I mean, we’re in a very crazy and chaotic time, and that’s leading to an awakened Democratic Party that’s just getting blows everywhere from San Francisco to Seattle to Minneapolis.”

The band covers topics with outspoken favorites such as Charlie Kirk, an ally of Trump and founder of Turning Point USA, and Charlie O’Keefe, who runs Project Libertas, a controversial liberal-oriented media organization.

Representatives Marjorie Taylor Green and Lauren Biebert – both elected in 2020, when Trump was about to leave – will speak at the CPAC as they become prominent and controversial voices in the House of Representatives Republican caucus.

Former Democrat Tulsi Gabard (left) and Dr. Mehmet Oz (right) will appear at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, where she has been relocated to break the strict COVID-19 protocols.

For now, former MP Tulsi Gabard is the only prominent Democrat expected to appear in the CPAC, a gathering for those on the political right. As Gabbard approved of President Joe Biden, she became more critical and often appeared on the Fox News Channel.

But that spicy taste has repelled some Republicans.

“This year, the group is showing a party that is trying to marry Trump-style conservatism before Trump,” the conservative columnist wrote in The Washington Post.

“And what is missing?” A real discussion and debate on the issues.

Former Vice President Mike Pence and Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, Nicki Haley, will not be present this year, omitting a platform that is usually required for potential presidential candidates.

Nor is Glenn Youngkin, whose plan to win the Virginia governor race last year is much sought after by the Republican Party. He has quietly moved away from hardcore conservative gatherings.

But the event drew a Democrat in the form of Tulsi Gabard, who is running for her party’s 2020 nomination.

She will appear on Friday night’s Ronald Reagan Dinner, where the keynote speaker is former Fox News conspiracy theorist Glenn Beck.

Gabard is highly controversial in democratic circles, where she is viewed with suspicion for parroting Vladimir Putin’s propaganda and defending Syria’s powerful leader Bashar al-Assad.

The rally was held in Virginia, a stone’s throw from Washington.

But he’s been in Florida since last year, using the state’s calm attitude toward COVID-19 and camouflage.

It brings together more than 18,000 people each year who “fight for conservatism in America and abroad,” according to his website.

Others that have solo slots include Sens Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.

And former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is another possible runner for 2024, will speak on Friday.

CPAC organizers also include Jackie Siegel, who was featured in the documentary The Queen of Versailles for her attempt to build a replica of a French castle in Florida, and Papa John, former pizza chief executive John Schnater, who was ousted by post after using the n-word in sensitivity training, making appearances.

Another controversial guest is former Missouri Gov. Eric Greatens, who is running for the open seat in the state Senate.

Greytens resigned as governor in 2018 over allegations that he sexually and physically assaulted his hairdresser – and used nude photos of her to silence her.

A woman whose blood-covered face has become an iconic image of the invasion of Ukraine has vowed to ‘do everything for my motherland’ after she survived a Russian missile attack this morning. 

Olena Kurilo, speaking with a heavily bandaged face outside her destroyed home in Chuguev in the region of Kharkiv, said she was ‘very lucky’ and admitted ‘I must have a guardian angel’ to have survived the attack. 

The teacher said she ‘never thought that this would truly happen in my lifetime’ as, her voice catching in her throat, she described the damage to her ‘completely destroyed’ house. 

Earlier Thursday Vladimir Putin had promised Ukrainians there was ‘no threat to the population’ because Russian forces are using ‘precision weapons’ but by midday Kiev claimed at least 40 civilians, among them a young boy in an apartment block in Kharkiv, had been killed.

Other civilians were also injured and some others are believed to have died in the attacks, Ukrainian security forces said around midday on Thursday as heartbreaking images of of bloodied civilians staggering through the streets emerged.

Russia on Thursday morning launched simultaneous attacks from the south, east and north, by land and by air, minutes after Putin gave an extraordinary address to the nation in which he declared a ‘special military operation’ to ‘de-militarise’ and ‘de-Nazify’ Ukraine in what amounted to a outright declaration of war. 

Olena Kurilo, whose blood-covered face has become an iconic image of the invasion of Ukraine, has vowed to ‘do everything for my motherland’ after she survived a Russian missile attack this morning

Kurilo, speaking with a heavily bandaged face outside her destroyed home in Chuguev in the region of Kharkiv, said she was ‘very lucky’ and admitted ‘I must have a guardian angel’ to have survived the attack

 Olena Kurilo, speaking with a heavily bandaged face outside her destroyed home in Chuguev in the region of Kharkiv, said she was ‘very lucky’ and admitted ‘I must have a guardian angel’ to have survived the attack

Kurilo said she ‘never thought’ Russia would launch an invasion of Ukraine but promised to ‘stand up and go’ to the defence of Ukraine. ‘I will do everything for Ukraine, as much as I can, with as much energy as I have. I will always only be on my motherland’s side,’ she said.

‘I myself am a director, an educator, we studied the history, but we never thought that this would happen on our land,’ she said, in apparent reference to Putin’s bizarre and factually inaccurate claim that Ukraine was historically part of Russia. 

She added that her home in Chuguev was ‘completely destroyed’ in the missile strike. ‘There are no windows, no doors, one door ever flew out, even the floor has been completely ripped off,’ she said. 

Pictures today showed the true face of the war with blood-covered civilians being helped to safety by emergency services following shelling and others with injuries to their heads, faces and arms being patched up by medics.   

In the eastern Ukrainian town of Chuguiv, a son wept over the body of his father among the wreckage of a missile strike in a residential district. ‘I told him to leave,’ the man sobbed repeatedly, next to the twisted ruins of a car.  

Extraordinary footage of the invasion was documented online with video of what appeared to be a cruise missile slamming into Ivano-Frankivsk airport, in the west of Ukraine. Meanwhile Kiev’s main international airport was hit in the first bombing of the city since World War II and air raid sirens sounded over the capital at the break of dawn.  

‘I woke up because of the sounds of bombing. I packed a bag and tried to escape,’ said resident Maria Kashkoska, as she sheltered inside the Kyiv metro station. 

Reports of explosions and air raid sirens came from as far west as Lviv and hundreds of casualties were reported by Ukraine’s Interior Ministry as the country was placed under martial law. 

Russia today launched simultaneous attacks from the south, east and north, by land and by air, killing at l east 40 civilians by midday including a young boy in an apartment block in Chuhuiv in Kharkiv, Ukrainian authorities said

Ukrainian security forces accompany a wounded man after an airstrike hit an apartment complex in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv, this morning

In the eastern Ukrainian town of Chuguiv, a son wept over the body of his father among the wreckage of a missile strike in a residential district. ‘I told him to leave,’ the man sobbed repeatedly, next to the twisted ruins of a car’

Emergency unit staff treat an injured man after bombings on the eastern Ukraine town of Chuguiv on February 24

A wounded man is helped by Ukrainian security forces after an airstrike hit an apartment complex in Kharkiv 

Wreckage of an X-31 missile in Kiev in Ukraine after airstrikes hit Ukraine when Putin declared war 

Video filmed on the outskirts of Kharkiv, in the east of Ukraine, purports to show Ukrainian tanks engaged in a stand off with Russian forces who rolled over the border in the early hours

Plumes of smoke and fire rises into the air after Russian airstrikes hit Kiev this morning 

A tank of Ukrainian forces moves as following Russia’s military operation on February 24

An appalling video showed the moment a shell landed near a cyclist in Uman, Cherkassy region, central Ukraine.  

Reports stated that at least one civilian was killed and five others wounded in the missile attack, which sparked an evacuation of the population within a 19 mile radius of the nearby military unit. 

Another video shows Russian military vehicles marked ‘Z’ in Kherson. In recent days military vehicles with these markings have been seen in western Russia.  

In his speech last night Putin said: ‘In this regard, in accordance with Article 51 of Part 7 of the UN Charter, with the sanction of the Federation Council of Russia and in pursuance of the treaties of friendship and mutual assistance ratified by the Federal Assembly on February 22 this year with the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic, I decided to conduct a special military operation .

‘Its goal is to protect people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years. And for this we will strive for the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, as well as bringing to justice those who committed numerous, bloody crimes against civilians, including citizens of the Russian Federation.’

At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council called by Ukraine because of the imminent threat of a Russian invasion, members still unaware of Putin’s announcement appealed to him to stop an attack. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened the meeting, just before the announcement, telling Putin: ‘Stop your troops from attacking Ukraine. Give peace a chance. Too many people have already died.’

NATO Secretary-General Jen Stoltenberg issued a statement condemning ‘Russia’s reckless and unprovoked attack on Ukraine, which puts at risk countless civilian lives. Once again, despite our repeated warnings and tireless efforts to engage in diplomacy, Russia has chosen the path of aggression against a sovereign and independent country.’ 

Putin justified it all in a televised address, asserting that the attack was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine – a false claim the U.S. had predicted he would make as a pretext for an invasion.

He accused the U.S. and its allies of ignoring Russia’s demands to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and for security guarantees. He also claimed that Russia does not intend to occupy Ukraine but will move to ‘demilitarize’ it and bring those who committed crimes to justice. 

Putin is also warning other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action will lead to ‘consequences they have never seen.’ 

This is the moment a passerby cyclist was hit by a shell as it missed its target in Uman in the Cherkassy region of Ukraine

It is thought the missile missed its target and landed accidentally in what appears to be a car park, where the rider was cycling this morning

Ukrainian firefighters arrive after an airstrike hit an apartment complex in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv Oblast

Ukrainian firefighters try to extinguish a fire after an airstrike hit an apartment complex in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv

A huge explosion is seen at Vinnytsia military base, in central Ukraine, as the country comes under all-out attack by Russia

A blast in Sumy, eastern Ukraine, strikes what appears to be an arms depot which exploded, lighting up the night sky

The attack has come to Ukraine on all fronts, with bombs and missiles striking targets across the country, ground forces rolling in from Belarus, Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk, and paratroopers dropping on Kharkiv

A video showed more evidence of intense fighting in the suburbs of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city. 

Oleksiy Arestovych, of the Tripartite Contact Group for the Peaceful Settlement of the Situation in Eastern Ukraine, told President Zelensky: ‘Russian troops have crossed the Crimean Isthmus and are developing an offensive in two directions – to Militopol and Kherson.

‘The military take up defensive positions in these areas and are preparing to stop the offensive.

‘The most successful situation is in the Joint Forces Operations zone. All attacks there were repulsed, the line of defence was not broken through.

‘Shchastie was repulsed, a lot of enemy equipment was hit. Near Kharkiv, fighting is going on 4-5 km north of the city.

‘They destroyed 4 enemy tanks. Shot down 6 Russian planes. In the Chernihiv region, they advanced 5-10 km, but Kiev is reliably protected, fierce battles will await them.

‘From the Ukrainian side – there are more than 40 dead. Mariupil is under the control of the Ukrainian army.’

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said as of 10.30am local time: ‘In the Chernihiv region, we managed to stop the enemy.

‘Difficult battles are being fought in the Kharkiv direction and in the area of the Joint Forces Operation, where the enemy has suffered losses in manpower and equipment.

‘With the help of our troops, the cities of MARIUPOL and SCHASTIA have been returned to full control.

‘At least 6 aircrafts, 2 helicopters and dozens of enemy armored vehicles were destroyed.

‘The difficult situation in the Kherson direction, however, the defence forces of Ukraine are rebuffing the aggressor.’

Russia has dismissed as a ‘complete lie’ claims that any of its warplanes were lost. 

‘Hundreds’ of Ukrainian troops were killed in early clashes, sources said, as the fight came to them on all fronts at a moment’s notice. Official figures put the death toll at 7, with 19 unaccounted for. 

Cruise missiles, guided bombs and GRAD rockets took out targets from east to west – aimed at airfields, military bases, ammo dumps, and command posts including in the capital.

Six Russian jets were shot out of the sky over the eastern Donbass region with 50 Russian troops killed, Ukraine claimed, before Moscow boasted of taking full control of the skies. 

Ukrainian border guards said they had come under attack by heavy artillery, tanks and troops from Russia and Belarus as Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko threw his forces into the fight – though he denied taking part. 

CCTV cameras at Belarusian-Ukrainian checkpoint Senkovka-Veselovka capture at least four T-72B tanks, at least eight MT-LB tractors, and a Ural truck crossing the border

Black smoke rises from a military airport in Chuguyev near Kharkiv

Ukrainian troops are seen on the top of a tank heading into the city of Mariupol, near the occupied Donbass

Ukrainian soldiers ride in a military vehicle in Mariupol, Ukraine

European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised to hold the Kremlin accountable.

‘In these dark hours, our thoughts are with Ukraine and the innocent women, men and children as they face this unprovoked attack and fear for their lives,’ they said on Twitter.

Even before Putin’s announcement, dozens of nations imposed sanctions on Russia, further squeezing Russian oligarchs and banks out of international markets.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has shrugged off the sanctions, saying that ‘Russia has proven that, with all the costs of the sanctions, it is able to minimize the damage.’

The threat of war has already shredded Ukraine’s economy and raised the specter of massive casualties, energy shortages across Europe and global economic chaos.

Across Ukraine, cruise and ballistic missiles were destroying military infrastructure and strategically important facilities, according to unofficial Russian sources.

Mariupol, on the Black Sea 50 miles from the Russian border, appeared to be under fierce attack. Taking this strategic location would give the Donbas republics access to the sea.

The moment Ukraine and the rest of Europe had dreaded for months finally came shortly after 4.35am local time when huge explosions were heard in Kiev and other cities across the country.

Terrified citizens rushed to bomb shelters, though no air raid warnings sounded in the capital – only the frequent muffled crump of missile or air strikes breaking through the pre-dawn stillness.

In Kiev, people were sheltering in basements as the sounds of distant explosions became a constant backdrop.

Within an hour Russians special force and airborne troops were reported to be on the ground at Kiev’s Boryspil Airport, amid fierce fighting.

A woman in the Ukrainian capital said: ‘I was woken by a friend.

‘I am in the centre of Kiev.

‘I hear the sound of distant explosions and ambulance sirens.’

At 7.05am the first air raid sirens were heard in central Kiev.

WASHINGTON. This week, the United States launched a drone strike against al-Shabaab militants in Somalia, the first such military action against a Qaeda affiliate in East Africa since AugustThis was announced on Thursday by the African command of the armed forces.

Tuesday’s MQ-9 Reaper strike followed Shabab’s attack on allied Somali forces in Dudubla, about 40 miles northwest of the capital Mogadishu, the command said in a statement.

The command said it was still trying to determine how many Shabab rebels were killed in the strike, but said no civilians were injured.

When the Biden administration took office in January 2021, it set new limits on drone strikes outside active war zones because it worked. develop a permanent policy. While the Trump administration has set general rules for strikes in certain countries and delegated authority to warlords on when to conduct strikes, strike proposals now routinely go through the White House.

But in this case, as in four previous attacks since President Biden took office, White House approval was not required because Africa Command has the authority to strike in support of allied forces in what the military calls collective self-defense.

During this operation, the Somali forces were not accompanied by US troops, according to a spokesman for the Africa Command. Instead, US forces advised and assisted the mission of Somali forces from a remote location, but the official did not say where it was.

By order of President Donald J. Trump, most of the 700 US troops based in Somalia to advise and assist the Somali military and counterterrorism forces were withdrawn in the last weeks of his administration and deployed to neighboring Kenya and Djibouti.

Mr. Biden and his advisers are moving closer to a decision on a Pentagon-backed proposal to restore some of these troops to Somalia to improve training and coordination with Somali security forces. Now American instructors periodically come to the country.

American commanders said that the lack of a permanent presence of instructors, coupled with political instability in Somalia allowed Shabab to flare up.

“I think that in East Africa, especially in Somalia, al-Shabaab is taking advantage of the fact that the political leadership there is distracted by a protracted political crisis,” General Stephen J. Townsend, head of the Africa Command, said recently. “While this is happening, the pressure on al-Shabaab is being lifted.”

During a visit to Somalia, Djibouti and Kenya last weekHe added: “Al-Shabaab remains the largest, richest and deadliest affiliate of al-Qaeda.”