The demolition of the disputed mega estate of entrepreneur Mohamed Hadid in Los Angeles could be derailed by “obstructionist bureaucrats” over property tax issues, the court heard on Wednesday.

Douglas Wilson – the successor appointed by a judge to oversee the demolition of the giant house – attacked LA The district tax appraiser’s office for throwing a wrench in the ongoing demolition, first reported exclusively by DailyMail.com last week.

“It’s remarkable that hardened bureaucrats in the appraiser’s office are obstructive,” Wilson told the Los Angeles Supreme Court in Santa Monica. Californiahitting appraisers to estimate Hadid’s half-built mansion at $ 30 million, six times more than it sold last December.

When Sahara Construction bought the property in the prestigious Bel Air for $ 5 million two months ago, they also agreed to pay for its demolition, provided they get back about $ 1.2 million in future property tax refunds.

But that $ 1.2 million is no longer certain.

The demolition finally began at Mohammed Hadid’s notorious mega-mansion in Bel Air last week after years of legal disputes and feuds with neighbors

But the demolition of Hadid’s controversial mega-mansion in Los Angeles could be delayed by “obstructionist bureaucrats” over property tax issues, a court heard today

Douglas Wilson, the trustee appointed by a judge to oversee the demolition, said: “The remarkably entrenched bureaucrats in the appraiser’s office are a hindrance.”

Just before the Sahara bought the huge house, Wilson managed to persuade the Los Angeles Tax Appeals Council to reduce the district’s appraiser’s 2017 appraisal of the property from $ 28.8 million to $ 8.7 million – a tax refund from $ 240,000.

But despite a successful appeal that reduced the value in 2017 to $ 8.7 million – and despite the fact that there have been no improvements to the property since 2017 – Wilson said, the Los Angeles County appraiser insists on the value of the house for four years from 2018 to 2021 is still about $ 30 million a year.

So Wilson had to file new time-consuming complaints against the estimates for those four years.

Wilson called the appraiser’s $ 30 million estimate “mind-boggling” and “absolutely illogical.”

“Any reasonable person could see that the property is becoming more and more worn out and obviously not getting more expensive,” he said.

He criticized the evaluators for forcing him to go through probably many more months of the appeal process, adding: “Delays can interrupt demolition, prolonging public inconveniences and dangers” caused by the illegally built house.

Los Angeles Supreme Court Justice Craig Carlan has scheduled a new hearing for March 29, inviting representatives of the Los Angeles County Tax Appraisers’ Office to attend to try to “mediate” the property tax issue.

Wilson, meanwhile, told the court that – without any delay caused by the tax problem – he intends to complete the demolition by the end of June.

Los Angeles Supreme Court Justice Craig Carlan (pictured during a site visit to Hadid’s mansion) has scheduled a new hearing for March 29, inviting representatives of the Los Angeles County Tax Appraisers’ Office to attend to try to “Mediate” on the issue of property tax

The 73-year-old Palestinian-American tycoon, who is the father of supermodels Bella and Gigi Hadid, went to trial in Santa Monica last August over the mansion

Destroying the building takes so long, mainly because it is located on top of a steep hill overlooking several houses that would be in the way of any ruins or debris that crash down.

“We are dismantling this house the same way it was built,” Paul Ventura, head of Sahara Construction, told DailyMail.com. “We have to be very careful – we can’t just tear everything down. We need to be much more surgical than that.

So instead of a demolition ball, “we use long-arm hydraulic excavators with special attachments on them to remove the structure more methodically and safely,” he added.

Ventura stressed that the company used “multiple layers of safety” in the demolition project, including strengthening existing fences and installing a network around the site that is strong enough to stop up to £ 20,000 of debris being dumped down the hill.

In addition to the steepness of the hill on which the four-story house is located, the Sahara has to deal with another problem: parts of the giant house that Hadid built without the approval of LA city planners.

Demolition engineers use the original approved plans to dismantle the building, section by section.

But, Ventura added, “Since the original builder (Hadid) did not build it as planned, much of the demolition work is exploratory. We have to carefully lower the walls next to the steel load-bearing beams to see what’s there.

“We are not sure what we will find when, say, we tear down a wall or other part of a structure. Because much of the building is not in the plans.

Demolition of the property is a long-awaited dream for neighbors Joe (pictured) and Bibi Horacek and John and Judy Bedrosyan

What Haid’s house was supposed to look like. His plans include a sophisticated Turkish bathroom full of ornate carvings, colored tiles and marble and mirrored walls.

Hadid plans intricate sculptures for the territory of his now ruined magnificent mansion

It was that secret, unauthorized construction, including a 70-seat IMAX theater and a huge wine cellar, that made the house more than double the 15,000 square feet approved by the city – and led Hadid’s neighbors to sue him.

Joe Horacek, 80, his wife Bibi and two other elderly neighbors, John and Judith Bedrosian, spent four years and $ 9 million in legal fees, according to them, in a civil case against Hadid for the now crumbling colossus, which is ominously above their luxury homes.

Their battle with the 73-year-old Palestinian tycoon – father of supermodels Bella and Gigi Hadid and star of “True Wives of Beverly Hills” – culminated last September at the end of a civil trial when a Santa Monica jury sentenced Horacek and the Bedrosians. a total of $ 2.9 million.

But it was bittersweet for the neighbors, as it barely covered a third of their attorney’s fees and was only part of the $ 26 million they demanded in compensation.

Hadid has appealed against the $ 2.9 million decision awarded to neighbors by a civil jury.

A Mexican singer who has become a congressman has vowed to arm and mobilize residents unless the state and federal governments commit to protecting them from rival gangs and cartels that continue to terrorize Palmas Altas.

State Representative Marcos Flores made a controversial promise during a town hall meeting on Sunday when he addressed the concerns of residents of the town of Jerez, in the central state of Zacatecas.

“If the federal government ignores us, I myself will call on the people to take up arms,” ​​said Flores, a member of the ruling National Reconstruction Movement.

“I wear the shirt with you as much as possible, and I assure you that you are not alone,” he added.

Flores’ position contradicts President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s tactics to fight criminal organizations by no longer using “violence” to eradicate the problem.

Mexican Congressman Marcos Flores has vowed to support the arming of residents in Zacatecas, Mexico, to protect them from the constant threat of gangs and cartels. Flores, a singer who became a representative of the north-central state of Zacatecas, made public during a town hall meeting on Sunday as residents complained that they had been evicted from their homes by criminals

Residents of the town of Jerez in Zacatecas are led by a military convoy to collect their belongings from the homes from which they were evicted by warring Mexican gangs and cartels.

Most, if not all, of the 276 residents of the small town of Palmas Alta began fleeing their homes in February and March 2021 after members of a criminal organization showed up without warning and were given several hours to leave unless they want to be killed.

According to local digital news NTR Zacatecas, on the morning of February 3, 2022, the criminal group went to the homes and gave the residents two options: “Either leave before 1 pm or consider yourself dead.”

The threats are not limited to Palmas Altas, a small town surrounded by seven acres of farmland and livestock. Within days, a criminal faction also expelled residents of El Colorado, a neighborhood in the municipality of Fresnilo, located outside the city of Jerez Sarabia, one of 13 besieged by gangsters.

About 2,500 people have left their residences in the towns of Fresnilo, Valparaiso and Jerez.

Last Thursday, the Zacatecas National Guard and State Police escorted a caravan of 40 family vehicles that took advantage of a small window to remove their belongings from their homes in Jerez, whose locks and doors were destroyed.

An 80-year-old man, speaking on condition of anonymity, criticized the lack of protection provided by the Zacatecas authorities, accusing them of allowing criminals to take control of “everything we have fought for all our lives.”

He never imagined that the home and town where he lived as a 15-year-old boy would fall under the power of powerful criminal organizations.

“We don’t really have a government. This is nonsense and yes, let them know. “I say that,” he said. “They don’t work, if they worked, we wouldn’t have to live this, run away from home to leave them to criminals.”

Forensic scientists removed 10 bodies left on the street in Fresnillo, a town in the north-central Mexican state of Zacatecas, on February 5th. At least 195 murders were registered between January 1, 2022 and February 15, 2022 in Zacatecas

Alexia Montserrat Abrego Esqueda (left) and Valeria Landeros (right) were two of five current and former students who were found dead between February 13 and 18 in Zacatecas, Mexico, after being abducted while leaving a nightclub on February 1.

The bodies of Irving Castor Rojas (left) and Natalio Torres Balderas (right) were found in a pickup truck on February 13, a day after two students and three other friends were abducted and killed in Zacatecas, Mexico. The North Central State reported 195 murders between January 1, 2022 and February 15, 2022.

Luis Angel Manzanares was among five current and former students who were recruited after leaving a nightclub in Zacatecas, Mexico, on February 12 and found dead the next day in a pickup truck.

The state ranks fifth in the country with 1,652 murders reported in 2021. At least 1,114 have been attributed to criminal organizations, including the Sinaloa cartel and the new-generation Jalisco cartel.

At least 195 murders were registered between January 1, 2022 and February 15, 2022 in Zacatecas.

The wave of violence reached a boiling point when four students and a recent graduate who began teaching were abducted from a city nightclub in Zacatecas on 12 February.

The Bodies of Irving Castor Rojas 21; Natalio Torres Balderas, 21; Luis Angel Manzanares, 25; and 25-year-old Alexia Montserrat teacher Abrego Esqueda were found in a pickup truck the next day.

Valeria Landeros’ whereabouts were unknown before authorities found her body last Friday.

Mexican Congressman Marcos Flores publicly supports the provision of firearms to residents of the north-central state of Zacatecas

Benjamin Lopez Palacios, the mayor of Xoxocotla, was killed by three men at his home on January 11th. A criminal organization appeared and claimed responsibility for the murder

Authorities in Fresnilo woke up on February 5th to find bodies wrapped in blankets and left scattered in the streets, and six others were found “hanging” in a nearby warehouse in Panfilo Natera.

Mayor Benjamin Lopez Palacios was shot dead at his home in the town of Ksoksokotla on January 11th.

Lopez Palacios, who was sworn in as mayor of the local town of Ksoksokotla on January 1st, has been pronounced dead by paramedics.

Just five days before his assassination, authorities found a truck with 10 dead bodies abandoned near government offices in the state capital’s Zacatecas.

Both are tall brunettes with willow with enviable drying with a hair dryer and elegant restrained style. IN Duchess of Cambridge and her Danish counterpart Princess Mary have many similarities that have been noted before.

And yesterday it was possible to make a direct comparison when the couple met in Copenhagen during the Duchess’s two-day visit to learn about Denmark’s approach to early childhood development.

The royal family has been separated for almost ten years (Kate recently turned 40 and Mary is 50), but their fashion choices are strikingly in sync – they both chose one-color coats (or in the case of Kate’s dress with a coat) complemented by black gloves. , heels and bags and earrings with pearl drops.

Kate is a lover of mixing high class with High Street and her outfits during this solo tour were no exception.

While her gray Catherine Walker coat cost about £ 3,000 and her Mulberry bag £ 1,095, not to mention her Gianvito Rossi heels for £ 510, her earrings were a relatively modest £ 150 and her Monica Vinader necklace was £ 120. A great statement for a woman who can wear “right” jewelry whenever she wants.

Synchronized: The Duchess of Cambridge and Mary, Princess of Denmark, meet in Copenhagen on Wednesday, both dressed in one-color coats and accessories

Duchess of Cambridge: High St

• Earrings – Maria Black, £ 150
• Necklace – Monica Vinader, £ 120
• Coat Dress – Catherine Walker, £ 3,000
• Gloves – indentations, £ 59
• Women’s bag – Mulberry, £ 1,095
• Heels – Gianvito Rossi, suede, £ 510

Meanwhile, Mary chose a dirty white boucle coat – there is controversy over whether it is real Chanel or just inspired by Chanel – which she last wore to present a wreath in Poland in 2014. Like Kate, she uses the classics from her wardrobe again.

But while both women looked chic and confident, they are many future queens, the choice of Kate’s outfits is the one that has a fashion advantage.

Her structured military-style dress-coat is just in trend – accentuated shoulders and tight waists were preferred by Yves Saint Laurent on the catwalk – and gives her a simple, free style that flatters her figure.

This is harder to achieve when layering a coat on a dress, as Mary did. Although chic, her coat looked a little “safe.” He also carried Gianvito Rossi pumps.

Kate’s gaze demonstrates her talent for practicality, not to mention diplomacy. Her full-length Catherine Walker is made from a cashmere blend and keeps the Duchess warm enough to get away with even the cleanest tights.

It is long enough to make the fine thick shine of the ankle elegant and does not allow the overall look to become too fragile. Given the shorter hem of Princess Mary’s dress and coat, black opaque tights are essential to avoid bristly legs, but look a little more mummy.

Kate’s seamless approach to dressing is also shown in her choice of bag. Mary tucked Diane von Furstenberg’s black suede and leather clutch under her arm for £ 250, but Kate’s bag with an upper handle looks more modern.

Warm hug: Women say goodbye after a busy day visiting the Danner Crisis Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, during Kate’s two-day trip

Shiny pearls: Royals wear remarkably similar earrings. While Kate is modest in price, Mary’s are much more expensive – £ 1110 from the Dulong Fine Jeweler

Crown Princess Mary: Chanel-style sewers

• Earrings – fine jewelry Dulong, £ 1110
• Coat – inspired by Chanel, unknown price
• Bag – Diane von Furstenberg, £ 250
• Heels – Gianvito Rossi, leather, £ 470

They have both chosen classic leather gloves: Kate looks like a modest pair of £ 59 from Dents. It is no coincidence that they are “twinned” in their choice of jewelry, with remarkably similar falling pearl earrings. The spring-summer 2022 podiums showed a lot of pearls.

The Sloane Ranger’s 80’s accessory, they recently underwent a drastic change, led by brands like Maria Black, who was born in Denmark but is now based in the UK and made Kate’s earrings.

Note that the pearls are forged and slightly disturbed, not the smooth ones that have been clogged for years. While Kate’s earrings are modest in price, Mary’s earrings are much more expensive – £ 1110 from the Dulong Fine Jewelery.

The Duchess of Cambridge’s vision also highlighted the fashion challenges facing royalty on tour. Earlier in the morning, she visited the Stenurten Forest Kindergarten near the town.

Given that she is involved in outdoor activities, including chopping wood and running with the little ones, a dress with a coat and heels would not be appropriate.

Instead, she wore a practical combination of jeans, a jumper, and a wax jacket. Her flat boots are the work of Australian open-air Blondstone experts, perhaps a subtle hint of Princess Mary’s Australian heritage.

The Duchess of Cambridge pictured arrives at Stenurten Forest in Copenhagen on the second day of her visit to Denmark

Kate’s Country Casuals

• Swivel neckline jumper – H&M, £ 29.99
• Belt – Mulberry, £ 150
• Tight high waist jeans – Zara, £ 49.99
• Coat – Seeland, price unknown
• Boots – Blundstone, price unknown

Kate also replaced her reliable British Barbour with a similar style to the Danish brand Seeland. While her belt is Mulberry – £ 150, her creamy neckline is cheap for £ 29.99 from H&M. Her skinny high waist jeans are £ 49.99 from her beloved Zara.

Her longtime stylist Natasha Archer is on maternity leave and it is not known whether she helped Kate create these visions remotely or the Duchess had advice from others.

After visiting the kindergarten, she probably made her quick change to the ambassador’s residence, with her hair and make-up for the day chosen to help with the smooth change.

She brought only a small team to Denmark – her personal secretary, personal secretary and her hairdresser, considered Amanda Cook Tucker, for whom she pays privately.

Her wavy blow-drying remained the same for both visits, and although her make-up might have seemed a little heavy to mess with outside, it looked out of place in the more formal setting of the palace.

Both non-royal by birth, Kate and Mary grew up in their roles. Certainly with Kate’s increased confidence in her work came increased confidence in her fashion choices. The queen has a different style, and now the Duchess of Cambridge. It can be said that she learned from the best.

Florida authorities are investigating the death of the Full House star Bob Saget they now suspect that he fell and hit his head on the marble floor in the bathroom of his hotel room before regaining consciousness and tripping over the bed where he was found dead more than 12 hours later.

Sagett, 65, died of a brain hemorrhage on Jan. 9 in Room 962 in the luxurious Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande. His death was described as an accident with no signs of dishonesty or drugs.

Investigators initially said they believed the stand-up comedian suffered a fatal blow when he hit the back of his head in the headboard of the bed, although medical experts say his injuries were so severe it could be the result of a baseball hit. bat, or fall 30 feet.

The actor received severe injuries to the head and around the eyes, they said People Magazine.

Florida investigators say they now believe Bob Saggett died after fainting in a hotel bathroom, falling and smashing his nape on the marble floor

This photo shows a white marble floor in one of the rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande, where Sagett was found dead on January 9.

Cops initially claimed Saget hit his head on the backgammon, but experts said his injuries were severe enough to be the result of a baseball bat.

According to a video surveillance video from the hotel, Saget was last seen alive entering his room on the ninth floor of the hotel at 2.17am on January 9, hanging a Do Not Disturb sign on the doorknob and locking the door. After yourself.

He was not seen entering or leaving the room until about 4pm that afternoon when hotel security arrived and found Saget dead on the bed.

More than a month later, investigators told People Magazine that they now believe Saget died in the hotel bathroom and fell back on the white marble floor.

Investigators appear to be working through an elimination process after failing to find any traces of hair or blood on marble tables and countertops in the bathroom.

At one point, Sagett apparently regained consciousness and headed for the bed, where he fainted a second time and died. It is believed that the time of his death was about 4 o’clock in the morning.

Sagett’s widow, Kelly Rizzo, and his three daughters filed a lawsuit last week in Orlando, Florida, asking a U.S. judge for a ruling banning the release of any records from the local medical court and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. including graphic videos and photos including Saget’s death probe.

This chart shows all the injuries suffered by Saget, which led to his death from a cerebral hemorrhage.

Sagett’s widow, Kelly Rizzo (pictured), and his three daughters have filed a lawsuit to block the release of any forensic records related to his death.

The autopsy report showed that Saget had a scalp abrasion, a fracture at the base of the skull, fractures around the eye sockets, bleeding between the brain and the tissue covering the brain, and bruises in the brain. The toxicological analysis did not show any banned drugs or toxins in Saget’s body.

Sagett was also positive about COVID-19 when he died, although it did not play a role in his death.

Best known for his role as Danny Tanner’s beloved single father in the sitcom Full House and as the smartest host of America’s funniest home videos, Saggett was on his way as part of his “Don’t Don’t Negative Comedy Tour” and said just before his death, he enjoyed warm public receptions in Orlando and the Ponte Vedra Beach resort area.

“I went back to comedy as I was when I was 26. I guess I find my new voice and I love every moment of it,” he wrote on Instagram.

Ritz-Carlton employee Orlando Grande told People that during his registration on January 7, Sagett seems to be in high spirits and enjoying posing for photos with fans.

“He was a ball of happy, positive energy,” said Officer Saget, who will be found dead just two days later.

The artist’s private funeral was held in Los Angeles on January 14

Thousands of demonstrators in cities across the world took to the streets tonight to call on Vladimir Putin not to invade Ukraine after the U.S. warned the country’s government that Russian troops are ‘ready to go’.

Images showed protesters outside Russian embassies and elsewhere in cities including London, Berlin, Paris, Copenhagen and Tokyo making their voices heard. 

Many held placards that mocked and criticised Russia‘s president for his aggressive posturing, while many others pleaded for war to be avoided – despite the worrying signs that a conflict could be on the way. 

One image, taken outside the Russian embassy in London’s Kensington Palace Gardens, showed scores of demonstrators waving Ukrainian flags in the air as they lined the pavement while holding placards. 

Another photo taken outside Russia’s diplomatic HQ in Britain showed demonstrators with placards that took aim aim at Putin, including one which depicted him with a Hitler-like moustache. 

In Berlin, demonstrators waved Ukrainian flags in front of the Brandenburg Gate, which was lit up in the country’s colours.

In Copenhagen, scores held an enormous Ukrainian flag aloft as others massed with banners in front of the Russian embassy.

In Paris, the city hall was lit up with the yellow and blue of the Ukrainian flag as the city’s mayor Anne Hidalgo stood outside it flanked by the Ukrainian ambassador to France Vadym Omelchenko. 

In Tokyo, children were pictured holding banners that read ‘Stand with Ukraine’ as others called for the world to ‘Stop Putin’. 

Images also showed similar demonstrations in other cities, including Stockholm in Sweden, Kathmandu in Nepal and Warsaw in Poland. 

The global show of support for Ukraine was taking place as U.S. President Joe Biden warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of an ‘imminent’ attack by Putin’s troops in the next 48 hours, just hours after Ukraine was hit by a ‘massive’ cyberattack targeting its government and banks.   

Thousands of demonstrators in cities across the world took to the streets tonight to call on Vladimir Putin not to invade Ukraine after the U.S. warned the country’s government that Russian troops are ‘ready to go’. Images showed protesters outside the Russian embassy and elsewhere in cities including London (above), Berlin, Paris, Copenhagen and Tokyo making their voices heard

In Berlin, demonstrators waved Ukrainian flags in front of the Brandenburg Gate. The global show of support for Ukraine was taking place as U.S. President Joe Biden warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of an ‘imminent’ attack by Putin’s troops in the next 48 hours

In Paris, the city hall was lit up with the yellow and blue of the Ukrainian flag as the city’s mayor Anne Hidalgo stood outside it flanked by the Ukrainian ambassador to France Vadym Omelchenko

In Copenhagen, scores of people massed with banners in front of the Russian embassy. One woman (pictured) was seen draped in the Ukrainian flag

There were reportedly more than 1,000 protesters at tonight’s demonstration in London. Some were heard shouting ‘Old man take your meds!’ and ‘Putin hands off Ukraine’. 

They also held other signs aloft, including one that read ‘Love Ukraine’ and another saying ‘Ukrainians will resist’.

One woman held a placard that read ‘Putin kills’ alongside a mocked up radioactive warning sign – an apparent reference to Russia’s huge stockpile of nuclear weapons. 

In Berlin, the German government said it chose to light up the Brandenburg Gate to show ‘solidarity’ with Ukraine.   

‘We are showing our solidarity with the people of Ukraine, the many Berliners with Ukrainian roots but also with the many Russians who want peace in Russia and Ukraine,’ Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey said in a statement.

‘They all want nothing more than an end to the escalation and a peaceful settlement to this threatening conflict,’ she added.

However, despite the show of support, tensions continued to ratchet up tonight.      

Another photo taken outside Russia’s diplomatic HQ in Britain showed demonstrators with placards that took aim aim at Putin, including one which depicted him with a Hitler-like moustache

A demonstrator holds a placard saying ‘Ukraine will never surrender’ as he attends a protest outside the Russian Embassy, in London on Wednesday night

One woman held a placard that read ‘Putin kills’ alongside a mocked up radioactive warning sign – an apparent reference to Russia’s huge stockpile of nuclear weapons

One image, taken outside the Russian embassy in London’s Kensington Palace Gardens, showed scores of demonstrators waving Ukrainian flags in the air as they lined the pavement while holding placards

Another banner waved at the protest highlighted Russian oligarchs with alleged links to Putin. They include Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich

The streets outside the Russian embassy were thronged with protesters as people turned up to show their solidarity with Ukraine

Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo (right), deputy mayor of Paris Arnaud Ngatcha (left) and Ukrainian ambassador to France Vadym Omelchenko pose in front of Paris Town Hall

The websites of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service, and Cabinet of Ministers were all out of action Wednesday afternoon after a cyberattack. 

Bomb threats were also phoned in to several government buildings, thought to be part of a psychological pressure campaign by Moscow.

Deputy prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov said banks were also targeted in a ‘massive’ distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack – which uses computer networks to bombard websites with information until they crash – in what analysts have warned would likely be the first stage of a Russian attack.

It came just hours after the whole country was placed on a war footing: A state of emergency was declared and approved by parliament, 200,000 military reservists called up, border zones were restricted and three million Ukrainians told to leave Russia, with Kiev acknowledging for the first time that an attack could now take place anywhere, at any time.

As the noose tightened, Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to send more weapons to help Ukraine defend itself against what the US has warned will be an all-out Russian assault. 

Johnson also promised more and tougher sanctions against Russia if Putin escalates further.

In Berlin, the German government said it chose to light up the Brandenburg Gate to show ‘solidarity’ with Ukraine. Above: People draped in the Ukrainian flag stand in front of the Brandenburg Gate

Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey said in a statement: ‘We are showing our solidarity with the people of Ukraine, the many Berliners with Ukrainian roots but also with the many Russians who want peace in Russia and Ukraine’. Above: Two women hold Ukrainian flags aloft in front of the Brandenburg Gate

In Copenhagen, scores held an enormous Ukrainian flag aloft as others massed with banners in front of the Russian embassy

Earlier in the day, Putin had given a sabre-rattling address to his troops to mark Defender of the Fatherland Day, praising their ‘battle readiness’ while saying he is assured that they will fight to defend Russian security interests – which he called ‘non-negotiable’. 

Russia also evacuated staff from its Kiev embassy.

Ukraine’s security agency claimed 45,000 plastic body bags have now been ordered to the Russian frontlines, giving the first hint of the amount lives Putin is willing to sacrifice to get what he wants – after Joe Biden said supplies of blood for transfusions have also been brought in.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned that Putin is ‘hell-bent’ on a full-scale invasion of Ukraine with a direct attack on the capital of Kiev ‘highly likely’ to be in his plans. 

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison predicted the attack is ‘likely to occur within the next 24 hours’.

Meanwhile the EU imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Russia targeting the defence minister, heads of the armed forces, all 351 members of its parliament, and prominent propagandists.  

A senior U.S. official warned Putin’s military is as ready as it can be to launch a full scale invasion of Ukraine, with 80 per cent of Russian troops assembled around Ukraine in attack positions within three to 30 miles of the border.

‘They are literally ready to go now,’ the official told NBC News, adding that Russia has brought in ‘nearly 100 percent of all the forces we anticipated [Putin] would need’ for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainians residing in Japan protest against Russia’s actions in Ukraine, during a rally near the Russian Embassy in Tokyo

Demonstrators in Tokyo massed on pavements as they held signs aloft calling for an end to ‘Russian aggression’

This woman in Tokyo held a sign that read ‘Stop Putin’ and ‘stop war’. The protest in Tokyo was one of many going on around the world on Wednesday

‘He is as ready as he can be. We’ve been saying any day now and it’s certainly possible that today is that day,’ the U.S. defence official said.

And amid an ‘imminent’ Russian invasion, two separate convoys with no identifiable insignia were moving towards the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine along different roads from the direction of the Russian border, a Reuters witness said on Wednesday.

One convoy included nine tanks and an infantry fighting vehicle, while the other was made up of trucks and fuel tankers, said the reporter, who was in the territory of two Russia-backed rebel regions recognised as independent by Moscow on Monday.

And on Wednesday night, the crack troops of Russia’s advanced units were banned from using all mobile phones in what was believed to be a key sign that they would invade Kyiv-controlled Ukraine.

The 1st and 2nd Army Corps in Donbas received an order to turn off mobile phones, according to the volunteer project Informnapalm on its Facebook page.

‘Attention! ….(we) received information from insiders from ORDLO that at 20:40 (Moscow time) all advanced units of the 1st and 2nd Army Corps were ordered to completely turn off phones and walkie-talkies.

There were also protests outside the Russian embassy in Stockholm. Above: A man holds a sign that reads ‘Hands off Ukraine’

Lusine Djanyan, from protest group Pussy Riot, stands next to demonstrators in Stockholm holding a placard reading ‘Stop Putin’s aggressions against Ukraine’

Police officers in Warsaw talk to a group of people holding banners during a protest to show solidarity with Ukraine outside the Russian Embassy in Warsaw, Poland

Protesters in Warsaw gathered outside the Russian embassy on Wednesday, in scenes that were echoed around the world

Protesters in Warsaw also appeared to have let off a smoke bomb during their demonstrations, as seen above

‘They were strictly forbidden to go on the air for this time, they were even ordered to remove the batteries from their phones. As an option, the Russians will probably scan the space and all available phones on the line of contact in order to make target designations by coordinates,’ the statement said.

Meanwhile, Ms Truss sought to defend the UK’s own sanctions – criticised yesterday for not being harsh enough – by insisting that ‘nothing’ is off the table should Putin decide to escalate.

‘We’ve been very clear that we’re going to limit Russian access to British markets,’ Truss told Sky. ‘We’re going to stop the Russian government with raising sovereign debt in the United Kingdom.’

‘There will be even more tough sanctions on key oligarchs, on key organisations in Russia, limiting Russia’s access to the financial markets, if there is a full scale invasion of Ukraine,’ Truss said.

Separately, US Secretary of State Antony Bliken announced that he has called off a high-level summit with Russian Foreign Secretary Sergei Lavrov scheduled for Thursday, saying it ‘does not make sense’ to go ahead with peace negotiations when an invasion is already underway.

Human rights activists hold placards urging to promote peace, during a demonstration outside the Russian Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Wednesday

The demonstrators in Nepal showed their support for Ukraine on Wednesday by holding posters and placards aloft

Some of the banners were written in English. Some said: ‘Russia: Stop war, promote peace’. The scenes were echoed elsewhere around the world

Amid the increasing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, the protesters in Kathmandu were calling for an end to escalating hostilities

Russia today began evacuating diplomatic staff from Ukraine, with the flag lowered over the embassy in Kiev.

Moscow’s foreign ministry announced on Tuesday that it would evacuate diplomats from the country soon, saying this was in order to ‘protect their lives’.

Asked if the evacuation had begun, the embassy’s spokesperson Denis Golenko told AFP by phone today: ‘Yes.’

Golenko said the evacuation was ‘linked to the fact that Western embassies announced evacuations of some of their staff, and that our ministry also took this decision.’

Some Western embassies, including the United States and Britain, moved their staff to the city of Lviv near the Polish border.

They did so fearing a Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying the capital could come under attack.

Fighting also escalated along the frontlines between separatist forces and Ukraine’s men overnight, with one Ukrainian soldier killed and six injured in shelling. A house was also hit in the village of Muratovo. 

American presidents in the last few decades, after the end of Ronald Reagan’s presidency, have had a terrible experience when it comes to US geopolitical relations with Russia and Vladimir Putin.

Of course, some presidents are worse than others, but no one seems to really understand or want to understand the great existential threat from Putin and his thirst for blood for the glorious days of the USSR.

President George W. Bush has said disgracefully that he has looked into Putin’s eyes and seen his soul.

When my father was campaigning for 2008 republican The party’s primary primary, he responded to Bush’s comment.

My father said he looked into Putin’s eyes and saw “three letters: K, G and B.”

No one looks back on the Bush years in terms of his foreign policy instincts or his intellectual strength as president, but it was still a silly thing for the former president to say.

And he stands out for his incompetence in light of what is happening today amid Putin’s ongoing quest to strengthen his murderous regime.

President Obama was caught on a live microphone in 2012 when he told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he would “have more flexibility” to negotiate missile defense after the November election.

My father said he looked into Putin’s eyes and saw “three letters: K, G and B.” (Above) US Senator John McCain arrives to attend a pro-European Union rally in Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine, on Sunday, December 15, 2013.

In another scandalous video from the 2012 presidential debate against Senator Mitt Romney, Obama mocked the governor for highlighting the looming existential threat from Russia and Vladimir Putin.

Obama said that “the 1980s have called and they want their foreign policy back.”

At the time, lapdog journalists, including CNN’s Chris Cillizza, welcomed the moment instead of taking Romney’s warnings seriously.

They applauded like seals over Obama’s cheap line – calling it the best moment of the debate.

Unfortunately for these journalists, these tweets are reappearing.

Cillizza has since written an article saying he was wrong. Too little, too late in my opinion. But he was far from alone in mocking the threat from Russia.

In 2013, my father took part in freedom protests in Kiev with Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy and spoke to thousands of protesters.

He told them: “We support your just cause, Ukraine’s sovereign right to determine its own destiny freely and independently. And the destiny you are looking for is in Europe.

In 2014, after the invasion and annexation of Crimea by Russia, my father urged the United States to arm the Ukrainians.

What did Obama do? Almost nothing.

The Obama White House will provide only non-lethal aid, fearing that the provision of weapons will provoke Putin.

Obama has adhered to his bold approach to foreign policy in the Ivy League classroom and made the world a safer place.

If he had followed my father’s advice, we might have avoided all this.

My father became so beloved to the figure because of his devotion to Ukraine that in 2019 the Kyiv City Council voted to rename a street after him.

In 2013, my father took part in freedom protests in Kiev with Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy and spoke to thousands of protesters. (Above) McCain joined about 200,000 anti-government protesters in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday, December 15, 2013.

On Tuesday, Obama’s director of national intelligence, James Clapper, acknowledged that they should have been tougher on Putin.

“I wish we as an administration were more aggressive in 2014,” he told CNN.

And then there’s President Trump.

President Trump with his strange, unforgiving and insidious relationship with Vladimir Putin.

There are too many examples of his extremely dangerous admiration for assassin dictators, so I will instead focus on what he said yesterday in a radio interview after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

President Trump has said that Putin’s military invasion of Ukraine is “genius” and that he will be a “peacemaker.”

Trump went on to say that this is something America must do on the southern border of the United States and praised Putin as “very reasonable.”

I’m not quite sure what to do about it. I just hope Republicans don’t accept Putin’s model and invade Mexico.

President Trump has become even more insane and detached from any form of reality in his post-presidential life.

And now we have Biden.

If the president’s recent actions in Afghanistan are an example, we can expect little or no consequences for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Biden has shown that he shares the isolationist foreign policy view of the progressive left, not the moderate. The foreign policy point of view he chooses.

Biden is a man who had no problem abandoning our allies in Afghanistan and watching the massacre of innocent people.

That was the moment when I and millions of other Americans saw him and his administration as it really is and really is.

It was also a time when many of us panicked at how weak America looked on the world stage, expecting it to get much worse.

In another scandalous video from the 2012 presidential debate against Senator Mitt Romney, Obama mocked the governor for highlighting the looming existential threat from Russia and Vladimir Putin. (Above) President Obama and Republican presidential candidate Romney at the Second Presidential Debate in Hempstead, New York, October 16, 2012.

A serious debate and debate on foreign policy is welcome.

I think it is quite clear where I stand, but I welcome respectful arguments to the contrary.

What I do not accept is the disgusting KGB, pro-Kremlin propaganda coming out of so many far-right conservative mouths.

Some have gone so far as to say that it is America’s fault (blaming America is something that is usually reserved for the progressive left).

What I look at makes me sick to my stomach.

America’s moral equating with Russia is nothing but national disgrace.

Vladimir Putin is a murderous dictator who poisons and kills his critics or imprisons them under false pretenses, as he did with Free Russia activist Alexy Navalny.

There is no moral equivalence between America and Russia.

Anyone who says this suffers from forms of delusion.

How did so many people I know become this? Putin fraudsters and KGB propaganda.

I have no idea, but it is shocking and extremely dangerous.

There is a difference between concerns about putting American boots on the ground in Ukraine against actively defending Putin’s success and undermining the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine and Ukrainians.

This is against freedom and is not American by nature.

In the first place, I believe, as President Ronald Reagan believed, that America is a brilliant city on a hill.

I believe that we, as Americans, lead the rest of the world, and that the threat to democracy everywhere is a threat to democracy everywhere.

I believe that we have a moral obligation to fight for freedom on a global scale.

We have disappointed the people of Ukraine, and we must send a strong and clear message to which country the United States is.

I would start by expelling Russia from the world community and freezing the assets of Putin and his oligarchs.

My friend Bill Browder is boldly lobbying and advocating for the Magnetic Act worldwide.

Hit them where it hurts the most, with their money.

If we do not show strength in the face of this invasion, Putin will not stop in eastern Ukraine and America will cease to be a superpower that is feared.

There may also be more expectations of expansion and invasion from other tyrannical countries, such as China in Taiwan.

I have a broken heart. I’m disgusted. I am afraid of the future. The time for action is now.

We call on President Biden and Congress to take swift and aggressive action, or I fear that the severe consequences will be felt for generations to come.

A Euphoria background actor has opened up about the ‘miserable’ experience she had on set, claiming several extras refused to return after working 16-hour days which them ‘numb.’

Ranielle Marie, from Los Angeles, California, got to work as a background actress during a few episodes of season two of the HBO Max series, which stars Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Hunter Schafer, Sydney Sweeney, and Angus Cloud.

But according to the actress, she decided not to return to the show after she was forced to work 16-hour days without warning, was fed ice-cold food, and had to film scenes in a ‘dusty room.’

She shared some behind-the-scenes details on the wildly popular show in a recent TikTok video, which quickly went viral and shocked many of its avid fans.

 A Euphoria background actress has opened up about the ‘miserable’ experience she had on set, claiming extras refused to return after working 16-hour days which them ‘numb’

 Ranielle Marie, from Los Angeles, California, got to work as a background actress during a few episodes of season two of the HBO Max series

But according to the actress, she decided not to return to the show after she was forced to work 16-hour days without warning, was fed cold food, and had to film scenes in a ‘dusty room’

She shared some behind-the-scenes details on the wildly popular show in a recent TikTok video, which quickly went viral and shocked many of its avid fans

In the TikTok, which has been viewed more than 89,000 times, Ranielle pointed out that if you look closely at episode seven of season two, entitled The Theater and It’s Double, you’ll notice that many of the background actors are different throughout one particular scene.

The episode, which aired on February 20, followed Lexi Howard (played by Maude Apatow) as she put on a school play about the rest of the characters.

Ranielle (pictured in the show) slammed the series in her video, calling the whole thing a ‘horrible f**king experience’

The scene in question showed many of the characters sitting in the audience while watching the play, and according to Ranielle, who is spotted in the third row, it took ‘weeks’ to film it.

She claimed that the reason the background actors change during the scene is because many of them decided they didn’t want to return mid-way through the taping.

‘The play and the audience scenes actually took forever for them to film, like it took weeks for them to film just this episode, which is honestly crazy to me,’ she said.

‘But there’s a lot of inconsistencies of background because of it. Obviously people don’t want to return, like, I didn’t because I was miserable.’

Ranielle, who has since made her TikTok account private, pointed out that actor Dominic Fike (who plays Elliot) had to be replaced halfway through the scene by a ‘bootleg.’

She showed off the lookalike actor, but didn’t specify why Dominic couldn’t finish taping the scene himself.

‘I find it really funny that they tried to have the continuity by having a bootleg Dominic Fike right there,’ she said, while pointing to the double.

Ranielle claimed that episode seven of season two, entitled The Theater and It’s Double, took ‘weeks’ to film. Maude Apatow is pictured during the episode

She claimed many of the extras decided they didn’t want to return mid-way through due to the long and gruesome days. Some of the stars and extras are pictured during the episode

Ranielle also pointed out that actor Dominic Fike (who plays Elliot) had to be replaced halfway through the scene by a ‘bootleg.’ Ranielle is pictured pointing to the lookalike

In the comment section, Ranielle spoke further about her time on the show, writing that she was ‘miserable’ but not ‘ungrateful’ for the experience.

‘I did my job, got my check, and didn’t come back. That’s all,’ she explained.

When one fan asked her why many of the extras didn’t return to the set, she added, ‘It’s mostly the weather and boredom (16-hour long days of work).’

A fellow background actor also spoke out, calling the job ‘draining.’

‘OMG no [for real],’ agreed Ranielle. 

She also explained that they did pay her for the extra hours that she worked, but claimed they didn’t warn her before-hand about the immense amount of hours.

When someone asked her what it was like to see the stars in person, Ranielle called it ‘surreal’ and said most of them were ‘nice,’ but added that after such a long day, she usually ‘just wanted to go home.’

‘It was surreal to see them act in real life (I’m a fan of the show) but after a while of filming, I’d get numb and just want to go home,’ she admitted. ‘Most of the actors were nice.’ 

In the comment section, Ranielle spoke further about her time on the show, writing that she was ‘miserable’ but not ‘ungrateful’ for the experience

When one fan asked her why many of the extras didn’t return to the set, she added, ‘It’s mostly the weather and boredom (16-hour long days of work)’

A fellow background actor also spoke out, calling the job ‘draining.’ Ranielle agreed, writing: ‘OMG no [for real]’

She also explained that they did pay her for the extra hours that she worked, but claimed they didn’t warn her before-hand about the immense amount of hours

She also told viewers that she wasn’t allowed to talk to any of the actors or she’d get ‘fired’

She added in another comment that it was ‘so cold’ and ‘dusty,’ and claimed they were given ‘cold’ food

Finally, when someone asked her if Zendaya’s boyfriend Tom Holland visited the set, she dished, ‘He was there a lot’

When someone asked her what it was like to see the stars in person, Ranielle called it ‘surreal’ and said most of them were ‘nice.’ The cast is pictured together in January

She also told viewers that she wasn’t allowed to talk to any of the actors or she’d get ‘fired.’ 

Finally, when someone asked her if Zendaya’s boyfriend Tom Holland visited the set, she dished, ‘He was there a lot.’

In a separate video posted on January 10, Ranielle showed off another clip that she was featured in from the show.

However, she slammed the series once again, calling it a ‘horrible f**king experience.’

‘The new episode of Euphoria came out tonight and I’m in it!’ she said excitedly in the TikTok. 

‘OK, so it’s just a really small part because I’m literally background. Isn’t that crazy? I actually get to say that I went to a real Euphoria party.

But despite her excitement, Ranielle reiterated that she did not have a good time during the taping.

She added: ‘It honestly was such a horrible f**king experience but seeing Zendaya, Hunter, Barbie, Jacob, Angus, that’s so f**king crazy to me.’

Some of the show’s stars have spoken out about the grueling filming process, with Jacob Elordi confirming earlier this month that they did often work for 16-hours straight

It was previously revealed that creator Sam Levinson (pictured with Zendaya in January) rewrote almost the entire script of the eight-episode season after it was delayed

‘The majority of the originally planned season was scrapped,’ Zendaya told The Cut, with Jacob telling Insider, ‘These scripts were chopping and changing pretty regularly’

In the comment section of that video, she told a viewer, ‘It’s [because] it was so cold, dusty, they took our phones (to prevent spoilers), and we weren’t fed all too well (food was very late and was cold).’

Some of the show’s stars have spoken out about the grueling filming process, with Jacob (who plays Noah Flynn in the show) confirming to Esquire Middle East earlier this month that they did often work for 16-hours straight.

‘We shoot for so long, and it takes so many hours. And you know it’s worthwhile while you’re doing it, but a 16-hour day is a 16-hour day,’ he said.  

It was previously revealed that creator Sam Levinson rewrote almost the entire script of the eight-episode season after it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘The majority of the originally planned season was scrapped,’ Zendaya told The Cut in an interview published on February 14. ‘There are very few things that remain in the version that you are now seeing.’

Jacob also spoke to Insider about the continuously-changing script.

‘Honestly, these scripts were chopping and changing pretty regularly for the longest time,’ he explained.

‘I had a general idea of what was happening, but it was also pretty touch and go a lot of the time.’

It’s also been rumored that there was a lot of drama on set – including a huge argument between Sam and actress Barbie Ferreira, who plays Kat Hernandez. 

It’s been rumored that there was a lot of drama on set – including a huge argument between Sam and actress Barbie Ferreira (pictured right in the show), who plays Kat Hernandez

According to reports, the fight caused the actress to storm off the set and resulted in much of her character’s storyline being cut from the show

Many viewers also slammed this season for the large amount of ‘unnecessary’ nude scenes

According to Deuxmoi, the fight caused the actress to storm off the set and resulted in much of her character’s storyline being cut from the show.

‘New season of Euphoria is going to be real DARK,’ an insider told the pop culture Instagram account last year.

‘So much so that some actors, especially Barbie Ferreira, were not vibing with the director’s vision.

‘Barbie got into it with him on set and left one day. He then cut a lot of her lines.’

Many viewers also slammed this season for the large amount of ‘unnecessary’ nude scenes. 

‘Euphoria be having so many unnecessary nude scenes,’ wrote on fan on Twitter back in January.

‘Euphoria’s 40-year-old writer could’ve created the show in a college setting, rather than putting unnecessary nude and sex scenes involving 17-year-olds which sexualizes and makes  it seem normal to perceive minors that way,’ added another disgruntled viewer.

Megan MarkleFormer “Costume” colleague Patrick J. Adams revealed that she “made fun” of him after seeing him naked on stage more than a decade ago.

The former screen couple filmed the first season of the US legal drama in 2011, when 40-year-old Markle watched 40-year-old Adams perform in Los Angeles a production of Bill Kane’s play 9 Circles, which includes male nudity with a front end.

“She was definitely on the play where I was naked and she’s having fun making fun of me after that,” he said. Fun tonightjokingly, “So maybe she’d like a rerun.”

Megan Markle’s former co-star Patrick Jay Adams has revealed that she “made fun” of him after seeing him naked in a play a decade ago.

The former screen couple filmed the first season of Costumes in 2011, when she watched him perform in a Los Angeles production of 9 Circles, which includes complete nudity in front.

Next month, Adams makes his Broadway debut in the revival of Take Me Out, which will again require him to undress on stage for the infamous nude scenes of award-winning Tony.

The opening was postponed for nearly two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the actor plans to invite his old friend.

“I would like Megan to come and enjoy the show,” he said. “I’ll definitely send her an invitation.”

The Duchess of Sussex plays the paralegal who became Rachel Zane’s lawyer in the first seven seasons of Suits, until she retired from acting before her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.

Adams (pictured with Markle and Gina Torres in 2012) admitted that she “had a good time making fun of me afterwards”, joking that the Duchess of Sussex could “like a rerun”

Next month, the actor makes his Broadway debut in the revival of Take Me Out, which will again require him to undress on stage

When she left the show, the writers made Rachel and her husband Mike Ross, played by Adams, move to Seattle to find their own law firms.

Markle and Adams remained friends for many years, and he attended the royal wedding with his wife, Trojan Belisario, with whom he shared his daughters Aurora at three and Elliott at two.

His children are almost the same age as Markle’s son, Archie, two, and his daughter, Lilibet, eight months old.

Adams, who attended Markle’s wedding to Prince Harry and his now-wife Trojan Belisario, added that he would send an invitation to his former colleague for sure, saying he would like Megan to come and enjoy the show.

Adams and Belisario have two daughters, Aurora three and Elliott two

Adams’ children are almost the same age as Markle’s son, Archie, two, and his daughter, Lilibet, eight months old. In 2020, he said he would like to plan a meeting with their children, although it is unclear if they ever did.

In October 2020, a few months after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to Santa Barbara, California, Adams told ET that they had kept in touch over the years.

“We have sent messages several times. We both started families at about the same time, obviously her family was relatively high-ranking, but I’m super happy to bring her back to this side of the water, “he said.

Adams added that he would like to schedule a meeting with Archie and his daughter Aurora, although it is unclear if they ever did.

“I’m leaving this in Megan’s court,” he said. “She is incredibly busy, so I hope time will allow, but I am proud of everything they do. I think it’s pretty great.