WORLD

Vladimir Putin has less than two years to live as he suffers from multiple "grave" illnesses, according to the head of the Ukrainian intelligence service, multiple media outlets reported. Major General Kyrylo Budanov said Kiev spies who infiltrated the Kremlin made the claims based on "human intelligence", Daily Mail reported. "Putin doesn`t have a long life ahead of him," Budanov was quoted as saying by USA Today reported.

Putin`s health has been subject to fierce rumour for months, escalating after he was pictured gripping a table during a meeting with defence minister Sergei Shoigu.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday inaugurated the long-awaited Padma bridge, the country's longest and entirely built with domestic funding. The 6.15-km-long road-rail four-lane bridge is built over the Padma river connecting southwestern Bangladesh with the capital and other parts. The multipurpose road-rail bridge, which is fully funded by the Bangladesh government, has been constructed at a cost of USD 3.6 billion.

The inauguration of the Padma bridge carries a lot of significance as the structure was built entirely with domestic financing, defying speculations by some financial analysts if Bangladesh could mobilise the fund depending on domestic resources. Hasina expressed deep gratitude to the people involved with the construction of the Padma bridge.

India on Friday took up the problems faced by tens of thousands of students in obtaining visas with senior diplomats of countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany and the US and sought the fast-tracking of the visa process.

Senior officials of the external affairs ministry dealing with Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, New Zealand, Poland, the UK and the US had “constructive discussions” with the heads of missions and senior diplomats of these countries about “streamlining student visas to Indian nationals”, external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

The diplomats “agreed to remain engaged on further easing [and] fast-tracking the process since the flow of students has been mutually beneficial”, he said in another tweet.

Ukraine became a candidate to join the European Union on Thursday, a bold geopolitical step triggered by Russia's invasion that Kyiv and Brussels hailed as an "historic moment".

Starting on the long path to EU membership will be a huge boost to morale in the embattled country, as Russian assaults on two cities in the eastern Donbas region move toward a "fearsome climax", according to a Ukrainian government adviser.

"Ukraine's future is in the EU," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on Twitter after the official announcement.

India and Australia on Wednesday resolved to further crank up their defence ties through combat exercises, intelligence-sharing, reciprocal logistics and military-industrial collaboration as well as work steadfastly towards their shared objective of an open, resilient and secure Indo-Pacific in the face of aggressive moves by China.

Australian deputy PM and defence minister Richard Marles, in the first high-level visit to India since the new Anthony Albanese government came to power in Canberra, strongly backed India in its over two-year long military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh.

“The assault on Indian forces along the Line of Actual Control in 2020 was a warning we should all heed. Australia stood up for India’s sovereignty then and continues to do so now,” Marles said.