Thyroid cancer, Parkinson’s disease, leprosy or declining in the aftermath of a stroke - just a few of the many unproven ailments rumoured to have afflicted the Russian leader in recent years. Just this week, the Kremlin were forced to deny rumours that Vladimir Putin had suffered a cardiac arrest in his bedroom, months after they were forced to deny that he had soiled himself. Since gripping the reins of power in 1999, Putin has established himself as one of the most infamous politicians in modern history, with a vicelike grip over Russia. His current term is set to expire next year, yet under sweeping changes to the constitution that were introduced in 2020, he could rule Russia until 2036. Yet since his invasion of Ukraine and the loss of tens of thousands of his troops, the fallout of his military gamble has caused cracks to appear for the first time under his 20-year leadership. Speculation has also dogged the ageing tyrant that his health is failing, with the future of Russia uncertain upon his demise. In June, he faced the greatest threat to his hold on power, after his former ally Yevgeny Prigozhin mounted an armed rebellion and called on his forces to march on Moscow to oust Russia’s military command. Once known as ‘Putin’s chef’, Prigozhin held great influence following the invasion of Ukraine as the owner of the Wagner private military contractor. His growing criticism of the military leadership made him a credible threat to Putin’s regime, with the dictator vowing harsh consequences for his “betrayal” and “treason”. Just two months after his aborted mutiny, Prigozhin died in mysterious circumstances while aboard a plane flying between Moscow and St Petersburg. While this dramatic opposition to the Russian leadership was swiftly quashed, it posed questions about the future of the country’s leadership, and who stands in line to replace their authoritarian leader. His family Unlike other dictators throughout history, Putin’s family are not in the running to replace him, with very few details known about their relationship with the president. Famously secretive about his personal life, his 30-year marriage to flight attendant Lyudmila Shkrebneva ended in divorce in 2013 amid speculation about his extramarital affair with retired gymnast Alina Kabaeva. While it is unknown how many children he has welcomed since the breakdown of his marriage, he had two daughters with Ms Shkrebneva, Maria Vorontsova, 36, and Katerina Tikhonova, 35. Neither have any involvement in politics, while he refuses to name his grandchildren in public, telling a reporter: “The thing is, I don’t want them to grow up like royal princes, I want them to grow up to be normal people.” During one of his rare personal interviews in 2015, he said of his daughters: “My daughters live in Russia and studied only in Russia, I am proud of them,” he said. “They speak three foreign languages fluently. I never discuss my family with anyone.” Mikhail Mishustin If Putin were to die or abruptly step down, the Russian Federation Council has 14 days to call early presidential elections. If it fails to act, the Central Election Commission would call it, while prime minister Mikhail Mishustin would serve as acting president in the interim. He is considered by some however to unlikely option to become a permanent placement, given his lack of popularity with Putin’s inner circle of ‘yes men’. According to the BBC, Mishustin had the “unenviable task of rescuing the economy but has little say over" the Russia-Ukraine war, with sources close to the Kremlin saying he was unaware of Putin’s intentions for a full-scale invasion. Speaking to The Independent, Dr Mark Galeotti said: “Constitutionally, he takes over when the president is dead or incapcitated, he would be incumbent. He’s a classic technocrat choice. I could see that happening, but there are other candidates who would fill the same niche.” Dmitry Medyedev Known as one of Putin’s closest allies, Dmitry Medvedev has been tipped as one of his potential successors. He had previously held the role of president from 2008 to 2012, before stepping aside in what was later revealed to be a prearranged deal. Once considered by the West as a moderate voice within the Kremlin, he has developed a reputation as Putin’s bad cop, referring to Ukrainians as “cockroaches” and making increasingly bellicose nuke-related threats.” The former law professor held the role of Prime Minister from 2012 to 2020, before becoming the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia. Over the years however, it is believed that his subservient role under Putin has weakened his own ability to consolidate power amongst Russia’s elite. Sergei Kiriyenko Other names mentioned to take the leadership helm include Sergei Kiriyenko, who has served as First Deputy Chief of Staff since 2016, and is known to be a member of Putin’s closest inner circle. With his involvement over the newly annexed Ukrainian territories, he is understood to have daily access to the president, and maintains good relations with all major key players among Russia’s political elite. Dismissing his chances of ever coming to the forefront of Russian politics however, Dr Galeotti said that he served better as a “backroom” operator. Sergei Shoigu Given the humiliating trajectory of the Ukraine war, Sergei Shoigu is no longer a likely choice to be announced as Putin’s predecessor, despite his position as one of Russia’s most influential men. The defence minister had once been voted the most popular politician after Putin, and is known to be close with the reserved leader, often spending summer vacations together. “Before the invasion, I would have absolutely said Shoigu, but his reputation has now been tarnished with the invasion,” said Dr Galeotti. “He’s still got relatively high levels of public support and trust, and he is a phenomenal behind the scenes operator. The days where he could have been president may be over but as a kingmaker, he could still be really influential.” Nikolai Patrushev The secretary of Russia’s Security Council, Patrushev has known Putin since they worked together in the KGB, and was a major strategist in both the 2014 and 2022 invasions of Ukraine. The 71-year-old is reportedly “one of the few figures Putin listens to”, while his son Dmitry has also been rumoured as a potential successor to Putin given his position as agriculture minister. Other suggestions have included Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin, former bodyguard Alexei Dyumin and chief of staff Dmitry Kozak. “It’s going to have to be someone who could create a coalition, who is able to be acceptable to both the technocrats and the security elite,” Dr Galeotti said. “It will quite likely not one be one of the big beasts, precisely because of the need to build a coalition.” “I think actually the Russian system will cope with the crisis quite quickly and swiftly and we’ll see the next political elite looking to end the war in Ukraine and the confrontation with the West. Putin will quite likely become the scapegoat for all that wrong.”

Tristan Tate discussed the etymology of the term 'concentration camp', but his assertions did not go down well with social media users

By Josh Smith and Hyonhee Shin SEOUL South Korea on Tuesday will host senior diplomats from China and

A British couple claimed they found a makeshift shrine to missing Madeleine McCann at the Portuguese reservoir searched by police last week. The couple, named only as Ralf and Ann, told the Mail on Sunday they found the “strange” shrine seven months after the toddler vanished 16 years ago. The couple said they reported the shrine to Portuguese police but never heard back. The shrine consisted of a row of stones pointing to a picnic site which was dug up by police last week, a bouquet of white lilies and a photograph of the missing toddler. The retired couple, who regularly visit their holiday home near the Algarve reservoir, later reported the shrine to police after suspect Christian Brueckner was identified by German police in 2020, and gave a formal statement. Ralf, 66, described the shrine as “very strange”. Ann, 67, said: “Thinking about it now gives me goosebumps because when we saw where the police were searching the past few days you could see that’s where the row of stones was pointing to.” Officers concluded their search of the Algarve reservoir on Thursday. Read More British couple ‘found Madeleine McCann shrine’ at Portugal reservoir searched by police Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost? Who is Christian Brueckner? Madeleine McCann suspect and the accusations against him

Donald Trump is facing criticism from his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination after congratulating North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on his country being admitted to the World Health Organisation’s Executive Board. Reacting at a campaign appearance in Iowa, Florida governor Ron DeSantis said: “I was surprised to see that. I mean, one, Kim Jong-un is a murderous dictator.” Nikki Haley, Mr Trump’s former ambassador to the UN, responded equally strongly during a CNN town hall event, remarking: “Kim Jong-un is a thug. I don’t think we should congratulate dictators.” The former South Carolina governor, the only woman in the race, also took her competitors to task over their comments on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying: “For them to sit there and say that this is a territorial dispute – that’s just not the case, or to say that we should stay neutral. “It’s in the best interest of our national security for Ukraine to win.” Mr Trump continues to dominate the field among potential Republican primary voters with 49 per cent of support, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll. Mr DeSantis is next with 19 per cent and Ms Haley way behind on 4 per cent. Read More Trump makes misleading claim that New York hush money case could be dropped DeSantis defines ‘woke’ after Trump claimed ‘half the people can’t’ DeSantis condemns Trump for congratulating ‘murderous dictator’ Kim Jong-un Marjorie Taylor Greene U-turns on release of Jan 6 tapes - saying she’s worried about Capitol security

Smoking causes 150 cancer cases every day in the UK alone, according to a new study. While tobacco smoking in the UK and US peaked to about 50 per cent in the 1950s, this had dropped to around 13 per cent in 2020-21 due to control efforts, said the study. However, historically high smoking rates are still a driving factor of the cancer burden in the countries today, it said. Very high-income countries like the UK are projected to see a 50 per cent increase in cancer cases over the next 50 years, said Cancer Research UK, that funded the study, on Wednesday. Researchers called on MPs to support raising the age of sale of tobacco products as a critical step to create the first ever smoke-free generation. “Action on tobacco would have the biggest impact – smoking causes 150 cases of cancer in the UK every single day,” said Ian Walker, executive director of policy and information at Cancer Research UK. “There are cost-effective tools at hand to prevent cases of cancer, which will save lives around the world. “Tobacco control measures are chronically underfunded. And as a recognised leader in global health, the UK government can play a significant role in addressing this,” Mr Walker said. The study also revealed at least 1.3 million people in seven countries die due to cancer caused by smoking tobacco. The deaths across the UK, US, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa represent over half the world’s annual cancer death burden. The study analysed the years of life that were wasted to cancer. It also assessed whether certain risk factors caused deaths more prematurely. Researchers found four preventable risk factors resulted in almost two million deaths combined and over 30 million years of life lost each year. These factors are smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity and human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. At least 20.8 million years of life are lost from smoking tobacco alone, found the study. It also warned new cancer cases could surge by five times, from 0.6 million to 3.1 million per year in low-income countries over the next 50 years. “These numbers are staggering, and show that with action on a global scale, millions of lives could be saved from preventable cancers,” Mr Walker said. Researchers also found gender differences in the number of cancer deaths. Men were observed to have higher rates of years of life lost to smoking and drinking alcohol as these rates tend to be higher in men. In China, India and Russia, the rates of years of life lost to tobacco smoking and alcohol were up to nine times higher in men than women, found the study. The research was published in the journal eClinicalMedicine and involved the work of researchers from King’s College London and Queen Mary University of London. Read More Binman shoots first Hollywood film after chat with Mark Wahlberg changed his life UK’s tallest living Christmas tree lit up with 1,800 bulbs Morrisons Christmas ad features iconic 80s track and shares support for festive hosts The best foods to forage in November and how to cook them Millions of women able to get contraceptive pills over the counter next year Woman with cystic fibrosis had weeks to live – now she’s climbing mountains

(This story has been refiled to change from 'Brazil and Brazil' to 'Brazil and Russia' in paragraph 6) By Nigel

The Jimmy Carter Library and Museum is moving up festivities for the former president’s 99th birthday because of the threat of a partial federal government shutdown

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