From the infamous widow family, to funnel-webs, and an elusive critter that hides in deserts; these are the most dangerous spider species.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, and since then President Vladimir Putin has insisted that his troops are carrying out a "special military operation" instead of a war.

But speculation is growing that this could change in the coming days.

Western officials believe Putin could formally declare war on Ukraine as soon as May 9, a symbolic day for Russia paving the way for him to step his campaign.

READ MORE: Kremlin denies plans to formally declare war on Ukraine

What is May 9?

May 9, known as "Victory Day" inside Russia, commemorates the country's defeat of the Nazis in 1945.

It is marked by a military parade in Moscow, and Russian leaders traditionally stand on the tomb of Vladimir Lenin in Red Square to observe it.

May 9 is designed to show off to the home crowd, to intimidate the opposition and to please the dictator of the time," James Nixey, director of the Russia-Eurasia Programme at the Chatham House think tank in London, said.

Western officials have long believed that Putin would leverage the symbolic significance and propaganda value of the day to announce either a military achievement in Ukraine, a major escalation of hostilities – or both.

The Russian president has a keen eye for symbolism, having launched the invasion of Ukraine the day after Defender of the Fatherland Day, another crucial military day in Russia.

READ MORE: Russia pounds Ukraine, targeting supply of Western arms

Preparing for mobilisation?

Putin has many options on the table, according to Oleg Ignatov, senior analyst for Russia at Crisis Group.

"Declaring war is the toughest scenario," he said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – who has not formally declared war on Russia – imposed martial law in Ukraine when the Russian invasion began in late February.

Another option for Putin is to enact Russia's mobilisation law, which can be used to start a general or partial military mobilisation "in cases of aggression against the Russian Federation or a direct threat of aggression, the outbreak of armed conflicts directed against the Russian Federation".

That would allow the government not just to assemble troops but also to put the country's economy on a war footing.

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Russian forces have lost at least 15,000 soldiers since the beginning of the war, according to Nixey, and reinforcements will be needed if Moscow is to achieve its goals in Ukraine.

Mobilisation could mean extending conscription for soldiers currently in the armed forces, calling on reservists or bringing in men of fighting age who have had military training, said Ignatov.

But it would also represent a big risk for Putin.

"It would change the whole Kremlin narrative," Ignatov said, noting that the move would force Putin to admit that the invasion of Ukraine has not gone to plan.

Full-scale mobilisation could also damage the struggling Russian economy, he said.

It could still be possible for Putin to enact the mobilisation law without officially declaring war on Ukraine, he said.

Putin could also impose martial law in Russia, suspending elections and further concentrating power in his hands, Ignatov said.

This would impose rules such as restrictions on men of fighting age leaving the country, which could also prove unpopular.

On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there was "no chance" Putin would declare war on May 9.

READ MORE: US agents seize Russian oligarch's superyacht in Fiji

What else could happen?

If Putin doesn't declare war, he may look elsewhere to make a statement to mark Victory Day.

Other options include annexing the breakaway territories of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, making a major push for Odesa in the south, or declaring full control over the southern port city of Mariupol.

There are also indications that Russia could be planning to declare and annex a "people's republic" in the south-eastern city of Kherson.

"He (Putin) will be able to declare that the Russian army had some victories in Ukraine," Ignatov said.

"He can try to use this date to solidify his support."

Scott Morrison has taken a heavy swing at Anthony Albanese during a speech in Perth, calling the opposition leader "weak".

The prime minister focused his attention on Albanese's gaffes on the campaign trail.

Morrison criticised Albanese's "small target" campaign.

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"A small leader is a weak leader," Morrison said.

"And a weak leader is a risk to Australia. Our economy and our security."

The speech came after Albanese blanked on details of Labor's NDIS policy on Thursday.

"If you can't hack the campaign then I think people are starting to think, 'Is this guy really up to it?'," Morrison said.

Labor MP Michelle Rowland told TODAY people were more concerned about cost of living pressures.

READ MORE: Albanese grilled in fiery exchange with Ally Langdon

"I don't think this chest-beating by Scott Morrison really impresses anyone these days, to be frank," she said.

"I think that people's minds are focused on supporting their families, on doing their best and not on some of these fighting words that Scott Morrison is using to try and rally his troops."

As Morrison campaigned in Perth, Albanese attended a Hindu community dinner in Sydney's west.

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As authorities continue to search for an Alabama corrections official and the inmate she disappeared with, the US Marshals Service said the officer, Vicky White, may have tinted her blonde hair a darker shade and offered renderings of what she may look like after the change.

The agency also released pictures of the inmate, Casey White, 38, as well as photos of identifying markers such as several tattoos.

He should be considered "armed and extremely dangerous," the agency said in a news release Thursday.

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The US Marshals Service is offering up to $10,000 for information leading to the capture of the inmate — who was being held on murder charges — and up to $5000 for the officer.

Authorities also said they learned Casey White made threats against his ex-girlfriend and her sister that if he got out of jail he "would kill them," the release said.

Authorities have warned his potential targets and have taken actions to protect them.

The Marshals Service said the pair could be traveling in a 2007 orange or copper-coloured Ford Edge which Vicky White purchased prior to the disappearance.

Whether the vehicle has a license plate and what that plate could be is unknown, the release said.

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Investigators are also chasing leads including reported sightings from Florida to Kentucky, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton told CNN.

The US Marshals Service released these images of Casey White, along with identifying markers including several tattoos.

Over the past week, authorities discovered the officer, 56, and the inmate may have had a romantic relationship.

The pair, who are not related, disappeared last Friday morning when the corrections officer said she was taking Casey White from the Lauderdale County jail to the courthouse before going to get medical attention because she felt unwell, authorities have said.

But the two never showed up at the courthouse and the officer didn't make it to the medical facility.

READ MORE: Albanese grilled in fiery exchange with Ally Langdon

These are actual photos of the vehicle the inmate and officer "are believed to be in," according to the US Marshals Service.

In the days since they went missing, investigators have determined the officer and inmate had a "special relationship" in which Vicky White afforded the inmate privileges, including extra food.

The investigation was aided, in part, by inmates who informed officials of the relationship over the weekend, Singleton said.

Vicky White, the assistant director of corrections for Lauderdale County, was set to retire the day she went missing.

She had also made some major financial moves leading up to the escape, like selling her home on April 18 for well below market value.

The house sold for $95,550, according to documents, but county records list the home's total current parcel value to be $235,600.

"Clearly lots of planning went into this," Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly told CNN's "New Day" on Thursday.

Relatives and coworkers say they are stunned by the sudden disappearance of the corrections official, whom Singleton has described as a "model employee" with an "unblemished record."

READ MORE: Anthony Albanese defends NDIS policy stumble

Vicky White has an active warrant out for her arrest on charges of permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree.

She is also no longer employed by the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office, the office said in a statement Wednesday.

While Friday was her last day of work, her papers were never finalised, the office said.

The US Marshals Service say this is likely the height difference between the inmate and the officer and the car they are driving.

Relationship began in 2020, sheriff says

Investigators have traced the relationship to early 2020, when Casey White was brought to Lauderdale County for an arraignment on murder charges he is facing for the 2015 death of 58-year-old Connie Ridgeway, according to the sheriff.

"As far as we know, that was the earliest physical contact they had," Singleton said.

Casey White was returned to state prison after the arraignment to continue carrying out a 75-year sentence for a series of crimes he committed in 2015.

The sheriff said the officer and inmate maintained communication by telephone.

He had said earlier that Vicky White visited Casey White while he was in prison — but said Thursday that was incorrect.

Casey White was brought back to the Lauderdale County jail in February to attend court hearings related to his murder charges.

Over the course of this week's investigation, inmates said Casey White "was getting extra food on his trays" and "was getting privileges no one else got. And this was all coming from her," Singleton said.

"Some of the inmates here in our facility sent word to our investigators that there was a relationship between the two," Singleton told CNN.

"We took their statements, what they said, followed up on it and we did confirm that in fact there was a relationship there."

The district attorney expressed disbelief Thursday at the idea Vicky White would be romantically involved with the inmate.

"I never would have thought that in a million years," he said, adding it's "such a shock that she's involved in this, and it is just stunning," he told CNN.

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Connolly, who has known Vicky White for years, described her as a reliable person and "solid employee."

If something needed to be done at the courthouse, for example, Vicky White was someone they could call, Connolly said.

"She was a longtime trusted employee at our jail and she just exploited the system," he said, "and really misused the trust and credibility she had gained over the years as a great employee."

Video captures quick escape

Vicky White brazenly violated department policy when she took Casey White from the jail, officials say.

The facility had a policy requiring that two sworn deputies accompany inmates at all times, including during transportation to the courthouse.

Singleton said that policy was emphasised with respect to Casey White after authorities discovered he had a plot to escape custody and take a hostage in 2020 and uncovered a makeshift knife on him.

But last Friday, Vicky White asked an officer to prepare Casey White for transport, saying she would take him by herself to the courthouse since the other officers had already left for court and she was the only officer available with a certified firearm, Singleton said.

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Surveillance video shows Casey White, shackled and handcuffed in an orange jumpsuit, being escorted into the back of Vicky White's patrol vehicle Friday morning.

The investigation has revealed the pair then drove to a shopping centre parking lot less than 10 minutes away, left the patrol car in the lot and escaped in a gold- or copper-coloured 2007 Ford Edge SUV with minor damage to the rear left bumper, authorities said.

"We know that there was never any effort to go to the courthouse. They went straight to Florence Square parking lot, dumped the patrol car, got in the other vehicle and left," Singleton said.

Investigation set back by release of a lead

Leading up to their escape, Vicky White purchased the SUV in Rogersville, in Lauderdale County, said Singleton.

The night before she disappeared with Casey White, the officer parked the car in the shopping centre parking lot. The pair drove to the parking lot the next day and fled in the SUV.

When investigators were finally able to confirm the description of the escape car Monday, they intended to send it internally to other law enforcement agencies, but the lead was accidentally released to the public.

READ MORE: Gunman 'prepared for violence' before man shot dead in Mickleham

"The description of the car is what we worked on hard all weekend because we had no clue what kind of vehicle they left in," Singleton told CNN's Don Lemon on Wednesday night.

"We put the word out to law enforcement to be on the lookout and inadvertently one of those agencies sent the description out publicly.

"That really set us back."

Singleton said the pair has likely ditched the car by now because the description is being widely shared.

Wherever they are, Connolly said he hopes Vicky White will return safe.

"I think she's in danger," he said when asked what message he would give her. "So I would say: Come home."

Singleton made a similar plea Wednesday on ABC's "Good Morning America."

"Vicky, you've been in this business for 17 years, you've seen this scenario play out more than once and you know how it always ends," he said.

"Go ahead and end it now. Get to a phone, call 911, turn yourself in and help us get Casey White back behind bars because you know that's where he's going to eventually end up."

Experts are reminding Australians some common medications have side effects that can be mistaken for the symptoms of old age or worsening of an existing condition.

It comes as preventable hospital admissions grow across the country.

A long-standing free federal government-funded program called Home Medicines Review is designed to bring awareness to the side effects of common medications that alleviate pain, depression, allergies and incontinence. 

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Some common medications can create unintended problems called "anticholinergic effects".

"That includes things like dizziness, constipation, dry mouth, and also more serious health problems like falls leading to fractures, cognitive decline, and dementia," NPS MedicineWise's Dr Kate Annear said.

A survey of 1000 Australians found half did not know about these side effects.

These problems can become amplified when someone takes multiple medications.

"Many older people become confused if they're taking many medicines," pharmacist Sarah Gillespie said.

"Be aware that it may be their medicines that is causing the problem, not just getting older or a health condition that's getting worse," Annear said.

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About 250,000 hospital admissions each year are the result of problems with medication. 

An estimated two-thirds of these cases are potentially preventable.

The Home Medicines Review is a program that can be accessed through a GP referral for a pharmacist to visit a patient at home and revise their medication.

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"If there was an increased awareness of the Home Medicines Review program we could reduce these hospitalisations," Gillespie said.

The program can inform those taking common medications of the side effects or prevent problems with medication before it escalates to hospital admission.

A skipper has been cleared of killing his mate in a drunken boat crash in Mandurah, Western Australia.

Today, Kyle Hartigan was cleared of his friend Daniel Lloyd's manslaughter, two years on from the deadly morning on the Mandurah estuary.

The 27-year-old was accused of driving his dad's boat drunk, in the dark, and at excessive speeds, before crashing into a navigation beacon in 2020.

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Both men were thrown overboard.

Lloyd hit his head and died almost immediately, his mate the only surviving witness.

Hartigan insisted it was the other man behind the wheel, while prosecutors argued 35-year-old Lloyd was never driving that night and didn't even have a skipper's ticket.

Hartigan wept in the dock when he heard the words "not guilty", free to go and put a dark chapter behind him.

But for the heartbroken family left behind, moving on isn't so easy.

"We've just got to say rest in peace Daniel," Lloyd's mum Susan told media outside the court.

His sister Natalie Leisfield adding: "We know the truth of what happened that night."

A number of unauthorised and misleading election posters have been spotted in three NSW electorates, portraying independent politicians as Greens candidates.

The signs appeared overnight in the Sydney seat of Warringah, showing independent MP Zali Steggall as a Greens candidate.

The corflutes have a prominent Greens logo and read "independent and the Greens for Warringah", even though Steggall is running as an independent.

FULL COVERAGE: Federal Election 2022

She said the signs have been reported, while the Australian Electoral Commission has said it is taking the issue "extremely seriously".

"The signage… appears to be unauthorised, in breach of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918," the AEC told 9News.com.au.

"We are endeavouring to find information regarding who is behind the signage."

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Similar posters targeting independents Sophie Scamps and Georgia Steel in the seats of McKellar and Hughes and McKellar respectively also appeared.

All electoral communications, including posters and ads, are required to carry an authorisation so voters are aware of who is behind the messaging.

However, the posters in question would likely be legal if they carried an authorisation, even though they misleadingly portray the independent candidates as being affiliated with the Greens.

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Both Steggal and Scamps have said the corflutes reinforce the need for truth in political advertising laws in Australia.

The AEC has appealed for anyone with information which could help them identify those responsible for the signage to come forward.

It's not the first time independent candidates have been portrayed as being aligned with the Greens.

READ MORE: ACT Senate candidate David Pocock hits out at 'smear campaign' advertising

David Pocock, the former rugby union star running for an ACT senate seat, filed a complaint with the AEC after posters showing him opening his shirt to reveal a Greens shirt underneath appeared around Canberra.

Right-wing lobby group Advance Australia was behind those signs, which carried the appropriate authorisation.

Independent Monique Ryan, who is challenging treasurer Josh Frydenberg for the seat of Kooyong, has also been impacted by a similar ploy, after unauthorised stickers which said a vote for her was a vote for Labor, were stuck on her corflutes.