Ground-level traffic lights for pedestrians constantly looking down at smartphones are set to be trialled in Sydney as Australian authorities seek to drive down the road death toll.
	It comes amid alarm about rising road fatalities this year, with officials launching the "Towards Zero" advertising campaign this week to increase awareness about accident rates.
	In addition, the New South Wales government is shelling out Australian dollar 250,000 (USD 181,000) to test "in-ground traffic-light technology" at key crossings in Sydney's central business district, the state's Roads Minister Duncan Gay said.
	"Pedestrians are less protected in a road crash, and are therefore more likely to be seriously injured or killed," NSW Centre for Road Safety's executive director Bernard Carlon said in a statement sent to AFP today.
	"This is why we need to create a road system that keeps them safe, and this includes situations when they may not be paying attention. The lights are aimed at pedestrians ..

Aus to trial ground-level traffic lights for smartphone users

PTI Automatic

German lawmakers' planned vote to recognise the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces as genocide, will test the "friendship" between Berlin and Ankara, Turkey said today.
	The resolution "will amount to a real test of the friendship" between the two nations, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said.
	"Some nations that we consider friends, when they are experiencing trouble in domestic policy attempt to divert attention from it," he said at a meeting of his Justice and Development Party (AKP). "This resolution is an example of that."
	He stopped short of threatening Germany with political and economic retaliation, but added "3.5 million Turks live in Germany and actively contribute to the economy."
	Put forward by the ruling left-right coalition and the opposition Greens, the resolution entitled "Remembrance and commemoration of the genocide of Armenians and other Christian minorities in 1915 and 1916" also carries the contentious word throughout the text.
	The vote comes at a ..

German vote on Armenian genocide a test of friendship: Turkey

A Mexican political party has come under fire for bringing out topless women in body paint at a campaign event promoting women's rights ahead of weekend elections.
	The four women appeared at Tuesday's event in Mexico City wearing white pants and turquoise paint-- the colors of the small New Alliance Party.
	They stood alongside New Alliance leader Luis Castro, who smiled and applauded in front of a banner reading "For the Women and Girls of Mexico City."
	The party, an ally of the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party in Congress, was closing its campaign for seats on a constitutional assembly for the capital.
	The event was slammed by the federal government's National Women's Institute.
	The institute said in a statement it "condemns and regrets the existence of political campaign strategies that denigrate women by exhibiting them as objects and repeating the sexism and stereotypes that encourage discrimination and violence."
	The event was also criticized on social media, with ..

Mexican political party uses topless women in body paint

Four bodies were found floating in homes in France and Germany today in flash floods that left water lapping at the doors of one of the Loire Valley's most famous chateaux.
	Heavy rains lashing parts of France, Germany and Austria cut roads, stranded people on rooftops and forced schools to close their doors, and French weather forecasters warned of more to come today.
	Three people who had been trapped in a house at Simbach am Inn in southern Germany were found dead, local authorities said, and police warned several other people could be on the ground floor of the building.
	The body of an 86-year-old woman was found in her flooded house in Souppes-sur-Loing in central France, parts of which have been hit by the worst flooding in more than 100 years.
	In France's Loire Valley, a large expanse of water pooled in front of the 16th century Chateau of Chambord, reflecting the much-visited Renaissance castle's image.
	In one incident in southern Bavaria, emergency services rescued 20 ...

Four found dead in floods in France, Germany

Mystery deepened over the fate of an Australian backpacker who vanished 11 days ago in Brazil, with police fearing he may have drowned swimming to an uninhabited island while high on drugs.
	Rye Hunt's May 21 disappearance in Rio de Janeiro, host of the Olympic Games in August, has baffled police and his family, which launched the #findrye social media campaign to boost the search.
	Police said yesterday the 25-year-old from Tasmania was last spotted by a fisherman on tiny, uninhabited Contunduba island near Rio.
	Reports emerged late yesterday in British and Australian media outlets that he had been found alive on the island, but the family issued a statement saying it had not been given the news from official sources.
	Rio police told AFP in a statement that they were "continuing to work to try and locate the missing Australian citizen."
	Officer Ellen Souto said in a televised press conference earlier yesterday that the fisherman who briefly saw Hunt said the backpacker "had been ..

Mystery over missing Australian in Rio after island sighting

England captain Wayne Rooney called Euro 2016 his "biggest test" as an international player and revealed that he has spoken to newly appointed Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho.
     Rooney's immediate focus is on leading England out against Portugal at Wembley today in their final warm-up game before Roy Hodgson's men head to France.
     But with Mourinho having visited United's training centre for the first time this week, there was another Portuguese on the minds of the journalists who attended the pre-match press conference at England's team hotel in Watford, north of London.
     "Obviously I've spoken to him. It's exciting times for Manchester United, and for myself and the other players," Rooney said when asked about the new man in the Old Trafford hotseat.
	"He's one of the best managers in the world and very successful, so I'm looking forward to it."
    	Mourinho, who tried to sign Rooney during his second spell as Chelsea manager, signed a three-year contract with ...

After Mourinho chat, Rooney embraces England duties

Karim Benzema unleashed a new storm of controversy by saying French coach Didier Deschamps had "bowed to pressure from a racist part of France" by keeping him out of the Euro 2016 squad.
     However, politicians and France's football establishment leaped to Deschamps defence over the interview that the Real Madrid star gave to a Spanish newspaper.
     Benzema, who is of Algerian origin, was excluded from France's squad after being charged with complicity in an attempt to blackmail France teammate Mathieu Valbuena over a sextape.
     But questions about the motives for excluding Benzema and fellow striker Hatem Ben Arfa, whose father was a Tunisian international, have been raised by France football legend Eric Cantona, setting off a new racism debate.
	Marca sports daily asked Benzema whether he believed Deschamps was racist.
    	"No, I don't think so. But he bowed to pressure from a racist part of France," Benzema replied, referring to the right-wing National Front.
    	"They ...

Benzema accuses Deschamps of bowing to racists

International Cricket Council chief executive David Richardson expects Pakistan quick bowler Mohammad Amir to tour England next month, saying the former spot-fixer's return is a "good thing" for the sport.
     Amir, 24, featured in two one-day internationals against New Zealand in January and the Pakistan Cricket Board have approached their English counterparts for help in securing a visa for the talented left-armer.
    	He was given a six-month prison sentence, of which he served half in a UK young offenders' institute, on charges of conspiracy to accept corrupt payments and conspiracy to cheat at gambling after bowling deliberate no-balls during the Lord's Test in August 2010.
	The same spot-fixing scandal also saw fellow paceman Mohammad Asif and then Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt given jail sentences by an English court and bans by the ICC.
	Although now cleared to play again by the ICC, Amir's criminal conviction could see him denied an entry visa to Britain for Pakistan's .

ICC chief backs Amir to tour England

Oil prices were flat in early Asian trading today as investors awaited the outcome of an OPEC meeting later in the day in Vienna.
	Few people are expecting a deal to cap production, with Iran already declaring it is unwilling to take part in any such deal at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries talks.
	Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh yesterday rejected suggestions OPEC would agree on a general cap in the Austrian capital, saying his country backed a return to a national quota system.
	"One of our main ideas is to have country quotas, but I don't think we can reach an agreement on this subject at this meeting," the minister said as he arrived.
	At about 0830 IST, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI), for delivery in July, was down 11 cents at USD 48.90 a barrel. Brent North Sea crude for August, a new contract, was up five cents at USD 49.77.
	BMI Research oil and gas analyst Peter Lee told AFP prices did not move drastically owing to cautiousness.
	Lee added 

Oil prices flat ahead of OPEC meeting

At least 10 people, including two lawmakers, were killed in a car bomb and gun attack on a top hotel in Somalia's capital Mogadishu claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab group, medical and security sources said.
	Around 40 others were injured in the assault yesterday on the central Ambassador Hotel, where Somali security forces continued to battle Shabaab fighters into the evening, around five hours after the attack began.
	The initial blast took place at around 5:40 pm (local time).
	"The attack was started with a heavy explosion and members from the Mujahedeen fighters stormed the building," the Shabaab said in a statement.
	A security source told AFP that "a VBIED (vehicle-borne improvised explosive device) exploded" after which a firefight erupted inside the hotel complex.
	Mohamed Elmi, a witness, said the blast "destroyed the whole area."
	"I saw the dead bodies of seven people, most of them burned," he added.
	Another witness, Ibrahim Sheikh Nur, said he saw "several dead ...

'At least 10' dead in jihadist attack on Mogadishu hotel

A 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit off the Indonesian island of Sumatra early today, US seismologists said.
	The quake hit at a depth of around 50 kilometres some 140 kilometres from the city of Padang, the US Geological Survey said.

6.5-magnitude quake strikes off coast of Indonesia: USGS

6.5-magnitude quake strikes off coast of Indonesia: USGS.

The UN Security Council has strongly condemned North Korea's latest attempted missile launches and urged world governments to ramp up efforts to impose sanctions on Pyongyang.
	The council unanimously backed a US-drafted statement yesterday that demanded that North Korea "refrain from further actions, including nuclear tests", which are in violation of UN resolutions.

UN Security Council condemns N Korea's attempted missile

Two men died today in a murder- suicide at the University of California's Los Angeles campus, prompting a lockdown and a massive security deployment at the sprawling facility.
	Los Angeles police chief Charlie Beck said both victims were found with gunshot wounds in an office on campus. At least three shots were fired and a gun was found at the scene.
	"At about 10:00 this morning a homicide and a suicide occurred in the engineering facility... Of the UCLA campus on the south side," Beck told reporters. "It appears it is entirely contained."
	"There is evidence there could be a suicide note but we don't know at this point," Beck added.
	The shooting prompted a campus-wide lockdown as hundreds of officers and tactical response teams as well as federal agents rushed to the university, where students are in the middle of final exams.
	All university classes were cancelled for the day and the lockdown was lifted at around noon.
	"We are in the process of releasing the campus back to the ..

Murder-suicide triggers lockdown at California campus

A British paedophile today faced a life sentence after admitting a string of sex attacks on children as young as six months, some from poor Christian families in Malaysia.
	Richard Huckle, 30, took pictures and video footage of himself abusing the children which he uploaded to the dark web --  a hard to access part of the Internet often used for illegal activity.
	Investigators found over 20,000 indecent images on his computer, while Huckle also kept a ledger of his attacks and wrote a manual called "Paedophiles And Poverty: Child Lover Guide".
	Graphic details of dozens of sexual offences by Huckle emerged for the first time today as his sentencing hearing started in London.
	Huckle, faced a total of 91 charges including against 23 children in Kuala Lumpur, where he set himself up as an English teacher.
	His victims were aged between six months and 12 years and the offences were committed between 2006 and 2014.
	Prosecutor Brian O'Neill said the abuse often included taking ...

UK paedophile admits sex attacks on Malaysian children

Somalia's Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab today launched a deadly attack on a top Mogadishu hotel popular with MPs, setting off a car bomb and fighting security forces inside the complex, the jihadists and security sources said.
	"The attack was started with a heavy explosion and members from the Mujahedeen fighters stormed the building," the Shabaab said in a statement.
	The explosion at the Ambassador Hotel on a busy road in the heart of the city was followed by a "complex attack", a security source told AFP.
	"A VBIED (vehicle-borne improvised explosive device) exploded at the Ambassador Hotel, Makkah Almukarramah street," the source said.
	"According to latest information received there was a follow-up complex attack and the hotel was penetrated and an ongoing fire fight is in progress," the security source added.
	Somali security official Abdirasak Ahmed said there was "one civilian casualty" but witnesses said many people had died.
	"I was a few metres away from the hotel when the blast 

Shabaab claims deadly car bombing on Mogadishu hotel

Two people were confirmed dead today following a shooting at the University of California's Los Angeles campus, police said.
	   "We have confirmation of two people killed for now," police spokeswoman Jenny Houser told AFP, adding that the identity of the victims was unclear.
	   "We have two victims," police spokesman Tony Im told AFP, adding that officers were searching the sprawling campus for an armed gunman.
	   Im said the shooting was reported shortly before 10 am in Boelter Hall, which is part of the school of engineering.
	   Dozens of police cars and tactical response teams rushed to the campus and ordered all students and staff to shelter in place.

Two confirmed dead in UCLA campus shooting: police

Two people were reported shot today at the University of California's Los Angeles campus which was placed on lockdown as police searched for an active shooter.
	   "We have two victims," police spokesman Tony Im told AFP, adding that officers were searching the sprawling campus for an armed gunman.
	   Im said the shooting was reported shortly before 10 am in Boelter Hall, which is part of the school of engineering.
	   Dozens of police cars and tactical response teams rushed to the campus and ordered all students and staff to shelter in place.

US: Two people shot at UCLA campus

UCLA campus on lockdown, two possible shooting victims: US

Incessant rain in regions of Germany, France and Austria led to flash flooding today, forcing residents to seek refuge on rooftops and stranding hundreds of pupils at their school overnight, authorities said.
	In southern Bavaria state on the Austrian border, firefighters and other emergency services were dispatched to inundated towns.
	"The floods came so quickly that people had to escape to the roofs of their houses," a spokesman for the Lower Bavaria regional police said, adding that many streets were submerged.
	The town of Triftern, around 200 schoolchildren bunked down in their school, preparing to spend the night, when road access became restricted. A town spokesman said the school building itself was out of danger as it was on higher ground.
	A separate group of 27 children on a class trip together with two teachers and a chaperone ran into trouble on a boat trip down the Regen river.
	Their group of 12 boats became separated in the raging current sparked by a sudden storm and 

Flash floods maroon towns in Germany, France

At least eight elderly women were crushed to death in Mauritania today as they queued to collect money donated to the poor by a businessman, a hospital source said.
	"At least eight people were killed, all old women, and two dozen others were injured," the source said, of the stampede which took place in the capital Nouakchott at an event at which alms were being distributed. Known as "zakat", giving alms to the poor is a religious duty in the Muslim-majority country.
	The incident occurred as hundreds of poor men and women were waiting at the door of a courtyard where they were expecting to receive the cash, witnesses told AFP.
	The situation quickly spiralled out of control with organisers unable to prevent the tragedy.
	The victims were taken to the main hospital in the capital, the source said.
	In Mauritania, wealthy people hand out their alms directly, but in most Muslim states this is a role more usually taken on by the state.

AFP

AFP

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