Australia: Car-free superblocks could be introduced in Melbourne's CBD to tackle population growth, and reduce overcrowding and congestion. The zones, already used in Barcelona, Spain, could be introduced in parts of the CBD, with shared spaces prioritised for walking, cycling, residents' cars and deliveries, and speed limits reduced to 10km/h. Other ideas include imposing a 30km/h speed limit for the city grid and reducing pedestrian light wait times, the City of Melbourne says. "Pedestrian crowd crush is a big issue in Melbourne and with the number of people in our city set to grow by 50 per cent in the next 20 years, we need to think about how we address that," City of Melbourne Councillor Nicolas Frances Gilley said. Reducing vehicle access in the CBD could also help prevent car attacks like the deadly rampages on Bourke and Flinders streets last year.
United States: In a marked change in tone, the White House says US President Donald Trump is not okay with recent revelations involving the embattled head of the Environmental Protection Agency. For his part, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is denying he knew about big raises given to two of his closest aides and insisting he did nothing wrong in renting a bargain-priced condo tied to an energy lobbyist. Pruitt spoke in a series of interviews with Fox News and other conservative media outlets in an attempt to shore up his eroding position in an Administration that has seen other top officials depart after ethical missteps.
Science: Research has shown eating broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and brussels sprouts to be particularly beneficial for the hearts of elderly women. A University of Western Australia study of more than 950 women aged 70 and older found those who ate more vegetables had thinner artery walls. A thickening of the artery walls, known as atherosclerosis, is an underlying cause of cardiovascular disease. Published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the study showed cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli proved the most beneficial.
Saudi Arabia: The kingdom's first cinema in more than 35 years will open on April 18 in the capital Riyadh, authorities say after agreeing with AMC Entertainment Holdings to open up to 40 theatres over the next five years. Movie theatres will not be segregated by gender like most other public places in the deeply conservative country, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Saudi Arabia had cinemas in the 1970s but its powerful clerics closed them. Despite the cinema ban, Hollywood films and recent television series are widely watched at home and discussed in Saudi Arabia.
Sierra Leone: The country's election commission declared main opposition candidate Julius Maada Bio as the West African nation's new president, giving the opposition party its first presidency in 10 years. Bio won a runoff vote with 51.8 per cent of valid votes cast, the National Electoral Commission said. The former military leader running for the Sierra Leone Peoples Party beat ruling party candidate Samura Kamara, who received 48.1 per cent of the votes.
Australia: A thrill-seeking man is recovering in hospital after surviving a paraglider crash in southern Tasmania. The 46-year-old South Hobart man suffered non-life threatening injuries after crashing his glider in the Tasmanian National Park at Arthurs Peak. Paramedics treated the man at the scene, overlooking Eaglehawk Neck and on steep and rocky terrain, before he was winched to safety and transferred to the Royal Hobart Hospital in a stable condition.
United States: Law enforcement agencies have seized over 100 homes in the Sacramento, California-area this week as part of a sweeping crackdown on a criminal marijuana-growing operation funded by China-based criminal groups. In a two-day sweep, the Justice Department said hundreds of federal agents and local police executed search warrants at about 74 homes and two business offices believed to be used for marijuana-growing operations. At the same time, the Justice Department filed civil forfeiture actions against 100 homes, a legal action allowing the government to confiscate assets if there is probable cause to believe a crime was committed.
Sri Lanka: The country's leader comfortably overcame a no-faith vote, strengthening his hand within the unity government formed by parties traditionally opposed to each other. The motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe brought by MPs supporting the country's former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa and debated in Parliament received 76 votes in favour and 122 against. The parties within the unity government are led by Wickremesinghe and President Maithripala Sirisena. The main allegation against Wickremesinghe involved his appointment of a Singaporean as the central bank governor who is now accused of leaking inside information to benefit his son-in-law in a treasury bond sale.
