It is believed to be the first reported death by autonomous vehicle in the US
Hello, this is Anna getting you caught up on today's news.
Tragedies of the future? - A self-driving Uber car has killed a woman in Arizona, police confirmed, in what is believed to be the first reported fatal crash involving an autonomous vehicle and a pedestrian in the US. The self-driving car hit a woman who was walking outside of the crosswalk and later died at a hospital. There was a vehicle operator inside the car at the time of the crash, but the car was in autonomous mode. Uber said in a statement on Twitter: ‘Our hearts go out to the victim’s family. We are fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation of this incident.’
French-Libya scandal - Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is currently in police custody and is being questioned over allegations that he received millions in illegal election campaign funding from the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s regime. Sarkozy, who was president from 2007 to 2012, is being questioned as part of an inquiry into whether Gaddafi and other authority members in Libya illegally financed his winning election campaign in 2007. If found to be true, the investigation is potentially France’s most explosive political financing scandal in decades. Sarkozy has dismissed the claims as ‘grotesque’.
Xi Jinping’s strong words - Chinese president and powerhouse Xi Jinping has delivered a nationalistic speech in which he warned the nation would ‘take our due place in the world’ and was ready ‘to fight bloody battles against our enemies’. The ruler also warned against attempts to threaten China’s unity at the close of the annual session of the National People’s Congress. The legislature removed term limits on Xi’s presidency, making it possible for him to rule for life. He was unanimously re-elected to a second term.
Mass hanging - Japan is thought to be preparing to execute up to 13 members of a doomsday cult in potentially the biggest round of hangings in the country in the past decade. Today marks the 23rd anniversary of Aum Shinrikyo’s sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway, which killed 13 people and caused illness to thousands more.
Bankrupt in dollars, bankrupt in morals - Harvey Weinstein's former company has filed for bankruptcy, months after the Hollywood mogul was accused of multiple sexual assaults, including rape. The Weinstein Company’s move is intended to make possible a buy-out offer from a private equity firm. The film and TV studio also said it was releasing any victims of Mr Weinstein's alleged misconduct from non-disclosure deals stopping them from speaking out.
Near-extinction - The world's last male northern white rhino has died, leaving only two females left to save the subspecies from extinction. The 45-year-old rhino named Sudan had been in poor health in recent days. A veterinary team made the decision to euthanise Sudan after his condition deteriorated significantly, the conservation group WildAid announced Tuesday.