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A new report highlights the poor conditions of Russia’s roads. The latest Global Competitiveness Report 2015-2016 shows that is in 123rd position worldwide in terms of road quality. The report is based on polls carried out from Russian businessmen and assessed the quality of local roads at 2.7 points on average on a scale from 1 - 7. However this ranking is an improvement on the previous report carried out in 2012, when Russia’s roads scored 136th worldwide for quality.

A loan facility will help pay for new road development planned for Honduras. The US$150 million, 20 year loan has been approved by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI). The PIV road infrastructure scheme set out by Honduras is intended to develop the country’s network. The funding will be used on over 180kms of roads in various parts of the country.

Plans are in hand in Malaysia to build a new highway costing US$1.06 billion. The route will run from Jelapang-Selama-Batu Kawan and the proposal has been put forward by Beta Mutiara. The three-lane highway will stretch for 116km between Jelapang, Perak and Batu Kawan, Penang. Should the work get the go ahead the project would be carried out by Beta Mutiara subsidiary BMT Jelas.

State-owned Indonesian toll road firm Jasa Marga plans to increase its network by 460km by 2018. This will bring its total network to 1,050km by 2018. During 2016, Jasa Marga intends to spend US1 billion developing its toll road network and general operations. By 2018, the Trans Java toll road should be open to traffic.

Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) is warning road users to avoid driving at night in response to a series of major crashes causing multiple fatalities. The country’s roads are said to be dangerous to use at night according to the FRSC, due to a combination of inadequate markings and poor condition.

Data from Kenya’s National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) shows that there is a particular risk of serious crashes on the capital’s bypasses. In the 11 month period from January-November, 1/7th of Nairobi’s road fatalities were on the three new bypass routes. There were 50 fatalities in 2014 on the three bypasses and for the January to November 2015 period, there have been 133 deaths. Pedestrians are at most risk, accounting for 60% of fatalities, with motorcyclists and car drivers accounting for 7%

Commuters in Kenya faced traffic delays recently as a result of lions wrestling in the roadway. Two lions chose the middle of a road as a suitable spot for a test of their strength. Located on the edge of a game park and close to capital Nairobi, the road carries heavy traffic on occasion and drivers were forced to wait until the animals had concluded their battle. Unsurprisingly, none of the drivers felt compelled to shoo the animals away.

The person who rented a 458 Italia in the UK may wish having paid slightly more for full insurance cover. The sporty red Ferrari, which has a top speed of 323km/h, was driven into a terraced house in the town of Luton, just to the north of London. The car was seriously damaged and had to be written off, much to the chagrin of the rental firm, while the 29 year old driver lost his €7,094.56 deposit. Quite how the driver, who had rented the high performance sportscar for a wedding, managed to crash into a hou

A female Australian cattle herder has attracted unwanted attention from a peculiar angle. The woman was riding a quad bike while herding dairy cattle for milking when a koala bear started pursuing her. The woman was concerned for her safety as the animal has sharp claws and accelerated away, with the koala also speeding up in hot pursuit. Luckily the woman was able to elude her pursuer without harm to either herself, or the errant koala.

The British queen is known as an enthusiastic driver, particularly for off-roading, but despite never having held a licence or sat a driving test. A legal anomaly means she has been able to drive without a licence although she did undergo training by the British Army when she served as a driver during WWII. Her off road driving skills are well known, particularly when at the wheel of her favoured Land Rovers. On one occasion during a formal visit by a previous Saudi king, he was surprised when she sat behin