According to urban water experts, recycled drinking water is about to become reality for Australians with population booms and climate change leaving us no option.

State governments across the country have always ruled out recycled water as an option, which was a key reason desalination plants were built in many capital cities.

"I believe it will happen in the next decade for one of our capital cities on the east coast," Water Services Association of Australia executive director Adam Lovell said.

Engineers and university officials met hours before a pedestrian bridge collapsed in southern Florida on Thursday, killing six people, but concluded a crack in the structure was not a safety concern, Florida International University said on Saturday.

The private contractor responsible for the bridge design "concluded there were no safety concerns and the crack did not compromise the structural integrity of the bridge," the university said in a statement.

Russian President Vladimir has won re-election with a landslide victory and has secured another 6 year term in charge of the world’s largest country.

With only 50% of the vote counted Mr Putin had received 75% of the vote, the Russian Central Election Commission said.

Addressing a rally in Moscow after the early results were declared, Mr Putin said voters had "recognised the achievements of the last few years". The main opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, was barred from the race.

NASA research has confirmed that an astronaut’s DNA is no longer identical to his twin brother, after spending a year in space.

30,000 jobs are under threat in the United States, as Toys R Us has been forced to close or sell its 885 stores after failing to find a buyer.

The Australian Government has forced individuals who are above the Centrelink threshold to repay more than 40 million dollars.

A candlelight vigil was held in Central Queensland for a Tamil Asylum seeker family about to be deported after being denied refugee status.