INTERNATIONAL

A hot air balloon has caught fire and crashed in the US state of Texas, with all 16 on board confirmed dead, the Texas department of safety says. The balloon came down in fields near Lockhart, about 30 miles (50km) south of the state capital Austin. Caldwell County sheriff Daniel Law said the basket of the balloon was on fire ...

Tunisia’s parliament has passed a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Habib Essid, effectively dismissing the government of the US-trained economist. A total of 188 MPs voted to sack Mr Essid, with only three supporting him. Mr Essid, who has been in office less than two years, has faced criticism for what his opponents say is his failure to ...

The UN Security Council has authorised the deployment of a UN police force to Burundi to try to quell violence and human rights abuses in the country. The council backed a French-drafted resolution to send up to 228 police for an initial period of a year. Burundi earlier said it would accept no more than 50 police officers. More than ...

Turkey’s president has said he is withdrawing all lawsuits against people charged with insulting him. Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was inspired by the feelings of unity in the wake of the recent failed coup. But he also stepped up his attacks on nations criticising his crackdown in the wake of the coup attempt, telling them to “mind your own ...

An air strike has hit a maternity hospital supported by Save the Children in north-western Syria, killing two people and wounding three others. Syria Relief, the aid agency that manages the hospital, said those killed were relatives of patients. Save the Children said the bomb, from an air strike, hit the entrance to the hospital in rural Idlib province. Images ...

Four people suffering from the Zika virus in Florida are probably the first cases contracted within the US, state health officials say. So far, cases outside of Latin America and the Caribbean, where the virus is prevalent, have been spread by travel to that region or sexual transmission. The four Florida cases raise the chance US mosquitoes can now carry ...

Hillary Clinton has told voters the presidential election is a “moment of reckoning”, as she made history by accepting the Democratic nomination. Speaking on the final night of the party’s convention in Philadelphia, the first woman nominated by a major party said there were huge challenges. “Powerful forces are threatening to pull us apart,” she said. Mrs Clinton accused her ...

Recent attacks in Germany involving asylum-seekers would not change its willingness to take in refugees, Chancellor Angela Merkel has said. She said the attackers “wanted to undermine our sense of community, our openness and our willingness to help people in need. We firmly reject this”. But she did propose new measures to improve security. These include information sharing, deciphering web ...

US President Barack Obama has implored voters to help continue his legacy by carrying Hillary Clinton to victory at the polls in November. Mr Obama praised Mrs Clinton at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia, as the most qualified person ever to run for the White House. He said voters faced a choice between hope and fear, attacking “homegrown demagogue” Republican ...

Turkey says 8,651 members, or 1.5%, of the nation’s armed forces took part in the failed coup on 15 July. Military officials also revealed that the plotters had 35 planes, 37 helicopters, 74 tanks and three ships. Meanwhile, detention warrants have been issued for 47 journalists as part of a crackdown that has already resulted in detentions of nearly 16,000 ...