INTERNATIONAL

A man who stole an empty passenger plane from Seattle airport and then crashed it was an airline worker with full credentials, authorities say. The 29-year-old had worked for Horizon Air for more than three years, towing and tidying aircraft and loading bags. The man, named by US media as Richard Russell, took off late on Friday, forcing the airport ...

Thailand has granted citizenship to the coach and three members of a football team dramatically rescued from a flooded cave last month. During their ordeal, it emerged that the boys and their coach were among around 480,000 stateless people living in the south-east Asian country. It prompted calls to fast-track their citizenship applications. The four were part of a 13-strong ...

Argentina’s senate has rejected a bill which would have legalised abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. After a marathon debate, 38 senators voted against it and 31 in favour. Its defeat means lawmakers must wait until next year to resubmit legislation. Currently abortion is allowed in Argentina only in cases of rape, or if the mother’s health is ...

One of Japan’s most prestigious medical universities has apologised for tampering with entrance exam scores to limit its intake of female students. An internal investigation found that Tokyo Medical University (TMU) had been manipulating the scores of female applicants from as early as 2006. It also marked down the scores of male applicants who had taken the entrance test at ...

Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales (NSW), is now entirely in drought, officials have confirmed. A dry winter has intensified what has been called the worst drought in living memory in parts of eastern Australia. NSW produces about a quarter of Australia’s agricultural output. It was officially listed as “100% in drought” on Wednesday. The state and federal governments ...

Parts of Frankfurt Airport were evacuated on Tuesday and dozens of flights cancelled after a French family of four got past security despite a positive test for explosives. Police blamed “an error by a security officer”. It led to boarding being halted and a partial evacuation of Terminal 1. The family were later found, questioned and allowed to travel on. ...

US President Donald Trump has issued a strong warning to anyone trading with Iran, following his re-imposition of sanctions on the country. “Anyone doing business with Iran will NOT be doing business with the United States,” the president tweeted. Some re-imposed sanctions took effect overnight and tougher ones relating to oil exports will begin in November. Iran’s president said the ...

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has hit out at the United States over its reinstatement of economic sanctions. He described the measures, which came into effect overnight, as “psychological warfare” which aimed to “sow division among Iranians”. The sanctions take aim at various sectors, with further punitive action planned against Iran’s oil trade. The European Union has spoken out against the ...

Australia’s population will reach 25 million for the first time on Tuesday, according to official estimates. The milestone, driven significantly by migration, has magnified debate about the merits of a “big or little” Australia, and congestion in cities. The most contentious aspect has been migration: is it growing too fast, or will it continue to benefit the nation? As urban ...

Businesses are shut in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, as people celebrate the signing of a power-sharing deal aimed at ending a brutal five-year civil war. The deal will see rebel leader Riek Machar return to government as one of five vice-presidents. He and President Salva Kiir signed the agreement in neighbouring Sudan. Tens of thousands of people have been killed ...