International

The US government has approved the sale to Saudi Arabia of its advanced Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) missile defence system.
     The State Department said the $15bn (£11.5bn) deal furthered US national security and foreign policy interests.
     It would boost Saudi and Gulf security against Iranian and other regional threats, the state department added.
     The announcement comes a day after Saudi Arabia agreed to buy air defence systems from Russia. The deal would not alter the military balance in the region, the Pentagon's Defense Security Co-operation Agency said.
     Thaad systems are being deployed in South Korea to protect against a possible missile attack from North Korea.