UK

British forces going back to Afghanistan is “not on the cards”, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has told Sky News. Mr Wallace said it was not yet the right time to decide on whether to recognise the Taliban as the Afghan government. “I think there is a lot of more to come before those decisions are

The UK and the US are facing criticism over their handling of the deepening crisis in Afghanistan. Donald Trump has called for Joe Biden to resign in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover – describing the current situation as a “disgrace”. In a statement, the former president wrote: “What Joe Biden has done with Afghanistan

People who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus no longer have to isolate if they come into contact with someone who has tested positive. From today, people in England who have had both doses or are under 18 will not have to spend 10 days in quarantine if they are a contact of a positive case.

The UK has recorded another 29,520 coronavirus cases, according to the latest daily figures. A further 93 people have died within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test, daily government figures show – taking the total figure to 130,894 since the start of the pandemic. On Friday, 32,700 new infections and 100 deaths were recorded

The mother of Plymouth gunman Jake Davison has been named as one of the five victims of the mass shooting. Maxine Davison, also known as Maxine Chapman, aged 51, was the 22-year-old’s mother, Devon and Cornwall Police have confirmed. Jake Davison, 22, first killed his mother on Biddick Drive in Keyham on Thursday evening in

A “very young girl” was among those shot dead by a gunman who killed four other people in Plymouth before shooting himself, police have said. Devon and Cornwall Police Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer said the girl was shot dead by 22-year-old Jake Davison, while two people remain in hospital with “significant injuries”. Speaking at a

Six people – including a suspected gunman – have died following a shooting in Plymouth, police have confirmed. Two females and two males were found dead at the scene in the Keyham area of the city – along with a man who has been described as the suspected offender. All are believed to have died

The number of alerts sent to users of the NHS COVID-19 app in England and Wales has fallen by 20%. A total of 317,132 alerts were sent to users in the week to 4 August telling them they had been in close contact with someone who had tested positive for coronavirus – a drop of

The UK has recorded 29,612 new COVID-19 cases and 104 more coronavirus-related deaths in the latest 24-hour period, according to the latest government figures. The figures compare to 23,510 infections and 146 coronavirus-related fatalities reported on Tuesday – the highest number of daily COVID-19 deaths since 12 March, when 175 were recorded. Last Wednesday, there

The government needs to stop “dragging their heels” and address pension disparity for some Gurkha veterans, Labour has said. Speaking to Kay Burley, shadow armed forces minister Stephen Morgan said it was “outrageous the inequality continues”. A group of Gurkhas is staging a hunger strike opposite Downing Street, with their demonstration having now entered its

The UK has recorded 23,510 new COVID-19 cases and 146 more coronavirus-related deaths in the latest 24-hour period, according to government data.  The figures compare with 25,161 infections and 37 fatalities reported on Monday, while last Tuesday 29,703 cases and 62 deaths were announced. The number deaths reported today is the highest daily total since

A-level students have received more A and A* grades this year than ever before after exams were cancelled for a second time due to the coronavirus pandemic. A-level, AS-level and GSCE exams were cancelled in January due to the ongoing disruption caused by COVID-19. Instead teachers used mock results, coursework and in-class assessments to determine

A lawsuit has been filed in the US accusing Prince Andrew of sexually abusing Virginia Giuffre, according to one of her lawyers. Ms Giuffre claims she was a victim of late financier and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. She has previously said she was made to have sex when she was 17 with Prince Andrew, who

Scotland has removed most of its remaining coronavirus restrictions, but people must continue to wear face masks on public transport and inside public places. The country has moved to Level 0 from today, meaning all legal requirements for physical distancing – except in health care settings – and gatherings have been removed and all venues,

The health secretary has asked the competition watchdog to investigate the market for PCR tests amid concerns of “exploitative practices” and vastly different costs. Sajid Javid wrote to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) requesting a “rapid high-level” review to protect travellers. PCR tests, which use a swab to detect coronavirus on the tonsils and

Team GB’s Jason Kenny has become the most decorated British Olympian ever, winning his seventh gold medal with victory in the men’s keirin cycling final on the last day of the Tokyo Olympics. Kenny comfortably won the keirin final after making an early move to leave the leading pack trailing. Malaysia’s Mohd Azizulhasni and Dutch