Portugal and Mauritius removed from England's 'travel ban' red list

Portugal, including Madeira and the Azores, is being removed from England's COVID travel red list - meaning returning Britons no longer have to quarantine when they come home.

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  • 'Brideshead' for Roman elite found at Scarborough housing estate

    A Roman “Brideshead” has been unearthed at a planned Scarborough housing estate, and archaeologists believe it may be the first and only one of its kind. The building complex dating from the period of Roman rule, between 43 AD and 410 AD, consists of a circular room with adjoining chambers built to a design “never seen before in Britain”. Archaeologists believe the complex which functioned like a “gentlemen's club” for the wealthy elite could also be the first of its kind to be discovered within the entire former Roman Empire. The site in North Yorkshire was assessed by Historic England after it became clear ruins discovered on the Keepmoat Homes housing development were more significant than first thought. Keith Emerick, inspector of ancient monuments at Historic England, told The Daily Telegraph: “It could be a bit like Brideshead Revisited, like a modern stately home with the equivalent of a chapel attached." The Flyte family own a chapel within their property at Brideshead in Evelyn Waugh's novel. “We’re working to ascertain a potentially religious function of the building," Mr Emerick added.

  • Prince Philip: Royal Family releases Kate's photo of Queen and duke with seven great-grandchildren

    The Royal Family has released new photographs of the Duke of Edinburgh following his death at the age of 99. The previously unseen photo shows Prince Louis cradled in the arms of the Queen, a rare image of the monarch holding one of her 10 great-grandchildren. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's other children Prince George and Princess Charlotte are on either side of the monarch.

  • Ivanka Trump causes MAGA meltdown after sharing photograph getting vaccine

    Trump supporters called Ivanka a ‘disappointment’ for getting the jab

  • Leading Polish government critic should leave ombudsman role, says court

    WARSAW (Reuters) -Poland's Constitutional Tribunal ruled on Thursday that the human rights ombudsman be removed from his post, drawing opposition accusations that the court sought to illegally end the mandate of a staunch government critic. After the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) won power in 2015, Adam Bodnar emerged as a leading defender of liberal values such as women's and minority rights, as well as judicial independence, which critics say are under threat from PiS. His five-year term ended in September, but parliament could not agree on a replacement, with the lower and upper houses controlled, respectively, by the government and the opposition.

  • Ted Cruz among six Republicans to vote down bill to end anti-Asian hate crimes

    The lawmakers voted with a majority of 92 against 6 in the Senate

  • Fox News pundits outraged that word ‘mistress’ has been ‘canceled’

    ‘They could not break one of the 10 commandments and just be faithful to their marrieds,’ host says

  • Prince Philip news – live: Prince Charles ‘close to tears’ while viewing tributes to father

    Follow for the latest developments

  • Emmerdale: Sam Dingle actor James Hooton causes controversy with post about Covid vaccine

    ‘You’ve only considered yourself in your decision,’ one person wrote

  • Biden expels Russian diplomats and announces new sanctions in retaliation for hacking

    Sanctions follow allegations of election interference and a hacking campaign

  • No10 gently knocks back Justin Trudeau’s claim UK facing ‘very serious’ Covid third wave

    Downing Street gently knocked back Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claim that the UK is facing a “very serious third wave” on Thursday. Mr Trudeau made the comment and referred to the UK’s successful vaccine roll out as he tried to justify keeping tough restrictions on Canadians.

  • Mixing Covid vaccines 'may give better long-term protection'

    Mixing vaccines could improve protection against coronavirus, a senior government scientific adviser has said. Prof Anthony Harnden, deputy chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said different vaccine types could coalesce to boost the immune system and provide a longer-lasting response. He also said a "mix and match" approach could make future rollouts more flexible. It comes after planners were forced to rethink phase 2 of the rollout, which started on Tuesday, after the JCVI recommended people aged 18 to 29 have an alternative to the AstraZeneca jab due to blood clotting concerns. Currently only two other vaccines - Pfizer and Moderna - have received regulatory approval in the UK. The promise of 30 million one-jab Johnson & Johnson doses in the summer suffered a setback this week after US regulators suspended its use, also due to fears over clotting. Prof Harnden said: "If we can mix and match, we'll get much better flexibility - we will be able to potentially use different vaccine booster campaigns in the autumn. And, in fact, mixed schedules may - and this is a big may - but they may give better longer-term protection, and that will be very interesting to see."

  • U-turn on register for serial domestic abuse and stalking perpetrators will leave ‘gaping hole’, government warned

    Exclusive: Yvette Cooper warns not introducing register will result in a gap in resources for tackling violence against women and girls

  • Jurgen Klopp rues missed chances as Liverpool knocked out of Champions League

    Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was left to rue their dire first-leg performance against Real Madrid as his side exited the Champions League with barely a whimper. The hosts could not fashion another of their famous European comebacks as despite registering 15 shots they managed just four on target and Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was barely tested. But what really cost them was their performance in the Spanish capital for last week's first leg when their opening 45 minutes was woeful and led to them losing 3-1.

  • University forced to apologise to PhD student reprimanded over ‘transphobic’ tweets

    University of Huddersfield must apologise to and compensate a PHD student reprimanded over anti-trans tweets and blog posts.

  • A tearful Prince Charles makes first public engagement since Prince Philip's death as he inspects flowers and tributes

    The Prince of Wales appeared close to tears as he inspected the many flowers and tributes left for his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, by well-wishers today. Prince Charles, 72, accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall, was clearly moved as he paid an emotional visit to Marlborough House Gardens to read some of the messages left by members of the public, his first engagement since the Duke’s death. Dressed in a blue suit with black tie, he bent to read the tributes, at times looking almost overcome by grief. The Duchess, dressed in black, also looked solemn as she bent to look at the messages, paying particular attention to a model Land Rover with the words “The Duke R.I.P” written on the roof. The flowers are among those left at Buckingham Palace and other royal residences. Although the Royal family asked members of the public to make a donation to charity in the Duke’s memory, rather than leave flowers, many opted to pay their respects in the traditional fashion. Each evening, the tributes are taken, with great care, to the private gardens at Marlborough House at St James’s Palace to be laid out by police officers.

  • Covid eight times more likely to cause rare brain clot than AstraZeneca vaccine, study finds

    ‘Covid-19 risk is higher than seen with current vaccines, even for those under 30,’ says study co-author

  • Race To Replace Len McCluskey Starts As Unite Triggers General Secretary Election

    With successor expected in place by late August, both left and right candidates declare it’s time for “change”

  • Covid-19 rates drop below 100 per 100,000 in all local areas of UK

    The last time the entire country recorded rates below 100 was at the start of September.

  • ‘If we don’t support them we’ll never get them back’: Punters brave Covid and the cold in return to the pub

    After months of disruption, Vincent Wood reports, a minority of the nation’s pubs are getting back to business – weather permitting

  • Do the Russians want a war? Tanks, guns, and a new military camp on Ukraine’s doorstep

    Oliver Carroll travelled towards the Russian-Ukrainian border to assess claims Moscow is readying itself for a major surge in fighting