Grant Bailey was working as security consultant in Kabul where he liaised with US state departmentA British man is missing in Afghanistan after a report he has been detained by the Taliban. Grant Bailey was arrested in the Afghan capital, Kabul, where …
Astronomers on tenterhooks as $10bn James Webb telescope set for lift off
Nasa’s flagship mission counts down to launch at 1220 GMT on Christmas Day from Kourou, French GuianaFinal checks and fuelling are under way for the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, a flagship mission for Nasa that aims to observe worlds beyon…
Queen expected to strike personal tone in Christmas Day message
Photograph of TV address released by palace shows Queen sitting next to a portrait of her and Prince PhilipThe Queen’s Christmas Day message is expected to be a particularly personal one this year, her first since the death of the Duke of Edinburgh.A p…
Covid news live: Omicron carries lower hospitalisation risk, studies suggest; South Korea marks deadliest day of pandemic
Two British studies report Omicron patients were hospitalised less than those with Delta; South Korea reports a record 109 deaths from Covid in one day as pressure on medical services mountsChina locks down 13 million people in northern city of Xi’anRi…
Essential workers thousand of pounds worse off than a decade ago, TUC says
Nurses, care home staff and police officers have had real pay cuts since 2010 as wages lag behind pricesNurses, care home staff and police officers working on Christmas Day will be thousands of pounds worse off than they were a decade ago as a result o…
NHS England to offer life-changing drug to children with peanut allergy
Up to 600 children in the first year and 2,000 the year after will be among first in Europe to receive Palforzia treatmentChildren in the UK will be the first in Europe to receive a life-changing treatment for peanut allergies, after NHS England secure…
Charity says 16,000 UK children could be exposed to domestic abuse at Christmas
Early Intervention Foundation calls on ministers to commit to funding specialist support services in new yearAlmost 16,000 children in the UK could be exposed to domestic abuse this Christmas, a leading research charity has estimated, calling on minist…
Ministers pledge to ‘reset the dial’ on women’s health in England
After 100,000 women voiced concerns, plans include menopause support, GP training and banning ‘virginity repair’ operationsFinally the UK has noticed its rampant sexism in healthcare. What now?A strategy for women’s health in England: six areas of focu…
200,000 UK children could be made homeless this winter, warns Shelter
Charity says that ‘Thousands of families are teetering on a cliff-edge’ An estimated 200,000 children are at risk of being left homeless this winter, charity Shelter said.A poll carried out by YouGov for Shelter found that 104,000 families in privately…
Gary Walker: ex-police officer freed after retrial over 2003 death of girlfriend
Former officer found not guilty of murdering Audra Bancroft more than 17 years after convictionA former police officer who spent more than 17 years in prison after being convicted of killing his pregnant partner has been freed after being found not gui…