2 Covid deaths in care home | UK, US and Australia form landmark security pact

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The UK, US and Australia have announced a historic security pact in the Asia-Pacific, in what's seen as an effort to counter China.

It will let Australia build nuclear-powered submarines for the first time, using technology provided by the US. Australia will become just the seventh nation in the world to operate nuclear-powered submarines, after the US, UK, France, China, India and Russia.

Downing Street said the Aukus alliance "is a concrete articulation of the UK’s ambition, made in the integrated review, to deepen defence, security and foreign policy ties with like-minded allies across the globe."

'Muscular unionism'

In matters closer to home, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has warned Boris Johnson to drop his “muscular unionism” approach to devolution as new polling revealed people in all nations of the UK are “moving closer together” in their shared values.

Writing in The Scotsman Mr Brown said polling for his think-tank Our Scottish Future showed Scots wanted more co-operation rather than confrontation between the Scottish and UK governments and accused Mr Johnson of seeking to “bypass co-operation and impose his view on Scotland".

Covid outbreak

Two residents have died and others have tested positive amid a Covid outbreak at a Scottish care home.

A total of 12 residents and staff have tested positive for the virus since the first cases were detected last week. Scotland recorded 4,917 new cases yesterday and 30 coronavirus-linked deaths since the day before.

Read on for more of today's headlines.

Today's top stories

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