The Belgian death metal band Omicron will not be changing its name despite sharing it with the new Covid-19 variant. Philippe Delhaute, the group’s founder and lead guitarist, told Sky News that things got “really crazy” when the latest mutation hit the headlines. But the group decided to keep their name in the hope that it might lead to more people listening to their music and help vanquish “the bad association with Omicron”.
‘Nana Baubles’ breaks Christmas record
A woman nicknamed “Nana Baubles” has broken the record for the world’s largest collection of Christmas ornaments. Sylvia Pope’s collection spreads throughout her home in Swansea, with baubles hanging from the ceilings, as well as from the outside of her house. She currently has over 1,700 baubles and she predicts the number will go well over 2,000 in the next year or two.
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Don’t ask someone in their sixties when they will retire
An employment tribunal has ruled that asking someone in their sixties when they are going to retire is age discrimination. An employment judge said that someone in their thirties would not be asked about their plans to stop work because they could not start taking their pension, meaning that raising the prospect of retirement to someone approaching pensionable age was “unfavourable treatment”. A civil servant in his sixties had sued the Ministry of Defence after an HR manager asked him about his plans for retirement.
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Is Europe finally taking the war to Russia?Today's Big Question As Moscow’s drone buzzes and cyberattacks increase, European leaders are taking a more openly aggressive stance
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How coupling up became cringeTalking Point For some younger women, going out with a man – or worse, marrying one – is distinctly uncool
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The rapid-fire brilliance of Tom StoppardIn the Spotlight The 88-year-old was a playwright of dazzling wit and complex ideas
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Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
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Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
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Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
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Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
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Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
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Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
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Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
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China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
