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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Political cartoons for November 2Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include the 22nd amendment, homeless camps, and more
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‘Never more precarious’: the UN turns 80The Explainer It’s an unhappy birthday for the United Nations, which enters its ninth decade in crisis
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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
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How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
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One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
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What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
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Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
