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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The week's best photosIn Pictures A human pyramid, a church on wheels, and more
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The Week Unwrapped: Is it time for a new world map?Podcast Plus, why is the pope getting flatmates? And why are seagull 'muggings' on the rise?
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Ford Ranger Plug-in Hybrid: 'more than just a novelty'The Week Recommends Europe's first plug-in hybrid pickup is 'surprisingly agile'
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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
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Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
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'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
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The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarrayIn the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
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Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
