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The first single she bought was by Queen and she belts out Joan Jett at karaoke, but what gets the presenter going at the Zoom disco?The last song I streamed

When Barry Harris retired after 40 years, his wife told him to find something new. Driving gave him fun, freedom and friendship – and the spur to start changing his lifeAfter Barry Harris retired, he was “hanging around the house, slipping into the daytime telly routine”. His wife, a midwife, must have felt troubled by that, because she told him: “Just find something to do! Volunteer or something.”Harris had spent 40 years as a graphic designer, working his way up from a paste-up artist after graduating from art school till he retired as a freelance in the packaging sector. All that time he lived in Warrington, Cheshire, where the couple’s four children were born. It’s a long time in one place and one profession, and perhaps why, when pushed to act, he popped into a local job agency. “I just asked: ‘What have you got?’ And they said: ‘Can you drive?’”Tell us: has your life taken a new direction after the age of 60? Continue reading...

Charlotte Bellis, a journalist, says she was forced to return to Afghanistan after her application was met with ‘clauses and technicalities and confusion’The New Zealand government has defended its strict quarantine system known as MIQ after a pregnant New Zealand journalist said she had to turn to the Taliban for help after her requests to get back to her own country were rejected.Charlotte Bellis discovered she was pregnant a short time after gaining international attention in 2021 for questioning Taliban leaders about their treatment of women and girls. She is due to give birth in May. Continue reading...

Omicron’s ‘close cousin’ has mutations that could alter how it behaves and has begun to surpass Covid’s most common variety in parts of Europe and Asia

Many European countries are a step ahead of the British government, which has yet to announce plans to help homes facing annual bills of almost £2,000

England manager wants millions to take part in neighbourhood celebrations for ‘National Thank You Day’Gareth Southgate is hoping to help lead what could be the UK’s biggest ever appreciation party during the Queen’s jubilee celebrations.The England manager – alongside celebrities including Ross Kemp, Gary Lineker and Levi Roots – is aiming to encourage millions of people to take part in neighbourhood parties across the country in June celebrating community spirit and the Queen on what they have dubbed National Thank You Day. Continue reading...

The man behind Something Inside So Strong and It Must Be Love talks about his half-century in music, coming out in the 70s – and his menage a trois on a Welsh mountainBefore meeting Labi Siffre, I am intrigued by the varied reactions I get when mentioning his name. Many people I speak to have never heard of him. Some remember his 80s anthem Something Inside So Strong. Others are dimly aware of a solo career before that.And then there are those whose eyes light up – those who, like me, regard him as one of the key figures in British pop history, and wonder why he’s not celebrated as such. “Labi Siffre’s fingerprints have been on popular music for many decades now,” wrote the electronic musician Matthew Herbert in 2012. “But his actual voice is rarely heard.” Continue reading...

Pictures appear to capture the missile rising from its launcher and a shot looking back down on EarthNorth Korea has released images it claims show the test-firing this weekend of its biggest missile for several years, as it attempts to use launches of weapons capable of reaching US territories to pressure the Biden administration into restarting nuclear talks.The state-run KCNA news agency said on Monday the country had launched an intermediate-range Hwasong-12 missile capable of reaching the US Pacific territory of Guam. The missile was the most powerful the regime has tested since late 2017. Continue reading...

Prime minister Antonio Costa says parliamentary victory ‘doesn’t mean absolute power’ but he will no longer need to negotiate to form a coalitionDefying all odds, Portugal’s ruling centre-left Socialists won an outright parliamentary majority in Sunday’s snap general election, securing a strong new mandate for the prime minister, Antonio Costa.The result, boosted by a higher than expected turnout despite the coronavirus pandemic, came as a surprise after the Socialists had lost most of their advantage in recent opinion polls. It means Portugal will have a stable government to oversee the application of EU pandemic recovery funds. Continue reading...

Enrolment form for Citipointe Christian College also stipulates students should identify ‘with the gender that God bestowed’

Extrajudicial killings allegedly carried out despite Taliban assurances of safety for those linked to previous leadership or foreign forcesThe United Nations says it has received “credible allegations” that more than 100 members of the ousted Afghan government, its security forces and those who worked with international troops have been killed since the Taliban took over on 15 August.Secretary general Antonio Guterres said in a report that “more than two thirds” of the deaths were alleged to have resulted from extrajudicial killings by the Taliban or its affiliates, despite the Taliban’s announcement of “general amnesties” for those affiliated with the former government and US-led coalition forces. Continue reading...

As the Winter Olympics nears, the Chinese capital has locked down some neighbourhoods and is setting up 19 testing pointsBeijing officials have sealed off several residential communities north of the city centre after two cases of Covid-19 were found as the Chinese capital prepares to host the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday.Another 34 cases were confirmed among athletes and others who have come for the Games, the organising committee said. In all, 211 people have tested positive among more than 8,000 who had arrived by the end of Saturday. They include a Swedish cross-country skier and a snowboarder from Slovenia. Continue reading...

We want to hear from readers in Aotearoa about how rising inflation is affecting them and how they are dealing with itInflation in Aotearoa has hit a three-decade high, and New Zealand households are facing an increase in food, petrol and housing costs. It’s showing no sign of slowing – inflation hit 5.9% at the end of 2021, and ANZ, New Zealand’s biggest bank, expects it to continue rising in 2022.We’d like to hear from readers in New Zealand about whether you’ve noticed increasing prices, and how you’re managing financially in this climate: have certain essentials become unaffordable recently? What are they? Are rising prices affecting the way you shop, or your cooking and budgeting? Where have you noticed changes the most? Are you pushing for more pay from your employer, or trying other strategies to cope with the pressure of rising living costs? What are your concerns for the year ahead? Continue reading...

Report says heightened dangers have prompted at least six to leave and many others to develop emergency exit plansThe Chinese government is finding new ways to intimidate foreign journalists, their Chinese colleagues and their sources, and harassment has reached such a high level that at least six have left the country, according to a key report.The methods include online trolling, physical assaults, hacking and visa denials, as well as what appears to be official encouragement of lawsuits or threats of legal action against journalists, “typically filed by sources long after they have explicitly agreed to be interviewed”. Continue reading...

City records coldest January day in nearly a decade while temperatures across month plummet 2-6C below normalIndia’s capital, New Delhi, is shivering through an unusually harsh bout of winter cold, blamed for killing scores of homeless people and leaving other hard-up residents struggling to keep warm.The sprawling city’s 20 million inhabitants are accustomed to year-round weather extremes, from blistering summer heat to torrential downpours and thick, toxic smog at the end of autumn. Continue reading...

Resolution Foundation thinktank report says third of ‘returners’ on temporary or zero-hours contractsYoung people who lost their jobs during the pandemic in the UK have returned to less secure work, often in gig economy roles, according to research from a leading thinktank, which also found almost 50,000 more men under the age of 24 are now economically inactive.A report by the Resolution Foundation published on Monday found young people had returned to work rapidly in late 2021, with unemployment now slightly lower than pre-pandemic levels, but a third of the 18- to 34-year-olds back in the workplace were now in atypical, insecure work. Continue reading...

PM hopes to move on from parties scandal with plans to make it easier to scrap EU laws and tackle cost of living crisisBoris Johnson will attempt to seize back control of the government agenda this week with a policy blitz, a Brexit bill and flying visit to Ukraine, as Westminster remains in the grip of paralysis over the Sue Gray and police inquiries into No 10 parties.Amid frustration in No 10 at the uncertainty surrounding the report on rule-breaking parties in Downing Street, sources said Johnson was determined to deflect public outrage with a schedule of high-profile announcements and photo opportunities that he also hopes will show MPs he remains focused. Continue reading...

Over 14,000 homes in Scotland and north-east England have no electricity, and await 90mph winds in fresh stormThousands of homes in Scotland and north-east England are still without power after Storm Malik hit, as northern parts of the UK brace for winds of up to 90mph with the arrival of Storm Corrie.Northern Powergrid, which supplies north-east England, confirmed 7,000 homes were still without power on Sunday evening. The Scottish government said that about 7,500 households are expected to be without power by the end of Sunday and warned they could be waiting until Tuesday before their service will be restored. Continue reading...

Exit polls suggest party led by prime minister António Costa could secure surprise outright majorityPortugal’s ruling Socialist party is on course to win the country’s snap general election and could even secure a surprise outright majority, according to three exit polls released on Sunday evening.The Socialists, led by prime minister António Costa, are projected to win between 37% and 42.5% of the vote, taking between 100 and 118 seats in Portugal’s 230-seat parliament. Continue reading...

Ex-minister ranked top, but others dismiss poll to find candidate with fighting chance of unseating MacronA four-day “people’s primary” has picked the former justice minister Christiane Taubira as the favourite to lead the French left’s presidential election campaign, but doubts remain whether she will be able to win wider support as a unifying figure.A total of 467,000 people signed up for the online vote, which started on Thursday. They where asked to rank five professional politicians and two civil society candidates on a scale from “very good” to “inadequate”. Continue reading...

Call comes after Nato stresses need for EU countries to reduce dependence on Russian natural gasKyiv has urged Moscow to pull back its troops from Ukraine’s border and continue dialogue with the west if it is “serious” about de-escalating tensions that have soared amid fears of a Russian invasion.“If Russian officials are serious when they say they don’t want a new war, Russia must continue diplomatic engagement and pull back military forces it amassed along Ukraine’s borders and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine,” Kyiv’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, tweeted on Sunday. Continue reading...

Readers on the fallout from the delay in Sue Gray’s report on Downing Street parties during Covid lockdownsWe find ourselves in the dreadful position that both those running the country and those in charge of our largest police force are accused of misusing their positions (Sue Gray report: redacted version is imminent, say government sources, 28 January).On top of a series of scandals – including the Sarah Everard murder, the mishandling of the vigil on Clapham Common, and accusations of institutional corruption – the speculation about the Metropolitan police’s recent decisions over the Sue Gray report are potentially devastating. It is unclear why the police initially refused to become involved, only then at the last moment to intervene, and to intervene in a way that seems destined to affect the political process. Continue reading...

Sylvan Adams, co-owner of the Israel Start-Up Nation pro cycling team, says his sports initiatives look to build bonds of coexistence and understandingJonathan Liew’s decision to attack my support for sports projects in Israel as “sportswashing” is perhaps the most ringing endorsement of why such bridge-building efforts are needed (Sportswashing is associated with certain countries – why not Israel?, 24 January).When our liberal and open country holds its massive annual Gay Pride parade – the largest (if not the only one) in the Middle East, Israel is accused of “pinkwashing”. When Israel leads in environmental issues and breakthroughs in climate change technologies, Israel is accused of “greenwashing”. When our generous and supremely capable NGOs like IsraAid or Save a Child’s Heart provide support to communities in need around the world, we are accused of “aidwashing”. Continue reading...

Cevian is seeking turnaround at telecoms firm whose share price has been falling for yearsVodafone has been targeted by the activist investor Cevian, prompting speculation that the telecoms giant will come under pressure to overhaul its faltering global business.The Swedish investment firm has built up holdings in Vodafone in recent months, according to sources quoted by Bloomberg, privately piling pressure on the firm to improve its performance. Continue reading...

Police say they have seen ‘social media images and videos posted by a woman reporting incidents of physical violence’A man in his 20s has been arrested on suspicion of rape and assault after Manchester United suspended the footballer Mason Greenwood, police have said.Greater Manchester police said on Sunday they had seen “social media images and videos posted by a woman reporting incidents of physical violence”. Continue reading...

Teenager announced dead at scene after police called to Clowes Park on Sunday morningA murder investigation has been launched after a 17-year-old boy was found stabbed in a park in Salford. Greater Manchester police (GMP) were alerted about an “unresponsive male” and called to Clowes Park at about 7.30am on Sunday.Emergency services attended but the teenager, who had suffered a stab wound, was pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin have been informed and detectives are following a number of lines of inquiry. Continue reading...

UN special adviser Stephanie Williams warns of resurgence of Islamic State if country is dividedLibya’s political class should stop conducting musical chairs to stay in power and focus instead on preparing for nationwide elections to be held by June, the special adviser to the UN secretary general has said.Stephanie Williams also warned of a possible resurgence of Islamic State if Libya were to fall back into total division. Continue reading...

With more than 2 million kids across NSW and Victoria returning to in-person education this week, and Covid cases still in the thousands, experts have warned that Covid is likely to circulate in schools for at least the next 12 months. But state and federal leaders are determined to keep schools open.Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to reporter Calla Wahlquist about the plan to keep NSW and Victorian schools open over the coming yearRead more: Continue reading...

FoI requests reveal sovereign wealth fund also has investments in arms companies linked to Myanmar militaryAustralia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Future Fund, has invested more than $90m in weapons manufacturer Raytheon Technologies, whose laser-guided bomb was allegedly used in an airstrike on a detention centre in Yemen this month killing nearly 100 civilians.Documents released under freedom of information laws show the Future Fund, which invests on behalf of the Australian government, had $91.22m invested in Raytheon as of December last year. Continue reading...

Gusty winds and falling temperatures plunged the US east coast into a deep freeze after a powerful nor’easter dumped mounds of snow, flooded coastlines and knocked out power for tens of thousands of people

British schools with branches in the Middle East are abandoning principles for profit and it’s simply wrongThe private education system, I’m beginning to suspect, just isn’t that into me. I blame myself – I’ve been playing hard to get. Pointing out the divisions in British society that having private schools causes, mentioning how the fees have gone up hugely ahead of inflation and questioning their charitable status in light of that. But still, in my heart I was up for being seduced.I went to private schools and was generally fond of those institutions. As a left-leaning centrist but also a conservative with a small “c” (a woolly position that makes me a massive “c” in the eyes of some), I’m uncomfortable with abolishing, or otherwise driving out of existence, non-profit-making educational institutions. I don’t like banning things in general. I can see the logic that these schools, which undoubtedly provide something good for thousands of children, might nevertheless be causing societal harm overall. But I’m squeamish about taking that logic and commissioning some politicians to turn it into a great big illiberal bunch of laws. So the truth, private education system, is that I was still fluttering my eyelashes at you. Continue reading...

After many attempts to polish its public perception, the county is yet again pouring money into a campaignWhat is it with Essex and makeovers? It was reported that the county council is to invest more than £300,000 to put its best face on and “challenge people’s preconceived ideas of how they see Essex on TV”. Council bosses wanted to banish thoughts of The Only Way Is Essex, fake tan and fast cars synonymous with the south of the county, replacing them with the Constable-country vistas, windmills and nice thatched cottages of north Essex.We’ve been here before. The council’s drive to combat the Essex stereotype is almost as old as the stereotype itself. In 1997, moves to improve the county’s image were reported in the national press. “Difficulties arise when overseas investors come to the UK, go to competitor locations, and hear jokes about Essex girls having more shoes than books,” said the head of the Essex Economic Partnership, Terry Conder. The council said it often received letters from residents about Essex’s reputation. Continue reading...

Guilt over Nazism’s crimes is affecting Berlin’s approach to Moscow – and that equivocation has frustrated its alliesWhen Germany’s new chancellor, Olaf Scholz, shook hands on a coalition deal with his liberal-green partners last month, they energetically vowed to “risk more progress”.Less than two months on, however, Berlin’s allies in Kyiv, Washington and neighbouring European capitals worry the country remains stuck in passive old ways. As tension mounts on the border between Russia and Ukraine, they fear Scholz is falling back on foreign policy instincts honed by his most recent centre-left predecessor, the ex-chancellor-turned-lobbyist Gerhard Schröder. Continue reading...

Animal carcasses litter the land in areas where the rains have failed, as millions go without enough food and water in a country already grappling with civil warThe circumference of Nimo Abdi Duh’s upper arm measures just 12cm and, while the number means nothing to her, it does to the health workers treating her. Nimo, two, like so many children in the arid lowlands of Ethiopia, is suffering from malnutrition.“We have been affected by the drought,” says her mother, Shems Dire, looking anxiously on. “We don’t have milk to give to the children. My child is sick due to lack of food, and this happened because of the drought … Our cattle have been harmed by the drought. We have lost so many. Continue reading...

You’ve discovered that you and your husband have different views about porn – and this may have triggered your teenage traumaThe question I walked in on my husband watching porn and now I feel extraordinarily hurt and abandoned.My grown-up children have left home and I have managed to have a rewarding career. However, having a good relationship always eluded me until I was in my 50s. Continue reading...

Daily figures for UK are lowest since mid-December; Japanese infections set record for fifth consecutive day

Important paintings lay forgotten in storage since the early 80s until their discovery, muddy and mouldy, but intactBalgo is Country for all of us now. We were all born here, these generations here today. We are Wirrimanu kids. We belong to Balgo. That’s what we paint. That’s why we paint. This is our story.”

US president announces small troop deployment to eastern Europe amid fears of invasionKyiv has urged the west to remain “vigilant and firm” in its talks with Russia, as Joe Biden announced a small troop deployment to eastern Europe amid fears Moscow could invade Ukraine.Washington’s top defence officials warned on Friday that the Kremlin had massed enough troops and hardware at the border to threaten the whole of Ukraine, but called for further diplomatic efforts to avert a “horrific” conflict. Continue reading...

Once hunted close to extinction, the species is once again flourishing – but as their numbers grow, tensions are rising with their human neighboursOn the coastline around Kaikōura, the rocks seem to be moving. Jutting from the sea, shimmering in the summer heat, their grey planes begin to shift and ripple.Step closer and you recognise them, first by their sound: a distant honking, barking, yelping. Then, by their smell: thick and potent, a mixture of kelp and excrement. Seals, hundreds of them, possibly thousands, are coming ashore for pupping. They roll in constant, joyful helixes in the rock pools, emerge from the sea to glisten like puddles of oil, or bask unmoving in the sun like comatose adolescents recovering from a hangover. Continue reading...

Charlotte Bellis says Taliban offered her safe haven while quarantine backlog prevented her return homeA pregnant New Zealand journalist says she has had to turn to the Taliban for help after being prevented from returning to her home country due to quarantine rules.In a column published in the New Zealand Herald on Saturday, Charlotte Bellis said it was “brutally ironic” that she had once questioned the Taliban about their treatment of women and she was now asking the same questions of her own government. Continue reading...

A beach in eastern Thailand has been declared a disaster area as oil leaking from an underwater pipeline in the Gulf of Thailand continues to wash ashore and blacken the sand.The leak, from a pipeline owned by Star Petroleum Refining, started late on Tuesday and was brought under control a day later after spilling an estimated 50,000 litres (11,000 gallons) of oil into the ocean about 12 miles (20km) from the country’s industrialised eastern seaboard

Campaigners say a superyacht can produce 1,500 times more carbon than a typical family car, and the polluters should payThe rising fortunes of the world’s billionaires during the pandemic helped fuel a record £5.3bn in superyacht sales last year, prompting calls for new curbs on their emissions.New figures reveal that 887 superyachts were sold in 2021, an increase of more than 75% compared with the previous year. Yachting brokers say some of the demand has been from wealthy clients seeking a secure refuge from the pandemic. Continue reading...

The NFU president has been dismayed by the government’s post-Brexit deals, but has vowed to fight on for British producersThere are few jobs that allow you to see the fruits of your labours, season after season. Minette Batters has one of them. She has been producing beef, lamb and crops on 150 hectares (370 acres) in south Wiltshire for almost a quarter of a century – the place where she grew up and which was farmed for decades by her parents.“The fences weren’t here. The barn didn’t have a roof, it was derelict,” says Batters, recalling the state of the farm when she began running it in 1998. Continue reading...

The home of Alstom and Rolls-Royce has often played second fiddle to others, but the city wants to change all thatDerby isn’t known as a tourist hotspot. Often overshadowed by nearby Nottingham, bypassed on the road to the Peak District, locals here know the hotels are quietest at weekends when visiting business folk leave.That hasn’t stopped its leaders making a tilt to become UK City of Culture 2025. Bidding to reinvigorate civic pride and economic growth after the fallout from Covid-19, the aim here is to showcase the city’s unique industrial heritage as a crucible for the art of manufacturing. Continue reading...

Singer-songwriter adds his own twist to boycott by Joni Mitchell and Neil Young over platform’s promotion of anti-vax podcasts

After a year in power, evidence is growing of regime scorched-earth tactics to terrorise the civilian populationOn the morning of 6 January, Boi Van Thang set out on a motorbike across the mountainous terrain of Chin state in western Myanmar. He would travel to a nearby village, he told his wife, and bring back meat for her and their seven children.He never returned. Three days later his wife, Thida Htwe, received a call. Boi Van Thang’s body had been found. The bodies of eight other men and one boy had also been discovered. Continue reading...