Japanese politics is politer and more understated than most.
It’s perhaps the reason that Western audiences do not always pay a huge amount of attention.
But something feels different this time, and that’s largely down to the woman at the centre of this story; the drum-playing, Trump-hugging, China-provoking prime minister who has raised the stakes for both Japan and the region.
In central Tokyo, just a few hours before polls open in the snap election she called, hundreds of people crowded into a small local park to see Sanae Takaichi.
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Image: Supporters at a rally
Despite the bitterly cold temperatures and the fact that many struggled to see her over the sea of heads, there was a sense that something significant was unfolding.
“I was just passing,” one woman told me, “but I couldn’t not stop to see her!”
There is no disputing the fact that Takaichi is just different to those who have gone before her.
She’s a former heavy metal drummer and motorbike rider, and she is happy to jump around the stage at rallies and sing to visiting foreign leaders (Italy’s Giorgia Meloni was greeted with a rousing happy birthday).
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K-Pop jam session with South Korea and Japan leaders
Her outsized character in a scene historically so male and so dry has led to soaring personal approval ratings, 2.6 million followers on X and a one-year wait to buy her signature black handbag.
Not to mention the reversal of fortunes seen by her struggling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP): it now looks set to take a majority in Japan’s Lower House, just four months after she assumed the leadership in the wake of her unpopular predecessor’s resignation.
Image: A hat worn by supporters has ‘Sanai’, Takaichi’s first name, written on the back and ‘Japan is back’ on the front
Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ will pursue conservative vision if she wins
But she’s also far from the liberal champion many might have hoped for in the country’s first female leader; she is, in fact, ultra conservative.
She’s anti gay marriage and a vocal defender of traditional gender roles; she sees Margaret Thatcher as a role model and has leant into a rising feeling of “foreigner fatigue” in Japan, directed both at immigrants and tourists.
If she secures her own mandate at Sunday’s election, it is this conservative vision that she will be pursuing.
Image: The ‘battle bus’ drumming up support for Takaichi
‘She’s like a friendly neighbour or sister’
In her hometown of Nara, they think that is a good thing.
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Here, a small minivan has been converted into a “battle bus” of sorts, and her dedicated team of supporters are driving it around the traditional streets, asking locals to sign it, calling her name through the megaphones and asking for their votes.
“She’s like a friendly neighbour or sister,” one old man tells us as he remembers her starting out in politics.
Image: This man describes Takaichi as a ‘friendly neighbour’
‘She is simply doing what is necessary to protect Japan’
When I ask one of her team what he makes of her conservative views, he simply responds: “Rather than labelling it conservatism, I think she is simply doing what is necessary to protect Japan.”
Of course, in any election, domestic policy is a focus; she favours tax cuts and increased public spending to boost a sluggish economy.
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But the area of her policy that has brought the most attention and the most ire has been her approach to foreign policy and, particularly, her approach to China.
Image: A member of her team says Takaichi was ‘doing what is necessary to protect Japan’
Image: This voter in Nara says he has been supporting Takaichi for 20 years
Support from Trump
According to its constitution, Japan is still a pacifist country, and it has thus long relied on the US for its security.
Takaichi has made a particular point of cosying up to Donald Trump’s America; his visit to Japan last year was notable for the excess of its warmth, and Trump has actively endorsed her campaign.
Trump hails ‘golden age’ of Japan relations
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But she has also been highly hawkish in her attitudes to Japan’s largest and most powerful neighbour.
The two were already set to be at odds; Takaichi’s plan to spend more on and build up Japan’s military is a deeply sore point in China, which suffered enormously at its hands during the Second World War.
But things plunged to a new low in November when she said that a Chinese attack on the island of Taiwan (a self-governing democracy that China sees as a breakaway province) would amount to an “existential threat” to Japan, and it would have the right to intervene militarily.
The comments have caused outrage in China, drawing a raft of damaging retaliations, from the banning of the imports of Japanese seafood to restrictions on its access to crucial rare metals and a pointed suggestion that Chinese travellers should avoid it.
Relations are at their lowest ebb for over a decade, and while some Japanese are happy to see their leader stand up to China, others are anxious.
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“Seeing China imposing economic sanctions, it proves how thoughtless her remarks were,” one man at her rally tells me. “It’s definitely more dangerous.”
Image: Takaichi has been targeted by Chinese state media
Image: A man addressed Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks at her rally
The reality is that for all the Instagrammable moments, Takaichi’s stance on China might well be the key issue that plagues and potentially even defines her leadership; it is not a disagreement that the Chinese will just let go.
Japan’s lean to the right under a Takaichi-style nationalism might well bring a renewed sense of pride to some, but it could also bring a new jeopardy to all.
Figueroa, 29, lived up to his moniker, ‘Heartbreaker’, on a deflating and sorrowful night for ‘Wrecking’ Ball and the Liverpool crowd.
The challenger was met by a chorus of jeers on his ring walk, the 7,500-capacity arena close to full and firmly partisan. Figueroa blew kisses to his loved ones and stood calmly in his corner as the noise swelled for Ball.
The Kirkby-born fighter was given a proper hometown reception. From John Conteh to Natasha Jonas, Liverpool has never been shy of producing world champions, and Ball is the latest to have carried on that proud tradition.
The contest began at a frantic pace. Ball threw 145 punches across the opening three rounds – including sharp uppercuts in the first and second – with Figueroa throwing 204 times.
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At just 5ft 2in, Ball conceded seven inches in height but dismissed the idea that was a disadvantage beforehand, insisting he preferred “punching up” at taller opponents.
As blood trickled from the champion’s nose and reddened his mouth, Figueroa continued to press and appeared the fresher man at the halfway mark.
Ball responded with a blistering flurry in the eighth. Figueroa winced, smiled and fired back to the body. With some tight rounds, the fight felt finely poised and destined to go to the scorecards.
“Championship rounds. This is your territory now,” Ball’s corner told him.
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There was nervousness in the arena, but nobody predicted such an abrupt ending.
With Ball scrambling on the floor after the initial left, he admirably rose on the count of nine.
But Figueroa sensed the finish and unloaded – a left-right-left combination completing the job for the Texan.
During the melee that followed the stoppage, Andrew Cain, a member of Ball’s team who won his own fight on the undercard, appeared to aim a kick at one of Figueroa’s cornerman.
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Tensions were calmed quickly, and scorecards revealed the knockout was the icing on the cake for Figueroa, who was ahead of two of the three scorecards at the time of the stoppage.
A man has been charged with murder in relation to his death
A man found dead at a house in Peterborough has been named as Imran Bashir. A murder investigation was launched by police after the death of a man at a property on Gladstone Street, Millfield, in Peterborough.
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Police were called to the area at around 10.45am on Wednesday, February 4. The 50-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
Paying tribute to Mr Bashir, his family said: “Though his life was taken far too soon, his love was not. It lives on in the memories he created the values he passed down, and the lives he shaped forever. He will be remembered not for the way he died, but for the way he lived – and for the love he gave so freely.
“He is gone from our sight, but never from our hearts. We love you and you will be missed for the rest of our lives. Your kids are devastated with this loss, and no one will ever be able to ease this sorrow, grief and pain. As a family, we kindly ask for respect and understanding during this difficult time, and we are grateful for your support and prayers. Keep praying for us.”
Filippo Femminile, 31, of Ellindon, Bretton, has been charged with murder. He appeared at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court this morning (February 7) and has been remanded in custody to appear at Cambridge Crown Court on Tuesday (10 February).
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A second man, 37 from Stowmarket, Suffolk, who was arrested on suspicion of murder earlier in the week has been bailed.
Anyone with any information is urged to report it online or via 101, quoting Op Venia.
Gemma Collins shared an update as she relaxed in the Cotswolds just days after she celebrated turning 45 and looked back on her impressive rise to fame over the years
00:25, 08 Feb 2026Updated 00:25, 08 Feb 2026
Reality TV star Gemma Collins has stunned fans with her new natural makeup-free look.
The Towie legend, 45, shared an update with her fans as she relaxed in the Cotswolds. Wearing a chocolate brown hat adorned with a feather and a cream tutrle-neck jumper, fresh-faced Gemma smiled for a selfie.
She captioned the photo “Feeling at peace, rooted, and quietly whole. There’s something about the Cotswolds that slows the breath, softens the heart, and reminds my soul exactly where it belongs. Missing my love @rami_hawash.”
Fans took to the comments to share their love for Gemman, one wrote: “Absolutely best photo ever,” another said: “Looking so serene, relaxed and happy Gemma.”
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It comes after Gemma celebrated turning 45 last weekend and shared a snap of her smiling on the slopes on her special day. As part of her birthday post she opened up on having her “dream career” before offering up a motivational quote. The GC told her Instagram followers: “Grateful to be turning 45, deeply in love with my dream career, and walking proof that where you start never limits where you can go.
“From Romford to St Moritz, this journey is about belief, courage, and showing others that dreams are meant to be lived out loud. If I can do it, so can you.”
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Gemma went on: “I didn’t start with shortcuts or silver spoons. I started with belief. Belief that where you come from does not define where you’re going. Belief that your story can stretch further than your postcode.
“From Romford to St Moritz, I’ve learned this: Dreams don’t respond to doubt, they respond to action. You don’t need permission to grow, only the courage to begin. There will be moments when people don’t see your vision.
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That’s not your sign to stop, that’s your sign to lead. Keep showing up. Keep refining. Keep becoming.”
As she added that “success isn’t about age, background, or timing,” Gemma said it is more about “resilience, consistency, and staying true to who you are even when no one is applauding yet”. Gemma added: “If you’re listening to this and wondering if it’s too late, too far, or too much let me tell you: it’s not. Your journey is valid. Your dreams are calling. And your next chapter can be your most powerful one yet.
“Walk boldly. Dream unapologetically. And remember: where you start is only the opening line, not the ending.”
Italian police have fired tear gas and water cannon at protesters who threw firecrackers, smoke bombs and bottles at them near a Winter Olympics venue.
Officers in riot gear and with shields confronted about 100 protesters, some of whom wore hoods and scarves to cover their faces, after they broke away from a main demonstration and appeared to be trying to reach the Santagiulia Olympic ice hockey rink.
A group of protesters also set off smoke bombs and firecrackers about half a mile (800 metres) from the Olympic Village, where around 1,500 athletes are staying.
Image: Fireworks explode near a police water cannon used against protesters near the Santagiulia venue. Pic: Reuters
Image: Fireworks explode in the sky over police officers. Pic: Reuters
Six people were arrested during the altercation, according to police sources.
The main demonstration saw an estimated 10,000 people taking to the streets of Milan on Saturday, on the first full day of the Winter Olympics, to protest against the environmental, economic and social impact of the Games.
Image: Protesters and police clash as the splinter protest turns violent. Pic: AP
Image: Protesters take cover as police use a water cannon against them. Pic: Reuters
Olympic infrastructure projects criticised
The march was organised by grassroots unions, housing-rights groups and social centre community activists.
Protesters carried cardboard cutouts of trees to represent the trees that were felled to build the new bobsled run in Cortina for the Olympics, arguing that infrastructure projects like this have damaged the environment in mountain communities.
Image: Protesters carry cardboard cutouts of trees. Pic: Reuters
Image: Protesters hold smoke flares during a protest against the environmental impacts of the Olympics. Pic: Reuters
“They bypassed the laws that usually are needed for major infrastructure projects, citing urgency for the Games,” one protester said, adding that he was concerned that the private company organising the event would eventually pass on debt to Italian taxpayers.
The International Olympic Committee argues that the Games largely use existing facilities, making them more sustainable.
Police brought the splinter group of violent protesters under control before the main demonstration finished, according to Italian news agency ANSA.
‘ICE out’ signs
Some protesters said they were opposed to the deployment of US immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) agents to Italy to provide security to the US delegation of athletes, following previous protests in the buildup to the Games.
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Image: Some signs read: ‘ICE out’ and ‘Meloni’s government is destroying the rule of law’. Pic: Reuters
US Homeland Security Investigations, an ICE unit that focuses on cross-border crimes, often sends officers to events abroad like the Olympics to help with security.
The ICE unit used to crack down on immigration in the US is known as Enforcement and Removal Operations, and there is no indication its officers have been deployed to Italy.
Michael Sundin joined the iconic show in the 1980s but his life and career were cut short by an AIDS-related illness.
A former Blue Peter presenter is being remembered 30 years after his tragic death at just 28.
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Michael Sundin joined the iconic children’s TV show in 1984, having already built an impressive career at a remarkably young age. By 12, he was a trampolining champion — a skill that helped him land the coveted presenting role.
Before Blue Peter, Michael had appeared in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats and played Tik-Tok in Disney’s Return to Oz. He caught the attention of producers during an interview with presenter Janet Ellis and was hired to present the show alongside her and Simon Groom, reports the Mirror.
Taking over from Peter Duncan, Michael quickly became known for his high-energy, adventurous style, travelling to film sets and even visiting Elton John’s home. But despite his on-screen charisma, his time on the programme lasted less than a year after his contract was not renewed.
Michael died in 1989 from an AIDS-related illness. He was just 28.
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Friends described him as a “blond, outgoing, gregarious ball of fun”, but his brief stint on Blue Peter was clouded by controversy. During his time on the show, he was outed as gay by the press — a move many believe played a role in his departure.
While then editor Biddy Baxter publicly blamed his exit on a lack of viewer appeal, others have long suggested his sexuality was the real reason. In a 2007 interview, Baxter dismissed those claims, saying: “It was his leaving the programme because children didn’t like him — nothing to do with his sexual proclivities.”
After leaving Blue Peter, Michael continued acting, starring in the 1987 film Lionheart, touring in stage productions including Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Starlight Express, and appearing in Rick Astley’s 1988 video for She Wants to Dance With Me.
That same year, he became seriously ill. Early reports said he had died from liver cancer, though it was later confirmed his death was AIDS-related. He passed away at Newcastle General Hospital.
This week, film archive group The Elstree Project paid tribute to Michael’s remarkable work as Tik-Tok in Return to Oz, highlighting the extreme physical demands of the role.
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They said Michael was responsible for giving the rigid copper robot its movement and personality, performing folded inside a small Kevlar suit, walking backwards throughout filming while relying on an upside-down, reversed monitor to navigate the set.
Walter Murch, the project’s oral history director, said Michael’s contribution was largely erased after his death due to stigma surrounding AIDS at the time.
He said: “There was only a small on-air acknowledgement of his passing on Blue Peter, with no retrospective of his work. In an era marked by silence and stigma, much of his contribution was quietly forgotten.”
Following his death, Blue Peter presenter Yvette Fielding paid tribute on air, saying: “Michael had been ill for a little while but the news of his death came as a great shock to all of us.”
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Three decades on, Michael Sundin is being remembered not only as a talented performer and presenter, but as someone whose legacy deserves long-overdue recognition.
Scoring sequence: 3-0 Ford pen, 8-0 Arundell try, 10-0, Ford con, 15-0 Arundell try, 20-0 Earl try, 22-0 Ford con, 27-0 Arundell try, 29-0 Ford con, 34-0 Roebuck try, 36-0 Ford try, 36-5 Adams try, 36-7 Edwards con, 43-7 pen try, 48-7 Freeman try.
England: F Steward (M Smith 64); T Roebuck (H Pollock 64), T Freeman, F Dingwall, H Arundell; G Ford, A Mitchell (B Spencer 66); E Genge (B Rodd 40), J George (L Cowan-Dickie 51), J Heyes (T Davison 51), A Coles, O Chessum, G Pepper, S Underhill (T Curry 51), B Earl.
Sin-bin: M Itoje, T Curry.
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Wales: L Rees-Zammit; E Mee (M Grady 52), E James (17-27 L Belcher), B Thomas, J Adams; D Edwards, T Williams (K Hardy 78); N Smith (R Carre 51), D Lake (L Belcher 66), A Griffin (T Francis 50), D Jenkins, A Beard (B Carter 69), A Mann (T Plumtree 50), J Macleod (H Deaves 52), A Wainwright.
Durham Police were called following reports that shots had been fired at a property on Featherstone Road in Newton Hall at about 9.40am yesterday (February 6).
Pictures taken at the scene show damage to a window at the home, where bullets appear to have hit the glass, as officers press on with enquiries.
The police probe into a ‘targeted attack’ at a home on Featherstone Road in Newton Hall is continuing (Image: STUART BOULTON)
The two occupants inside the house at the time were uninjured and have since been safeguarded by police.
An investigation remains ongoing and officers have stepped up patrols in the area, but police have said they believe it to be a targeted attack.
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The police probe into a ‘targeted attack’ at a home on Featherstone Road in Newton Hall is continuing (Image: STUART BOULTON)
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Fuller, who is leading the investigation, said: “We understand that this incident will have caused a great deal of concern and alarm in the local community.
“From our enquiries conducted so far, we believe this was a targeted attack. There will be increased neighbourhood policing patrols in the area to provide reassurance to local residents.
“I would urge anyone who has any information about this incident to please report it, either directly to the police or anonymously to Crimestoppers.
“We’d also be keen to speak to anyone who may have dashcam footage from the Featherstone Drive area at the time of the incident.”
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The police probe into a ‘targeted attack’ at a home on Featherstone Road in Newton Hall is continuing (Image: STUART BOULTON)
The police probe into a ‘targeted attack’ at a home on Featherstone Road in Newton Hall is continuing (Image: STUART BOULTON)
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting incident number 58 of February 6.
Mr Brown, who gave Lord Mandelson the job of business secretary and put him in the House of Lords, said he felt “shocked, sad, angry, betrayed, let down”, when he saw the messages released by the US Department of Justice which suggested the then Cabinet minister was passing sensitive information about the response to the global financial crash to Epstein.
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday about American talks with Iran, his office said Saturday, while Iran’s foreign minister threatened U.S. military bases in the region a day after the discussions.
“The prime minister believes that all negotiations must include limiting the ballistic missiles, and ending support for the Iranian axis,” Netanyahu’s office said in a brief statement, referring to Tehran’s support for militant groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian territories. Trump and Netanyahu last met in December.
There was no immediate White House comment.
The U.S. and the Islamic Republic of Iran held indirect talks on Friday in Oman that appeared to return to the starting point on how to approach discussions over Tehran’s nuclear program.
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Trump called the talks “very good” and said more were planned for early next week. Washington was represented by Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to use force to compel Iran to reach a deal on its nuclear program after sending the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships to the region amid Tehran’s crackdown on nationwide protests that killed thousands.
Gulf Arab nations fear an attack could spark a regional war, with memories fresh of the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June.
For the first time in negotiations with Iran, the U.S. on Friday brought its top military commander in the Middle East to the table. U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, head of the military’s Central Command, then visited the USS Abraham Lincoln on Saturday with Witkoff and Kushner, the command said in a statement.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told journalists Friday that “nuclear talks and the resolution of the main issues must take place in a calm atmosphere, without tension and without threats.” He said that diplomats would return to their capitals, signaling that this round of negotiations was over.
On Saturday, Araghchi told the Al Jazeera satellite news network that if the U.S. attacks Iran, his country doesn’t have the ability to strike the U.S. “and therefore has to attack or retaliate against U.S. bases in the region.”
He said there is “very, very deep distrust” after what happened during the previous talks, when the U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear sites during last year’s Israel-Iran war.
Araghchi also said the “missile issue” and other defense matters are “in no way negotiable, neither now nor at any time in the future.”
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Tehran has maintained that these talks will be only on its nuclear program.
However, Al Jazeera reported that diplomats from Egypt, Turkey and Qatar offered Iran a proposal in which Tehran would halt enrichment for three years, send its highly enriched uranium out of the country and pledge to “not initiate the use of ballistic missiles.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the talks needed to include all those issues.
Israel, a close U.S. ally, believes Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon and wants its program scrapped, though Iran has insisted that its atomic plans are for peaceful purposes. Israel also wants a halt to Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support for militant groups in the region.
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Araghchi, speaking at a forum in Qatar on Saturday, accused Israel of destabilizing the region, saying that it “breaches sovereignties, it assassinates official dignitaries, it conducts terrorist operations, it expands its reach in multiple theaters.” He criticized Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and called for “comprehensive and targeted sanctions against Israel, including an immediate arms embargo.”
This street, located in Cambridge, is affordable and offers ideal transport links
Deciding where to settle down can be tricky. With so many different aspects to consider to ensure you make the best choice, the decision just gets even more difficult.
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One street located in a ‘trendy’ part of Cambridge offers homes that are considered relatively cheap compared to the city average. Corrie Road, less than a 10-minute walk from Cambridge Station, is an ideal location to have everything you could possibly need right on your doorstep.
According to StreetScan, the estimated average property value currently stands at £455,765, which is approximately 23.7 percent lower than the city average. This makes it a relatively affordable option if you want to live in Cambridge.
The most common type of property sold in the area is semi-detached. These homes make up around 83 percent of sales, followed by terraced properties.
Corrie Road can be found just off Davy Road, opposite the Coleridge Recreational Ground. The park, along with the nearby primary school and community college mean that this street is a good location for families with school-age children.
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The local primary school is Ridgefield Primary School, rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted in its latest inspection. Coleridge Community College was also rated ‘Good’ in its most recent inspection.
Cambridge is not short of a good place to eat, and residents living on Corrie Road are just a short walk away from Cherry Hinton Road where you can indulge in a coffee and handcrafted pastry at Stir bakery. For a more up-scale dining experience, head to Fancett’s Bistro located in Mill Road, offering a personal and calming setting with seasonal menus. Mill Road offers a whole host of different places to eat and try different cuisines as it is one of the most culturally diverse streets in Cambridge.
Heading into the city centre will take you around 35 minutes on foot, or 20 minutes by bus. Whether you work in Cambridge or need to commute, Corrie Road is in an ideal location for getting to the railway station. Cambridge has direct routes into London taking just over an hour to arrive in London King’s Cross. It also has regular services heading towards Norwich, Ipswich, Brighton and Birmingham.
