Democracy at work. Russian president Vladimir Putin, 68, has signed a new law which allows him to run for the presidency two more times, meaning he could stay in office until 2036.The law sets a two-term limit on the presidency, but it also resets Mr Putin’s record so that his four terms to date do not count. Therefore, he can run twice more once his current term ends in 2024. Putin is aiming to beat dictator Joseph Stalin’s record of more than two decades in power.

A suggestion that the Narrabri Musical and Dramatic Society be reformed is gaining traction. Proponents hope that in the near future a meeting could be held to see what level of interest is there and a possible way forward.

A reader responds to last week’s Thumbs item complaining about the use of ‘daylight savings’ instead of ‘daylight saving’ and other terminology complaints: “At the moment I object to the term ‘jab’” she said. “Why can’t we say immunisation?’”