SnapVibe

IndonesiaA little past midnight, sitting at the bar of a stylish Jakarta establishment, all around was giddy, shaking, unfiltered lust. Author Laksmi Pamuntjak discovers the swinging scene among Indonesia’s middle class There is a peculiar thrill to hearing your city described in terms less than conventional, more so when the talk is salacious, bordering on risqué. For all the respect you wish accorded to the weight of its history, the joy of its music, the singularity of its people and character – you also want it to speak for itself, ie to reveal itself with all its grey zones, its convolutions, the breadth of its unadvertised parts.

Riding a wave: surfing at Robertsport in Liberia – in pictures Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Surfing in the fishing town of Robertsport in Liberia has taken off in the last few years, attracting Liberian youths and a few tourists. The Robertsport surf club, with the aid of an NGO, Provide the Slide, has managed to equip young people with surfboards and in some cases help send children to school.

FictionReviewBelinda McKeon on a would-be epic about three women trapped in a beautiful wastelandThere is much to relish in the notion of a novel which sets itself on a tiny island cut off from the world. When a nugget of land is all that a handful of characters have available to them, and when these characters must build nothing short of complete new lives, the novelist's work of invention acquires a double intensity.

Food in seasonFoodSeasonal food: cauliflowerIt's the original brain food. This is our guide to buying, storing, cooking and eating cauliflowerUK cauliflower season. Photograph: guardian.co.ukThe cauliflower is, depending on how you look at it, either an easy or very difficult vegetable to slot into a series on food in season - it's never unavailable, with varieties planted throughout the warmer months to ensure a year-round supply. Like broccoli, calabrese and romanesco it's a brassica, and in a way its biology picks up where romanesco's leaves off.

TV reviewTelevisionReviewThe Austin Powers star plays almost every character in this sweet, silly, charmingly harmless comedy about a secret society – when he’s not joined by the likes of Rob Lowe and Jennifer Saunders My great auntie’s definition of a good book – probably a lot of great aunties’, maybe all great aunties’ – was “one that takes you out of yourself”. It is all I am looking for these days, from any of my entertainment media.

ShortcutsMusicFrom Norwegian death metal to K-pop, there’s a whole world of sounds out there – avoiding musical paralysis has never been easier According to research by the music streaming service Deezer, around the age of 30 most of us stop discovering new music and listen to the same stuff over and over again. But there are ways to avoid this musical paralysis. Go randomWhere random music discovery could once mean crate-digging for obscure vinyl, today Spotify and YouTube can both ease and stunt exploration.

World newsFears for Briton as hostage killedFears were growing last night for the safety of Ken Bigley, the Briton taken hostage in Iraq, after an Islamist website posted a video showing the beheading of one of the two Americans being held with him. An Islamist group under the leadership of the Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claimed responsibility for the killing of Eugene Armstrong, and said that either Mr Bigley or the other American captive, Jack Hensley, would be killed in 24 hours unless its demands for the release of Iraqi women prisoners were met.

Music This article is more than 16 years oldG-Unit crew member Yayo accused of slapping a 14-year-old boyThis article is more than 16 years old50 Cent alleged to have been on hand as the son of his rival was attacked. Meanwhile, Eminem has changed his tune and decided that bad-talking people is not cool - at least when he is on the receiving endTony Yayo, one of the rappers from 50 Cent's G-Unit crew, has been accused of slapping a 14-year-old boy in the face.

Lost River This article is more than 10 years oldHow to Catch a Monster? Easy, just call in Doctor Who star Matt SmithThis article is more than 10 years oldBBC Time Lord set to dematerialise in Hollywood for lead role in Ryan Gosling fantasy adventure starring Christina HendricksDoctor Who star Matt Smith looks set to be the latest BBC big-hitter to embark on a Hollywood career after signing up to make his US acting debut on Ryan Gosling's first directing effort, How to Catch a Monster.