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ReligionObituarySydney CarterThe composer of Lord Of The Dance, his life was a musical journey in search of an unconventional GodThe songwriter Sydney Carter, who has died aged 88, achieved the remarkable feat of composing two of the five most popular songs sung in assemblies in British schools. In 1996, a survey of the copyright work most commonly requested for use in collective worship put his One More Step in first place, with his possibly more famous Lord Of The Dance at number five.

Capital punishment This article is more than 9 years oldHawaii holds death penalty trial despite having abolished capital punishmentThis article is more than 9 years old Soldier allegedly murdered daughter on military property Federal government seeks death sentence for Naeem Williams A Honolulu courtroom is set to become the scene of a death penalty trial, even though Hawaii abolished capital punishment in 1957. Opening statements are scheduled for Tuesday in the trial of a former Hawaii-based army soldier accused of beating his five-year-old daughter to death in 2005.

Crisis SomaliaGlobal developmentInterview‘I’m a human being, not a monster’: the al-Shabaab defector turned government ministerTom Gardner in MogadishuMukhtar Robow talks to the Guardian about his controversial cabinet role as part of ‘ideological front’ to end insurgency “My whole family is fighting al-Shabaab,” says the former jihadist Mukhtar Robow, peering through his glasses from behind a pile of leather-bound Islamic texts. The normally media-shy former al-Shabaab commander has invited the Guardian into his home in central Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, at the request of the country’s president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Nick Cave … gothic, yes, but much more than that. Photograph: Pfarrhofer Herbery/EPA Photograph: PFARRHOFER HERBERT/EPANick Cave … gothic, yes, but much more than that. Photograph: Pfarrhofer Herbery/EPA Photograph: PFARRHOFER HERBERT/EPA10 of the bestNick CaveNick Cave and the Bad Seeds: 10 of the bestBibles, death and obsession … it could only be Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, really, couldn’t it? Here are 10 songs to treasure 1. Saint HuckThe Birthday Party were an unholy force of evil noise, but by 1983 Nick Cave had grown tired of their mess and muck.

Robert CohanObituarySir Robert Cohan obituaryChoreographer and influential teacher who pioneered contemporary dance in the UKSir Robert Cohan, who has died aged 95, transformed the dance scene in Britain in the 1960s. A charismatic dancer, notable choreographer, great teacher and artistic director, Cohan was the man who gave form to the vision of the philanthropist Robin Howard that American modern dance could take root and flourish in the UK. Howard, an admirer of the US dancer and choreographer Martha Graham, established the Contemporary Ballet Trust (which became the Contemporary Dance Trust) and found a home for a contemporary dance school at The Place, London.

Children's booksGlobalTeen book club: Shadow and Bone quizThink you know your corporealki from your etherealki? Your volcra from your kefta? Take our dark and dangerous quiz and see if you can shed some light on the world of Shadow and BonencG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEoKyaqpSerq96wqikaJqfpLi0e9CuoLNnYmV%2BdHvJrqVoaWRkwaaxzWaZqKebYrCtwcFmqqGZlKTEbq3NnWSbp56aerLByLM%3D

NOOKS AND CRANNIESWhy do we have plastic washing-up bowls within our sinks? Why don't we just wash up in the sink? Richard Buckley, London Why do we have plastic tubs within our sinks? Because it's something that is self-perpetuated by the inflexible mind and passed on down to like-minded offspring. The only proper reason to have one is if you have only one sink AND you like to rinse immediately after washing an individual item AND don't mind the silly thing taking up space on your worktop.

ShortcutsBritish food and drinkEngland's native truffles are growing in popularity - and price. Jon Henley explains how to spot them, no pig (or specially trained dog) requiredSo unappetising do they look that the uninitiated often mistake them for dried out dog's mess. But in France and Italy, truffles change hands for thousands of pounds a kilo – and they are growing, in abundance, in Britain. An unnamed Wiltshire farmer has told Country Life magazine he is harvesting up to 100kg (220lb) a year from a four-hectare (10-acre) site on his land, selling the black fungi to restaurants for up to £150 a kilo.

‘They just want it to stay the same,’ said Patrick Braxton. Photograph: Andi Rice/The GuardianFor years the mayor in Newbern was appointed, not elected. When Patrick Braxton won the election, the outgoing mayor and his cronies refused to accept it by Adria R Walker WalkerIn November 2020, Patrick Braxton, a volunteer firefighter and contractor from Newbern, Alabama, was elected mayor of the 133-person town. He wanted to have a peaceful and timely transfer of power, so he repeatedly attempted to contact the town’s previous mayor, Haywood “Woody” Stokes III, but Stokes would not return his calls.