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MoviesObituaryJean RouchPioneering filmmaker whose remarkable documentaries on African tribes first popularised the concept of cinéma véritéCinéma vérité is a term so frequently used that it is sometimes forgotten that the main instigator of both the label and the style was the ethnological filmmaker Jean Rouch, who has died, aged 86, in a car crash in Niger. He made many of his films in west Africa. The expression itself - meaning "

Reading groupPD JamesJames’s novels spanned cosy crime and tough police procedurals as well as an eerie dystopia and an Austen pastiche. To mark her centenary, help choose one This month on the reading group, we’re going to read a book by PD James. This week marks 100 years since the birth of the writer known not only as “the new queen of crime”, and one of the last links to the genre’s golden age (she was dubbed the new queen after Agatha Christie’s death, a title James did not mind), but also “the doyenne of detective novelists”.

The ObserverFolklore and mythologyFor centuries, tales of mermaids have bewitched both sailors and girls. Now fish-tailed women are making those stories come true A tail arcs up, spraying droplets of seawater over the people standing on the pontoon dock. The children rush forwards, enchanted. A mermaid, who has pulled herself up on to a paddle board, laughs, water streaming from her hair. Her tail colouring mimics the rich greens and browns of the local sea life.

26 Dec 202319.47 GMTWill Unwin’s report has just landed so I’ll sign off with that. Thanks for keeping me company. Hope you all close out 2023 with smiles on your face (no matter your views on VAR). Liverpool go top after Darwin Núñez and Diogo Jota finish off BurnleyRead more26 Dec 202319.44 GMTUnsurprisingly, Klopp doesn’t think Elliot’s goal should have been disallowed. “Only someone who has never played football could say it’s not a goal”

Philippines This article is more than 2 months oldChristmas convoy to cheer up Filipino troops on disputed shoal ‘ill advised’This article is more than 2 months oldSecurity officials in Philippines warn against planned trip by dozens of boats, saying it risks stirring tensions with China A planned Christmas convoy of dozens of boats aiming to bring the festive spirit to Filipino troops on a disputed shoal has been described as “ill advised” by the country’s security officials, who warned of heightened tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea.

Jay Rayner on restaurantsFoodReviewJason Atherton's cooking is often excellent, but City Social seems to go out of its way to make eating it difficultTower 42, 25 Old Broad Street, London EC2 (020 7877 7703). Meal for two, including drinks: £220 You can tell a lot about a place by the punters it attracts. By that measure the City Social, Jason Atherton's new restaurant on the 24th floor of Tower 42 in the City, is to be avoided, at least by me.

ObituaryJohnny NobleScottish laird whose experiment in oyster farming led to a national chain of restaurants and brought prosperity to a remote communityJohnny Noble, who has died aged 65, was an oyster farmer, fish exporter, wine importer and restaurateur, a laird, and the owner of one of the finest and most welcoming country houses in Scotland. His largest achievement was the prosperity and optimism he brought to his own small community in Argyllshire.

Spain This article is more than 7 years oldLong lunch: Spanish civil servant skips work for years without anyone noticingThis article is more than 7 years oldJoaquín García failed to show up for his job at the water board for at least six years – and possibly as many as 14 Only when Joaquín García, a Spanish civil servant, was due to collect an award for two decades of loyal and dedicated service did anyone realise that he had not, in fact, shown up to work for at least six years – and possibly as many as 14.

Iowa This article is more than 6 months oldObscure Iowa non-profit paid for flyers claiming Trump is pro-LGBTQ+ rights This article is more than 6 months oldGroup called Advancing Our Values registered as non-profit two weeks earlier but mailers ‘intended to be anti-Trump’, says expert Recent flyers painting Donald Trump as a pro-LGBTQ+ rights candidate, a “transgender trailblazer”, sent to some Iowa households were backed by an obscure non-profit that registered as a business two weeks ago.