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Liam Neeson This article is more than 14 years oldNatasha Richardson buried in private ceremony in New YorkThis article is more than 14 years oldNatasha Richardson was laid to rest at a private funeral service yesterday in upstate New York, where friends and family gathered to say a final farewell to the Tony award-winning actor. Liam Neeson, her husband, dressed in a dark suit and sunglasses, was at the head of Richardson's coffin as he and five other pallbearers carried it into the church.

NFLThe postseason kicks off on Saturday. Our writers pick the dark horses, players to watch and make their tips for the NFL’s championship game Team that will be most missed in the playoffsSeattle Seahawks are not a good football team. But they are an entertaining one. They’re capable of scoring in chunks, even with a woeful offensive line. Their defense cannot tackle anyone, but they’re also liable to snag a couple of crucial turnovers in a half.

Top 10sBooksTaking in folklore, history and the world’s first novel, here is some of the best reading about an endlessly inventive country Japan has a birthday this year. It’s 150 years since rebel samurai overthrew the old Tokugawa Shogunate, marched – or, rather, palanquined – a teenage emperor into the newly named city of “Tokyo”, and made him their figurehead as they set about transforming their country. Western warships had recently been menacing Japanese shores, not so much offering friendship as insisting on it at the point of a gun.

UkraineUkraine shoots down two Russian aircraft in disastrous day for KremlinIt is unclear how Ukraine succeeded in shooting down the command planes flying above the Sea of Azov Ukraine’s military has shot down two of Russia’s command planes, in one of the most disastrous days for the Kremlin’s air power since the start of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s commander in chief, said his air force had destroyed an A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft and an Il-22 control centre plane.

BooksReviewJohn Banville examines the nature of memory in his Beckettian Booker prize-winner, The Sea, says Nicholas LezardThe Sea by John Banville (Picador, £7.99) It won last year's Booker prize, so does not exactly need the oxygen of publicity: but this almost airless, deliberately stifled book is one of the more interesting titles that the prize has been conferred upon recently. The writer who most immediately springs to mind when reading Banville is Beckett.

The age of extinctionSoil This article is more than 1 year oldIndian mystic Sadhguru on 100-day motorbike mission to save soilThis article is more than 1 year oldYoga guru will visit dozens of countries en route from London to India to highlight threat to one of nature’s greatest resources One of India’s best-known spiritual leaders is embarking on a 100-day motorbike journey from London to India to raise awareness of one of nature’s most undervalued resources.

Golf This article is more than 9 years oldRenowned golf coach Bob Torrance dies at the age of 82This article is more than 9 years old Son Sam confirms father’s death on Twitter Bob Torrance coached Padraig Harington to two OpensThe golf coach Bob Torrance has died at the age of 82, his son Sam has confirmed.Torrance Sr was best known for his work with two-times Open champion Padraig Harrington, who he tutored to both his Claret Jugs in 2007 and 2008.

UK newsStudent hurled to his death in medieval siege catapult stunt· Inquest told victim fell short of safety net · Witness believed weights change affected flightAn Oxford University student died when he was flung 30 metres through the air by a catapult as a stunt, but instead of landing on a safety net he only clipped it before striking the ground, an inquest heard yesterday. Kostydin Yankov, 19, a member of the Oxford Stunt Factory, had paid £40 to be launched from a trebuchet, a copy of a medieval siege weapon adapted to throw people rather than stone missiles.

FashionHoicked-up bosoms in push-up bras have all but vanished from fashionable circles – and the more natural ‘70s boob’ is making a comeback The Guardian’s product and service reviews are independent and are in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. We will earn a commission from the retailer if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. There is something missing from fashion in 2016. It hasn’t been there in any of Alicia Vikander’s Louis Vuitton romantic, softly scoop-necked gowns, on the premiere tour of The Light Between Oceans.