It's thejourney that matters

A "wicked and controlling" man who murdered his "fun-loving, mischievous" stepson has been ordered to serve at least 17 years in prison.

Tim Burgess’s wild years were the stuff of Britpop legend. Here, the Charlatans’ frontman instructs Nick Duerden in the 10 golden rules of rock’n’roll excess

It called for soul-searching and sacrifice but, after much impassioned debate, the shortlist for this year's Independent Foreign Fiction Prize took the shape that you see here. If anything, the panel of judges – Xiaolu Guo, Jon Cook, Nick Barley, Hephzibah Anderson and myself – had to contend with an embarrassment of riches. Whatever our perennial regrets about the limited quantity of fiction brought into English from other languages, the quality of translations felt as bold and bright as ever. In Britain, we owe so much of our view of global fiction to independent publishers of various shapes and sizes. Responsible for around two-thirds of all submissions for the Independent prize, they contribute five out of the six titles on this list – although I ought to stress that neither commercial nor geographical provenance ever sways the decision.

Into the Abyss (107 mins, 12A)

Titanic director set to become first person in 50 years to reach foot of the Mariana Trench

When the youthful Aurora Orchestra set themselves up in 2005, they had no aspirations beyond being musically first-rate.

If, like me, you have trouble sleeping; if at night your brain starts fidgeting in your skull like a recalcitrant toddler, pin-balling from one deranged thought to the next without a care for the exhausted body that houses it, then the radio is probably your best friend.

Outlook Among the nether regions of the stock market lies the occasional gem.

Air travel – it's stressful, whether there's a plane-stopping inch of snow on the ground or not. So how about a spot of yoga before you fly?

Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has told Charles N'Zogbia actions speak louder than words after the winger claimed he was not enjoying his football.

No chamber group has done more to change the musical landscape than the Kronos Quartet, and its short Barbican residency bade fair to reinforce the point.

Mr Justice Treacy took less than 30 minutes to sentence Gary Dobson and David Norris.