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Scottish writer, who also created detective Hamish Macbeth, did not take kindly to her cosy crime reputation MC Beaton, the prolific creator of the much loved fictional detectives Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth, has died after a short illness at the age of 83.

Here is your menu for today: Jonathan Byrd The WaitressIf he'd ever been a waitperson, he'd know why they wear orthopaedic shoes. A country and western lead-in to the day. SNFU Cannibal Caf"Won't you come to the only place Where you can be the special of the day." A menu one should perhaps

"It was Friday evening, half an hour before the light struck, and she was attempting to open a package with a carving knife." As first sentences go, it's a minor masterclass in reader enticement. And Kevin Brockmeier's (sometimes literally) dazzling creation goes on to fulfil every single spark of that opening promise. Brockmeier is an

Carole King performs Tapestry in full on stage for the first time this weekend. What is it about this 45-year old album that inspires such devotion? There she is, a picture of domestic bliss, a cat curled up beside her, relaxed in a baggy jumper, her hair uncombed free at last. Tapestry looks like

Plumes of smoke could be seen rising above Khartoum international airport on Monday, as fighting in Sudan's capital between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the country's armed forces entered the third day. Fires could be seen on the airport's tarmac, possibly complicating attempts by mediators to land in Khartoum and the delivery of