The ultimate penalty This month Watford midfielder Alhassan Bangura expects to hear whether he will be granted asylum or sent back to Sierra Leone, where he faces death threats. He tells Simon Hattenstone of his harrowing escape as a 16-year-old from a secret witchcraft cult

Reaching for the stars
There's been an explosion of paparazzi since the boom in digital cameras and celebrity magazines. Is it all as cruel as it looks? Decca Aitkenhead joins the pack

'Do not let the devil interfere'
Carolyn Jessop was born into a Christian sect in Arizona. At 18, she was told that God had chosen her husband - a man of 50 who already had three wives

'I see my wife coming off the field of battle, all smiles' Tim Dowling: The rain is coming down at a profound slant and I am kneeling in the cold mud behind a stack of tyres. This is a nightmare, I think. But isn't a nightmare. It's my son's birthday party

Objecting to the objectors Lucy Mangan: So, the flats are going up. I knew they would, ever since the letter from the council came last year

One million tiny plays about Britain
One couple watches another couple quickly exit a bar in Bootle

American psyche
George Saunders: In the past I've used this column to discuss various literary tropes. Today I'd like to talk about the largely discredited "Wow, it was all just a dream!" ending

How to ... buy lingerie
The rule with lingerie is that the less there is of it, the more expensive it will be. It's the only thing you don't get what you pay for, says Guy Browning

Wyse words
Pascal Wyse on Yinching

A mad weekend Jess Cartner-Morley: Whether it's because I'm getting old, or getting boring, or both, I don't know; but like a badly-dubbed film, my wardrobe and my lifestyle are no longer in sync

Flashers as style icons? You could never accuse fashionistas of being unable to see past a person's character flaws, says Alexis Petridis

The measure
What's hot and what's not?

What I see in the mirror
Diane Abbott: I see a nondescript, middle-aged black woman's face. Other nondescript middle-aged black women come up to me and say proudly that their friends say they look just like me, and I am always at a loss for words

Easy-drinking reds for Christmas Victoria Moore: 'I'd like a convivial wine," my friend said. "It needs to be social-slippy. And red. I like rioja."

Around Britain with a fork Matthew Fort on a cheese to rival the best in the UK

How to bake Dan Lepard does Mince pies

Hibiscus, London Matthew Norman: Where do you stand on the question of eating trees? Given what head-in-the-clouds types we liberal lefties tend to be, you may never have devoted a moment's thought to the matter. If so, you have about 500 words to get thinking

The new vegetarian
Yotam Ottolenghi: Fresh winter salad

A little place I know
Yauatcha | Sole Bay Inn | Le Bernardin | Da Paris | Damas Gate | The bar at Hôtel de Crillon

Here's one I made earlier
Angela Hartnett: Don't resort to a takeaway or microwave meal next time you've unexpected guests to feed. Pull something tasty and homemade out of the freezer instead

Bin it!
Do you still chuck out your kitchen scraps? Shame on you. Everyone has room to compost, says Ambra Edwards

This column will change your life Oliver Burkeman: We approach decisions, big or small, burdened by the fear that whatever choice we make, we'll come to regret it. Sometimes this paralyses us, other times it makes us do irrational things

Doctor, doctor
Dr Tom Smith answers your questions

Swimming vs cycling
Rob Bagchi on the pro's and cons of swimming and cycling

Are you happy?
Mick Owen, volunteer

Love by numbers
My husband and I are in our late 60s and have a good marriage. However, he is drinking more. He'll have a bottle of wine on the go before noon, and drink two or three bottles a day

What women don't understand about men
For some time now, Lisa has been covertly seeing her ex, Nick. Randomly, she has bumped into him and his wife, Justine, in a department store. They are making conversation

The green house
Elspeth Thompson: The UK uses 8,000 tonnes of wrapping paper every year just on Christmas presents - the equivalent of 50,000 trees

Space solves
Stylish fir irons: do they exist? | A ceiling rose fix | In search of a radiator shelf | How to beat stained stainless steel? | You respond

Fit for a kid
Sharing a home with children doesn't have to mean ugly plastic furniture and Lego-strewn floors - you can be stylish and child-friendly. Annalisa Barbieri flicks through a new book that shows you how

Confessions of a collector
Hunter Davies' first rule of collecting is buy only what you like, what takes your fancy; follow your own interests, not what's fashionable or what might be a good investment

Snooping around
Property of the week | Wreck of the week | Take three: Art deco homes

Let's move to ...
Maidenhead, Berkshire

The kindest cut
Nobody ever buys me flowers. Perhaps it's because I run a nursery and have a garden full of plants (that's what they say, anyway), says Carol Klein

Clippings
Cut out the old wood | Pest-busters | Plant of the week

On the road
Giles Smith: The last time I considered a car by Skoda in this column, I wrote approvingly about the new Fabia supermini

Dork talk
We looked last week at changing Themes via Firefox's Tools-Add-Ons menu. Themes are all very well, but it is extensions that offer the real powerhouse possibilities, says Stephen Fry

I am a giant
Experience: Most people don't say anything until after they've passed by. Then they'll turn and gawp. It doesn't bother me

A peek at the diary of... Kiefer Sutherland
The following takes place between 12pm and 1pm on the eighth day of my 48-day jail sentence for driving under the influence of alcohol

Letters
Donald Trump, in trying to be clever and give nothing away, managed to give everything away about his vanity

Q&A;
Patricia Cornwell, 51, author

Terms and conditions
The theme for next week is Departures. The closing date for entries is Tuesday December 18 at midday