The ObserverMusicIt was the year of R'n'B, and of the song. Above all, it was the year of Beyoncé Knowles, the Destiny's Child diva whose solo career went stellar. Simon Garfield tracked her down on tour to ask, just how crazy is it right now?Because of her position as the pre-eminent singing sensation of the year, there are many hurdles you must leap before you can be ushered into the presence of Beyoncé Knowles.

TheatreReviewJohnstone town hall A 60s Scottish skiffle band aim for the big time in the Tutti Frutti writer’s tribute piece to Baker Street singer and teenage friend Gerry Rafferty John Byrne is not a playwright you associate with jukebox musicals. The Slab Boys author – who, as a painter, is being celebrated in a retrospective at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove – has always had the popular touch. In his TV series Tutti Frutti and Your Cheatin’ Heart, he also made much of his love of popular song.

TransportDrivers can now travel from the Blue Mountains to the Sydney Harbour Bridge without passing a traffic light, but at what cost? Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast It was one of Sydney’s most controversial roads long before digging even started almost a decade ago, but as the final stage of Westconnex opens, planners remain split as to whether the tunnelling megaproject has transformed the harbour city in the way it was meant to.

Yotam Ottolenghi’s mustardy cauliflower cheese. Photograph: Jonathan LovekinYotam Ottolenghi’s mustardy cauliflower cheese. Photograph: Jonathan LovekinObserver Food Monthly's 20 best recipesChristmas food and drinkEveryone’s favourite comfort dish is the perfect companion to roast ham or chicken, and an ideal use for cheeseboard leftovers The 20 best easy Christmas recipes – in full This is the ultimate comfort dish, looking for a roast chicken, some sausages or a pan-fried steak to go alongside.

‘In what universe is this young woman’s devastating death even remotely funny?’ Photograph: Lindsey Wasson/AP‘In what universe is this young woman’s devastating death even remotely funny?’ Photograph: Lindsey Wasson/APOpinionUS policing This article is more than 4 months oldA cop said a woman killed by a police crash had ‘limited value’. That’s appallingThis article is more than 4 months oldMoustafa BayoumiThe Seattle police officer’s comments are a grim reminder that US policing is about endowing the criminal legal system with authority to determine how much each of us is worth

Asian CupAsian Cup roundup: Saudi Arabia recover to beat Oman with late winnerAli al-Bulayhi scores injury-time goal in QatarThailand beat Kyrgystan 2-0 in other Group F gameSaudi Arabia came from behind to beat Oman 2-1 in their Asian Cup Group F opener on Tuesday at a packed Khalifa International Stadium where VAR awarded the Green Falcons a late winner from Ali al-Bulayhi in second-half injury time. Oman took the lead when they counterattacked from a poorly taken Saudi corner and Hassan al-Tambakti won a penalty when he was clipped in the area, with Salaah al-Yahyaei stepping up to score with a confident finish.

Canada women's football team This article is more than 11 months oldBev Priestman considers future as Canada coach amid pay turmoilThis article is more than 11 months oldNews comes amid players’ anger over budget cutsPriestman led Canada to Olympic gold in TokyoThe Olympic gold medal-winning Canada head coach, Bev Priestman, is understood to be considering her future with the national team as the impasse between the players and federation over pay equity issues and budget cuts rumbles on.

Bolivia This article is more than 9 years oldBolivian villagers use venomous ants to torture alleged thievesThis article is more than 9 years oldMen ages 18 and 19 tied to tree swarming with insects for days following accusations of stealing motorbikesBolivian authorities say Amazon villagers nearly killed two men with venomous ants, tying them to a tree swarming with the insects for allegedly stealing three motorbikes. Dr Roberto Paz told reporters in Cochabamba on Monday that one of the men remained in intensive care while the other had required dialysis for kidney failure.

YESTERYEARClassical literature has many allusions to lions. Were there lions in Europe and when did they become extinct? I DO NOT know whether you are referring to Greek, Roman and Biblical texts or the more recent works of authors like Austen and Elliot, but nevertheless, I shall attempt to answer both from a literary point of view as opposed to a biological one. References n Greek myths such as 'The Twelve Tasks of Heracles' are not to be taken as good evidence for the existence of lions in Europe and would have found their way there through a combination of travel and observation of other civilisations.

ObituaryLord KitchenerMaster of Trinidadian music who introduced the calypso to BritainThe arrival, in 1948 at Tilbury docks, of "Lord Kitchener", who has died aged 77, is preserved on film. He had his guitar with him, and Kitchener, one of the great calypsonians - and the trailblazer responsible for the growth of Trinidadian music's popularity in Britain - appears as one of those dignified representatives of first-generation Caribbean immigrants. He was exotic, immaculately dressed and, as is the calypsonian's wont, ready with a line in topical verse.