CricketObituaryBishan Bedi obituaryOne of India’s greatest cricketers admired for his mesmerising spin bowling who captained his country in the 1970sWith his bright patkas and aesthetically pleasing bowling action, Bishan Bedi, who has died aged 77, was one of the most recognisable and popular figures in international cricket during the 1960s and 70s. His gentle, effortless run-in and stately, upright delivery created an exceptionally high, loopy flight to the ball that was often mesmerising in combination with the prodigious turn generated by his fingers.

Crime This article is more than 8 years oldDaniel Pelka's mother dies in prisonThis article is more than 8 years oldMagdalena Luczak, 29, was found unresponsive in cell, while serving 30 years for murder of her four-year-old son with partner, after ‘unimaginable acts of cruelty’ The mother of four-year-old Daniel Pelka has died in prison less than two years into her 30-year sentence for his murder. Magdelena Luczak was jailed along with Daniel’s stepfather, Mariusz Krezolek, in August 2013 for the “incomprehensible cruelty” leading to the toddler’s death.

XWhen Isaiah Hickland revealed he was behind the popular @emoblackthot Twitter account, fans felt scammed and pushback was swift The Twitter account @emoblackthot was a virtual therapist and best friend for over 170,000 followers – many of them people of color and/or queer. She would post gentle reminders to wear sunscreen every day and stay hydrated, rave about the latest songs she was obsessed with and share her struggles with anxiety and depression.

Finland This article is more than 2 years oldMayor suggests Helsinki declare itself an English-language cityThis article is more than 2 years oldJuhana Vartiainen says too many highly skilled foreigners shun Finnish capital because of difficult language Helsinki should consider declaring itself an English-language city, its mayor has suggested, arguing that too many highly skilled international workers are shunning the Finnish capital partly because of exacting language requirements. Finland’s two main official languages are Finnish, which has 15 grammatical cases and is notoriously difficult for foreigners to learn, and Swedish.

The new veganFoodThe subtle heat of black pepper pairs brilliantly with the tang of tamarind shallots Black pepper, once a highly prized spice for which kingdoms fell and men died, originates in India’s Malabar coast, where it’s one of the main spices of the local cuisine. When used as more than just a seasoning, as in this istoo (a corruption of the word ‘stew’), pepper adds a gentle, rounded heat, unlike the sharp hit you get from fresh chillies.

FictionReviewA writer struggles after becoming a mother in this vibrant, genre-busting study of the divided self The Danish author Olga Ravn would have been a teenager when Rachel Cusk’s 2001 memoir, A Life’s Work: On Becoming a Mother, was first published. Cusk’s intense, elegant description of one woman’s experience marked the beginning of a wave of important writing on the subjective, often ambivalent interior world of early motherhood. Ravn’s rangy, unsettled new autofiction, My Work, is not unusual in folding a knowledgable, articulate discussion of this work into a real-time analysis of its own intimate story.

The BearThis hectic closeup of kitchen life is more than just a culinary drama – it’s a hymn to the fashions of our time In an early moment of the TV drama series The Bear, the perpetually stressed lead character, Carmy, is seen making a rushed deal in a parking lot. He is trying to swap vintage denim with someone who has a case of beef. Carmy needs the meat for his family’s barely surviving sandwich shop.

Fiction in translationReviewThis French prizewinner detailing a woman’s anonymous encounters provides a revolutionary perspective on sex As you might surmise from the peachy, fleshy fungi laid out on its cover, The Collection is an ethnography of the penis. It’s a nouveau roman-esque narrative about Jeanne, a woman who has methodical, anonymous sexual encounters in a series of hotel rooms across Paris with men she picks up on the street. She seems in particular to enjoy fellatio, memorising each member she encounters, storing it away in her “memory palace”.

Pass notesGardensThe ‘ultimate erotic garden’ is showing at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Festival this week. And it isn’t all peaches and aubergines ... Name: Erotic gardens. Age: Alfresco sex – or should that be al-frisk-o sex!? – has almost certainly been going on since before indoor sex, if you think about it. I am thinking about it now! Not just you; 40% of Britons are getting jiggy out of doors apparently.

New ZealandCohen Irwin is part of a group of former addicts in New Zealand working with researchers to trace signs of healing in the brains of those who stop smoking Every few months, Cohen “Coey” Irwin lies on his back and lets the walls close in. Lights move overhead, scanning over the tattoos covering his cheeks. He lies suspended, his head encased by a padded helmet, ears blocked, as his body is shunted into a tunnel.