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Food for FortFoodHow do I pickle gherkins? Can I save an old roasting dish? Do you have a recipe for onion confit?Can you eat gherkins as a vegetable or raw in a salad ? If pickled, is it better to do so in brine or vinegar? How long till they're OK to eat? You can eat gherkins raw, although they can be bitter; you can cook them, too, if you fancy.

VictoriaInvestigators release images from moment planes crashed over Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay, resulting in two deathsAustralian Transport Safety Bureau details how aerobatic manoeuvre led to collision that claimed the lives of two men Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast Cameras captured the moment two military-style jets collided while performing an aerobatic manoeuvre over Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay, claiming the lives of two men.

Oscars This article is more than 13 years oldOscar nominations 2010: the full listThis article is more than 13 years old Avatar and The Hurt Locker lead with nine each; Inglourious Basterds has eight Meryl Streep gains record-breaking 16th nomination British acting nods for Helen Mirren, Carey Mulligan, Colin Firth Peter Bradshaw: The Hurt Locker deserves its Oscar gloryActress in a supporting role Mo'Nique in Precious Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air Penélope Cruz in Nine Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air

Ted CruzThe Texas senator has become the target of jokes on the internet after he fled the state in the middle of a deadly cold snap Texas senator Ted Cruz, who fled Texas in the middle of record-breaking cold temperatures that left millions of his constituents without power or water, was unable to escape Twitter’s ire on Thursday, with users gleefully skewering what was seen as the senator’s poor judgment and poorer excuses.

Experimental musicReview(Kranky) Full of alarms, arrhythmic pulses and deep bass, Hecker’s eerie work feels as if it’s bracing for cataclysm – but is nevertheless rich, warm and inviting The rise of always-on streaming threatens to reduce ambient to a genre of convenience: palliative soundscapes to study and relax to. Tim Hecker has other ideas. Rather than distract or soothe, the veteran laptop composer’s latest reflects our jaundiced reality – full of aural pollution, oil splatter and other nasty stuff.

Photograph: Catherine MacBride/Getty Images Photograph: Catherine MacBride/Getty ImagesThe Observer's January cultural dietArtFrom a single Van Gogh star to peaches in outer space, brighten up dark January with an artwork a day, selected and introduced by the Observer’s art critic January is the cruellest month. TS Eliot was wrong. A full 31 days with the sad tinsel of Christmas a departing memory in the winter darkness and February stretching rigidly before you.

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner This article is more than 1 year oldArgentina’s Cristina Fernández sentenced to six years in $1bn fraud caseThis article is more than 1 year oldVice-president and former president also given lifelong ban on holding public office after being found guilty Argentina’s vice-president and former president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, has been sentenced to six years in prison and given a lifelong ban on holding public office after being found guilty in a $1bn fraud case related to public works.

The ObserverFilmShe is the darling of independent French cinema who’s also been a Bond girl. On the eve of her latest film – and as she becomes a mother for the first time – she tells Will Lawrence how she balances her crippling anxiety with an exhibitionist streak A cold and overcast day in London suddenly feels a little warmer thanks to an impromptu interlude from Léa Seydoux. The French actor, who is heavily pregnant when we meet, has just broken into song, filling the room with lyrics from Down Here I’ve Done My Best by American gospel group Take 6.

Mexico This article is more than 4 years oldThis article is more than 4 years oldProtests called in response to alleged rape of girl by police officers aim for change in a country where 10 women are murdered every day Sandra Aguilar-Gomez remembers an atmosphere of camaraderie and celebration when thousands of Mexican women took to the streets for the “violet spring” protests of 2016. Three years later and the demonstrators are back to demand an end to violence against women – but this time the mood has soured.