TelevisionObituaryObituary: Patrick McGoohanActor best known for his roles in the 60s TV classics The Prisoner and Danger ManThe handsome and steady-eyed Patrick McGoohan, who has died aged 80, was the star, co-writer and sometimes director of one of British television's most original and challenging series of the 1960s, The Prisoner. In it, he played Number Six, a mysterious, resigned former secret agent who is always trying to escape from the Village, an apparently congenial community which is in fact a virtual prison for people who know too much.

SEMANTIC ENIGMASWhy do some English words have the same singular and plural? Examples are mostly animals - deer, fish, moose, sheep, swine, buffalo - but also aircraft, stone (weight), head (cattle). Is it related to the Norman/ Saxon divide noted in Ivanhoe? David Null, Claremont, California, USA Animals (most of your examples) were traditionally dealt with as 'uncountable' nouns in English (like sugar or timber) reflecting perhaps a sense that there was an inexhaustible supply to be hunted.

Pop and rockInterview'I believed love could cure cancer': how grief sent Steve Perry on a new JourneyMichael HannThe man behind Don’t Stop Believin’ had abandoned music – until he fell in love with a dying woman, who made him promise to return to performing Steve Perry is explaining all the ways in which Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ can hook a listener. “The quarters on the piano – that intro’s a hook.

Passengers at Atatürk airport, where air traffic has returned to normal. Photograph: Anadolu/GettyPassengers at Atatürk airport, where air traffic has returned to normal. Photograph: Anadolu/GettyTurkey This article is more than 7 years oldIstanbul airport attack: Turkey says bombers were from Russia and central AsiaThis article is more than 7 years oldAnnouncement follows dawn raids on suspected Isis cells in Istanbul, where 16 people were detained, and Izmir Three foreign nationals – a Russian, an Uzbek and a Kyrgyz – carried out the shooting and triple suicide bombing at Atatürk airport in Istanbul, Turkish officials have said, but questions remain over security shortcomings that allowed the attackers to breach several control points and kill 43 people.

ChristianityWith Christmas canceled in the Holy Land, how are US Christians viewing the war? In Bethlehem in the West Bank, the birthplace of Jesus, Christmas has been canceled. There will be no trees, no lights, no choirs or celebrations. Instead of a manger, at the Lutheran church in Bethlehem, the baby Jesus lies swaddled in a keffiyeh, half buried in a pile of rubble. “It’s impossible to celebrate when there’s a massacre, a genocide, taking place in Gaza with our people,” Pastor Munther Ishaq, told Al Jazeera.

FilmObituaryNelson Pereira dos Santos obituaryFilm director who was regarded as ‘the father of Brazilian cinema’Before the late 1950s Brazilian cinema had caused hardly a ripple worldwide. Then Nelson Pereira dos Santos, who has died aged 89, joined Ruy Guerra and Glauber Rocha to form the Cinema Novo co-operative, initiating exciting developments in Brazilian cinema that inspired political film-makers all over Latin America. At the time Pereira, the oldest of the three film directors and always considered “the father of new Brazilian cinema”, was also the most experienced.

US militaryObject downed by US missile may have been amateur hobbyists’ $12 balloonIllinois hobby group says balloon went missing the day military missile costing $439,000 destroyed unidentified entity nearby A group of amateur balloon enthusiasts in Illinois might have solved the mystery of one of the unknown flying objects shot down by the US military last week, a saga that had captivated the nation. The Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade says one of its hobby craft went “missing in action” over Alaska on 11 February, the same day a US F-22 jet downed an unidentified airborne entity not far away above Canada’s Yukon territory.

Word of Mouth blogHip-hopA quote from the rapper about his favourite fruit has taken on a life of its own – are there any lessons here for businesses who want to target that elusive hip-health demographic?“Shout out to all the pear,” rapper Rick Ross says in a Vine clip that has gone viral and boosted the fruit’s profile. “I eat pears now and shit like that,” Ross tells DJ Tim Westwood in the interview clip where he explains the role the fruit played in his recent weight loss.

Readers' travel tipsUnited Kingdom holidaysCombining open air with social distancing, a stay at a UK campsite will be a popular option this year. Readers reveal their favourites The Guardian’s product and service reviews are independent and are in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. We will earn a commission from the retailer if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. Winning tip: Three Cliffs Bay, Gower, WalesWhenever people complain that the UK isn’t a holiday destination, I think of Three Cliffs Bay near Swansea.

Jacksonville This article is more than 4 months oldA beloved mother, a devoted father, an aspiring streamer: Jacksonville shooting victims identifiedThis article is more than 4 months oldAngela Michelle Carr, Jerrald Gallion and AJ Laguerre Jr were shot fatally when a gunman opened fire in a Dollar General store AJ Laguerre Jr worked at a Dollar General store after finishing high school to help support the grandmother who raised him. Angela Michelle Carr was an Uber driver beloved by her children.