‘90 people have taken their own lives already. How many more do they want?’ The Labour peer taking on the scandal of ‘99-year’ sentences

Please bookmark for future updatesIndeterminate sentences were scrapped in 2012 – but thousands of prisoners are still serving them, often for petty crimes, with no hope of release. Could there now be hope of resentencing?Tony Woodley is raging at the injustice of it all. Enough is enough, says the Labour peer who has introduced a … Read more

Twisters! Tennis! Transformations! The best movie moments of 2024

Please bookmark for future updatesFrom edge-of-seat chases to sexy role-playing, Guardian writers pick their most memorable scenes from films released in the US this yearSpoilers aheadAmy Adams’s canine transformation in Marielle Heller’s Nightbitch should be nothing we haven’t seen before. There is a fine history of moonlit metamorphoses in werewolf movies: moans that deepen into … Read more

Defra scraps England deadline to register thousands of miles of rights of way

Please bookmark for future updatesCampaigners jubilant after government heeded warning 2031 cutoff would mean loss of precious footpathsA deadline for registering historic rights of way is to be scrapped after a warning that the looming cutoff date could result in the loss of thousands of miles of footpaths.The last government set a deadline of 2031 … Read more

The Christmas that went wrong: Why on earth was Santa wearing my uncle’s sneakers?

Please bookmark for future updatesEven at four, I could see Father Christmas for who he really was – especially as he smelled of Old SpiceAs a child, I was an amateur detective; a master of argument and the suspicious side-eye. The adult world seemed to be defined by determined, capable people making important decisions and I was … Read more

The photographs that defined 2024 – and the stories behind them

Please bookmark for future updatesAs conflict dragged on in Gaza and Ukraine, violence dogged the US election; floods and fires raged, but bravery and humanity shone through. Photographers recall the moments when they took these era-defining photosTwo horses bolt through central London Jordan PettittI was on Aldwych in London, outside the building where the inquiry … Read more

I spent a week working, exercising and relaxing in virtual reality. I’m shocked to say it finally works | Ed Newton-Rex

Please bookmark for future updatesBar some glitches, I think a tipping point has been reached – except when it comes to virtual gigsI’m writing this from a room that’s slowly orbiting the Earth. Behind the floating screen in front of me, through a giant opening where a wall should be, the planet slowly spins, so … Read more