76 m. ago Can you solve it? The pals that broke the internet, ten years on

Albert, Bernard and Cheryl returnTen years ago I published a maths olympiad question from Singapore on the Guardian website, and it changed my life.‘Cheryl’s birthday problem’ went viral. Its unexpected success led to the birth of this column in May 2015. And here we are, almost 250 puzzles later.May 15, May 16, May 19June 17, June 18July 14, July 16August 14, August 15, August 17 Continue reading...

Politics

86 m. ago ‘They started nibbling at its head’: the bold plan to rid an island of albatross

South Africa’s Marion Island is a breeding ground for the birds, but their chicks are being eaten alive by rodents. Now, the world’s largest operation to eradicate the invasive species is about to get under wayBy 2015, scientists knew from camera trap evidence that mice were attacking albatross chicks on Marion Island, but no one had ever witnessed it first-hand on the small volcanic outcrop off the coast of South Africa. So, when researchers Stefan and Janine Schoombie came across a badly wounded wandering albatross chick in a relatively accessible part of the island, they resolved to return at night. After hiking for 30 minutes in the dark, Stefan started quietly setting up his camera equipment behind a rock. “We were expecting to have to stalk, but the mice were climbing all over us,” he says.It didn’t take long for the mice to start feeding on the albatross chick. “The bird was a complete fluffball,” says Janine. “So, they just climbed up its back and started nibbling at its hea...

Politics

86 m. ago ‘Joni Mitchell’s Blue revolutionised the way I saw music’: Emeli Sandé’s honest playlist

The singer was a young fan of Mariah and pretends she hates one 70s musical classic, but which aquatic power ballad can she genuinely no longer stand?The first song I fell in love with Samson by Regina Spektor, when I was 16 and falling in love for the first time. I got introduced to her music when I was working in Virgin Megastore in Aberdeen. Then I met someone in a club.The first single I bought All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey, from Asda. My dad had played me the Music Box album from when I was about seven, so I loved Mariah. I saw it in the bargain section for £1.99 and thought: “Let’s get it.” Continue reading...

Politics

86 m. ago Kerry Katona says 'blessings' were on her side amid 'scary' Bangkok earthquake

EXCLUSIVE: Kerry Katona has revealed that she was nearly caught in last week's terrifying Bangkok earthquake, which has caused over 1600 deaths, but had 'blessings' on her side.

Politics

1 hour ago Gene Hackman’s family request details of death investigation be kept private

New Mexico court weighs whether to block disclosure of an array of records about deaths of Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa

Events

2 h. ago Myanmar earthquake: woman trapped for days pulled alive from the rubble

Brief moment of relief as rescue workers carry a woman from the rubble of a hotel in Mandalay after a five-hour operationMyanmar earthquake: What we know so farA woman trapped beneath the remains of a hotel building for nearly 60 hours after a devastating earthquake struck Myanmar was pulled alive from the rubble on Monday, officials said, in a rare moment of hope for rescue teams scrambling to find survivors.Rescuers, many of them unequipped volunteers, have spent days trying to free people from buildings collapsed following Friday’s huge earthquake, which killed more than 1,700 people in the country and at least 18 in neighbouring Thailand. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago Obsessed stalker butchered his workmate when she caught him at her flat on lunch break

Carolyn Byington had no idea obsessed co-worker Kenneth Saal had copied her door key and was visiting her home to set up secret cameras before her bludgeoning her to death

Events

2 h. ago 'I drove 1,000 miles just to get a dentist appointment as the situation is ridiculous'

Mark Formosa took the extreme measures after failing to find an NHS appointment anywhere near his home in Newquay, Cornwall, despite being on the waiting list for years

Politics

2 h. ago Vance’s posturing in Greenland was not just morally wrong. It was strategically disastrous | Timothy Snyder

Thanks to Trump’s administration, the US could soon have to fight wars to get things that, just a few weeks ago, were there for the askingNo one would allow that he could not see these much-admired clothes; because, in doing so, he would have declared himself either a simpleton or unfit of his office.” – Hans Christian Andersen, The Emperor’s New ClothesElon Musk and Donald Trump inherited a state with unprecedented power and functionality, and are taking it apart. They also inherited a set of alliances and relationships that underpinned the largest economy in world history. This too they are breaking. Continue reading...

Events

2 h. ago The siege of Khartoum has lifted. Left behind are scenes of unimaginable horror | Nesrine Malik

Sudan’s capital has been hollowed out and stripped for parts, its people trampled beneath a conflict that is far from overTen days ago, in a major turning point in almost two years of war, the Sudanese army reclaimed the capital city from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia which took it over in 2023. What little we know so far paints a picture of a city ravaged by unimaginable horror.The war has sent Sudan hurtling into the largest humanitarian disaster in the world, triggering genocide in the west of the country, and starvation there and in other areas. Previously allies in power, the RSF – formalised and expanded from the remnants of the Janjaweed militia – and the Sudanese military went to war when their partnership fell apart. The victims have been the Sudanese people, whose lives were trampled beneath. Khartoum’s centrality in the war, both in its prosperity and in terms of what it represents for the RSF as the seat of power, has meant the city has been subjected to a parti...

Events

2 h. ago Red Cross federation ‘outraged’ at deaths of Red Crescent medics in Gaza

Secretary general says he is ‘heartbroken’ by the news, after Israeli military says it fired on ‘suspicious vehicles’ that were later found to include ambulancesThe Red Cross federation voiced outrage on Sunday after eight medical colleagues were killed while on duty in the Gaza Strip.The world’s largest humanitarian network said in a statement: “The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies [IFRC] is outraged at the deaths of eight medics from PRCS [Palestine Red Crescent Society], killed on duty in Gaza.” Continue reading...

Events

2 h. ago Survivors continue to be pulled from Myanmar earthquake rubble 60 hours after disaster

Four survivors were pulled from a collapsed school and one from a hotel as rescue missions continue

Events

3 h. ago Deaths from devastating earthquake in Myanmar climb past 1,700

The death toll from the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit Myanmar has risen to more than 1,700 as more bodies have been pulled from the rubble

Events

3 h. ago Judge weighs request to withhold investigation records in deaths of Gene Hackman and wife

A New Mexico court is weighing whether to block the disclosure of an array of records from an investigation into the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and wife, Betsy Arakawa

Events

3 h. ago ‘My brain reaches for morbidity’: inside the unsettling world (and 700 Post

He was a digital art pioneer, making himself an avatar in disturbing films. Now Ed Atkins has a new medium: the pandemic Post-it note. Ahead of a major Tate show, we meet the shapeshifting artistWhen he was younger and his parents were out of the house, Ed Atkins used to sit on the landing and force himself to imagine all the ways they might die. “My thinking was that if I imagined it first, then it would be very unlikely to actually happen,” says the 42-year-old artist.Atkins’ parents didn’t succumb to any of the ways he had invented. But during the final year of his master’s course, his father, Philip, was diagnosed with cancer and died six months later, during Atkins’ degree show, in 2009. “It’s a huge thing, obviously, losing your father,” says the artist. “And it started to feed into what I was reading and was interested in. His death, and death generally, is in all of my work.” Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Novak Djokovic falls short of 100th title as Jakub Menšík wins Miami Open final

Milestone remains out of Serb’s reach as 19-year-old causes upset54th-ranked Czech subdues 24-times major winner 7-6(4), 7-6(4)The 19-year-old Czech Jakub Menšík beat his childhood idol Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 7-6(4) in an upset for the ages on Sunday, claiming his first ATP title at the Miami Open as he denied the former number one in his bid for a milestone 100th.The 54th-ranked Menšík faced tough odds in only his second ATP final but harnessed his best weapon to subdue the 24-times major winner with 14 aces. Continue reading...

Sport

4 h. ago ‘I was telling my baby, don’t come out yet’: Woman gives birth to daughter during Myanmar earthquake (cloned)

Kanthong Saenmuangshin had gone to hospital for a routine check-up but ended up going into labour amid the chaos of Friday's powerful 7.7 magnitude quake

Politics

4 h. ago Why was the earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand so damaging as death toll crosses 1,600

A skyscraper in Bangkok collapsed as the huge 7.7-magnitude earthquake killed scores of people

Events

4 h. ago Dad's life or death struggle after children stabbed in the dead of night

Four people have been stabbed in Sydney in the early hours of Monday morning.

Events

6 h. ago Volodymyr Zelensky's powerful message to Donald Trump after President lashes out at Putin

Donald Trump had said he was "p*ssed off" with Vladimir Putin as their cosy relationship took a wrong turn on Sunday, a remark which has spurred on Volodymyr Zelensky to make a point of his own

Politics