Author: Liam Porter

For readers who answered “yes”, you are correct.For readers who answered “no”, you are also correct.(I hope no one answered “maybe”.)A similar logic applies to today’s puzzles. Am I the kind of person who would set you such a challenge? Absolutely!A questionable planetA certain planet is inhabited by two kinds of alien, Cricks and Goops. Both types of alien – who are physically identical – have a strange way of speaking. They only ask questions. Cricks can only ask questions whose answer is yes, while Goops can only ask questions whose answer is no.1. Could you meet a person inhabiting…

Labour MPs have launched a significant rebellion against the government’s welfare cuts with an amendment designed to kill its reform bill, spearheaded by senior select committee chairs.The amendment – which sources said could be signed by up to 100 MPs – declines to pass the government’s welfare reforms and calls for a pause, including for further consultation and for support to be in place before any further cuts are made.The Guardian understands the amendment has been spearheaded by the Treasury select committee chair, Meg Hillier, and a number of other committee chairs.Dozens of backbench MPs have signed the amendment, which…

Lucy Hooker and Emma HaslettBusiness reportersGetty ImagesOil prices rose 1% on Monday, hovering above $77 per barrel, after Iran threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz in the aftermath of the US’s attack on the country.It was a surprisingly muted reaction to a threat to close one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes.The price of Brent crude oil had risen to its highest in five months as markets opened, but fell back by mid-morning.However, oil is still trading more than $10 higher than it was in May, having jumped after Israel’s strikes on Iran earlier this month.It…

OpenAI has taken down online content related to its recent deal with Sir Jony Ive’s hardware startup, io, after a trademark complaint.The artificial intelligence company has removed promotional materials including a video where Ive – the former Apple designer behind the iPhone – and OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman, discuss the $6.4bn (£4.8bn) transaction. However, the nine-minute film can still be viewed on YouTube.OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, was forced to act after receiving a legal complaint from iyO, a startup that makes AI-backed earbuds.OpenAI said it had taken down a page on its website announcing the company’s acquisition of…

NATPE Budapest, the annual global TV market for the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region, kicked off in style on Monday with a ceremony for the winners of the inaugural NATPE Honors Europe, designed to recognize trailblazers “whose creativity and visionary leadership are reshaping the entertainment industry.” The winners from such countries as Hungary, Czechia, Poland, Greece, and Ukraine were feted during an event at the Dorothea Hotel in the Hungarian capital. “After an incredibly successful launch of the awards at NATPE Global in Miami this February, it was clear that we needed to recognize outstanding leadership in the CEE region,” said NATPE executive…

You may have noticed it before: someone standing feet apart, hands on hips, chest out. Or maybe you’ve done it yourself before a job interview or big presentation. This is “power posing” – the idea that striking a bold posture can make you feel more confident and improve performance. But does it work?The concept took off in the early 2010s. “A few studies seemed to show if you expanded your body position, it would change your psychological state,” says Professor Ian Robertson of Trinity College Dublin and author of How Confidence Works. “Other studies showed that it could alter testosterone…

The US is in a record-breaking heatwave, with tens of millions people on alert. A persistent heat dome is blanketing much of the midwest and spanning through the north-east. The phenomenon traps hot air and humidity, and exacerbates the “feels like” temperature to much higher than it actually is.Health experts and climate scientists described the effects of extreme heat on the human body, which populations are most at risk and ways to mitigate it.What is heat stress and what causes it?It occurs when the body experiences a buildup of heat, at a level that is more than what it can…

After failing to make Team USA’s initial roster last summer for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark had an opportunity to represent her country in another event but passed on the chance. This, according to an excerpt from USA Today’s Christine Brennan’s new book “On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports.”Brennan’s book, which releases in July, details Clark’s impact on women’s basketball upon her entry in the WNBA as last year’s No. 1 overall pick.”Clark did have another option to get to Paris: the US women’s 3×3 team,” Brennan wrote in an excerpt…

WANA via ReutersEvin prison has thousands of detainees, including dissidents, human rights defenders, journalists and dual nationals (File photo)Israel has struck Tehran’s notorious Evin prison and damaged parts of the facility, which holds many political detainees, Iran’s judiciary says.The judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported that the situation was “under control” following the attack, which it said violated international law. State TV footage showed first responders carrying a casualty on a stretcher and searching for survivors under a flattened building. Israel’s defence minister said it hit “regime targets and agencies of government repression” across Tehran, including Evin.France’s foreign minister said the…

If a giant asteroid smashes into the moon in 2032 it could send lunar debris hurtling towards Earth, researchers have said, posing a risk to satellites but also creating a rare and spectacularly vivid meteor shower visible in the skies.Asteroid 2024 YR4 triggered a planetary defence response earlier this year after telescope observations revealed the “city killer” had a 3% chance of colliding with Earth.Later observations found the likelihood of the asteroid, estimated at about 53-67 metres (174-220ft) wide, hitting the Earth was negligibly low at 0.0017% – although the moon would still be under threat.The odds of the space…