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Luis García, the former Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, and Liverpool player, thought he had left the intense emotions of football behind when he retired in 2016. However, while watching his current club, Johor Darul Ta'zim, celebrate a historic win in Malaysia, he found himself overcome with emotion. "I was always very competitive and once I had left football, I thought I wasn’t going to have those feelings I had before," García says. "I still enjoy football, still play seven-a-side with my friends – every Saturday at 10am, Los Jareños Club de Futbol – but I thought I had lost that and it wasn’t coming back. In fact, I was trying to avoid it; I didn’t want it. So when it happened, it surprised me. I didn’t expect football to give me that again. But there I was, crying."García is now the chief executive of Johor Darul Ta'zim, a Malaysian club that has made history by reaching the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League. He credits the club's success to its strong structure, including coaches, analysis, assistants, fitness staff, and a digital team.The club's owner, Tunku Ismail Idris, the crown prince of Malaysia, has been instrumental in its growth, taking the team to 12 league titles. García says that Idris is "very active, inquisitive" and has a good understanding of the game.García's role as CEO involves implementing the club's vision, finding ways to improve, and liaising with the operations manager. He also travels with the sporting director to scout players and has been involved in school visits and hospital engagements.The team's success has been built on a strong squad, including Australians, New Zealanders, Americans, Koreans, Portuguese, Spaniards, Argentinians, Brazilians, a Colombian, and the former Wolves midfielder Hong Wan. Arif Aiman, a Malaysian player, has been described by García as "the pearl of Malaysia" due to his quick skills, goal-scoring ability, and potential to play in Europe.

A recent study has confirmed what many people can already feel: summers are getting longer, and the trend is particularly pronounced in Sydney. The research, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, found that summer conditions are arriving earlier, lasting longer, and feeling more intense due to human-induced global heating.The study, conducted by PhD candidate Ted Scott from the University of British Columbia, analyzed data from 10 global cities and found that the length of summer is increasing on average by six days every decade. However, in Sydney, Australia, the summer period is growing at a rate of about 15 days every decade.In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the summer length is increasing by nine days every decade, while Toronto in Canada is adding a little over eight days to its summer every decade. Paris and Reykjavik are adding 7.2 days to their summer periods.The research also found that the shift from one season to another is becoming more abrupt, with summer-like conditions arriving more suddenly rather than gradually warming up. Sydney's summer period has grown from 65 days in the 1960s to 125-130 days in recent years, with the summer starting almost a full month earlier on November 27 and ending on March 28.The study's findings have significant implications for various aspects of life, including school terms, sporting seasons, and crop planting. The researchers emphasize that the trend is driven by human-induced global heating and that reducing fossil fuel usage is crucial to mitigating the effects of climate change.

An Israeli air attack targeted a group of men gathered outside a school in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, killing at least three people. The incident occurred as Israeli forces arrested at least 30 Palestinians in raids across several cities and towns in the occupied West Bank.Medics at Al-Aqsa Hospital reported the killings, with the bodies of the victims laid out in white shrouds outside the hospital's morgue. Relatives and friends gathered to bid farewell, with some kissing the victims' foreheads before holding special prayers.The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the airstrike. The killings took place as mediators met with leaders from the Palestinian group Hamas to bolster a fragile ceasefire brokered by the United States, which began last October.The ceasefire has been marred by violence, with over 750 Palestinians killed since it took effect. Hamas fighters have killed four Israeli soldiers, and both sides have traded blame for violations.Israeli forces have also been accused of moving yellow concrete markers westwards in Gaza, which Palestinians say is an attempt to expand a depopulated zone. Israel denies this.In the West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoners Media Office reported that two children and some freed detainees were among those arrested in the raids. The military operations included searches of homes and property damage.The conflict has resulted in significant casualties, with over 72,000 Palestinians killed in Israel's war on Gaza, which began in October 2023. In the occupied West Bank, at least 1,133 Palestinians have been killed, 11,700 others wounded, and nearly 22,000 arrested.The International Court of Justice has declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Israeli forces have used tear gas against Palestinian schoolchildren in a recent incident, sparking concerns about the safety and well-being of civilians in the region. The event occurred near the Gaza border, where tensions between Israeli forces and Palestinian groups have been high. The use of tear gas on schoolchildren has been widely criticized, with many calling for an investigation into the incident.The incident highlights the ongoing conflict and humanitarian concerns in the region, with civilians often bearing the brunt of the violence. The Israeli military's actions have been scrutinized by international observers, who are urging restraint and a return to peace negotiations.

The article features three brainteasers with their respective solutions. The first puzzle involves a Navy admiral choosing between sending one ship with a P per cent chance of success or two ships each with a P/2 per cent chance of success. The solution reveals that sending one ship is always the better option.The second puzzle introduces two oracles, Randie and Rando, who answer questions differently. Randie responds randomly, while Rando decides to tell the truth or lie. The solution explains how to distinguish between them by asking a specific question that yields the same answer from both a liar and a truthteller.The third puzzle involves a mathematical problem where Johnny calculates 5548-5489 = 59 by incorrectly canceling out digits. A similar calculation XXYZ - XYZW is analyzed, and the solution reveals that Z and W are 8 and 9, respectively.

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack has severely criticized England's Test team for their tumultuous Ashes tour, labeling their campaign as 'feckless, reckless and legless'. The criticism comes after England suffered a 4-1 defeat in Australia.The editor of Wisden, Lawrence Booth, expressed his dismay at England's performance, stating it is 'hard to think of a privilege so carelessly squandered, a chance so blithely spurned'. Booth highlighted several factors contributing to the team's downfall, including poor preparation, lurching tactics, and an unprofessional approach off the field.The Ashes tour was marred by incidents such as Harry Brook's altercation with a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand and a mid-series break in Noosa, which drew significant criticism. In contrast, Australian bowler Mitchell Starc was praised for his discipline, choosing to abstain from alcohol during the series, which helped him secure 31 wickets and earn the title of Wisden's leading men's cricketer in the world.The awards section of Wisden showed a strong Indian flavor, with Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Siraj recognized for their performances. Haseeb Hameed was the sole Englishman among the five players of the year.

Tanya Khovanova has long been a leading voice in the world of recreational mathematics, authoring a popular blog and running the Number Gossip site where enthusiasts can inquire about any number.She now debuts her first book, Mathematical Puzzles and Curiosities, co‑written with fellow puzzle‑enthusiasts Ivo David and Yogev Shpilman. Published by World Scientific, the volume offers fresh challenges and inventive twists on classic problems.To give readers a taste, Khovanova selected three puzzles for the Guardian column:1. Battleships – As a naval admiral you must choose between sending a single vessel with a success probability of P % or two vessels each with a P/2 % chance, where the mission succeeds if at least one ship does. Which strategy maximises the odds?2. The Two Oracles – You face two respondents, Randie, who answers randomly, and Rando, who randomly decides to tell the truth or lie before each answer. Is there a method to distinguish them?3. Bad Maths – A student computes 5548 − 5489 as 59, claiming the “548” cancels out. He then experiments with a subtraction of the form XXYZ − XYZW (distinct digits) and observes the result is XW. How many digits in the new expression match those in the original calculation?Solutions to the trio were later posted online (update), but readers were urged to avoid spoilers until the scheduled reveal.Khovanova also reminds fans that she has been curating puzzles for the Guardian every other Monday since 2015 and welcomes new submissions via email.

Israeli forces have fired teargas at Palestinian schoolchildren who were staging a sit-in in the occupied West Bank after settlers blocked access to their school. The incident occurred in the village of Umm al-Khair, in the southern West Bank region of Masafer Yatta.The schoolchildren, who had been due back in class on Monday for the first time in more than 40 days, had gathered near a barbed wire fence erected by Israeli settlers. The fence blocked access to the school, prompting the children and some local adults to hold an open-air class as a sit-in to demand access. Israeli troops responded by firing teargas at the protesters.Witnesses described the scene as chaotic, with children screaming and fleeing after the teargas canisters were fired. A 12-year-old girl, Sarah al-Hathaleen, recounted her experience: “We were sitting and they threw a grenade [teargas canister] at us. I got scared and started screaming and ran away.”The Israeli military stated that they had dispersed an “unusual gathering” but did not specify whether they had fired teargas. The incident highlights the ongoing tensions in the West Bank, particularly in the Masafer Yatta region, which is a known hotspot for settler violence and Palestinian home demolitions.The Masafer Yatta region has seen increased violence since the outbreak of the Iran war. More than 500,000 Israelis now live in settlements in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law, among about 3 million Palestinians. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.

A comprehensive study from Denmark has concluded that taking acetaminophen, commonly known as Tylenol, during pregnancy has no effect on later autism diagnoses in children. The research, which utilized Denmark's robust national healthcare system to track more than 1.5 million children born between 1997 and 2022, including 31,098 children who were exposed to Tylenol in utero, found no significant link between Tylenol use and autism. The study's findings contradict claims made by the Trump administration, which had suggested that Tylenol use during pregnancy was a major cause of autism in children. This led to a notable 16% drop in Tylenol orders for pregnant women in emergency rooms following the announcement. However, the new study provides reassurance that Tylenol is safe to use during pregnancy for pain relief and fever reduction. According to the study, autism was diagnosed in 1.8% of children who were exposed to Tylenol and 3% of those who weren’t. A similar 2024 study in Sweden found a marginal link that disappeared after considering siblings, suggesting that autism is strongly genetic. Health officials had previously announced a label change for acetaminophen, warning of a potential link to autism, which has now been called into question. Experts, such as Jeremy Faust, an emergency physician at Mass General Brigham and a health services researcher at Harvard Medical School, have noted that the words of health officials can significantly affect behavior, as evidenced by the drop in Tylenol orders. However, Faust also emphasized that Tylenol remains one of the safest options for pain control and fever reduction during pregnancy.