
A 7.2-magnitude earthquake and a 7.5-magnitude were less than a minute apart, said the U.S. Geological Survey. The second earthquake was the largest to hit the country since 1900.
(Image credit: Juan Barreto)

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake and a 7.5-magnitude were less than a minute apart, said the U.S. Geological Survey. The second earthquake was the largest to hit the country since 1900.
(Image credit: Juan Barreto)
Powerful back to back earthquakes hit Venezuela's capital, Caracas. NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with journalist Maria Graterol who is in Caracas.
A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Wednesday, June 24 (game #843).
Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.
Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Just relax
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
• Spangram has 12 letters
First side: left, 4th row
Last side: right, 8th row
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

The answers to today's Strands, game #844, are…
Yesterday we were chilling, today we’re relaxing. I wonder if someone at Strands Towers wants a break?
Fortunately, after congratulating myself for getting “spacial” as a non-game word I realized that FACIAL was hiding in plain sight and that our search was all about words connected to SPATREATMENT.
When I was training for the London Marathon about a decade ago I was in a permanent state of pain and would get massages from someone whose technique veered closer to the brutal than the relaxing – in fact, many of his clients called him “the massage terrorist”.
To be honest, it put me off any kind of treatment, but the knots I tied myself in trying to unravel today’s search had me daydreaming of some rejuvenating therapy.
Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.
The U.S. is changing the way food aid is distributed to starving children around the world. It is now using aid as a diplomatic tool as nutrition bars pile up in U.S. factories.

Archaeologists have discovered a huge Viking Age textile production site in Denmark that dates back more than 1,000 years and underlines the sophistication of Viking society.
(Image credit: James Brooks)
A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Tuesday, June 22 (game #1610).
Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,400 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.
Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.
* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).
• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.
• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.
• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.
If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:
• S
• E
• G
• N
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1612, are…
After a year-long win streak I’ve been having a really rough time of Quordle recently and lost again today — another case of having too many options and picking the wrong words.
I think after a successful run I might have to change my start words again. I’ll consult Claude and see what it suggests, seeing as it knows everything!

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1612, are…

Brexit fractured the European Union, and broke British politics. A decade on, millions of voters have deserted the two big parties for alternatives.
(Image credit: Kirsty Wigglesworth)
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