Seven years after it was lowered, the American flag is flying again over the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, as Washington eyes Venezuelan oil to ease fuel prices amid global tensions.
Monday, March 16, 2026
5th member of Iranian women's soccer team gives up asylum in Australia
The player's departure shortly before midnight on Sunday leaves two of an initial seven squad members in Australia.
(Image credit: STR/AFP)
Sunday, March 15, 2026
NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, March 16 (game #743)
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 Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, March 15 (game #742).
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.
NYT Strands today (game #743) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… The Big Dance
NYT Strands today (game #743) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- BREAK
- NICE
- BLUE
- ROVER
- TRIBE
- CHARM
NYT Strands today (game #743) - hint #3 - spangram letters
How many letters are in today's spangram?
• Spangram has 12 letters
NYT Strands today (game #743) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First side: left, 4th row
Last side: right, 2nd row
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #743) - the answers

The answers to today's Strands, game #743, are…
- CHALK
- BUBBLE
- BRACKET
- OVERTIME
- CINDERELLA
- SPANGRAM: MARCHMADNESS
- My rating: Hard
- My score: 3 hints
Depending on your geographical location and predilection to sports you would have found today’s search incredibly easy or incredibly hard.
Considering that I live somewhere where the NBA barely reaches, I have not experienced MARCHMADNESS in its madcap glory beyond a few clips of last-nanosecond victories that my basketball-loving friend has shown me.
Instead, I took the theme literally and went searching for types of dances — after “break” came up blank I needed major help from hints to help me navigate the board.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, March 15, game #742)
- DIRECTOR
- SOUND
- ACTOR
- ACTRESS
- PICTURE
- SONG
- SPANGRAM: ACADEMYAWARD
What is NYT Strands?
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.
In a small Lebanese town, grief and fear follow the Michigan synagogue attack
The suspect who attacked a synagogue in Michigan lost family members in an Israeli strike in Lebanon on March 5. Relatives and neighbors in his hometown share their views on his actions.
(Image credit: JOSEPH EID)
Israeli soldiers fire on family car in occupied West Bank, killing 4
Israeli soldiers fired on a car carrying a family in the northern West Bank, killing four people including two children, the Palestinian Authority's Health Ministry said.
(Image credit: Majdi Mohammed)
U.S. military names six killed in plane crash as Iran war enters third week
The conflict in the Middle East has entered a third week, with Israel announcing a barrage of new strikes on western Iran on Sunday, while the U.S. defense department released the names of six service members who died when their military refueling aircraft crashed.
(Image credit: Ohad Zwigenberg)
Saturday, March 14, 2026
How the conflict in Iran is affecting global markets
Escalation of the Iran conflict is sending shockwaves through global markets — driving up oil, fuel, and commodity prices, stoking inflation and recession risks worldwide. We hear from three NPR reporters in Europe, Asia and Russia.