Houthis in Yemen said 25-member crew of Galaxy Leader had been freed ‘in support’ of the Gaza ceasefire agreement

• See all our Middle East crisis coverage

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader more than a year after they seized the Bahamas-flagged vessel off the Yemeni Red Sea coast, Houthi-owned Al Masirah TV has reported.

It said on Wednesday the crew were handed to Oman “in coordination” with the three-day-old ceasefire in Gaza’s war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

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© Photograph: Houthis Media Center/HANDOUT HANDOUT/EPA

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© Photograph: Houthis Media Center/HANDOUT HANDOUT/EPA

The Iranian-backed rebel group in Yemen had earlier said they would scale back attacks given the cease-fire in the conflict in Gaza.

© Yahya Arhab/EPA, via Shutterstock

• San Diego player agrees personal terms with WSL club
• Fee tops previous record of $860,000 for Kundananji

The United States defender Naomi Girma is set to have a medical at Chelsea this week after agreeing personal terms to join from San Diego Wave for a world-record fee. Chelsea will pay $1.1m (£890,000), the first women’s football transfer fee to exceed a million US dollars.

The Guardian understands Chelsea have agreed a long-term contract with Girma and she is set to travel to London for a medical with Sonia Bompastor’s side, who are seven points clear at the top of the Women’s Super League at the halfway stage.

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© Photograph: Vince Mignott/EPA-EFE

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© Photograph: Vince Mignott/EPA-EFE

Data from dozens of countries reveals height and weight differences between sexes have increased since 1900

Amid the profound changes humanity has witnessed, one might be forgiven for failing to notice a rise in sexy and formidable men: those tall, broad-shouldered types that are strangers to self-doubt.

But according to a new study, men around the world have gained height and weight twice as fast as women over the past century, driving greater differences between the sexes.

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© Photograph: Robin Utrecht/EPA

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© Photograph: Robin Utrecht/EPA

Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzy Wrack, Emma Sanders and Emily Keogh to discuss the action as WSL returns

On the podcast today: the WSL is back with a bang as Ella Toone steals the show in the Manchester derby, scoring a hat-trick in United’s thrilling 4-2 win over City at the Etihad. What does this result mean for both teams’ title hopes?

The panel also discusses Arsenal’s dominant 5-0 victory over Crystal Palace, celebrating Renée Slegers’ permanent appointment as head coach, while Chelsea hit five past West Ham to solidify their lead at the top of the table.

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© Photograph: Conor Molloy/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock

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© Photograph: Conor Molloy/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock

One study found athletes were three times as likely to leak as women who did little or no exercise. But why does this happen – and can you prevent it?

On a wall in a gym in south London, someone has written: “PB [personal best] with a bit of wee.” Who could have written it? A runner? A woman doing CrossFit who has been jumping rope? A powerlifter? Evidence shows that all these activities can trigger higher rates of urinary incontinence (UI) in women than other activities. (Men’s anatomy is different, so they are less prone to the problem.)

“Women pee. In my gym you see it all the time,” says Emily Westray, a 27-year-old civil servant in Sheffield who can bench press 75kg, deadlift 130kg and squat 115kg, while only weighing 57kg herself. She used to be a diver and gymnast and got into powerlifting two years ago. At first, she had no problem. And according to usual preconceptions, she shouldn’t have. She’s young and has never had children. Incontinence is supposed to affect women who have gone through childbirth, and the middle-aged and menopausal.

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© Photograph: simonkr/Getty Images

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© Photograph: simonkr/Getty Images

The pronatalist movement in the US is gathering pace once again, rekindled by Silicon Valley personalities and hard-right conservatives who are becoming increasingly vocal about whether or not women are having enough babies. But it's not just in the US, some governments in other countries have launched marketing campaigns encouraging people to have more children, while others have offered financial incentives. But while many of these policies claim to be about halting population decline, there are other factors at play. Josh Toussaint-Strauss interrogates efforts around the world to boost birth rates, as well as the underlying political motivations, from bodily autonomy to immigration

• Birth rates are plummeting worldwide. Can governments turn the tide?

• When desperate measures to persuade women to have children fail, it’s time for fresh thinking

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© Photograph: The Guardian

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© Photograph: The Guardian