By THE STAR STAFF The Bucaneros of Arroyo, Azuareros of Yabucoa, Marlins of Ceiba and Guapos of Dorado finished with victories on Sunday, at the start of the COLICEBA Carnival series. The four teams lead their respective series 2-0, while placing the Guayacanes of Guayanilla, Ganduleros of Villalba, Jardineros of Aibonito and Atléticos of Barranquitas on the brink of elimination. Arroyo defeated the Guayacanes 6-0 and 10-1. In the first game, Yadiel Rolón delivered a brillian

Leandra Mangual of Santurce was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the match. By THE STAR STAFF The Cangrejeras of Santurce won the first match of the 2025 Puerto Rican Volleyball Confederation (COPUVO by its acronym in Spanish) finals series on Sunday, defeating the Amazónicas of Trujillo Alto in three sets at Colegio Universitario of San Juan. Santurce dominated the match with scores of 25-22, 25-19 and 25-13. The first set began with Trujillo Alto leading 8-6 at the f

Moca’s Leigha Brown finished with 13 points and six assists and was named the Most Valuable Player of the finals. By THE STAR STAFF The Explosivas of Moca completed an against-the-odds comeback from a 3-games-to-1 deficit on Sunday night to become champions of the Women’s National Superior Basketball (BSNF by its initials in Spanish) League, defeating the Atenienses of Manatí 78-69 in Game 7 of the finals at Dr. Juan Sánchez Acevedo Coliseum in Moca. The Explosivas, led by Sa

The gift shop at Hacienda Doka in Costa Rica in October 2025. (Toh Gouttenoire/The New York Times) By ELAINE GLUSAC Amid a September downpour in a beach town on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, I was reminded that I’d bet on poor odds. Locals had assured me their rainy season, from May through November, consisted of bright mornings and afternoon showers followed by clearing skies, at least most of the time. Still, the rewards for risking rain were substantial, including low p

Walking for exercise in New York, June 1, 2024. A new study suggests exercise may be especially beneficial for older adults at higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease. (Nicholas Sansone/The New York Times) By DANA G. SMITH Walking a few thousand steps a day can slow cognitive decline in older adults who are at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to research published this month. Getting about 3,000 to 5,000 daily steps was advantageous compared with doing l

Mary Handeland at her home in Grafton, Wis., on Nov. 15, 2025. In 19 transactions, Mary Handeland deposited $98,300 into crypto A.T.M.s. All of it vanished. (Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times) By CAMERON FOZI, CHLOE ROSENBERG and REENO HASHIMOTO Mary Handeland, a real estate agent in Grafton, Wisconsin, found a match on a dating app last year. He said that his name was Mike and that he was an engineer for a defense contractor in Texas. Within two months of texting and

A grave in Copiapó, Chile, for those killed in 1973 under the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, on Oct. 14, 2010. Polls show right-wing candidates drawing the most support, but a recent compulsory voting law could bring a surge of new voters, adding uncertainty. (Víctor Ruiz Caballero/The New York Times) By EMMA BUBOLA and JOHN BARTLETT José Antonio Kast, the main conservative contender in Chile’s presidential election and a candidate who has borrowed liberally from P