Gabriel Rodríguez Velázquez will compete in the 2026 Miss Universe Puerto Rico pageant. (Facebook via Kings of A&R) By THE STAR STAFF Miss Universe Puerto Rico has announced that Gabriel Rodríguez Velázquez will compete in its 2026 national pageant, marking the second time an openly trans woman has entered the competition. Rodríguez Velázquez follows Daniela Arroyo González, who broke ground in 2023 as the first trans contestant in the island’s Miss Universe franchise. Pagean

Ysmael Romero (28) had 19 points and 11 rebounds as Guaynabo held off Santurce. By THE STAR STAFF The Indios of Mayagüez topped the Piratas of Quebradillas, dealing the winless hosts their 11th loss of the season, and the Atléticos of San Germán and Mets of Guaynabo were also winners in Superior National Basketball league games on Sunday night. At Raymond Dalmau Coliseum in Quebradillas, the Indios defeated the Piratas 114-106 in a high-scoring affair that remained tight much

Claire Chaussee contributed 20 points on Sunday night to help the Leonas of Ponce set up a seventh match against the Criollas of Caguas in the Women’s Superior Volleyball League semifinals. Wednesday’s winner will take on the Cangrejeras of Santurce in the finals. (Heriberto Rosario Rosa - FPV) Leonas & Criollas in a win-or-go-home duel on Wednesday By THE STAR STAFF Semifinal Series B of the Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF by its initials in Spanish) will feature a

In an undated image from Kathryn Killackey, an artist’s reconstruction of a site in Turkey 15,800 years ago, based on evidence from archaeological excavations by University of Liverpool researchers. New research pushes the first genetic evidence of dogs back by 5,000 years and suggests that hunter-gatherer groups may have acquired dogs from one another. (Kathryn Killackey via The New York Times) By EMILY ANTHES In the waning days of the last ice age, when humans were still hu

Stiffness, achy joints, acid reflux, snoring — experts explain the pros and cons of the three main ways people sleep. (Rachel Levit Ruiz/The New York Times) By AMANDA SCHUPAK Ever wake up with a crick in your neck or a pain in your lower back? Are you roused from sleep by heartburn, or a partner complaining that you snore? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, your sleep position might be to blame. There is no one “right” way to sleep, said Dr. Indira Gurubhagavatu

A speedboat armed with machine guns and operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps draws nears U.S. Navy vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz on May 10, 2021. Although much of the regular Iranian navy is destroyed, the IRGC can still deploy small, speedy boats like these to disrupt shipping. (U.S. Navy via The New York Times) By REBECCA F. ELLIOTT Shipping companies are facing confusion and uncertainty about the status of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passageway

Protesters demonstrating for and against the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro argue from behind barricades across the street from the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan, where Maduro, the ousted president of Venezuela, and his wife, Cilia Florez, were scheduled to be arraigned later on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. (Karsten Moran/The New York Times) By ANATOLY KURMANAEV and MARIANA MARTÍNEZ U.S. Special Forces brought down President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela swiftly and publicly.

By ERIC SCHMITT The U.S. Navy has turned back 27 ships trying to enter or exit Iranian ports since a U.S. blockade outside the contested Strait of Hormuz began about a week ago, the military’s Central Command said Monday. A U.S. military official also said Monday that a team of Marines was searching as many as 5,000 containers aboard the Touska, an Iranian cargo ship that the Navy disabled and seized in the Gulf of Oman on Sunday after it tried to evade the blockade. It was t

People pass near a billboard depicting American aircraft in a net in Enghelab Square in Tehran, on Monday, April 20, 2026. Despite sending mixed signals in recent days, both the United States and Iran gave clearer indications on Monday that they were planning to send negotiators to peace talks in Pakistan this week. (Arash Khamooshi/The New York Times) By TYLER PAGER, ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, FARNAZ FASSIHI and MAX BEARAK Despite sending mixed signals in recent days, both the Unit