Urban planner Pedro Cardona Roig By THE STAR STAFF Legislative proposals for a new Planning and Permits Code submitted by Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz and by Gov. Jenniffer González Colón recently are “misguided bills,” urban planner Pedro Cardona Roig said. Of the two, Cardona Roig said in a recent radio interview (Radio Isla) that Rivera Schatz’s version of a new permitting process was better than the governor’s measure, but still bad. The island Legislature is s

Sen. Juan Oscar Morales Rodríguez Critics say SB 1190 has constitutional flaws By THE STAR STAFF District I (San Juan, Guaynabo and Aguas Buenas) Sen. Juan Oscar Morales Rodríguez has introduced Senate Bill (SB) 1190, a measure aimed at establishing the “Law for a Strict Regulatory Framework for Lobbying in Puerto Rico,” which critics view as problematic. The measure comes amid allegations that La Fortaleza Chief of Staff Francisco Domenech Fernández, the former owner of lob

Ramses Meléndez (22) led all scorers with 22 points off the bench in Arecibo’s win over Ponce. By THE STAR STAFF The Capitanes of Arecibo and the Indios of Mayagüez were the victors in a pair of National Superior Basketball League (BSN by its initials in Spanish) games on Wednesday night. At Manuel “Pataca” Iguina Coliseum in Arecibo, the Capitanes defeated the Leones of Ponce 101-82 in a matchup that held little suspense. The Capitanes quickly took control and maintained the

The Cangrejeras dropped the third set but rallied in the fourth to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 semifinal series. (Heriberto Rosario Rosa / FPV) By THE STAR STAFF The Cangrejeras of Santurce defeated the Valencianas of Juncos in four sets at Rafael G. Amalbert Coliseum in Juncos on Wednesday night in the second match of the Women’s Superior Volleyball League Section A semifinals. The set scores were 25-21, 25-13, 20-25 and 25-22 as the Cangrejeras took a 2-0 lead in the b

A poster for Canada’s Liberal party candidate, Prime Minister Mark Carney, in Blainville, Canada, April 15, 2025. Carney’s Liberal Party is expected to win two special elections that could give the government broader powers in Parliament. (Renaud Philippe/The New York Times) By NORIMITSU ONISHI Riding high in the polls, the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada came tantalizingly close to forming a parliamentary majority on Wednesday after another opposition lawm

By ANDREW E. KRAMER The ceasefire that Iran and the United States announced this week opens a window to resume talks on ending the war in Ukraine, but that window will soon close, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in comments made public by his office on Thursday. Talks on the fighting in Ukraine have been underway for more than a year with little to show for them, except for brief ceasefires last year. The negotiations stalled last month after their host, the United Arab Em

Rescue workers search the site of an Israeli airstrike in the Tallet el Khayat area of Beirut, Thursday, April 9, 2026. Israel says the truce with Iran does not cover Lebanon. Tehran says it does and has threatened retaliation unless the bombing stops. (Diego Ibarra Sánchez/The New York Times) By LYNSEY CHUTEL Lebanon said Thursday, a day after an intense wave of Israeli airstrikes, that more than 300 people had been killed in the bombardment. The attacks, targeting the Iran-

U.S. stocks rallied on Thursday, with the S&P 500 ⁠and ⁠Nasdaq clocking their seventh daily gain, as investors shrugged ⁠off a rise in oil prices and pinned their hopes on the fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire extending to Israel and Lebanon ​too. In my column today I look beyond the market euphoria uncorked by Tuesday’s announcement of the ceasefire, and outline why the economic, policy and geopolitical backdrop is still pretty sobering for ‌investors. If you have more time to rea

Conductor JoAnn Falletta in 2015 (Wikipedia/David Adam Beloff) By PEGGY ANN BLISS Special to The STAR One of the world’s finest female orchestra conductors, JoAnn Falletta, is back in San Juan, bearing musical wealth galore from the North. And as this unique product of the Big Apple steps up to that Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra (PRSO) podium Saturday night, she’ll bestow Yankee goodies with pride and love. Falletta and the ensemble’s 75 musicians will reunite over three of