The $14.1 million Ponce de León Avenue rehabilitation project will address both the historic center of Río Piedras and the area facing the University of Puerto Rico’s Río Piedras Campus. By THE STAR STAFF San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero Lugo announced on Sunday the start of construction work to revitalize Ponce de León Avenue in Río Piedras. The project represents a $14.1 million investment, with some 75% of the funding coming from the municipality’s general funds. “Río Piedras

Lionel Messi of Argentina is seen on a screen after Spain won the World Cup final against Argentina in East Rutherford, N.J., July 19, 2026. “The goal of Miami’s ownership group was always to turn Inter Miami into Leo Messi’s Inter Miami,” writes Paul Tenorio of The Athletic. (Vincent Alban/The New York Times) By PAUL TENORIO / THE ATHLETIC Fifteen hours after his plane landed back in Florida from his father’s funeral in Argentina, Lionel Messi stood at Nu Stadium in Miami, h

By ALEXA ROBLES-GIL Giant manta rays are otherworldly leviathans gliding through the world’s seas on massive wings. But even though they are the largest ray species in the world, a fundamental part of their lives remains obscure: where they give birth. “The big unknown for us now is where females go to pup and where these pups hang out,” said Joshua Stewart, a marine ecologist at Oregon State University. Now a team of scientists in Mexico has reported the first use of underwa

By RAYMOND ZHONG Last month tied July 2023 as the planet’s hottest month on record, European scientists said Thursday, as human-caused warming pushes the Northern Hemisphere’s muggiest, most uncomfortable time of year into new realms of stickiness and discomfort. Dangerous heat hammered Europe for the fifth time since May. Temperatures soared into the triple digits across the southern United States from California to Texas. South Korea recorded its highest temperature reading

Demonstrators protest outside Anthropic’s offices in San Francisco, July 21, 2026. For years, the artificial intelligence industry raced to improve its technology as quickly as possible; now some researchers are increasingly sounding the alarm about the need to slow down. (Lucas Foglia/The New York Times) By KATE CONGER For years, the artificial intelligence industry raced to improve its technology as quickly as possible. Now some researchers are increasingly sounding the ala

Beulah Cooper, who was a volunteer at the Royal Canadian Legion where some of the stranded airline passengers found refuge, in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, Aug. 16, 2026. The Newfoundland town welcomed thousands of frightened airline passengers on Sept. 11, but 25 years later, mixed emotions run through anniversary plans amid a breakdown in U.S.-Canada relations. (Renaud Philippe/The New York Times) By NORIMITSU ONISHI If any small town ever embodied Canada’s tr

A puppet with the face of Donald Trump is paraded and beaten during celebrations in the streets during the anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2026. (Tomas Munita/The New York Times) By ELIAN PELTIER Twenty five years ago, Osama bin Laden led the planning of al-Qaida’s attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, from a Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan, where he lived as their guest. Now, the Taliban rule over Afghanistan once again, trying to present

U.S. stocks ended down on Thursday after producer price data for August and surging oil prices stoked worries the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates next week, while climbing Treasury yields made ‌stocks less attractive. Heavyweight chipmakers lost ground, with Nvidia down 2.3% and Micron Technology losing 4.7%, both weighing on the S&P 500. ‌Apple rallied 3.6% a day after launching a $1,999 iPhone. With supply routes through both the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea di

“The Long Walk” (2025) (Lionsgate) By ELISABETH VINCENTELLI This month’s options include an adaptation of an early Stephen King novel, jungle dinosaur battles and atmospheric thrillers. ‘The Long Walk’ This adaptation of an early Stephen King novel (which was published in 1979 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman) is as grim as required by the source material. Set in a totalitarian, alternate-reality United States, the story often recalls that of the classic drama “They Shoot