14 h. ago Puerto Rico drops climate lawsuit after DoJ sues states to block threats to big oil

Territory’s voluntary move comes as Trump administration makes good on pledge to end lawsuits against oil and gasPuerto Rico has voluntarily dismissed its 2024 climate lawsuit against big oil, a Friday legal filing shows, just two days after the US justice department sued two states over planned litigation against oil companies for their role in the climate crisis.Puerto Rico’s lawsuit, filed in July, alleged that the oil and gas giants had misled the public about the climate dangers associated with their products. It came as part of a wave of litigation filed by dozens of US states, cities and municipalities in recent years. Continue reading...

Society

16 h. ago US designates Haitian gangs as a foreign terror organization as experts warn of impact on aid

The U.S. has officially designated a powerful gang coalition in Haiti as a foreign terrorist organization, raising concerns the move could deepen the country’s humanitarian crisis

Events

69 h. ago Climate change is making coffee more expensive. Tariffs likely will too

Premium coffee roasters in the U.S. are reeling from the sharp price increases of coffee beans, which nearly doubled last year after record drought in Brazil

Politics

3 d. ago A moment that changed me: I went into the wilderness with my family – and lost my inhibitions

We took a wrong turn on vacation and ended up on a six-hour trek into the rainforest. After my mom flung off her top, my brother was attacked by fire ants and I developed a fiery hot rash, everything began to seem strangely zen It was the summer of 2001 and I was on the brink of adolescence, embarking on my first journey outside the United States to the tropically convenient American territory of Puerto Rico. I was 11, and already the goofball in my group of friends – but, away from those with whom I was familiar, I was painfully shy. Until a family vacation from hell rid me of all my inhibitions.The chaos began when my well-intentioned parents decided to take my brother and me to see the beautiful rainforest. My mom had her heart set on going to the El Portal de El Yunque National Forest visitor centre; a friend had told her it was “perfect for kids”, with guided, paved pathways, a cafe, and even a gift shop. But when my flustered, monolingual father got lost on the Puerto Rican fr...

Politics

3 d. ago Impaired driver who struck and killed a Connecticut trooper is sentenced to 18 years

A man who was high on drugs when he struck and killed a Connecticut state trooper on a highway last year has been sentenced to 18 years in prison

Events

9 d. ago Childhood toxin exposure ‘may be factor in bowel cancer rise in under

Researchers say mutations more often found in younger patients’ tumours caused by toxin secreted by E coli strainsChildhood exposure to a toxin produced by bacteria in the bowel may be contributing to the rise of colorectal cancer in under-50s around the world, researchers say.Countries, including some in Europe and Oceania, have witnessed an increase in young adults with bowel cancer in recent decades, with some of the steepest increases reported in England, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Chile. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Senior Labour advisers urge Keir Starmer to ditch party's ban on North Sea oil and gas drilling in light of growing Reform threat

A handful of senior officials are understood to be quietly urging the PM to consider watering down or scrapping the manifesto pledge altogether to see off the growing threat from Reform UK.

Society

2 w. ago ‘She had no interest in the comfort zone’: celebrating the centenary of Celia Cruz, Cuba’s Queen of Salsa

Exiled from Castro’s Cuba, she became a superstar – and a trailblazer in the macho world of salsa. Fans and collaborators including Angélique Kidjo hail an icon of Black empowermentOn 13 November 1973, at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Puerto Rico, Celia Cruz took to the stage in a bejewelled, psychedelic blue dress and vast afro, saluting the 12,500-capacity arena with her trademark rallying cry: “Azucar!” – sugar.The Cuban singer had been a star for more than two decades by this point, but this concert marked a rebirth. Backed by the Fania All-Stars, the in-house orquesta of the label that brought salsa to the US, Cruz performed Bemba Colorá. Devotees have variously decoded its lyric and “big red lips” metaphor as a repudiation of a neighbourhood gossip, a commentary on anti-Black racism or an anthem for female empowerment. Stretched out to a righteous 12-minute call-and-response in Puerto Rico, she recast the song as a cry of anguish over her exile from her homeland, adding lines l...

Politics

2 w. ago 1.4 million people plunged into darkness as solar storm causes terrifying blackouts across swath of US

A widespread blackout hit parts of the US around the same time a massive solar storm struck Earth. More than 1.4 million people were plunged into darkness.

Events

2 w. ago Power restored to more than half of Puerto Rico after island

Wednesday’s outage the latest in series of blackouts to affect Puerto Rico in wake of Hurricane Maria in 2017About 58% of Puerto Rico has has had power restored following an island-wide blackout on Wednesday, the government of Puerto Rico federal affairs administration said on Thursday.It added that current generation stands at 1,439MW. A total of 31 generation units are online, with 16 additional units in the process of being brought back online, it said. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Passengers ‘thought it was the end’ after terrifying hard landing damaged plane on Puerto Rico runway

‘All of a sudden... everybody starts screaming’ said one passenger

Events

2 w. ago Puerto Rico hit by total blackout as all electricity wiped out across island

Puerto Rico has been hit by a total blackout after electricity was wiped out across the island. The public is being urged to take precautions to deal with the power shortage in the coming hours

Events

2 w. ago California consumer group sues to block insurers from adding surcharge following LA fires

A consumer advocacy group has filed a lawsuit to block insurers from charging California customers for $500 million in costs associated with the January Los Angeles wildfires

Events

2 w. ago Haiti's government announces 'war budget' as town after town falls to gangs

Haiti’s government says it has approved what it called a “war budget” of $275,000 aimed at alleviating the country’s crisis as gang violence surges

Events

2 w. ago MoJ launches probe into Manchester Arena bomb plotter's brutal attack on prison guards

Hashem Abedi allegedly attacked three prison guards with 'makeshift weapons and hot cooking oil' - leaving officers sustained life-threatening injuries including burns, scalds and stab wounds

Events

2 w. ago Harvard University faculty sue to block Trump review of nearly $9bn in funding

Lawsuit filed along with motion for temporary restraining order calls threats an existential ‘gun to the head’Harvard University professors are suing to block the Trump administration’s review of nearly $9bn in federal contracts and grants awarded to the Ivy League school as part of a crackdown on what the White House says is antisemitism on college campuses.The Harvard faculty chapter of the American Association of University Professors and the national arm of the academic organization said in a lawsuit filed on Friday in a Boston federal court that the administration was trying to unlawfully undermine academic freedom and free speech on the school’s campus. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago A timeline of the roof collapse at an iconic Dominican club that killed 221

A roof collapse at the legendary Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo has plunged the Dominican Republic into mourning

Events

3 w. ago Woman stuck in Puerto Rico as airline refuses to let emotional support parrot on flight

Maria Fraterrigo, 81, had flown into Luis Manoz Marin International Airport in San Jose, Puerto Rico without an issue, but when she got to the gate she was told to "get rid" of her emotional support parrot, Plucky

Politics

3 w. ago What is known about the roof collapse at a club in the Dominican Republic that killed at least 44

The roof of an iconic nightclub in the capital of the Dominican Republic collapsed nearly an hour after a merengue concert killing at least 44 people and injuring at least 160

Events

3 w. ago UN mission details deadly attacks in Haiti's capital and questions government's delayed response

A new report by the U.N. political mission in Haiti says more than 260 people were killed during recent gang attacks on two communities in the country's capital

Events