Puerto Rico spent New Year’s Eve without power due to a blackout that may take two days to repair. The private company LUMA Energy says the failure of an underground power line is likely to blame.
The blackout affected 1.4 million customers on the island, and many residents resorted to generators or stockpiling supplies. This incident highlights Puerto Rico’s chronic struggles with crumbling infrastructure and rare blackouts like this one.
Meanwhile, a military appeals court ruled against Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s attempts to throw out plea deals for three 9/11 defendants held at Guantanamo Bay. The ruling allowed the defendants to plead guilty in exchange for sparing them from the death penalty.
In Ukraine, Russia struck targets across the country with a barrage of missiles and drones, leaving multiple explosions in the capital, Kyiv. No casualties have been reported so far.
US Central Command announced strikes against Houthi rebel targets in Yemen, targeting command-and-control centers, weapons production facilities, and storage sites. The US claims the Houthis target shipping in those areas due to the war in Gaza.
Chinese President Xi Jinping used his New Year’s Eve speech to vow reunification with Taiwan, stating that no one can prevent it. China considers Taiwan its own territory, but Taiwan has its own democratically elected government.
Police in New York identified the woman burned to death on a subway car as 57-year-old Debrina Kawam from New Jersey. The man accused of lighting her on fire has been indicted on murder and arson charges.
The Los Angeles aviation authority is investigating a near-miss at LAX involving the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, which narrowly avoided colliding with a Delta flight taking off. There were over 1,100 near-misses in the US during the past year, according to the FAA.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reached a divorce settlement after filing court documents saying they agree on marital and property rights. The couple filed for divorce in 2016, citing abuse and split assets and child custody in 2019.
Source: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/news-wrap-most-of-puerto-rico-in-blackout-could-take-2-days-to-repair