INS MAG

Jan 1 (Reuters) - Starlink will begin a reconfiguration of its satellite constellation by lowering all of its satellites orbiting ​at around 550 km (342 miles) to 480 km over ‌the course of 2026, Michael Nicolls, SpaceX's vice president of Starlink engineering, said ‌on Thursday.

The company is looking to increase space safety by lowering the satellites' orbit.

This comes after Starlink said in December that one of its satellites experienced an anomaly in space, creating a "small" amount of ⁠debris and cutting off ‌communications with the spacecraft at 418 km in altitude, a rare kinetic accident in orbit for the ‍satellite internet giant.

The company had said the satellite, one of nearly 10,000 in space for its broadband internet network, quickly fell four kilometers ​in altitude, suggesting some kind of explosion occurred on board.

"Lowering ‌the satellites results in condensing Starlink orbits, and will increase space safety in several ways," Nicolls said in a post on social media platform X, adding "the number of debris objects and planned satellite constellations is significantly lower below 500 km, reducing the aggregate ⁠likelihood of collision."

The number of spacecraft ​in Earth's orbit has jumped sharply in ​recent years as companies and countries race to deploy tens of thousands of satellites for internet constellations ‍and other space-based ⁠services such as communications and Earth imagery.

SpaceX, long known for its rocket launch business, has become the world's largest satellite ⁠operator through Starlink, a network of nearly 10,000 satellites beaming broadband internet to ‌consumers, governments and enterprise customers.

(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in ‌Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese)

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Former Brazilian PresidentJair Bolsonaroleft a hospital in capital Brasilia on Thursday, a week after he underwent a double hernia surgery. A car took the embattled ex-leader back to the federal police headquarters where he is serving his 27-year prison sentence for leading a coup d'etat aimed at keeping him in office.

Hospital DF Star confirmed Bolsonaro was released after some other minor medical procedures after the double hernia surgery that was completed without complications.

Brazil's Supreme Court approved the release of the former president, who governed from 2019 to 2022, for the surgery.

Supreme Court JusticeAlexandre de Moraes, who sentenced Bolsonaro to prison, denied the former president's request for house arrest after he leaves the hospital.

Bolsonaro has undergone several other medical procedures since he was stabbed in the abdomen during a campaign rally in 2018.

Bolsonaro has no contact with the few other inmates at the federal police headquarters in Brasilia, where he is held and where his 12-square-meter (around 130-square-foot) room has a bed, a private bathroom, air conditioning, a television and a desk.

In December, Bolsonaro shook Brazilian politics again by appointing his eldest son, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, to become his political party'spresidential candidate in next year's election, challenging incumbentLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Neither Flávio Bolsonaro nor former first-lady Michelle Bolsonaro made comments about the former leader returning to prison after his hospitalization.

Michelle Bolsonaro said in her social media channels that "there is a Brazil of good people which loves you and prays for you."

"We will beat the bad days," she wrote.

Bolsonaro and several of his allieswere convicted in Septemberby a panel of Supreme Court justices of attempting to overthrow Brazil's democratic system following his 2022 election defeat.

The plot included plans to kill Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and de Moraes. There was also a plan to encourage an insurrection in early 2023.

Bolsonaro was also convicted on charges that include leading an armed criminal organization and attempting the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Follow the AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean athttps://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Venezuelan security forces have detained at least five Americans in recent months as the US has built a pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a US official familiar with the matter told CNN.

The circumstances of the individual cases vary, and some could have been involved in drug smuggling, the official said. US officials are still collecting information about what the Americans were doing in Venezuela and at the time of their detention, the official added.

Trump administration officials believe that the Maduro regime is detaining the Americans to build leverage against the US, the official said, as the pressure campaign against the Venezuelan leader — including the US strikes on drug boats, a CIA strike on Venezuelan port facility and recent oil blockade — has intensified in recent months.

The tactic mirrors that of Russia, Venezuela's longtime ally, which has detained numerous Americans on Russian soil in recent years to use as leverage in Moscow's tense relations with the US.

The New York Times was first to report on the recently detained Americans.

The State Department did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Trump administration officials have resisted saying that they are actively seeking regime change in Venezuela but have accused Maduro of being illegitimate and a narco-trafficker. The administration has been increasing pressure on Maduro, including the "blockade" of sanctioned oil vessels and other financial tactics.

In December the State Department announced two sets of sanctions against Maduro's family members, targeting three of Maduro's nephews, his sister-in-law and other relatives.

Also in December, the US conducted its first strike on a land target in Venezuela, hitting a port facility in a CIA drone strike, CNN reported.

"It is clear that the current status quo with the current Venezuelan regime is intolerable for the United States," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a December press conference when asked about comments from the White House chief of staff that Trump "wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle."

Venezuela holds hundreds of people as political prisoners,accordingto human rights activists, some of whom were detained in the aftermath of a 2024 election in which Maduro claimed victory but thatindependent observerssaid was undemocratic.

Dozens of people were released from a Venezuelan prison on Thursday, Venezuelan rights groups said.

None of them are American, according to Alfredo Romero, the head of rights group Foro Penal.

This story has been updated with additional details.

CNN's Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.

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Venus Williams' comeback tour is officially heading down under.

The 45-year-old tennis legend, currently ranked 148th in the WTA rankings, has been granted a wild-card entry into the Australian Open singles field, setting her up for her first appearance at the tournament in five years.

She's BACK 🙌7x Grand Slam champion,@Venuseswilliams✨pic.twitter.com/KuByXJro2p

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen)January 1, 2026

Williams has five career Australian Open titles, but all in doubles and mixed doubles. She's reached the singles final twice, losing to her sister Serena in both 2003 and 2017.

The last time she competed in the tournament in any form was in the singles event in 2021, when she lost in the second round to qualifier Sara Errani. Her win in the first round alone made her the first woman since Martina Navratilova to win a grand slam singles match after turning 40.

Veteran tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg notesthat because all eight Australian Open wild cards have now been allocated, two-time singles champion Victoria Azarenka, currently ranked No. 132 in the world, no longer has a path to the main draw.

Williams had been quietly out of action for 16 months between 2024 and 2025 due to health issues stemming from fibroids, leading to the WTA officially designating her as inactive.She made her return in July last year with an upset of the WTA's No. 35 playerand later made it into the US Open,where she took No. 11 seed Karolina Muchova to a third set before losing in the first round.

Her tennis future was unclear after that US Open appearance,which also includeda quarterfinals run in doublesalongside Leylah Fernandez. She has since competed in the Charlotte Invitational exhibition last month (in which she also got married), and we now know we'll be getting one more Grand Slam out of her.

Louisville will wrap up its California road trip on Friday, looking to start 2-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play as the No. 16 Cardinals square off against the Stanford Cardinal.

The Cardinals (11-2, 1-0 ACC) are coming off one of their better victories of the season, a 90-70 win over Cal that snapped the host Bears' nine-game winning streak. All five starters scored in double figures for Louisville, which has won four of its last five.

While much has been made about Louisville's offense, an up-tempo style that emphasizes 3-pointers, the Cardinals can also play defense, too. They showed that Tuesday by holding Cal to a season-low 33.9% shooting and outrebounding their hosts 50-31.

Louisville is holding opponents to 38.2% shooting this season, which ranks 19th in Division I, and its 42.6 rebounds per game are 14th-most in the country.

"Playing with physicality and toughness is always going to be a big priority with us," Louisville coach Pat Kelsey said after Tuesday's win.

Kelsey's team features six players who are scoring 10 or more points a game. Ryan Conwell leads the Cardinals, as the senior guard averages a team-best 19.7 points per game. He scored 26 against Cal.

The Cardinals have been without freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr. (16.6 ppg) for the last three games because of a back injury. Adrian Wooley (10.0 ppg) has started in Brown's place and netted a season-high 21 on Tuesday.

Brown was a late scratch vs. Cal, and Kelsey declined to comment about his guard's status after the game.

Stanford (11-3, 0-1) also played Tuesday, but coach Kyle Smith's team struggled monumentally in a 47-40 home loss to Notre Dame that ended a four-game winning streak.

According to Sports Reference, the 40 points were the fewest Stanford has scored in a game since Cal held them to 39 in a contest on Feb. 26, 2022. Notre Dame limited the Cardinal to just 23.2% shooting (13 of 56) , the team's worst performance since making just 22.2% against Southern California on Jan. 20, 2011.

Poor outside shooting contributed to a lot of Stanford's woes. The Cardinal made just 4 of 30 3-pointers (13.3%), their worst night beyond the arc since Florida State held them to 11.5% (3 of 26) on Nov. 25, 2022.

Smith told reporters afterward that he felt his team pressed on offense.

"They (the Fighting Irish) got to dictate the tempo, dictate the terms, and on our court, that's disappointing," the Stanford coach said.

Ebuka Okorie leads the Cardinal, averaging 21.5 points per game, but the freshman guard is coming off the worst game in his young career. He scored a season-low seven points as Notre Dame held him to 3-for-14 shooting (21.4%). Chisom Okpara posted a team-high 13 points but also managed to make just 3 of his 14 shots.

Where Stanford may have its best chance for an upset is if it can force Louisville to foul. Stanford has gone to the free-throw line 373 times, the most of any ACC school. Louisville committed 25 fouls, matching its season worst, in Tuesday's win. Conwell had three first-half fouls, limiting him to just 11 minutes in the first half.

The Cardinals and Cardinal have played four times, with Louisville winning all four. Friday's game will be the first time the two teams have played at Stanford.

--Field Level Media

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love has cleared the NFL's concussion protocol but will not start Sunday's regular-season finale at Minnesota.

Head coach Matt LaFleur said Thursday that Clayton Tune will start against the Vikings. Love's backup, Malik Willis, has been dealing with shoulder and hamstring injuries.

Tune, 26, has made one appearance this season, completing one pass for 8 yards with an interception in last week's 41-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

He has appeared in 14 career games with one start in 2023 as a member of the Arizona Cardinals, who selected him in the fifth round of that year's draft.

Tune has completed 55.6% (15 of 27) of his passes for 78 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions.

The Packers signed quarterback Desmond Ridder, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons and Las Vegas Raiders, to the practice squad on Wednesday.

The outcome of the game has no bearing on the playoff seeding for the Packers (9-6-1), who are locked in as the seventh seed in the NFC.

--Field Level Media

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's Jan. 1 inauguration and block party reflected a diverse city looking to make good on the34-year-old democratic socialist's promises to address affordability.

On a freezing New Year's Day, theDemocratic mayor took his ceremonial oath of officeon the steps of City Hall, with thousands of people lining several Manhattan blocks and a slate of celebrities championing him with Millennial cultural touchstones. Mamdani acknowledged people, includingthose outside the five boroughs, want to see how a leftist will manage a municipal government.

The former state assemblyman from Queens vowed to govern the in same as manner as he was elected: as anunapologetic democratic socialist.

Here are five takeaways on his inauguration.

Zohran Mamdani sworn in as mayor of New York City

Mamdani's faith on full display

Mamdani's Muslim faith was front and center during his inauguration.

He took the oath of office at midnight byswearing in on a pair of Qurans, Islam's holiest book, and then again during his public inauguration ceremony.

Imam Khalid Latif, joined by representatives of multiple faiths, offered an invocation focused on how Mamdani's coalition speaks for ordinary New Yorkers, not the wealthy or the powerful.

Mamdani is the first Muslim mayorof the nation's largest city. He is an outspoken proponent of Palestinian rights and critic of Israel. His election sparked concern among many conservatives and Israel supporters. Some political adversaries have sought to link him to Islamist terrorists. Mamdani has previously said he had been told to downplay his faith when seeking elected office.

Latif is the executive director and co-founder of the Islamic Center of New York City, and was appointed a New York City Police Department chaplain in 2007.

"Never let him forget that this office exists to serve the people, not to rise above them," Latif said in his prayer. "We lift up all those who came together to make what many said could never happen, happen."

He continued: "Let no one have to choose between rent and dignity, between medicine and meals, between staying and surviving," Latif said. "Let policy be shaped by compassion and budgets reflective of our values."

Democratic socialists take power

Nearly a decade ago, democratic socialism was an obscure term, unknown to most Americans.

A few lawmakers have since brought it to the forefront, including Mamdani.

Before administering Mamdani's oath of office,U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, a fellow democratic socialist and a Brooklyn native, said Mamdani's agenda on addressing affordability is not radical.

But Sanders said supporters needed to keep pushing for his policies such as free buses, universal childcare and even city-run grocery stores. Sanders' trademark message, to have wealthy and large corporations pay more in taxes, was met by chants of "tax the rich."

"The billionaire class in this city and country have got to understand that in America they cannot have it all," Sanders said. "That America, our great country, must belong to all of us, not just a few. And that lesson begins today in New York City."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, another democratic socialist, opened the inauguration with an introduction. Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani look to Sanders as a source of inspiration for progressive politics.

Ocasio-Cortez highlighted Mamdani's campaign platform focused on addressing affordability through free universal childcare, affordable rent and "clean and dignified" public transit for New Yorkers.

"We have chosen that over the distractions of bigotry and the barbarism of extreme income inequality," Ocasio-Cortez said. "We have chosen this path because we know that it's the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do. And that, if we can make it here, we can make it anywhere."

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In his speech, Mamdani said he was elected as a democratic socialist and will govern as a democratic socialist. On stage, Gov. Kathy Hochul and former Mayor Eric Adams, two moderate Democrats, sat by listening.

Time to govern, acknowledging the world is watching

Mamdani acknowledged the world was watching what ademocratic socialist can do in office. National Republicans including President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson have usedMamdani as a boogeyman, but his inauguration address didn't reference them or Congress. Instead, he focused on New Yorkers and their city.

His campaign promised to ease the cost of living, a message that has expanded far beyond New York and has transformed Democratic politics. But now, he said his administration has to implement his platform.

"They want to know if the left can govern," Mamdani said. "They want to know if the struggles that afflict them can be solved. They want to know if it is right to hope again."

Mamdani said New York City will make an example for the world. "The work, my friends, has only just begun," he said.

Mamdani is thoroughly Millennial

Mamdani, like a not-insignificant number of Millennial men, had a past rap career, under themonikers Mr. Cardamom and Young Cardamom, complete with a SoundCloud.

His inauguration music, from a wide array of genres, highlighted his generation.

Broadway actor Javier Muñoz, who starred in Lin-Manuel Miranda's "In The Heights" and "Hamilton," delivered the national anthem. New York-based disc jockey DJ mOma served as master of musical ceremony playing welcome music ahead of the inauguration and during a seven block-long street party.

His set included an international selection includingJennifer Lopez's2001 song "Play" to "Thari Mummy Ne Chawe Pawno Delhi Walo" by Bharatraj Masinia, a singer from India's Rajasthan region. Mamdani, whose parents were born in India, is the first New York mayor of South Asian descent.

Jay-Z and Stevie Wonder got multiple plays in the set. Jay-Z tracks included "Beware of the Boys" a remix of the 1998 song from the British-Indian recording artist Panjabi MC, itself a remix of an original song is performed by Indian bhangra singer Labh Janjua, and, of course, "Empire State of Mind," his duet with Alicia Keys. Also in the playlist: "As" and "Another Star," from Wonder's 1976 album "Songs in the Key of Life."

Popular hits fromBad Bunny("NUEVAYoL") mixed with the seventies pop track "Dancing Queen" from ABBA. Walkup music continued during the swearing-in with snippets heard of "Everyday People" by Sly & the Family Stone and "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" from Talking Heads.

Now a national political figure, Mamdani also represents a change in Democratic politics that have skewed heavily old and gray.

Mamdani inspires supporters in freezing cold

Temperatures in Manhattan, even with sun peering between buildings,hovered in the 20s. But that didn't stop thousands of Mamdani supporters from standing in city streets, or celebrities honoring the new mayor.

The celebration at times felt more like a concert than a political celebration.

Mandy Patinkin, the Emmy- and Tony-winning actor whocelebrated Hanukkah with Mamdani, had a musical performance with public school students. Grammy-award winning singerLucy Dacusperformed a political song often associated with the labor movement at Mamdani's inauguration ceremony.

Dacus, a solo artist and a member of supergroup Boygenius, performed "Bread and Roses," a song from the early 20th century that was derived from a poem and political slogan during the women's suffrage movement and labor protests that called for fair wages and better working conditions.

The "Night Shift" singer, 30, who is originally from Richmond, Virginia, has been outspoken about abortion rights, LGBTQ+ issues, including denouncing anti-drag legislation in Tennessee, and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Assembling in front of City Hall, celebrants bopped to music from Jay-Z, Daddy Yankee andBollywood performers, along with the classic "New York, New York" song popularized by Frank Sinatra. The songs blasting from the stairs of City Hall were a love letter to the city itself, signifying New York's diversity and multiculturalism as well as Mamdani's South Asian background.

But even amid the dancing and singing along, the audience was moved to tears by several speakers, each describing their vision of a new New York.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's inauguration takeaways