A magnitude 5.2 aftershock struck Haiti on Sunday, even as survivors of the previous day’s temblor were sifting through the rubble of their cinderblock homes. The death toll stood at 12, with fears it could rise. The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the aftershock was located 9.8 miles (15.8 kilometers) north-northwest of Port-de-Paix,...Read More

Having a roof over your head is one of the basic needs of being human, but over 1-billion people in the world do not have it according to a report from the Ross Center for Sustainable Cities of the World Resources Institute. To try to solve this serious reality in some of the poorest cities...Read More

Mexicans held a minute of silence on Wednesday to mark the anniversary of devastating earthquakes that struck the country in September 2017, and the postal service honored three search-and-rescue dogs in a stamp. More than 450 people were killed and tens of thousands of homes were damaged when the quakes hit Mexico 12 days apart....Read More

“Frida Marina”, the famous rescue dog, will have her own brand of beer, announced the Association of Brewers of the Mexican Republic (Acermex). All proceeds from its sale will be donated for the reconstruction of houses affected by the earthquakes that occurred during September. The beer, a non-profit, represents “a recognition to all those volunteers,...Read More

Even without rescuing anyone from the rubble after Mexico’s big earthquake, a photogenic yellow Labrador retriever named Frida has gained an international social media following. At least 344 people died in the Sept. 19 earthquake, including 205 in Mexico City. For days, rescuers who tunneled into huge mounds of debris and selfless volunteers who threw...Read More

Governments and civilians around the world expressed condolences and promises of aid on Wednesday to help Mexico cope with a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that levelled buildings and killed more than 200 people. The outpouring of early support was heavier on Twitter pledges of solidarity and plans to send rescuers than offers of longer term aid....Read More

Hurricane Irma lashed Puerto Rico with heavy rain and powerful winds late Wednesday, leaving nearly 900,000 people without power as authorities struggled to get aid to small Caribbean islands already devastated by the historic storm. Florida rushed to prepare for a possible direct hit on the Miami area by the Category 5 storm with potentially...Read More

Heavy rain and 185-mph winds lashed the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico’s northeast coast Wednesday as Hurricane Irma roared through Caribbean islands on its way to a possible hit on South Florida. The strongest Atlantic Ocean hurricane ever measured destroyed homes and flooded streets across a chain of small islands in the northern Caribbean, passing...Read More

Global health officials are racing to better understand the Zika virus behind a major outbreak that began in Brazil last year and has spread to many countries in the Americas. The following are some questions and answers about the virus and current outbreak: How do people become infected with Zika? Zika is transmitted to people...Read More

Researchers around the world are now convinced the Zika virus can cause the birth defect microcephaly as well as Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that can result in paralysis, the World Health Organization said on Thursday. The statement represented the U.N. health agency’s strongest language to date on the connection between the mosquito-borne virus...Read More

The number of countries and territories in the Americas reporting cases of the mosquito-borne Zika virus rose to 22 on Tuesday, more than double the number a month ago, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). An outbreak of the virus is affecting large parts of Latin America and the Caribbean and is likely...Read More

U.S. health officials on Friday issued a travel warning for 14 countries and territories in the Caribbean and Latin America where infection with Zika, a mosquito-borne virus, is a risk. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in particular cautioned pregnant women not to travel to those areas as Zika has been linked...Read More