Central America & the Caribbean

"In the deep waters off Cuba's north coast, a Chinese-built oil rig is due to begin drilling this fall in an area geologists believe may have huge beds of undersea crude."

"Thirty-three countries will participate Wednesday in the Caribbean region's first full-scale tsunami warning exercise, called Caribe Wave 11."

"The cholera epidemic in Haiti is spreading twice as fast as had been estimated and is likely to result in hundreds of thousands of cases in the coming months, the UN says."

Hurricane Tomas seems to be worsening conditions favorable to the spread of cholera in Haiti, where some streets have been turned into rivers.

"For nearly 10 months, more than 1 million people in Haiti's earthquake camps have been walking a precarious line: Trying to get out and find good homes without losing their tents and the possessions they still have. Now a potential hurricane threatens to upend that careful balance. The Haitian government has called for the voluntary evacuation of all the quake zone's camps ahead of Friday's expected arrival of Tropical Storm Tomas, telling residents to find somewhere else to go."

"PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- This battered country is bracing for the arrival of a storm later this week that could complicate its efforts to control a cholera outbreak, and expose hundreds of thousands of earthquake survivors living in tent cities to high winds and heavy rains."

"SAINT MARC, Haiti -- Officials warn that Haiti's cholera epidemic that has claimed almost 300 lives has yet to peak, and that authorities should prepare for the disease to spread to the capital and its squalid tent cities."

"A cholera epidemic in Haiti has killed more than 250 people, the government said on Sunday, but it added the outbreak which has sickened more than 3,000 may be stabilizing with fewer deaths and new cases reported over the last 24 hours."

The creation of protected corriders that help jaguars roam is a key to the strategy for preserving them in Costa Rica.