News stories by Patricia Grogg, page 5

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Apr 12 (IPS) - In Haiti, a simple spring shower that would barely be noticed in most countries can cause devastating floods, due to the severe deforestation and erosion that impedes the absorption of rain.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Apr 04 (IPS) - While Jean Reniteau mulls over the idea of using solar panels to light his house, Frantz Fanfan is wondering how to expand production of biomass briquettes to replace the use of charcoal in the cooking stoves of most of the Haitian people, who lack electricity.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Mar 20 (IPS) - Droughts and floods, devastating hurricanes and soil erosion with a drastic impact on food security make Haiti extremely vulnerable to climate change and in need of enormous adaptation efforts.

HAVANA, Mar 07 (IPS) - Hugo Chávez of Venezuela was the president who made the most visits to Cuba, where flags are flying at half-mast in official mourning for his death Tuesday Mar. 5, and where his friend and political mentor, Fidel Castro, survives him.

HAVANA, Feb 20 (IPS) - No-till farming is a response to climate change that fits well with the needs of the Caribbean: it increases the ability to capture water, while withstanding both drought and excessive rains, says expert Theodor Friedrich, representative of the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Cuba.

HAVANA, Feb 06 (IPS) - Among millions of people flocking to the polls in Cuba to vote in general elections was the unexpected figure of former president Fidel Castro, making a surprise public appearance in what was interpreted as a reaffirmation of his support for the government of his brother, President Raúl Castro.

HAVANA, Jan 29 (IPS) - Cuban diplomacy will be working full blast this year, promoting its own approach to integration in line with the needs and goals of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), a regional body that excludes the United States, Cuba's leading ideological opponent.

HAVANA, Jan 14 (IPS) - Maria Lourdes, a Cuban, has two passports, one from the island and another from Spain, but until now traveling was only a dream.

HAVANA, Jan 09 (IPS) - The Cuban sugar industry seems to be experiencing a rebirth thanks to an economic modernisation programme that has allowed for an injection of foreign capital as part of a strategy to strengthen and diversify this key sector.

HAVANA, Dic 28 (IPS) - "Adaptation to climate change is urgent and must be part of development," said Bárbara Pesce-Monteiro, the United Nations resident coordinator in Cuba, assessing the damage done by hurricane Sandy in the eastern region of the country.