Iguanas may have pulled off a 5000 mile voyage on a raft of floating vegetation to get to Fiji.

Dengue fever is sweeping across the Caribbean and the Americas, with a record 12.6 million suspected cases of the mosquito-transmitted virus reported this year, nearly triple the number from last year.

Brazilian police official Valdecy Urquiza will be the next chief of the global police organization Interpol.

Have you ever heard of an ocelot? Much like their size, their remaining population is small. Houston Life co-hosts Derrick Shore and Tessa Barrera chatted with Peter Gros, wildlife expert and co-host of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild about the efforts to save their habitat and how the Houston Zoo is playing a critical role.

The World Health Organization has authorized a second dengue vaccine, a move that could provide protection for millions worldwide against the mosquito-borne disease that has already sparked numerous outbreaks across the Americas this year.

Dengue is surging across the Americas early this year from Puerto Rico to Brazil.

Only four pandas remain in the United States.

The U.N. health agency says it has tallied a tenfold increase in the global count of reported cases of dengue over the last generation, with climate change and the growing spread of virus-carrying mosquitos in part to blame for transmission that remains mostly prevalent in the Americas.

Dengue is sweeping across the Western Hemisphere in numbers not seen since record-keeping began in 1980 as experts warn that rising temperatures and rapid urbanization are accelerating the pace of infections.

New research shows that fossil footprints discovered at the edge of an ancient lakebed in New Mexico's White Sands National Park date back to between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago.

Countries in the Americas are reeling as the flow of migrants reaches historic levels, but a U.N. officials says international “funds simply aren’t there” for humanitarian needs.

New research suggests humans lived in South America at the same time as now extinct giant sloths, bolstering evidence that people arrived in the Americas earlier than previously thought.

Modelo Especial has officially become the bestselling beer in the U.S., surpassing Bud Light among brews purchased at supermarkets and convenience stores.

The Houston Health Foundation is celebrating Aramco Americas’ visionary leadership and support of its Brilliant Futures program, See to Succeed, operated by the Houston Health Department.

Bank of America’s profits fell by 8% in the third quarter as the bank set aside cash to cover potential loan losses.

Luxury Italian automaker Ferrari is raising its forecast for the year after reporting a 22% increase in second-quarter earnings as sales in the Americas surged.

Olivia and Liam are once again America’s most common baby names.

America's newest weather satellite has blasted off on a mission to improve wildfire and flood forecasting in the West.

In a story Jan. 31 about the longest lightning flash on record, The Associated Press erroneously reported that the bolt was cloud-to-cloud, several thousand feet above the ground, and no one was in danger.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits plunged last week to the lowest level in 52 years, more evidence that the U.S. job market is recovering from last year’s coronavirus recession.

Houston is hosting the 2021 World Table Tennis Championships at the George R. Brown Convention center, the first time this renowned sporting event is hosted in the Americas.

The World Health Organization says the number of coronavirus cases has risen in Europe for the fifth consecutive week, making it the only world region where COVID-19 is still increasing.

One reason America’s employers are having trouble filling jobs was starkly illustrated in a report Tuesday: Americans are quitting in droves.

U.S. officials say the military has launched more than a dozen airstrikes in the past week in support of Afghan government forces in their fight against the Taliban, a sharp spike over the handful that were done in the previous six weeks.

Gasoline prices are at a seven-year high ahead of one of America’s busiest holiday travel weekends.

After a year of coronavirus lockdowns, the start of summer beckons with vacation plans made possible by relaxed COVID-19 restrictions.

A U.S. defense department official says the U.S. military has begun shipping equipment and winding down contracts with local service providers ahead of the May 1 start of the final phase of its military pullout from Afghanistan.

(AP Photo/Steven Senne)WASHINGTON – Consumers spending and personal incomes both fell sharply in February as severe winter storms disrupted shopping in many parts of the country and the government wrapped up distribution of $600 relief payments. Consumer spending fell 1% last month, the Commerce Department reported Friday, the biggest drop since last April when spending tumbled 12.4% as the country was broadsided by the global pandemic. Consumer spending, which is closely watched because it accounts for 70% of economic activity, jumped 3.4% in January. Personal incomes, which provide the fuel for future spending, surged 10.1% the same month as the U.S. doled out $600 checks. The government reported that personal savings totaled a sizable $2.41 trillion with the saving rate, saving as a percentage of after-tax income, at 13.6%.

AdThe organization said in a news release Monday that 36 countries in the region will receive vaccines through the initiative. Of those, 26 will do so through their own funds while 10 will receive the vaccines for free. Its government expects to get 20 million doses of vaccines through the COVAX initiative this year. In addition, Peru, El Salvador and Bolivia will also receive Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines soon once administrative, legal and regulatory requirements are met. Last week, Ghana was the first country in the world to receive vaccines through the COVAX initiative.

(Foto AP/Marco Ugarte)MEXICO CITY – Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Tuesday that his country is doing better than the United States in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, even though Mexico’s per capita death rate is probably higher and the country has vaccinated less than 1% of its population. The United States death toll is around 500,000, but its population is 2.6 times larger. Moreover, estimates of excess deaths in Mexico since the start of the pandemic suggest the COVID-19 toll is now well above 220,000. Mexico has administered about 1.7 million vaccine doses, while the U.S. has given 64 million shots. “The idea is to propose at the G20 the need to declare COVID-19 vaccines as ‘global goods,’ so that they cede their intellectual property rights and all countries can freely produce them,” Fernández said.

Asian stock markets retreated Friday after a resurgence of coronavirus infections in China and a rise in cases in Southeast Asia. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)TOKYO – Asian stock markets retreated Friday after a resurgence of coronavirus infections in China and a rise in cases in Southeast Asia. South Korea advanced. Optimism about the rollout of coronavirus vaccines was dented by a spike in infections in China, where the disease had been under control. The Kospi in South Korea, where the increase in virus cases has slowed, advanced 0.5% to 3,179.49.

Asian shares rose Thursday on optimism over the new U.S. administration that earlier set off a rally on Wall Street. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)TOKYO – Asian shares rose Thursday on optimism over the new U.S. administration that earlier set off a rally on Wall Street. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 1.4%, topping its previous all-time high set earlier this month. The hope on Wall Street is that such stimulus will help carry the economy until later this year, when more widespread COVID-19 vaccinations get daily life closer to normal. The S&P 500 rose 52.94 points to 3,851.85.

FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2019 file photo, Fiat Chrysler's new CEO, Mike Manley, is interviewed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Manley will run operations in the Americas when his company merges with Frances PSA Peugeot early next year. FCA Chairman John Elkann announced Manleys new post on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020 in a letter to employees. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)DETROIT – Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley will run operations in the Americas when his company merges with France’s PSA Peugeot early next year. PSA CEO Carlos Tavares will run the overall company, to be named Stellantis.

The Pentagon has authorized nearly 50 top civilian and military leaders to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the coming weeks to prove to the shots are safe and effective. Indoor restaurant dining will continue to be barred under the new state health department order that takes effect Monday. Laura Kelly is expressing little concern over a smaller-than-expected second shipment of a coronavirus vaccine for the state. The state also reported total 2,341 COVID-19 deaths, adding 88 to the tally since Wednesday. ___BERN — The Swiss government is ordering the closure of restaurants, bars, cultural venues and sports facilities next week because of increasing coronavirus cases.

Major cruise lines say they will test all passengers and crew for COVID-19 prior to boarding as part of their plan for resuming sailing in the Americas. The association’s safety plan will now go to the CDC, which will consider it as the agency decides whether to lift the no-sail order. The safety plan requires testing of passengers and crew, but doesn’t specify the types of coronavirus tests that companies must use, CLIA Chairman Adam Goldstein said. The plan permits limited shore excursions and requires passengers to wear masks and stay apart from other people during those excursions. The plan also requires ships to increase the amount of fresh air in their ventilation systems and use advanced filtration methods where feasible.

Officials on both sides of Afghanistan's protracted conflict say efforts are ramping up for the start of intra-Afghan negotiations, a critical next step to a U.S. negotiated peace deal with the Taliban. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File)KABUL Officials on both sides of Afghanistans protracted conflict say efforts are ramping up for a start to intra-Afghan negotiations, a critical next step to a U.S.-negotiated peace deal with the Taliban. The peace deal, which calls for the intra-Afghan negotiations, was signed by the U.S. and the Taliban in February and was seen at the time as Afghanistans best hope at peace after four decades of war. President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, who heads the High Council for National Reconciliation, the umbrella organization overseeing the government talks, says a reduction of violence or cease-fire will top their agenda. The group has reportedly completed its agenda and its 20-member negotiation team reports directly to Taliban chief Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada.