Tourists fleeing Hurricane Rina crowded Cancun’s airport even as the cyclone lost some of its punch on a course for Mexico’s resort-studded Caribbean coast.

Mexican authorities set up emergency shelters and cruise ships shifted course as Hurricane Rina strengthened off the Caribbean coast today, following a projected track through Cancun and the resort-filled Mayan Riviera, Mexico’s most popular tourist destination.

A cruise ship hit by an engine fire was on the move today as Mexican tugboats began towing it towards California.

A cruise ship adrift since a fire broke out yesterday as it headed for Mexico was being towed back to shore today.

Cruise giant Carnival today said it would take a financial hit after the Mexico swine flu outbreak forced it to change routes for 27 ships.

More than three million people in Haiti were bracing themselves today after a developing hurricane appeared to be heading for the capital.

Dozens of cargo ships, petrochemical tankers and smaller vessels were stacked up near a closed stretch of the Mississippi River today, after a collision between a barge and tanker spilled more than 400,000 gallons of fuel oil into the busy shipping waterway.

Cruise operator Carnival warned today it expected to take a hit of up to $24m (€19.1m) from the impact of Hurricane Katrina.

Cruise ship operator Carnival Corporation today said it expected the hurricane that wrought havoc in Florida would cost it up to £18m (€27m).

Hurricane Charley is expected to slam into the British Cayman Islands today after spinning away from Jamaica.

RETURNING to Florida after our annual stay in Ireland was quite a revealing experience. A California-style no-smoking edict had been put into effect since October of 2003.