Florida escaped a hurricane today after a tropical storm that had been forecast to increase in strength swept across it causing only minor flooding.

Residents were defying warnings and taking a wait-and-see attitude as a strengthening Tropical Storm Fay swept over the Florida Keys at the tip of the state and bore down on the Gulf Coast.

SPACE shuttle Endeavour returned to Earth yesterday, ending a nearly two-week orbital drama that centred on a deep gouge in the shuttle’s belly and an early homecoming prompted by a hurricane.

RECENT Amnesty International reports on North Korea and the United States would seem to give the lie to columnist Patrick Kenny’s glib designation of ‘civilised’ to western countries and ‘evil’ to North Korea (Irish Examiner, October 25).

AT least three people died and more than a million were left without power yesterday after Hurricane Jeanne hit Florida’s east coast.