A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Nato due to expand hurricane aid role
BRUSSELS - The US yesterday asked Nato to take on a bigger role transporting European aid to areas hit by Hurricane Katrina.
A special meeting of the allies immediately ordered military experts to draw up plans for an expanded role, including the possible use of ships from the elite Nato Response Force. European nations have made substantial offers of food, medicine, bedding and other help to the stricken region. - (AP)
Ireland has yet to receive an acceptance to its offer of logistical help to the US, the Department of the Environment said last night.
Media images censored, say monitors
WASHINGTON - When US officials asked the media not to take pictures of those killed by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, they were censoring a key part of the disaster story, free-speech watchdogs said on Wednesday.
The move by the Federal Emergency Management Agency is in line with the Bush administration's ban on images of flag-draped US military coffins returning from the Iraq war, media monitors said.
Five Irish and 20 Spaniards still missing
MADRID - The Spanish foreign ministry yesterday said the number of Spaniards missing in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina had risen to 20.
The ministry said Spanish officials were in close contact with Spanish consulates in the United States to track down the missing Spaniards, mainly in the city of New Orleans, a spokesman said. - (AP)
Five Irish citizens who are long-term residents of the affected region are still unaccounted for, the Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
Canadian team arrived before US army
BATON ROUGE - A Canadian search-and-rescue team reached a flooded New Orleans suburb to help save trapped residents five days before the US military, a Louisiana state senator said on Wednesday.
The Canadians beat both the army and the Federal Emergency Management Agency - the US disaster response department - to St. Bernard parish east of New Orleans, where flood waters are still 2.4 metres (8ft) deep in places, Senator Walter Boasso said.