Environmentalists have warned that tropical cyclone Nargis, which has left more than 20,000 persons dead and 40,000 missing and thousands homeless, is not just a natural disaster but a man-made disaster because of climate change. Nargis, the green brigade says, happened because "the rich have failed to contain greenhouse gas emissions necessary for their growth'.

The death toll from the cyclone that devastated the Irrawaddy delta in Myanmar last weekend may exceed 100,000, the top U.S. diplomat in the nation said Wednesday.

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 hit extensive areas centering on the Kanto region including Tokyo in the early hours of Thursday injuring six people, with an early warning failing to be issued in time. The six people in Tokyo, Ibaraki, Saitama and Chiba prefectures sustained minor injuries due to the 1:45 a.m. quake, according to the government's Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Smaller quakes were observed before and after that quake.

It poses a real dilemma for humanitarian agencies about how far they should be prepared to accept restrictions of their operations in the interests of the people they are trying to help. But in the wake of the recent cyclone they must act fast to save lives. BROOKS NO DELAY: Residents of Yangon in search of water. International aid has barely begun to trickle into cyclone-stricken Myanmar.

MIRZA

The World Meteorological Organisation said on Wednesday that Burma had issued warnings ahead of the devastating cyclone, but could not confirm whether they reached the population. The WMO also said it is unclear if Burma has contingency plans to deal with natural disasters, such as the one which has left 22,000 dead, and that it will send a team to help the country develop such emergency procedures.

The deadly cyclone that ripped into Burma over the weekend could shake the stranglehold on power of the country's ruling generals, becoming a force for change more powerful than massive pro-democracy demonstrations and international sanctions. Natural disasters by themselves are unlikely to trigger change, but instead tend to help undermine already corrupt or failing systems.

Visa denied to volunteers, Ban will

Out Of 2 Lakh Population, 10,000 Killed Yangon: The cyclone that hit Myanmar at the weekend destroyed 95% of the homes in the city of Bogalay, where more than 10,000 people died, the minister for social welfare told reporters on Tuesday. Most of the 1,90,000 residents of Bogalay were homeless after the storm swept through the Irrawaddy river delta in the early hours of Saturday, Maung Maung Swe told a press conference.

Burma's state media on Tuesday urged people to take precautions against disease in regions hit by tropical Cyclone Nargis. The cyclone tore through south-western Burma at the weekend, devastating the Irrawaddy Delta region and hammering the nation's main city of Rangoon. Many of the city's six million people were spending a fourth day on Tuesday without water or electricity, as trash and debris piled on the sidewalks. State radio urged people to safeguard their health and "to drink boiled water and keep pests out of food."