Todays News..Thousands dead in Chinese quake

A powerful earthquake has killed at least 8,500 people in China's south-western Sichuan province, up to 5,000 of them in just one county. Many more are feared killed and injured in other parts of the country after the quake, which had a magnitude of 7.8, struck at 1428 local time (0628 GMT). At least 50 bodies have been recovered from the rubble of a school where an estimated 900 students were buried.

President Hu Jintao has urged "all-out" efforts to rescue victims. The epicentre of the earthquake was about 92km (57 miles) from Chengdu, Sichuan's provincial capital. Because the earthquake struck in the middle of the day, it is feared that many schoolchildren may be among the victims. Read full story on this site..


source: bbcnews.co.uk

Todays News..First US aid plane lands in Burma

The first US aid flight to Burma following the devastating cyclone nine days ago has landed in Rangoon. The US spent days negotiating with Burma's military government to gain permission for the aircraft to land.

The junta has admitted that parts of the worst-affected region remain cut-off, but the generals are still refusing entry to foreign aid workers. The official death toll has risen to almost 32,000, with close to another 30,000 missing.

But aid agencies fear 1.5m could die if help does not come, and estimate that 100,000 have already perished. An official from Save the Children in Burma told the BBC that about half the people affected by the cyclone were receiving help.

Nine days after Cyclone Nargis struck Burma's low-lying Irrawaddy Delta region, survivors are beginning to gather in makeshift camps around the edges of the disaster zone. Read full story on this site..


source: bbcnews.co.uk