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BBC
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May 19, 08 7:21 AM CDT
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Two and a half weeks after cyclone Nargis hit, Burma finally agreed today to allow foreign medics and disaster experts into the battered country, reports the BBC—but only from ASEAN member nations. UN chief Ban Ki-Moon also plans to jet to Burma on Wednesday to bring additional pressure to bear to speed relief to save thousands of children from starving to death.
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CNN
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May 18, 08 2:48 PM CDT
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The head of Burma's junta emerged today for the first time since cyclone Nargis struck two weeks ago to meet with survivors, CNN reports. Gen. Than Shwe visited a refugee camp 200 miles south of Yangon, touching the faces of infant survivors. The visit came as the UN's humanitarian secretary began a three-day tour meant to pressure Burma to accept more foreign aid, the AP reports.
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Reuters
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May 16, 08 5:05 PM CDT
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Nearly 78,000 are confirmed dead and another 56,000 missing in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, Reuters reports. Torrential rains continued to pound Burma today, complicating rescue efforts. The EU’s chief aid official met with military leaders to press for increasing foreign rescue workers' involvement, but he met with no more success than UN and US officials before him.
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Associated Press
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May 15, 08 7:22 AM CDT
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Burmese voters overwhelmingly approved a constitution legitimizing military rule, the junta announced to widespread skepticism today. The vote held Saturday did not include two cyclone-ravaged areas where aid to victims is still largely being blocked by the government, but state media said those votes couldn't change the outcome. Turnout elsewhere was pegged at 99%, with 92.4% voting yes.
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Reuters
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May 14, 08 8:04 PM CDT
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The UN today nearly doubled its estimate of the number of people "severely affected" by the cyclone in Burma to up to 2.5 million and said they were in dire need of immediate aid, Reuters reports. The frustrated UN chief urged the creation of a "high-level pledging conference" of donor nations and said it was sending a top diplomat to meet with Burmese leaders to try to convince them to allow in more aid and relief workers.
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Wall Street Journal
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May 14, 08 5:21 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Thailand and the United Nations are working to open a land route from northern Thailand into Burma to get desperately needed help to cyclone survivors, reports the Wall Street Journal . The frantic efforts to deliver aid quickly have been stepped up as the UN's weather center is warning that another tropical storm is developing near Burma and could develop into a full-fledged cyclone within 24 hours.
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Associated Press
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May 13, 08 1:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Journalists trying to cover the cyclone’s devastation in Burma find themselves obstructed and under surveillance by the military junta, the AP reports. The majority of foreign journalists, like aid workers, have simply been denied entry. Those inside must disguise themselves as tourists, watch out for government phone taps, and switch hotels frequently, as police seek to root them out.
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BBC
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May 13, 08 6:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Two more American relief planes were scheduled to take off for Burma today, but the nation's military junta came in for another UN pounding for refusing to allow more desperately needed supplies to cyclone-stricken regions. "We are at a critical point. Unless more aid gets into the country very quickly, we face an outbreak of infectious diseases that could dwarf today's current crisis," said Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
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Washington Post
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May 12, 08 3:46 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A US admiral met with Burma's military command today in continued attempts to persuade the government to allow US servicemen into the country to assist in relief efforts, the Washington Post reports. Meanwhile, a Burmese volunteer operating his own supply effort tells the Daily Telegraph that government officials are commandeering supplies to sell at public markets.
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BBC
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May 12, 08 12:03 PM CDT
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After days of negotiating, a US aid flight landed today in Rangoon, the BBC reports. It’s the latest sign Burma’s military junta might be relaxing its restrictions on foreign aid—a French charity’s plane also touched down—but relief workers still aren’t allowed in to distribute the goods. The US has offered the help of 11,000 servicemen; that, too, has been declined.
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Reuters
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May 12, 08 4:30 AM CDT
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The first US aircraft laden with relief supplies for Burmese cyclone survivors was finally allowed to take off from Vietman today, Reuters reports. Desperately needed international aid has largely been blocked by Burma's military junta. American officials hope the flight, carrying water, blankets, and mosquito nets, will be the first of several others now that today's help was approved. “This is Burma's hour of need and the need is urgent,” said an official.
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CNN
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May 11, 08 12:00 PM CDT
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A Red Cross aid boat delivering desperately needed supplies to the survivors of Cyclone Nargis hit a submerged tree and sank in Burma's Irrawaddy Delta today, reports CNN. All those on board survived, but the 500 bags of rice, 5,000 liters of drinking water, and other critical cargo were all lost.
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New York Times
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May 11, 08 5:15 AM CDT
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The horrifying sight of bodies flowing by in streams or caught on vegetation has become commonplace in a remote area of Burma hit hard by the cyclone that has seen almost no government aid, reports the New York Times . “When we first saw the bodies floating past, we were sad and afraid,” said a farmer. “Now we just say, 'Here comes another body.'”
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Time
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May 10, 08 4:49 PM CDT
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Analysts and aid workers appalled by Burma’s attitude to foreign aid are urging Washington to invade, Time reports. One observer has called for the US to airlift food regardless of the junta’s restrictions; a retired general wants China to pacify Burma about US aid, or Thailand to paint their colors on US aircraft to help aid get through.
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AFP
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May 10, 08 6:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Burma plowed ahead with a referendum on its constitution today despite cyclone devastation that has left much of the country in ruins, AFP reports. The junta has postponed the vote for two weeks in the worst-hit areas, including the capital and the Irrawaddy delta, where hundreds of thousands have been left starving and homeless, with aid still only trickling in.
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