ALL HELL IS BREAKING LOOSE IN ASIA The aftermath of a cyclone that killed a reported 100,000 people is still rocking the people of Myanmar, and last night a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit central China today. Officials say 8,533 have been pronounced dead in Sichuan Province, and another 10,000 are wounded. [CNN]

IN MYANMAR… Cyclone survivors don’t have sufficient fuel to burn corpses, which litter fields and ditches. An estimated 100,000 people are dead. The military junta has been painfully slow in granting visas to relief workers and giving clearance for planes carrying much-needed supplies to land. ” The U.S. has also been pushing for access, pledging $3.25 million and offering to send U.S. Navy ships to the region to help relief efforts. The U.S. military had already flown six helicopters on to a Thai airbase, as Washington awaits permission to go into the south Asian country, two senior military officials told CNN’s Barbara Starr.”

LAURA BUSH CRITICIZES HER HUSBAND FOR THE WAY HE HANDLED HURRICANE KATRINA MYANMAR GENERALS FOR THE WAY THEY HANDLED THE DEADLY CYCLONE “Making an unusual foray into foreign policy, Mrs. Bush, an outspoken critic of Myanmar’s generals, also accused the junta of failing to warn its citizens in time about the approaching cyclone that has been blamed for at least 10,000 deaths.”