Wind speeds, which had been as high as 150 kilometers per hour (90 mph) while the cyclone was in the Indian Ocean, were down to 90 kmh after it crossed the Tamil Nadu state coast close to Tuticorin port at 3:30 am (2200 GMT Wednesday).

"The system rapidly weakened into a cyclonic storm over land with its centre close to Tuticorin," said

State radio said details of the people affected were sketchy, due to poor communications in some areas. The cyclone is now expected to lash the coast of India's southern Tamil Nadu state

"We see the pledges as a sign of recognition for Mrs. Ogata and an indication of support for the incoming High Commissioner, Ruud Lubbers," said Michel Gabaudan, the head of

Situation and Damage

1. Floods triggered by incessant torrential monsoon rains over the last four days have wrought havoc in the eastern districts of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Department of Meteorology reported that the eastern districts of Ampara and Batticaloa, 350 km east of Colombo, were battered by 105 mm of rain in the 24 hours preceding 9.00 a.m. on 19 November, and on 20 November another 238 mm of rain fell on Batticaloa.

Police have reported at least three flood-related deaths since Sunday in the eastern province, where monsoon rains caused massive flooding.

It was estimated that more than 100,000 people were driven out of their homes due to the floods, officials said, adding that the social service ministry had begun providing food to the victims.

aj/pw AFP

1. EMERGENCY OVERVIEW AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
On-going conflict in Sri Lanka

The killers of Br Antoine Bargiggia were not deserters from the army, as originally held, but soldiers active in military service. Br Antoine, a JRS worker in Burundi, was shot dead by four men who stopped him at a roadblock as he travelled from Mutoyi to Bujumbura on 3 October. Initial reports indicated his killers were deserters from the army. However, according to the missionary news agency MISNA, the Burundian Minister of the Interior, Ascension Twagiramungu, implicitly

Aerial bombardment of civilians by the Government of Sudan (GoS) escalated during July with at least 250 bombs dropped in more than 33 incidents. At the end of the month, five aircraft chartered by aid agencies were bombed. A sixth such incident early in August prompted the UN to suspend relief flights for about a week until it received security assurances from GoS. Since then, bombing of civilians has continued. On 22 August, 15 bombs were dropped near a relief agency compound in southeast