-PTI The World Bank has praised India's evacuation of nearly 10 lakh people in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, which ensured minimal loss of human lives, before the cyclone Phailin made landfall and attributed it to its years of disaster management preparedness. "Successfully evacuating a million people is not a small task. This cannot be merely achieved by kicking the entire state machinery into top gear for three-four days following a cyclone warning,"...

-The Indian Express Death toll mounts to 25; government describes situation in Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts as "critical" Gopalpur/Srikakulam/Bhubaneswar: The death toll in calamity-ravaged Odisha on Monday mounted to 25 with four more persons perishing in several areas of the State in the aftermath of cyclone Phailin that triggered heavy rains and floods in some districts. The government described the situation in Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts as "critical". Relief and rescue operations have been...

-IANS NEW DELHI: Intense and destructive storms are likely to occur more frequently as global warming intensifies, Greenpeace said on Saturday. "Such intense and destructive storms are likely to become more frequent in the future as global warming intensifies. Even a small increase in the ocean's warmth can turn tropical disturbances into hurricanes or pump up an existing storm's power," said Greenpeace India member Biswajit Mohanty. According to the organization, Cyclone Phailin which...

-The Hindu Hyderabad: Phailin could generate ocean waves of 8.5 m on the coast.About 40,000 people in Visakhapatnam, 4,000 in Vizianagaram and 20,000 in Srikakulam districts of Andhra Pradesh were evacuated. Thousands of people living in vulnerable areas along the coastline in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh were evacuated, several trains cancelled and armed forces put on standby as the ‘very severe cyclonic storm', Phailin, with a wind speed close to that of...

-The Times of India CUTTACK/BHUBANESWAR: Thousands of twin city dwellers on Friday made a beeline for shops to stock up on vegetables and dry food. The mad rush led to a steep rise in prices of chura (flattened rice ), potatoes and candles. Soon they vanished from the market. "I bought a kg of chura for Rs 28. In the evening the shopkeeper hiked the rate to Rs 45 a kg. I...