his week in the news, cyclones attacked, adversaries squared off, and movie stars got engaged.

Cyclone Nargis has devastated the Union of Myanmar (aka Burma). The Southeast Asian Military dictatorship was hit by the massive storm on May 3rd. In the ensuing days, the death toll has reportedly risen above 23 000, with tens of thousands still unaccounted for. Myanmar’s government has declared a state of emergency and foreign aid agencies have scrambled to lend a hand. Nargis is the first major cyclone to hit Myanmar since 2006’s Mala, which claimed 22 lives.

The still-hot Democratic Nomination contest hits Indiana and North Carolina today. With the August Convention looming, the two states represent the largest remaining races with a combined 187 delegates up for grabs. Despite extensive campaigning by both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, pre-vote polls have remained too close to call. With 1742.5 pledged delegates, the Junior Senator form Illinois holds a 133.5 delegate lead over the former first lady. However, Obama’s campaign was recently rocked by another Jeremiah Wright rhetorical outbreak and these primaries should gauge public reaction.

As tumultuous courtships go, few have been as turbulent as Microsoft’s attempted acquisition of fellow tech giant, Yahoo! In February, Yahoo! rejected a $44.6 billion takeover bid by Microsoft. Subsequently, a well-publicized war of missives began in April. First, Microsoft Chief Executive Offiver Steve Ballmer publicly threatened to circumvent Yahoo! owners in a merger attempt. In response, Yahoo! Chairman of the Board, Roy Bostock, and Chief Executive Officer, Jerry Yang, released an open letter chastising Ballmer for undervaluing Yahoo! This week, following a lengthy stalemate and a historically useless meeting between Ballmer and Yang, Microsoft walked away from the table, purportedly permanently. Subsequently, Yahoo! stocks took a slight dive.

Like Yahoo! and Microsoft, Tibet/China relations remain typically strained. However in mildly promising news, a Tibetan envoy met with Chinese government officials in the southern city of Shenzhen over the weekend to discuss the future of China-Tibet relations. The historic meeting came after several months of intensified strife, including intra-Tibet rioting, international protesting, and Olympic Torch Relay disruptions. Following the rounds of talks, hinted at future discussions, though no dates and very few details were released.

As Tibet/China talks temporarily assuaged tensions, Russia and its southern neighbour, Georgia, took further steps toward war. Georgia, which achieved independence from Russia in 1991, had previously cautioned Russia about sending troops into Georgian territories, specifically breakaway regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russia’s continued disregard for the warning has prompted Georgian officials to threaten potential military action.

Unlike Russia and Georgia, China and Tibet, and Microsoft and Yahoo!, actors Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson are getting along quite well: representatives from both have confirmed reports that the two are engaged, thus injuring or killing the crushes of hordes of would-be stalkers/Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place fans. -S.T. News Extensions