The world is better prepared to face past disasters such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, but is not ready for the extreme weather of the future, the UN’s top natural disaster official has warned.

HAITI’S quake survivors faced rising insecurity yesterday with thousands of criminals on the loose and reports of rape and violence plaguing the weak and vulnerable.

The death toll in the earthquake that struck Peru’s southern desert has risen to 450 with about 1,500 injured, a senior UN official said today, quoting figures from the National Disaster Management Authority in Peru.

SIX weeks after the Indian Ocean tsunami tragedy, the UN has received little more than a third of tsunami aid funding pledged by governments, a senior official said yesterday.

Six weeks after the Indian Ocean tsunami tragedy, the UN has received little more than a third of tsunami aid funding pledged by governments, a senior official said today.