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YANGON, Myanmar, May 3 (UPI) -- The largest city in the Asian country of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has been devastated by a major cyclone, eyewitnesses say.

Witnesses to the natural disaster in Yangon say that cyclone Nargis caused significant destruction throughout the city before losing strength Saturday afternoon, China's official state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Cable wire and telephone systems were reportedly disrupted by the deadly cyclone, while travel on the city's roads was delayed by fallen trees.

Flights in and out of Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon, were also canceled due to the cyclone.

Satellite dishes mounted on local homes and buildings were destroyed by the storm, which began Friday. A number of commercial billboards were also blown away by the cyclone's intense winds.

An unspecified amount of government and public buildings throughout Yangon suffered severe damage as the cyclone threatened the city for more than 10 hours, the news agency said.

INDIANAPOLIS, May 3 (UPI) -- Republican crossover voters may play a vital part in Indiana's Democratic presidential primary as growing numbers of Republicans switch sides, polls show.

Since the primaries began in January, increasing numbers of conservative voters have switched sides to cast votes in the Democratic races, The New York Times reported Saturday.

In some states, crossover votes reportedly counted for up to 10 percent of the total vote.

"I used to like John McCain, but he's aligning himself too closely with what Bush did, and that's just not what I want for this country," Indiana Republican Shirley Morgan said.

Indiana's Republican voters seem to be pushed toward Democratic candidates mostly because of issues concerning the country's economy and disappointment with the Bush administration, interviews have shown, the Times reported.

Democratic nominee hopefuls Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton have seen a positive impact from crossover votes, vote statistics and surveys indicate.

CRAWFORD, Texas, May 3 (UPI) -- President George W. Bush Saturday used the economic downturn as an occasion to renew his push to make tax cuts permanent and expand U.S. oil production.

In his weekly radio address from Crawford, Texas, the president admitted that the GNP's rate of growth is "not nearly as high as we would like" and that "April was the fourth month in a row in which our economy lost jobs."

However, he said, his administration had "been taking decisive action" -- in particular, the economic growth package, passed by Congress, which included the tax rebates that nearly 7.7 million Americans have already received this past week.

The president said there are "several additional steps that Congress needs to take to ease the burdens of an uncertain economy."

He specified that Congress should allow energy exploration in northern Alaska and remove obstacles to the use of nuclear energy. He urged Congress to reject "a massive farm bill" and to modernize the Federal Housing Administration.

Bush also said Congress should make permanent the current tax cuts.

FREDERICTON, New Brunswick, May 3 (UPI) -- Canadian emergency officials said flooding in the eastern province of New Brunswick was receding, but warm temperatures and forecast rain could make it worse.

In the capital city of Fredericton, the water level of the St. John River was expected to recede to 26.2 feet by Saturday, almost 5 feet above flood stage, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., reported.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper toured the area in a military helicopter Friday and said federal aid details would be determined next week, the Globe and Mail said.

The flooding began with the spring snow melt and was compounded by heavy rains earlier in the week. Rain was forecast for the region by Tuesday, and warm temperatures were also accelerating the snow melt, the CBC said. The 418-mile St. John River runs from Maine to the port city of Saint John, draining 21,000 square miles of land.

Friday, Canadian military engineers rescued 150 cattle from a flooded farm near Sheffield, using pontoon barges, the Globe and Mail said. More than 600 people have registered in Red Cross shelters, officials said.

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