The Indian Ocean Tsunami meets Sri Lanka

Search Yields Wider Ruin
By Ben Stocking, Tim Johnson and Ken MoritsuguInquirer Foreign Staff
BAKONGAN, Indonesia - The death toll from Sunday's earthquake and tsunami leapt past the 100,000 mark yesterday as rescue workers finally reached devastated areas of western Sumatra, Indonesia, where entire coastal towns had been scrubbed off the earth.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/10536369.htm?1c

New Year's Festivities Are Muted in Respect for Tsunami Dead
By Tracy Wilkinson, Times Staff Writer
STOCKHOLM, Sweden — New Year's Eve was unusually quiet here. The typical bustle at liquor stores and supermarkets was slow to materialize. And instead of having their busiest night of the year, numerous bars shuttered their doors.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-tourists1jan01,0,7905017.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Survivors’ desperation deepens
By Robert D. McFadden The New York Times Posted January 1 2005
The vanguard of a global relief effort converged on the tsunami-ravaged coasts of Indonesia and other stricken nations on Friday as millions of survivors grew increasingly desperate and the confirmed death toll soared past 121,000.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-aquakemain01jan01,0,3451951.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

Four Israeli victims identified
By HERB KEINON AND MATI WAGNER
As the number of fatalities continues to climb and countless more people remain missing following the catastrophic tidal waves that thrashed Southeast Asia, the first Israeli victims have been positively identified, the Foreign Ministry has reported.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1104376739439

Aid arrives in Asia; deaths pass 121,000
By Chris Brummitt, Associated Press Writer December 31, 2004
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- The United States upped its tsunami relief aid tenfold Friday as the world's ships and planes converged on devastated shores. Bottlenecks of supplies built up, fears of epidemics grew, and in an echo of 9/11's aftermath, people at a Thai resort scoured a bulletin board of 4,000 photos in search of the dead and missing.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2004/12/31/aid_arrives_in_asia_as_deaths_near_150000/

Huge wave flung train like a toyCleanup effort a grisly taskBy Kim BarkerTribune foreign correspondentPublished December 31, 2004PARALIYA, Sri Lanka -- The fisherman has helped find 1,500 bodies where he once lived, near the train cars thrown from the tracks and the remainders of people's lives, from brick walls to business cards.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0412310291dec31,1,5202562.story?coll=chi-news-hed

Rising death toll dims world's New Year
Banda Aceh: Relief workers struggled to save millions of victims of Asia's tsunami disaster today as the rising death toll dimmed New Year celebrations across the globe.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Asia-Tsunami/Rising-death-toll-dims-worlds-New-Year/2005/01/01/1104345026012.html?oneclick=true


Tsunami Will Have No Effect on Number of Pilgrims, Says MadaniArab News
JEDDAH, 1 January 2005 — The tsunami disaster that struck South Asian countries has until now no effect on the number of Asian pilgrims coming to the Kingdom for Haj, Minister of Haj Iyad Madani, said.

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=56891&d=1&m=1&y=2005


Aid pours in for tsunami victims
By Sunita Menon, Staff Reporter
Dubai : There has been an outpouring of relief for the tsunami victims.
The aid has come from individuals, public and private companies, charity and humanitarian organisations and consulates, said P.D. Fernando, Consul General of Sri Lanka, yesterday.

http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/WorldNF.asp?ArticleID=145925


Asia enters a new year amid mourning, as tsunami’s death toll tops 125
12/31/2004 10:10:00 PM GMT
The world enters a new year amid mourning the more than 125,000 people all over Asia and Africa killed by the massive tsunami that hit 11 countries on Sunday.

http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=6433

Sharapova Helps Tsunami Fund
BANGKOK, Thailand -- Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova, here to play an exhibition match against Venus Williams, handed Thailand's prime minister a check for $10,000 Thursday for victims of the tsunami disaster.

http://www.moscowtimes.ru/stories/2004/12/31/093.html

Once Vibrant City Shrouded By Silence
By Edward CodyWashington Post Foreign ServiceSaturday, January 1, 2005; Page A01
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, Dec. 31 -- Ariya Street was dead quiet, a narrow road to devastation and despair.
"Hello? Hello?" The calls of Bu Di and his orange-jacketed rescue team pierced the silence, seeking any victims left behind. "Hello?" they shouted repeatedly. "Anyone home?"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39887-2004Dec31.html

China donates US$60 million more to tsunami victims
By Jiang Zhuqing (China Daily)Updated: 2004-12-31 00:15
China will donate an additional 500 million yuan (US$60 million) in aid as well dispatching more rescue teams to tsunami-hit countries in Southern and Southeastern Asia and Africa, said Premier Wen Jiabao on Friday.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/home/index.html

Only as Michael Moore can do it.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/

Donate Now to Oxfam's Asia Earthquake Fund
[photo: Reuters/Arko Datta, courtesy www.alertnet.org]Deadly giant waves, triggered by an earthquake off the coast of Indonesia, have left tens of thousands dead and more than a million homeless.

https://secure.ga3.org/02/asia_earthquake04?source=aqt04_mo

MichaelMoore.com wishes you a happy and healthy new year. The Must Read will return on Monday.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php

Angel Mary remembers and the world mourns
By Stephen Farrell in Vailankanni, Tamil Nadu, Sean O’Neill and Jemma Chapman
ANGEL MARY, a 30-year-old Christian divorcée, celebrated New Year’s Eve a year ago at midnight Mass with her three children in the Indian coastal village of Vailankanni.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,18690-1421816,00.html

Despair and anger mount in Aceh
01.01.05 4.00pm
BANDA ACEH - Frustration and anger is mounting in Indonesia's tsunami-devastated Aceh province as residents form long lines for fuel, but aid workers say supplies are beginning to reach survivors.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=9005258


Tsunami death toll tops 125,000 as global aid pledges exceed 1.1 billion (31/12/2004)
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AFP) More than 1.1 billion dollars have been pledged to an unprecedented aid effort after last week's Asian tsunamis, the United Nations said, while devastated countries race to get food and water to millions facing starvation as the death toll topped 125,000.

http://www.afp.com/english/home/


Tsunami toll may rise to 150,000, says UN
Saturday, 01 January , 2005, 08:58
New Delhi:The United Nations has said that the number of people killed by the tsunami was nearing 150,000 and the exact figures may never even be known.

http://sify.com/news/othernews/fullstory.php?id=13640797


Four Israelis killed in tsunamis; death toll at 125,000
By Haaretz Staff and Agencies
Four Israeli tourists were killed in Thailand as a result of Sunday's tsunami disaster, whose death toll was said to be nearing 150,000 on Friday.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/521450.html