Europe pays silent tribute to Asian tsunami victims

Published: 6 January 2005 y., Thursday
Europe fell silent for three minutes as leaders and ordinary people in the streets paid a poignant tribute to the 146,000 victims of southern Asia's tsunami disaster. Flags flew at half-mast across the continent to remember those killed, including hundreds if not thousands of European tourists who lost their lives when paradise beaches were swamped by the raging waters of the Indian Ocean. Trains, planes and other public transport also came to a standstill in many countries for the midday tribute, while television networks interrupted their regular programming as a mark of respect for the dead. "This suffering is too vast to comprehend completely, but at least try to imagine the suffering of a mother who has lost her child," Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende urged those observing the silence in The Hague. Europe's silent commemoration was called for by the current Luxembourg presidency of the European Union, which has called a snap meeting of the 25-member bloc's foreign ministers on Friday to coordinate EU aid efforts. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, whose country is among the hardest hit by tourist deaths, observed the silence shortly before confirming he was upping Berlin's aid pledge to 500 million euros, making it the biggest single donor.
Šaltinis: story.news.yahoo.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

The most popular articles

EU position on blue fin tuna ban debated Tuesday

The fate of blue fin tuna hangs in the balance this week as a complete ban on the trade is debated by MEPs. more »

Programs for Climate Action Get Underway With $400 million for Forests and $300 million for Renewables

A $100 million pledge from the Government of Japan has helped to secure the funding base and launch the operational phase of two new climate programs supporting forest management and renewable energy investments in developing countries. more »

Taking Europe’s pulse

Europeans quite happy with their personal situation, but less satisfied with economic and social climate in their country. more »

Spain wants to progress the incorporation of human rights and fundamental freedoms into Community law "as much as possible"

Spain wishes to “make as much progress as possible” to ensure the EU becomes party to the Council of Europe's Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms soon, according to the Spanish Minister for Justice, Francisco Caamaño, at today's opening of a seminar on the challenges and possibilities arising from the Treaty of Lisbon coming into force. more »

Belarusian children’s store eyes expansion

According to Belarusian tradition, a stork brings good fortune to the village it settles in while in western culture the stork is commonly associated with childbirth. more »

World Bank Approves US $20 Million in Additional Financing for Moldova’s Social Investment Fund II Project

The World Bank Board of Directors today approved an additional financing credit to the Republic of Moldova in the amount of US $20 million for the Social Investment Fund II Project. more »

Eighty million Europeans live in poverty

The Spanish Health and Social Policy Minister, Trinidad Jiménez, and the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Vladimir Spidla, addressed the press in Madrid on the launch of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion 2010. more »

EU launches 2010 European Year: Stop poverty now!

The European Commission and the Spanish Presidency of the EU will tomorrow launch the 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. more »

Spain proposes tougher smoking ban

Smoking at a restaurant like this one in Spain could soon be a thing of the past. Spanish lawmakers want to stub out the habit in public places like bars and restaurants. But it's an unpopular proposal in a country where around 30 percent of the population smoke. more »

Statement by President Mario Sepi: Earthquake in Haiti: European civil society and all the institutions must provide help and support to Haiti's population

As President of the European Economic and Social Committee, I would like, on behalf of all the Committee's members, to express my sympathy to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. more »