2004.12.30

Indonesia Deaths 79,940 After Tsunami-Sources (Reuters). The death toll in Indonesia's devastated Aceh province from Sunday's quake and tsunami has risen sharply to 79,940. That brings the total number of reported fatalities to 114,000. 2004.12.30

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Tsunami-Relief For those who want to donate to the relief effort: ADRA Intl. Asia Tsunami Crisis Fund American Jewish World Service Tsunami Relief American Red Cross International Response Fund AmeriCares South Asia Earthquake Relief Fund CARE Asia Quake Disaster Fund Catholic Relief Services Tsunami Emergency Disasters Emergency Committee Tsunami Earthquake Appeal Direct Relief International International Assistance Fund GOAL Ireland Emergency Tsunami Appeal Intl. Red Cross & Red Crescent Asia Earthquake & Tsunamis Fund Japan (various embassies and organizations) Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Asia Tsunami Relief Médecins Sans Frontières International Tsunami Emergency Appeal Mercy Corps Southeast Asian Earthquake Fund Oxfam Asian Earthquake & Tsunami Fund Sarvodaya Relief Fund for Tsunami Tragedy Save The Children Asia Earthquake & Tidal Waves Fund Singapore Red Cross Bay of Bengal Tidal Wave Relief UNICEF South Asia Tsunami Relief Efforts Beware of the online and offline tsunami relief scams already appearing. 2004.12.30

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Tsunami-Insurance (Neue Zürcher Zeitung) World's insurance companies not panicking about expected amount of tsunami claims. 2004.12.30

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Japan-Winter (Kyodo) Heavy snow warning issued for eastern Japan, including Tokyo, for tomorrow. 2004.12.30

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India-Tsunami (Reuters) Fresh tsunami warning issued by India following aftershocks. Sri Lanka follows suit in warning but tells survivors not to panic. They do anyway. 2004.12.30

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Asia Tsunami-U.N. (Washington Post) The scandal-tainted Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, finally decides to cut short his vacation to pay attention to what is likely to be the largest disaster relief effort ever. 2004.12.30

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DPRK-Defectors (Yonhap) More than 1,800 North Koreans defected to South Korea this year. 2004.12.30

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Aid Teams Face Total Devastation in Tsunami-Hit Asia (Reuters). Scenes of total devastation confronted aid teams as they arrived in Asia's isolated tsunami-hit areas today with entire towns destroyed and up to five million people in desperate need of food and water. 2004.12.30

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Thai premier suggests final death toll from waves may be 6,800 (AFP). The final death toll from Thailand's tsunami disaster could approach 6,800 suggests Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as European nations joined Thais in trying to trace thousands of missing people. 2004.12.30

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Japanese Princess Engagement Announced (AP). Princess Sayako's engagement to a Tokyo city bureaucrat, a commoner, became official today with an announcement by Japan's Imperial Household Agency. The couple are scheduled to hold a news conference (where questions are vetted in advance and the reporters also screened) at 1500 JST. 2004.12.30

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Tsunami Kills Few Animals in Sri Lanka (AP). Wildlife officials in Sri Lanka express surprise that they found no evidence of large-scale animal deaths from the tsunamis — indicating that animals may have sensed the wave coming and fled to higher ground. 2004.12.30

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Asia-Tsunami (KRT) Rescuers struggle to reach remote devastated areas. 2004.12.30

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Twenty-six Britons dead in Asia quake, tidal wave disaster (AFP). At least 26 Britons have been confirmed dead in the tsunami that swept Asian coastlines. 2004.12.30

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Asia shares defy post-quake gloom. [BBC News ] Asian stock markets hit record highs as investors see little impact from the earthquake tragedy, but Thailand cuts its growth forecast. 2004.12.30

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Tsunami: Aftermath in Burma. [Radio Free Asia] Burma (also known as Myanmar) has begun to disclose the human and economic toll of the Asian tsunami disaster, but aid agencies say the situation could be far worse than Rangoon admits. 2004.12.30

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Sri Lankan Top Rebel Makes Plea for Aid (AP). Sri Lanka's reclusive Tamil Tiger rebel leader makes a rare personal appeal to international aid donors and U. N. organizations to help ethnic Tamils affected by the disastrous tsunami waves that hit the island. 2004.12.30

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Scandinavians, Germans Fear Worst in Asian Disaster (Reuters). More than 2,000 Scandinavians and 1,000 Germans are still unaccounted for. 2004.12.30

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