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Journalism of Courage
President George W. Bush, seeking to bolster America’s humanitarian image after the tsunamis, called on Saturday for flags to be flown at half-staff next week to honor victims of the disaster. A day after he raised the US aid contribution to $350 million from $35 million, Bush used his weekly radio address to emphasize the need for private relief donations for devastated areas.
1,500 US marines to help Sri Lanka
COLOMBO: The US will despatch up to 1,500 marines and a mini aircraft carrier carrying some 20 helicopters to Sri Lanka to assist in relief and reconstruction, a senior US military officer said on Saturday. The first group of 200 marines from a US base on Okinawa is set to land in the southern port town of Galle on Monday.
$2 bn pledged so far for tsunami aid: UN
UNITED NATIONS: The world has pledged $2 bn in aid for stricken areas in South Asia and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan may visit Indonesia next week, a UN official said on Saturday. Jan Egeland, the undersecretary-general in charge of emergency relief, said donations increased to $2 bn from $1.2 bn mainly due to a $500 mn pledge from Japan, the highest single donation. — Agencies
