Cuddalore takes a lead in tsunami reconstruction - NIDM

In Sri Lanka, the resurgence of a civil war has added to the misery of survivors and
slowed efforts to rebuild _ sparking criticism from outgoing U.N. Secretary-General Kofi
Annan, who urged Tamil Tiger rebels and the military to lay down their arms.
``No one could have prevented the tsunami's wave of destruction,'' he wrote in a
statement. ``But together, we can stem the tide of conflict, which threatens once again
to engulf the people of Sri Lanka.''
Temple bells chimed to mark the exact time the first wave crashed ashore, and all cars
and trucks came to a standstill for two minutes. Looking to the future, officials also
erected the first of 100 coastal warning towers.
In India, where another 18,000 are believe to have died, interfaith ceremonies were
being held and in Malaysia, where 69 people were killed, volunteers were replanting
mangroves.
24 die in fire in Philippines department store
Manila, Dec. 26 (AP): A fire blamed on illegally sold firecrackers swept through a
department store in the central Philippines on Christmas Day, killing 24 people who
tried to escape in a restroom, police said Tuesday.
The blaze spread quickly from firecrackers and pyrotechnics that ignited near the
entrance door of the one-story building in Ormoc city, 550 kilometers (340 miles)
southeast of Manila, leaving many vendors and customers trapped inside, said Chief
Superintendent Eliseo dela Paz.
He said people who were near the entrance managed to escape but others were forced
to go deeper into a restroom, where 23 charred remains were found.
Those killed included customers, vendors and store employees.
Another person died of injuries overnight and 15 were treated in two Ormoc hospitals.
Two of them are in critical condition, acting provincial police director Senior
Superintendent Manuel Cobillo said.
Earthquake measuring 5.8 strikes Kyrgyzstan
Bishkek, Dec. 26 (AP): A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck northern Kyrgyzstan, but
there were no immediate reports of injuries.
The quake, which occurred at about 2 a.m., was centered in the border area between
the Naryn and Issyk-Kul regions. Russia's ITAR-Tass new agency reported. The U.S.
National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado, said the quake registered
5.8 on the Richter scale and occurred at a depth of 6 miles (9.7 kilometers).
There were no immediate reports of casualties, ITAR-Tass reported.
Additional details were not immediately available.
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