EU: At airports and in railway stations, in supermarkets, factories and offices millions of Europeans stood in silence for three minutes yesterday in memory of the tens of thousands who died in Asia's tsunami disaster.
Ten days after a massive earthquake off Sumatra sent giant waves crashing into coastlines round the Indian Ocean, citizens from Rotterdam to Rome fell silent at noon to mourn the 145,000 people known to have been killed.
In parts of Europe trains, buses and trams ground to a halt, cash tills in shops fell silent, airline passengers stood still in departure terminals and factory workers gathered to pay their respects to the dead and show solidarity with survivors.
"Three minutes of silence was the right way of showing respect to the victims over there. It was the least we could do," Mr Eric Kanter, a greengrocer in Amsterdam, said.
In Sweden, Europe's hardest-hit country in a disaster which has claimed the lives of many tourists, one of Stockholm's busiest squares fell silent. A lone dog could be heard barking as cars and pedestrians stopped in their tracks at noon.
"One word that most of us had never used gained all the meaning in the world: tsunami. Something has happened that we will never forget. We have lost so many: a dad, a mum, an uncle, our children, a little sister, friends," the Swedish Prime Minister, Mr Goran Persson, told the country in a televised address.
More than 9,000 foreign tourists, mostly Europeans, are dead, missing or unaccounted for after the disaster, which devastated coastal villages and resorts in Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Sweden appears to be the worst affected European nation.
In Britain, one hour behind continental Europe, the three minutes' silence began with the BBC broadcasting Big Ben's midday chimes as London's iconic red, double-decker buses parked at the kerbside outside parliament.
Across Europe, public buildings flew flags at half mast, stock exchanges fell silent and television and radio stations broadcast solemn music in memory of the victims. French schoolchildren stood up from their desks in silent tribute.
In scenes reminiscent of the three minutes' silence observed across the Continent last March in memory of those killed and wounded in the Madrid train blasts, people at home or at work stood still at midday.
In Brussels, European Parliament President Josep Borrell, flanked by EU Regional Aid Commissioner Danuta Hübner, led a crowd estimated by police at 3,000 in observing the silence in the Rond Point Schuman.
A single EU flag flew at half mast outside the European Council building overlooking the scene on a grey, cold day.
"It is grief which beyond Europe has touched all five continents. It is the first time that the 25 countries of the European Union come together for a day of mourning," President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi of Italy said.
In the Netherlands, the cabinet gathered with diplomats for a silent ceremony.
"The disaster in Asia leaves nobody untouched. We are united in our dismay. United in the compassion with the relatives of the victims," Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said.
Dutch trains, trams and buses came to a halt at noon while passengers at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, one of Europe's busiest, stood still in silent tribute to tsunami victims.
Luxembourg, which holds the EU presidency, said three minutes silence was appropriate given the scale of the tsunami disaster. In addition to the Madrid train bombings, three minutes was observed in Europe for 9/11.
Pope John Paul also joined the day of mourning for the victims, offering prayers for the dead and for the millions struggling to survive, addressing hundreds of pilgrims at a weekly audience. - (Reuters)