World News

Tsunami Death Toll Raised

Kelly Hayes - Jan 19, 2005 / 11:10 am | Story: 6565

Indonesian health officials Wednesday raised their estimate of the number of people killed in last month's tsunami by 70,000, although the sharp increase in the death toll is disputed by other official releases. The country's Health Ministry now says 166,000 people died in the disaster, up from its previous estimate of 95,000. If confirmed, it would raise the death toll from all 11 countries affected by the Dec. 26 tsunami to 221,000. Full story
Prime Minister Paul Martin and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi agreed Wednesday they must work faster to reopen Japan's border to Canadian beef, but failed to set any timetable for a resumption of trade. Following a meeting with Martin in Tokyo, Koizumi said Japan is eager to reopen the county's border to Canadian beef, but still has concerns over its safety. Full story
Condoleezza Rice was confirmed as U.S. Secretary of State by a 16-2 Senate vote on Wednesday, after fielding a second day of demanding questions on the war in Iraq. Democrats John Kerry of Massachusetts and Barbara Boxer of California were the only two to vote against her after the Senate confirmation hearing. Full story
Insurgents detonated a suicide truck bomb outside Australia's embassy in Baghdad Wednesday and hit Iraqi security targets with at least three car bombs, killing 26 people less than two weeks before Jan. 30 elections. A British security worker and an Iraqi colleague were killed in an ambush by Iraqi insurgents. A third worker, also a foreign national, is missing. They were in a convoy near a power station they were protecting south of the central Iraqi city of Beiji. Full story
A 66-year-old Romanian thought to be the oldest woman to give birth dismissed criticism that she was too old to raise the child, calling her pregnancy "God's will." Adriana Iliescu, who conceived through artificial insemination, spoke Tuesday at a hospital in Bucharest 48 hours after delivering a baby girl weighing three pounds, three ounces. Full story