US President George W. Bush announced on Friday that the United States is pledging 350 million dollars to help tsunami victims in Asia, a tenfold increase over its first wave of aid.

The vacationing US president said in Crawford, Texas, that he is sending Secretary of State Colin Powell to areas ravaged by earthquake and tsunami to assess what more the United States needs to do.

The newly announced aid came after some critics claimed that the initial US contribution of 35 million dollars was too meager considering the vast wealth of the nation.

France collects nearly 60 million euros for stricken Asian countries

The French government, companies and major non-governmental organizations (NGO) have collected by

Friday nearly 60 million euros for humanitarian aid for victims of the Asian tsunamis.

A great part of the contribution is from the government. French Foreign Ministry announced Thursday evening in a statement that French aid for the tsunami victims rose to 41.3 million euros (56.17 million dollars).

Some state and private companies, such as Michelin (1.5 million euros), Gas of France (500,000 euros), PMU (500,000 euros) and Carrefour (300,000 euros), also showed their generosity.

Major French NGOs collected more than 10 million euros. The French Red Cross has raised 5 million euros, according to NGOs.

Many big cities also contributed to the donation efforts. The most densely populated region of Paris donated 3 million euros and others from 10,000 to 500,000.

Source: Xinhua