$1 Million Gift For Tsunami Relief Just The Latest Of Many

Newspaper chain owner Richard Mellon Scaife, and his wife Ritchie, have announced their contribution to Catholic Relief Services of $1 million for tsunami relief.

They are just the latest of those with resources who have made substantial pledges.

• Seven basketball players including Kobe Bryant pledged to donate $1,000 for every point they scored in a game this week to UNICEF. They hope to raise $250,000.
• Steven Spielberg will give $1.5m to Save the Children, CARE and Oxfam
• Film star Sandra Bullock has pledged $1m to the American Red Cross
• Leonardo DiCaprio said he will give a "substantial amount" for aid to Thailand where he filmed the 2000 movie The Beach. He set up a link on his website for fans to follow his lead and make donations.
• Television network NBC simulcast a telethon over its broadcast network and six cable channels on January 15.

Private donations are set to overtake the US government aid of $350m. Already private US donors have given $322m, and groups say additional pledges of aid push the total to almost $355m, according to the Centre on Philanthropy at Indiana University. And that figure does not include the Salvation Army, one of the largest charitable organisations in the US.