Londoners were among millions in the EU who paid their respects

Millions of people across the UK and Europe have observed a three-minute silence on Wednesday to remember the 150,000 killed by the Asian tsunami.

The silence started in Britain at 1200 GMT, but was held across Europe one hour earlier.

Tony Blair has predicted the British Government will eventually give "hundreds of millions" of pounds in aid to countries hit by the tsunami.

Across Europe, people paid their respects by observing the silence at 1100 GMT.

The German stock exchange, in Frankfurt, stopped trading, while cars remained motionless in the streets of Stockholm, Sweden, and mourners stood shoulder to shoulder in Paris.

Mr Blair observed the silence in private at Downing Street. In the UK, flags flew at half mast on government buildings and at Buckingham Palace.

The three-minute silence was suggested by the Luxembourg EU presidency last week.

Also on Wednesday, prayers will be said at churches, cathedrals and other places of worship throughout the UK.

A spokesman for the Church of England said the silence would give people of all religions the opportunity to grieve for both the victims of the earthquake and those left homeless.

The tradition of collective silences had begun with Armistice Day, a year after the end of World War I, he said.

He added that the public's response to a silence after the 11 September 2001 disaster showed they remain relevant and effective in the modern era.

(BBC)