German newspapers on Thursday take a brief break from reporting about the gritty and gruesome details of the tragedy in South Asia and instead focus on the generosity of Germans and of Germany in donating or pledging relief for the catastrophe-stricken regions. In all, Berlin's Tagesspiegel notes, private and government donations in Germany so far total €650 million ($857 million), including Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's pledge of a half-billion euros on Wednesday.

Under the headline "Danke! Deutschland," the mass circulation Bild celebrates its own reader fundraising drive by publishing the names of contributors -- who helped the paper raise €40 million -- on its front page.

But a number of newspapers in Germany call for modesty on Thursday -- both in the government and in private. After all, this wealth of giving should be a showing of mercy, not some self-serving publicity stunt.

"Prestige now seems to be playing a significant role in the wave of donations," writes the left-leaning Die Tageszeitung. "Everything now appears to be a size too big." Even one minute of silence on Wednesday wasn't enough for Europeans -- they needed three, it notes. "Perhaps it would be a good idea to slowly direct some of the generosity back towards the Sudan, Congo or Uganda where it is no less urgently needed."

The conservative Die Welt suggests the Berlin government is using its massive donation as a cynical public relations campaign. Schroeder is "skillfully using the tsunami disaster in order to portray himself as a compassionate politician and an international man of action," it writes. But even though "every other politician would do the same," the paper still finds Schroeder's reaction "disquieting." Why? It argues that while it is legitimate for the government to increase its aid pledge, "Do sums have to be pledged which give the impression that the nations are in a selfish donation competition?" The editorial goes on to note that debt-strapped Germany, which has repeatedly violated EU rules for deficit spending doesn't even have the money to give. For unlike private donors, "the government is giving money it doesn't have."

Berlin has said the money will come from its budget, but it hasn't given specific details, which prompts questions from the business daily Handelsblatt. "The question is still open how the government will piece together €500 million from the state coffers," it writes. "Will EU aid payments be applied towards that sum or agreements in the Paris Club over debt forgiveness for the affected countries?" The editorial goes on to note that making money available isn't the only challenge awaiting the international community. The region must now be rebuilt, and that will require a colossal amount of coordination. At Thursday's donor conference in Jakarta, the paper pleads for the preconditions to be set for reconstruction. It should be determined which governments and aid organizations will be responsible for each duty in order to more efficiently use the money available. Reconstruction, it notes, includes the "greater challenge of making this part of the world more secure." And for Germany, that presents an opportunity: If Berlin takes a leadership role here, it could prove its mettle in the United Nations -- and that could boost it's chances for a permanent Security Council seat.

The Financial Times Deutschland alludes to the fact that the number of European tourists struck by the tsunami has had a purse-string-loosening effect here when it comes to donations. "International solidarity has collected a lot of money," it writes. "That's good, but it's also enough now." Instead of focusing on the tourists spots in Thailand and Sri Lanka, it suggests, the focus should now shift "towards the places that have suffered the worst damage, have the most victims and the most destroyed lives." These people desperately need help, the paper says, and "it should be quickly determined what they need to rebuild their lives."