Asia More than 10,000 people were killed, thousands more were missing after the most powerful earthquake for 40 years off Sumatra triggered massive tidal waves that slammed into coastal regions across Asia, swallowing entire villages and wreaking death and devastation in seaside resorts. Asia At least 4,185 people were killed when a powerful earthquake and tidal waves hit the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the health ministry told AFP, with the toll expected to rise. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono declared a national disaster. Asia At least 3,225 people were killed and hundreds were missing in Sri Lanka after giant tsunamis smashed into the island, prompting the government and Tiger rebels to appeal for international help. Asia Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam appealed for calm after at least 2,447 people died in huge tidal waves that hit the country's south coast following the massive earthquake off Indonesia. France Governments and aid organisations around the world scrambled to offer aid and technical help after the devastating quake and tidal waves that killed thousands of people in Asia, focusing on food, temporary shelters and medical equipment. Asia A string of locations devastated by powerful tidal waves that claimed more than 10,000 lives are among the jewels of the Indian Ocean, attracting tourists from the world over to their warm beaches and diving spots. Ukraine Ukrainians were voting for a new president in a closely-watched repeat election to decide whether the strategic ex-Soviet republic breaks with the past and aligns itself with Western democracies or remains under Russia's sway. Mideast Presidential election frontrunner Mahmud Abbas urged Palestinians to abandon the armed uprising, saying they could not hope for a military victory over Israel, as the Jewish state vowed to ensure a free and fair ballot to choose Yasser Arafat's successor. Iraq A Turkish truck driver and 13 Iraqis were killed in a series of ambushes and explosions as persistent violence dogged the run-up to next month's polls. Iraq A top leader in Iraq's Sunni Muslim religious establishment, Sheikh Hareth al-Dhari, said that his community will lose nothing by boycotting the upcoming elections, amid reports the US administration may guarantee top level jobs for them regardless of the vote result. Uzbekistan Uzbekistan's authorities announced a high turnout at parliamentary polls but the largely outlawed opposition said there was no hope of democracy under President Islam Karimov. Honduras A member of the Mara Salvatrucha gang confessed to involvement in a bloody attack on a city bus in northern Honduras this week that left 28 people dead and 21 injured, police said.