Including: Tsunami; Iraq election; Palestinian president election; Bush inauguration; Auschwitz 60th Anniversary; Sudan peace signing; and more. ASIAN TSUNAMI KILLS OVER 230,000 PEOPLE ACROSS INDIAN OCEAN REGION The year 'started' the day after Christmas 2004 with the Asian tsunami. One of the most powerful earthquakes recorded, measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale and centered off Sumatra, triggered a series of waves that devastated the coastal regions of countries across south east Asia. The raging waters dragged villagers out to sea, flung others inland and tore children from their parents arms. Fishing boats were smashed and beach hotels drowned in mud after waves up to 30 feet engulfed the shorelines. Many tourists lost their lives at popular resorts in the region. An estimated 250,000 people died with tens of thousands still unaccounted for. The scale and reach of the devastation was enormous, from Indonesia in the east, across to the coast of Africa, 4,000 miles away. All points between were hit, including the Maldives, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand and Malaysia. Tens of millions of U.S. dollars in aid was donated by individuals and pledged by governments across the globe. An international relief effort swung into action but in some areas help was slow to come, hampered by the complete devastation of roads and infrastructure. Locals, charities and individual volunteers helped each other as governments debated how best to proceed. In one Indonesian hamlet, villagers decided to rebuild their coastal homes on top of a nearby hill, but for many the reconstruction of their lives, homes and businesses would much longer. IRAQ ELECTION In Iraq another type of rebuilding was taking place. As an anti-U.S. insurgency formented following the toppling of Saddam Hussein, the first free multi-party elections for half a century were held, the first building blocks of a new democracy. Across the country on January 30 voters braved the threats of viol...