Indonesia and its tsunami-ravaged Aceh province have taken another big step away from their conflict-ridden past with first-ever direct elections in the former separatist region. The historic December 11 provincial vote - part of a 2005 peace deal - has ushered in a former rebel with the Free Aceh Movement as governor. Now the focus is on Aceh's future and the prospects for rebels-turned-politicians making good on promises to lift the people out of poverty and fighting.

Rescue workers are still searching for survivors in northern Sumatra after deadly flash floods swept the through the area. Heavy seasonal rain and rising waters over the weekend killed at least 100 people and forced more than 400,000 people from their homes in the western Indonesian province. In Malaysia, sudden heavy flooding has also created havoc, with at least eight people dead and many homeless. Chad Bouchard reports from Jakarta.

Two years on from the Asian Tsunami that devastated many communities, Nokia has announced the launch of several new projects to help young people in India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia with training and new skills.

A strong, undersea earthquake with a magnitude of at least 6.2 has shaken parts of northeast Indonesia.

A former guerilla leader in Indonesia's Aceh province appears headed for victory, after taking the lead in several preliminary "quick counts" of the region's first ever direct elections for governor and other top positions. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins has more from the provincial capital, Banda Aceh.

Polls have closed in Indonesia's tsunami-ravaged province of Aceh after a landmark vote for a provincial government. Officials estimate the majority of the 2.6 million people eligible to vote, did so. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins reports from the provincial capital of Banda Aceh.