Bush art with a difference. This is how the former u. S. President sees other world leaders. Security is tight across afghanistan, as voters choose a new president. Despite threats of violence from the taliban, there has been a steady flow of voters turning up at polling stations. It will be the first democratic transfer of power. Hamid karzai has been in power for the past 12 years, but is barred by afghan law of running for a third term. Eight candidates are competing to replace them. Including abdullah abdullah, but lost to hamid karzai in 2009. Another is ghani, a warmer World Bank Official and afghan finance minister. He contested the vote in 2009. And a previously serving foreign minister, one of Hamid Karzais closest allies. Lets cross to our correspondent Bernard Smith, in kabul for us. How is the day shaping up . Well, despite the cold, rainy damp weather, there is a significant turn out to vote as far as we under. We have been around my colleagues have been around looking at
Affected. And in the search for the missing malaysian airliner. And commemorating the 20th anniversary of a genocide that killed up to 1 Million People. Well, afghans have been voting in large numbers in what will become the countrys first transition of power. And a vote has been carried out against the backdrop of tight security. Eight candidates are standing for the presidency, including abdullah abdullah, who ran in 2009 but lost in outgoing hamid karzai. Now lets go live to Bernard Smith who is in kabul. Turn out seems to have been high. There has been a turn of bad weather, but has the voting gone smoothly. To answer that question, yes. In fact, security told us that the number of attacks that there have been today are less than the daily o average. Security personnel have been stationed around the country to make sure that votes go smoothly. It will stay open another two hours if people are still queuing. That is showing a very high turn out. People want to vote fo vote fore firs
In the United States. The head of Central African republic transitional governing body is calling for calm. There are continuing clashes between members of the christian majority and the muslim minority. On friday president Michel Djotobia resigned in an attempt to cool tensions. The head of the Transitional Government will do his best to restore peace translation i promise to work with all the forces of the nation without distinction, in order to achieve that goal i ask each Central African to remain calm and trust the action launched today to carry out the transition. Barnaby phillips is live in bangui. What are the moves under way to put a Transitional Government in place . Well, that Transitional National council, which alex and der leads, begins deliberations later. It had 14 days to choose a transitional head of state. There is not a single figure who is emerging in any sense who would be an obvious choice to unite this country. There are a few names floating around, but they are
Union to discuss the deployment of additional african troops from rwanda, and we hope that that will take place very soon, and we are positioned to move those troops quickly. But at the e. U. Presence will go from 100 at present to 500 present so that will bring us up to close to 9000. Military plan is the pentagon and the u. N. Said that is a sufficient force with a robust mandate to bring some peace to these people who suffer . Let me answer the question differently mr. Chairman. Spin terms of displaced members we have seen the number declined from 500,000 to 200,000 which is not to suggest that the situation is not atrocious and the removal of the muslims and the light of the muslims continues to those numbers so i dont want to be misleading but the fact that the number of internally displaced people is declining i think shows the French Forces are having impact and we get these police trained we are hopeful those numbers will be sufficient to restore security. I think we will have
The actual number is believed to be far higher. The lebanese government has long said it could be close to 2. 5 million. There are small informal settlements everywhere. Syrians renting flats, working in menial jobs. Population nowe are Syrian Refugees. Many of them are based in the homs. , which is close to a new influx the couple of weeks ago with a fighting over the border. All of this in the same week that another major milestone was it one 150,000 people were in the syrian conflict. Lucy, since you have seen this up close over the last three years, what are the conditions like for the refugees . Pretty dire. Fears theymps for could be stated destabilizing. These are informal settlements the syrians have built from eight agencies. They often do not have running water, food, and medical supplies are often scarce. They have had to cut those rations. A woman tried to burn herself to death in front of her four children here in lebanon because she said she had been trying to get aid fro