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and union bank. >> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc world news." >> this is "world news" today. evidence of fraud and corruption as afghanistan prepares to elect a president. >> this is just a sample of what the seller was offering to us. he said he could deliver 500 to

1000. >> a suicide bomber targets a convoy of foreign troops. the lockerbie bomber dropped his appeal. it could pave the way for a controversial police on compassionate grounds. pakistan says it has detained at the top taliban spokesman on the afghan border. the man who recovered part looted by the nazis during the second world war. >> it is 7:00 a.m. in washington, midday in london, and two 3:30 p.m. in ckabul. bbc has discovered fraud and corruption in afghanistan as the

country prepares for an election. thousands of votes are for sale. it will do little to enhance the credibility of the results. another suicide bomb blast on a major road into the capital. you get a sense of the challenges the voters will face on thursday. >> these are the voting cards that we were offered. this is just a sample of what the seller was offering. he told us he could deliver 500 to 1000 of these on the day. it would cost somewhere in the region of $10 per card. he also said he could deliver more. other sellers made similar offers. it is impossible to know deskill of this and how many have bought votes. -- it is impossible to know the scale of this. large amounts of money have been offered to key influential

leaders around the country to deliver blocs of votes. we interviewed one man in a northeast province of afghanistan. he told us he had been approached by a number of campaign teams representing leading candidates. and he was offered tens of thousands of dollars in exchange for delivering a large number of votes in his area. >> we will be speaking to the united nations shortly about those findings. first, today's violence in kabul. >> the latest incident occurred on a main road in the east of kabul. the route is often used by international troops. an initial reports indicated this was a suicide car bomb attack. earlier in the morning, deborah extra security checks in kabul after rockets were fired into the center of the city. one mortar bomb landed near the

center of the palace. this man says there's no security. people are very scared because the election is about to happen. after the final burst of campaigning, president hamid karzai still looks to be the front-runner. does he demand enough support to avoid going to a second round? he now has the backing of the former warlord. he returned from exile in turkey to endorse the president's election effort. the former foreign minister has added his energy to this high octane campaign. there's still a climate of uncertainty and mounting violence with the taliban threatened anyone who takes part in these elections. >> i am now joined on the line by the spokesman for the united nations assistance mission in afghanistan.

what is your reaction to these findings from the bbc? >> it is good to be with you. these findings from the bbc, unfortunately, are not something that surprises us. we are involved in one of the most complex elections attempted anywhere. it does present unique challenges, not least in security, and the issues surrounding fraud. >> if you say you are not surprised by this, what have you done? you were there to look at this process. >> we are here to support the afghan authorities in these elections, which are led by the afghan authorities for the first time since the 1970's. we have been supporting the

independent election commission to ensure that everything in a very difficult situation is put in place to ensure that those people who will like to exercise their democratic rights and turn out to vote for the next president of afghanistan have the ability to do so. >> the elections are hardly going to be inclusive if people are able to buy votes. what are the afghan authorities reactions? >> these elections are going to be very difficult. the response that you would have seen from the independent election commission has been very good in terms of the steps that have taken to try to ensure that everything that has to be done, and that needs to be done

, over the next three days, to make sure that the elections are credible and secure as possible under the current circumstances. that is the main focus of their work. that is what our mission is here to support. >> we have to leave it there. thank you. you can get all the background to the elections online and all the latest video and analysis from our correspondents on the ground in afghanistan at bbc.com/news. russia has arrested eight people suspected of hijacking the merchant ship arctic sea. the defense minister says those arrested include nationals from of estonia and latvia. it was discovered on monday of the coast of west africa.

russian officials say up to 76 people are feared to have died in an explosion at the country's biggest power station on monday. 64 people are still missing after the explosion. the owner of the plant says it is unlikely any survivors will be found. a judge in texas appears in court on five charges of professional misconduct after refusing to keep her court open to hear a last-minute appeal from a man on death row. sharon keller apparently said the court closed at 5:00 p.m. and the prisoner was executed less than three hours later. pakistani officials say the top spokesman for the taliban has been seized. maulvi omar has become a

prominent figure in the taliban. joining me from islamabad is our correspondent. how reliable and how credible is this report of the capture of this man? >> we have still photographs sent to us by the intelligence agencies in pakistan. they clearly show maulvi omar in their custody. they will hold a press comers' later in the day. we believe he has been transfered from the main city. -- they will hold a press conference later in the day. maulvi omar is a very well-known figure in terms of the taliban in pakistan. he was the chief spokesman. he was more than that. he was a leader in his own right and a chief aide to the head of

the pakistani taliban, and a man who is believed to be dead. there are feeling pretty good about things at the moment. >> if he is more than just a spokesperson, do you think this represents -a major blow to the taliban in pakistan? >> it is certainly a blow, but there are other senior commanders of the taliban were made out there. the pakistani army feels that the taliban ranks are now in disarray thanks to the removal of these two leaders. this fragile coalition of tribal groups, the former taliban but

there were 20,000 militants under the leaders' control. it may well be that some are rising through the ranks. it is not the end of the story. the pakistani army is feeling very good. it feels they are going through a turning fa point in the fight against the taliban. >> this massive, incredible credit card fraud. >> the biggest case of identity theft in american history. three men have been charged relating to $130 million. 7-11 food market chain it was

one of the victims. two unnamed russian co- conspirators used complicated techniques to penetrate computer networks and still information. we will have a lot more on that story in about 20 minutes. >> thank you very much. a man convicted of the lockerbie bombing formally drop his second appeal. the move by abdelbaset ali al- megrahi could lead to his release on compassionate grounds or a transfer back to a jail in libya. scullin is under heavy pressure to keep him behind bars. -- scott lin is under heavy pressure to keep him behind bars. they believe abdelbaset ali al- megrahi should remain in prison today are international agreement called for his sentence to be served in scotland.

at the high court, our correspondent. what impact do you think this letter from the u.s. senators will have on the scottish authorities? >> the decision on whether abdelbaset ali al-megrahi is released comes down to one man, the scottish justice secretary. he is under intense pressure from all sides. american senators phil very strongly that abdelbaset ali al- megrahi should remain in prison and perhaps die in prison. he does have terminal prostate cancer. his defense team said it was a very serious form of prostate cancer. they said abdelbaset ali al- megrahi's absolute priority was

to spend what time he has left with his family. he is the only man ever convicted of britain's worst terrorist atrocity. his decision today to drop his appeal by no means clears the deck for him to return to libya. the justice secretary is expected to make a decision later in the week. today's decision leaves many british relatives very disappointed. there were hoping for more answers to the many questions they still have over what happened 20 years ago. they say this is a very sad day and the worst possible decision for their families. >> thank you for that update. this is world today -- this is "world news" today. coming up -- celebrating the opening of the road in afghanistan.

it is a far cry for many breakfast television programs around the world, but everyday people across iraq turn on the breakfast show on state tv. it features the best known chef and possibly the country's greatest cooking authority. he spent a day with the chef in baghdad. >> this is a top television program in iraq. it is the way many people started their day. some two and in just for one reason, to learn the culinary secrets of the country's best known chef. today it is lamb. the chef gives me tips on being the perfect iraqi house rwife.

it stars by making a table decoration with an orange. >> this is very different from what you normally see on television in iraq, which is usually bombs, explosion, war, and politics. this is a bit of a light touch. i do not think i am very good at this one. >> it was not easy for the chef to accept a job. in the past, tv celebrities have been killed and kidnapped. two of the chef's predecessors have fled iraq. this is what gets him into the studio. >> but i do list the mood. i make people a little happier. >> committee, the show is not just about cooking. it is also a leiter, a nicer way to start the day. -- for many, the show is not

just about cooking. it is a lighter and nicer way to start the day. >> this is "world news" today from bbc. the investigation by the bbc found evidence of fraud and corruption in afghanistan's presidential election. and returning to our top story, the run up to the election in afghanistan on this thursday. we reported on the violence and revealed some of the fraud and corruption associated with the voting polls. the election is a rare chance for the voters. it seems afghans in more peaceful provinces are frustrated that the aid is focused on the troubled regions. our correspondent has been on a

trip with the only female governor. >> the roads are the biggest complaint. only a few kilometers are paved across the entire province. it is starting to change. here in the middle of nowhere, a road opening with afghanistan's only female governor. >> the road always starts with good intentions. another wrote was inaugurated three times. -- another road was a non rated three times and it is still not built. -- another road was inaugurated three times and still not build. >> i talk about patients.

i use the united states as an example. it took over 100 years to build a power grid. they are making up for lost time. >> the closer to the border, the more dangerous it gets. the area sits next to troubled neighbors and the violence is spilling over. in recent months, the attacks have increased. new zealand troops had the command here. they have tiestarted to drive armored vehicles. a man who is called the shadow governor was arrested shortly after our visit.

to keep the peace in the area, they need more than just roads. they also need more help from their own government in kabul. the president is here, at least in spirit. >> very impressive. >> this is not the right thing. >> thank you. >> these are the moments that these military commanders cherish. they're having fun. they believe they're making a difference in afghanistan. the real point is to convince all the other people gathered here that this will make a difference in people's lives. >> joining me now in the

studios, a guest who has also worked for the afghan president's office. to pick up on the report we just heard, are the authorities missing something by pouring money into troubled areas more than pouring money into peaceful areas? >> yes, not only areas, but also pouring all the money into the war zones. it is important. it has to be done. not enough has been spent on reconstruction and development across afghanistan. not enough has been spent on creating jobs. something like 50% unemployment in afghanistan. it is terrible. not enough has been spent on the eradicating poverty. something like 40% of the population does not have enough to eat at some stage in the year. the situation is serious.

these are the things that caused unhappiness. these are the things that cause people to cooperate perhaps with the taliban. it is an incentive when they pay. >> you mentioned the taliban and to the extent they have support. they vowed to disrupt the elections. we have seen breaches of security. >> this is horrendous, the taliban threatening people constantly. they have said they will cut off people's figures if they take part in the election. people are frightened. the security situation is a cause for alarm. not just today. especially the car bomb that happened on saturday near nato headquarters. it looked very much like an insider job. these are heavily fortified compounds. you have to get past kelly's 3 checkpoints.

obviously, it may relate in part to the fact that the government is negotiating with the taliban. it is not just the government, it is the british and americans backing the government. >> are the security breaches enough to invalidate the results or make it less credible? >> the last time, over 50% took part in the elections. if people are frightened of the taliban, if they see that the main candidate is president hamid karzai who has four warlords on his side, they see nothing has changed during the terms that president hamid karzai has been in office. he is a very mild mannered

person. he is good at bringing different ethnic groups together in afghanistan. he has been rather successful in creating change. people look at these elections and think that we have not gain anything. >> we will have to leave it there. thank you very much. now to the sports. >> less than 48 hours after he shattered the world record in deep 100 meters, usain bolt is back on the track. as if he needed any help, his chances have been boosted after his great rival had to withdraw. the triple olympic champion was a little tired after sunday. the 22-year-old looks so comfortable throughout the race, leading the field as they came into the streets. he qualifies for second round. crossing the line first in a time of 20.0 seconds.

on day three, there was a huge surprise in the women's pole vault finals. the gold medalist of the last two world championships failed to record any clearance and finished last. the athletes from poland -- the athletes from poland, she had won every major title since taking gold at the 2004 olympics. the jamaican sprint team remains on course after usain bolt performance on friday. the olympic champion beat the fellow jamaican by 200th of a

second. she is successfully defended her triple jump. leading after three rounds, she took the title with 14.5 meters. that is all the sports, george. >> thank you very much. bbc investigation has uncovered fraud and corruption ahead of thursday's presidential election in afghanistan could all the details on our web site, bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. the newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank.

>> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> i'm julia stiles. >> i'm kevin bacon. >> i'm kim cattrall. >> hi, i'm ken burns. >> i'm lili taylor. >> i'm henry louis gates, jr., and public broadcasting is my source for news about the world. >> for intelligent conversation. >> for election coverage you can count on. >> for conversations beyond the sound bites. >> a commitment to journalism. >> for deciding who to vote for. >> i'm kerry washington, and public broadcasting is my source for intelligent connections to my community. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles.