>> "bbc world news" is presented by kcet, los angeles. funding for this presentation is made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, 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. >> political stability about to

be put to the test as the country prepares to go to the polls. when the eve of the vote, caliban threats and a massive security operations. what are the chances these elections will be free and fair? >> we need to stand up to say we can determine our identity to ourselves, we can bring peace and dignity and purpose to this country. >> welcome to "gmt." also in the program, and exiled pakistani politician is brutally murdered in london. british counter terrorism police are investigated. condemnation and protests in pakistan. day two of the pope state visit to britain.

and he takes his defense of catholic teaching and tradition to london. it is midday in london, 7:00 a.m. in washington and it afternoon in kabul where that afghan government has deployed more than 200,000 members of security forces to safeguard tomorrow's parliamentary elections. in the world -- words of the u.n. special envoy, one of the worst places in the worst times to have an election and were in the world. for the latest let's go live to kabul. >> here in the kabul, right across the country, security is exceptionally tight. policemen everywhere at key junctions in the capital. and yet intimidation and threats continued. 18 supporters of candidates were kidnapped today in the northwest of afghanistan. and another candidate was kidnapped this morning not far

from kabul. more than three in the last two weeks according to the ports. yet with all of the threats and fears of violence, there is a lot of enthusiasm among the candidates. it 2005 hundred are competing for seats in the lower house of parliament and a record number of younger afghans -- between 25-35. but can they compete? there is a new look and afghan politics this year, a new style. this 30 year old tells his campaign team that they should emphasize that he is young, educated, and can serve the people. he is one of hundreds of young afghans to decide that for all of the faults and failures of their new parliamentary democracy, they see it as a future and a future for them.

dam it we would to build a peaceful and prosperous afghanistan we need to stammer -- stand-up as a week of the term of ourselves. we can bring peace to this country. we can bring dignity to this country. we can bring progress. >> it is the message some afghans will vote for. >> we hope these new phases -- they were all concerned with their own pockets. this is full of poor and unemployed people. >> everywhere you work, -- look, a reminder of the past. one of this country's most powerful politicians is also running. it is a stronghold is this village outside kabul. a former commander, human-rights groups accused him of war crimes the people voted for him in the 2005 election. these men tell me he is a strong man who will fight for them in parliament.

in elections it is about looking strong. he has money to mount a big campaign. lunch is provided at his headquarters. in most parts of afghanistan politics still works in a traditional way. if you are powerful and have resources, the voters come to you. if you get support of these tribal elders, you get the votes of their communities. this commander said he handed over his -- years ago. he is also accused of war crimes. critics say election vetting should have barred people like him. but he says he fought with a gun in the war and now fights with the pan. parliament, he says, is the home of all afghans. in this race for the people's vote, some prefer turbans and some ties. even the look of the winner in a

u.s. presidential election. whatever choice they make will shape the face of their future. there is a lot of stake in the second parliamentary elections since the fall of the taliban. campaigning officially ended 48 hours ago. we are joined here by a prominent afghan journalists. the media plays such a big role in all of these political processes. how would you characterize this campaign despite what we know about threats and intimidation and violence? >> thank you very much. last time the media was told not to cover the violence, for example. so that it does not have an impact on the vote. and it turned out to be well devised because, despite many incidents and violence around the country, there was a great turnout despite all the problems fraud and corruption, but people came to the polling station to vote.

so it is a real difficult situation for the media. on the one hand they have responsibility to tell people what is happening around the country. you go to the voting sites. but on the other hand, wider spread coverage of violent attacks and cases of intimidation might have a big impact on the turnout, possibly abstaining people from going to the voting station. >> here as in any parts of the world, when the issues and candidates are local, more people tend to turn down -- turned out. >> despite all the challenges, despite a lot of the trail on the part of the government, and despite a lot of failure on the part of the international community, the afghan government, the afghan people have said yes to democracy. they said no to dictatorship and the taliban. they have shown it to the

international community and those circles -- circles to think afghans cannot embrace democracy, that they can and they will and we know this time it will happen again. >> thank you for joining us on the eve of these parliamentary elections. afghan people want democracy. the taliban say it is a puppet democracy. we'll see how it turned out tomorrow. >> thank you very much. of course, you confined out more by going to website at bbc.com /news. you'll find all the latest updates on the massive security operation in place in afghanistan. you can also follow her on twitter. let's take a look at some of the other stories making headlines of around the world today. britta stop terrorist police have joined the investigation into the murder of an exiled pakistani politician killed outside his house in london. imran farooq was one of the leaders of the mqm party that

has its power base near karachi. it sparked protests across the city. >> this is the scene of the crime, a normally quiet street in north london where yesterday evening imran farooq was stabbed several times and left with head wounds. paramedics tried to save him but he was pronounced dead about an hour after the attack. no arrests have been made so far but party officials have been quick to condemn the murder. >> i have demanded of the british government to find out the killer and bring him or them to book and also uncover if there is any conspiracy linked to this assassination. >> in karachi, mourners gathered as soon as they heard the news. mqm is a major political force in pakistan and the dominant party in the country's

commercial capital some people, this man says, are trying to destroy the peace in karachi in pakistan. the murder is a big shame. businesses in karachi closed as a mark of respect. the second largest city in pakistan bought to a virtual standstill. but there were reports of some cars and at least once ball being set on fire. concern about the repercussions of mr. imran farooq's death, security forces were on standby. a murder last month of than mqm mp spurred a wave of violence where it least 80 people were killed. imran farooq, one of its founders, went into hiding in 1992 when a military crackdown was launched against what the government said was mqm's use of strong arm tactics, including kidnapping, murder. he always said the attacks against him and his party were politically motivated. he has been living in the u.k.

since granting been -- being granted asylum here. bbc news. >> rwanda president has dismissed suggestions his troops may have committed genocide. it was made in a draft u.n. report on the thousands of hut refugeesu who fled to condo in the 1990's. it in the interview with the bbc, the president gave his response to the leaked allegations. >> the whole idea of thinking there was genocide and the congo it is flawed -- where there was genocide it was clear, and it was often. and the whole process of the investigation, how this report came together. it even speaks to its own weaknesses and how it was

conducted. >> you can hear more of that interview on network africa on the bbc world service throughout the day or by the podcast on the world service website. domesticof britain's security service has warned of a growing terror threat originated from somalia and yemen. jonathan evans also said the number of -- with links to pakistan bought the tribal areas have dropped. let us find out more from our security correspondent. they're interesting stuff. he does not speak in public very often. does he say there is a real shift? >> not necessarily saying this threat is growing but it is changing, diversifying. in the past officials always said three-quarters of the most serious plot in the u.k. came from pakistan where al qaeda's leadership is based. it dropped down to 50%. the reasons are quite interesting.

it is partly the pressure on al qaeda's leadership. the drones strike being carried out by the united states affected by the pakistani security forces. yemen and somalia have become more dangerous. the rising in importance as theaters and sanctuaries in which al qaeda can operate, including the uk. >> quite depressing conclusion did you try to counteract the threat in one geographical location but as they do it they simply move somewhere else. the overall threat, though, it seems, is real high. >> it is very interesting. the present of british forces and coalition in afghanistan, about removing al qaeda from afghanistan and stopping it from regrouping. but the issue is, what if they move not only to pakistan and regroups to yemen and somalia, for instance, where there is less intelligence coverage and military access. and not even a cooperative

government in which to work. for this -- does not mean you should not be in pakistan suppressing them there but the nature of the problem and to present al qaeda may well continue to change in the coming years. >> thank you very much, indeed. still to come, why this rock is breeding resentment in a couple crippled by party. a report from niger. voters in sweden go to the polls on sunday in what promises to be a tight election race. a new poll suggests the country's ruling coalition could scrape through with a slim majority. there are signs of growing support for the anti-immigrant swedish democratic party. >> opponents of the swedish democrats turned out to disrupt a rally by its leaders. they believe the party is steering the country on a dangerous path which could threaten its reputation as a liberal, tolerant nation.

the swedish democrat leader is undeterred. he once sharp cuts in immigration and branded islam the greatest threat to swifts -- swedish society since world war ii. despite their attempts to drown his missions out, recent polls suggest the party is likely to win a seat in parliament. >> on sunday the sweetest democrats will be elected to the parliament. that is just the way it is. >> the swedish prime minister is just as frank about his government's achievements. sweden boasts one of the strongest recoveries in the european union. its economy is set to expand by more than 4%. and he is trying to take the credit. >> people have seen we have taken care of sweden very responsibly when it comes to keeping the country together. >> the prime minister has some sweetness to voters, promising a fifth round of tax cuts while

the opposition wants to raise taxes for the rich. >> my big criticisms with the government is they chose to cut taxes instead of fighting against unemployment and investing in the things that would make sweden stronger. >> that is unlikely to win over voters. if the polls are right, the social democrats party, which has been a major force in swedish politics, it is facing its worst result in nearly a century. bbc news. >> this is "gmt" from bbc world news. the headlines -- afghans are preparing to vote in parliamentary elections amid a massive security operation and taliban threats. the exiled pakistani politician imran farooq has been stabbed to death in his london home. a british, but terrorism police are investigating. ceremony, symbolism, and not a

little controversy. pope benedict is making a staunch defense of text -- of catholic teaching and tradition in his visit to britain. on this, the second day of a four-day state visit, the pope has given a major speech in london and will talk to the head of the anglican church. our correspondent was watching the speech and joins me now. he is a conservative pope and he has brought a conservative message. how you say he is being received on day two? >> a real juxtaposition, isn't it? this is a pope who has a very conservative texas catholic doctrine, from anything from his staunch defense of banning the use of condoms, if you like, even if it is a dense part of the fight against hiv, staunch linthicum abortion and

conservation -- contraception, issues that you've today will faces challenges in their adult life, but the children and young adults i spoke to were nothing but excited and welcoming to the pope. he addressed the children. it was a different tone than one would might have expected. the kind of speeches yesterday and what we are expected this afternoon. the language was friendly. he did not pull punches. he asked the kids questions -- who did they want to be? if they led a good life, you could be on the way to sainthood. money and celebrity is not the answer to happiness. basically building and logical argument, if you like, toward the conclusion that happiness came through god. interesting, there was a live link up in gambia -- but let's not forget the controversy surrounding some schools in the

developing world. critics say catholic education is nothing more than continuation of missionary zeal, if you like. having said that, we have had been the cause the world, television pictures of the pope being warmly welcomed by thousands of school children, not just here, but as i say, in africa. this is going to be seen as a successful part of this tour by the vatican. >> thank you very much indeed. live pictures of pope benedict continuing his talk of course for the next three days. business news. juliet is with me. >> let us start with gold because it continues its record- breaking run. today prices hit $1,208 an ounce. since the end of august prices have risen by 10%. investors have been snapping of gold at the concerns have mounted over the fate of the global economy. investors are watching the united states, because anything that could weaken the dollar

could send gold even higher. one analyst i spoke to earlier expects gold prices to keep moving higher. >> if governments continue to allow debt levels to rise, the central banks continue to print money to quantitative ease, i think the gold price and go a lot higher. obviously the government were to intervene and come across with credible policies to control debts and shore up currencies, you might see a different trajectory. but as long as those concerns about government policies remain in place, and financial institutions ability remain in place, gold prices could go a lot higher than they are today. >> later on on friday president barack obama will announce that harvard law professor elizabeth warren will be in charge of setting up a consumer financial watchdog. she has been a fierce critic of wall street and the financial industry has lobbied hard against appointment. the financial walk -- watchdog is a key part of american financial reform.

>> this is barack obama's choice to shake up the american financial system. elizabeth warren, university professor and consumer advocate. >> america's living class is a living one pink slip, one bad diagnosis away from financial collapse. >> here on wall street, the woman likely to lead america's new consumer protection agency, is highly unpopular. in fact, people in the financial community are lobbying against the appointment of elizabeth warren, saying she is bad for business. veterans stock broker allen thou best explains. >> just the way she has attacked j.p. morgan, chase, just the way she once put -- to put more stringencies on credit cards, lending, all of these little policies, it is just going to be very hard for the average small business to get a

loan or to get credit them the road. >> america's banks stand to lose from tighter regulation. but the obama administration is determined to deliver on its promise of greater consumer protection following the financial crisis. >> i think this was a very important choice that congress made, that they want to have an agency. it was resisted by the republicans, strongly pushed by democrats and there is much of this agency can do with reforming credit cards, home mortgages. many sensitive areas where there is reason to believe that consumers were disadvantaged and sometimes over reached. >> her role will be presidential special adviser. but with republican opposition, her powers may be limited. >> that is a look at some of the days of the business news. shares of lg electronics surged

after the country replaced its ceo. it has been under pressure after its mobile business -- business reported a record loss and warned of a similar loss this quarter due to lack of strong smartphone models. oracle has posted what aunt -- what one analyst called blowout numbers. $1.35 billion profit in the last quarter. much better than what many wall street analysts had been expecting. shares of blackberry maker research in motion were up by more than 6% after the company posted stronger than expected profits. it sold more handsets than predicted. analysts had been expecting the company would lose ground to rival apple. finally, we can take a look at the financial markets. this is the picture in europe. it was threatening to be slightly dollars tile because of so-called triple witching, but they are not looking too bad because there is a sense that maybe we are going to see a good

rally in september. the numbers coming through the technology sector, which explains why the futures market is trading high on the day. back to you. >> is spanish fashion designer has come up with an idea for spray on clothes. working with a chemical engineer, he has come up with a fabric that can be applied to the body with an aerosol. i can assure you, i am not using it. >> scenes from the laboratory as chemicals are prepared for an unusual experiment. along with bottles and machinery, strains fabrics hate -- strange fabrics on mannequins. this is no ordinary designer and these are no ordinary clothes.

here for her fitting is model linda. armed with a spray gun is this spanish fashion designer. it is a messy business but he says he now has it down to a fine art. he uses dashes of color to finish the defect. >> it feels great to spay -- spray a fabric of material and create what you like. >> this is not just about the catwalk. the cameras to turned his aerosol green dream into reality is looking at other applications. >> every time i speak to somebody someone comes up with another good idea. my shoes are not overly clean at the moment. so, if you had a can that had some of this formulation together with a shoe polish, you can spray it on your shoes and polishes -- policy them up and throw them away.

another possibility could be bandages and dressings. the advantage of a can is you can make it sterile and it will stay sterile. >> back in the lab, the close,. manna be the most practical fabric in the world but after all, it is fashioned. >> that is almost it for this edition of "gmt." here is a taste of what will come up later. just a day before the people of afghanistan go to the polls, more on what is at stake for this critical election. that is it. goodbye. >> funding was made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and

honolulu, newman's own foundation, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, union bank, and siemens. >> somewhere in america there is a doctor who can peer into the future. there is a nurse that can access in this instance every patient's past. and there is a family income breeze -- breathe easy right now. somewhere in america we have already answered some of the nation's toughest health care questions. and the over 60,000 people of siemens are ready to do it again. siemens, answers. >> 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 ken burns. >> i'm lee taylor. >> public broadcasting is my source for news about the world. >> intelligent conversation. >> election coverage you can count on. >> conversation beyond the sound bites. >> commitment to journalism. >> deciding who to vote for. >> public broadcasting is my source for intelligence connections to my community. >> bbc

>> tang: if you like tropical fruit, come to bangkok. i will take you to one