US, EU And Russia To Hold Ukraine Crisis Talks

Top-level talks over the Ukraine crisis are to be held between the Kiev government and the US, EU and Russia in Geneva next week.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to be joined by Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart, Andriy Deshchytsya.

Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign affairs chief, confirmed she would also be taking part in the discussions on Thursday.

She said the European Union was "fully engaged in the diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine and to find a political solution".

Details of the gathering emerged as the US announced sanctions against six of Crimea's breakaway leaders.

They include the officials who helped secure a referendum in the peninsula and signed the deal with Russia to split from the Ukraine.

Also on the list is a subsidiary of a Ukrainian state gas company whose assets have been seized by the Crimean authorities.

Earlier, Ukraine's Prime Minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, promised new powers for regional governments while meeting with officials in Donetsk - where pro-Russian supporters have erected barbed-wire barricades and occupied government buildings.

A pro-Russian protester outside a regional government building in Donetsk

It was his first visit to eastern Ukraine since the crisis began.

"This is a very important day - a day for open dialogue and honest conversation," he said.

He also pledged to defend the rights of Russian speakers in the country.

"I will be the first to guarantee the right of every Ukrainian to speak any language they want," he said later in a TV interview.

"I have never met any Russian-speaking Ukrainian who would say he wants protection because he is not allowed to speak Russian."

Russian troops in March took control of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula after local citizens - the majority of whom are ethnic Russians - voted in a referendum to secede and join Russia.

The US and other Western countries have accused Moscow of massing troops on Ukraine's border to maintain the pressure on the government in Kiev, and possibly for military use.

However, Moscow has denied stoking tensions in eastern Ukraine as a pretext for sending in troops.

Mr Lavrov said on Friday that Russia "cannot have such desires" because it "goes against Russia's fundamental interests".

"We have no troops there by definition," he added.

"We don't have our soldiers there, and we don't have our agents there."

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Interrogation Pokes Holes In Pistorius Defence

By Emma Hurd, Sky Correspondent, in Pretoria

After a weekend of respite, Oscar Pistorius will return to the witness box on Monday to face more questions under cross-examination in his murder trial.

His account of the shooting that left his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead has already been challenged in three days of tough interrogation.

This has exposed some of the weaknesses in his defence and posed questions that could prove crucial to judge Thokozile Masipa's eventual verdict.

:: Where was Reeva?

The crucial issue of why the athlete failed to realise his girlfriend was not in the bed when he went with his gun to investigate a noise coming from the bathroom was the focus of many of prosecutor Gerrie Nel's questions.

Oscar Pistorius said he had spoken to Reeva Steenkamp in the bedroom and asked her to call the police when he heard what he thought was an intruder.

Gerrie Nel has appeared incredulous at some of Pistorius' evidence

He said he was "fixated on the noise" and did not think it was strange that she had not replied.

Mr Nel insisted that it was "unreasonable" to believe that, given that Ms Steenkamp was in the toilet, she would not have shouted out to the runner who had been screaming "at intruders" just metres away.

The prosecution also pressed the athlete on whether he had heard Ms Steenkamp screaming when he fired shots into the toilet door.

The runner said he was sure she had not screamed but was forced to admit that he might not have heard her because of the sound of the shots.

:: Did he intend to shoot?

The issue of intent is vital in a murder trial and the prosecution has attempted to show Oscar Pistorius shot to kill that night - whoever he thought he was firing at.

The athlete insisted he "fired out of fear" after hearing a noise from the toilet. His said he did not have time to think and that it was "a mistake".

The prosecution repeatedly stressed that Mr Pistorius approached the toilet with his gun held out and the safety catch off ready to shoot, even "wanting to shoot".

He knew someone might be in the small, enclosed space of the toilet, Mr Nel claimed, and the shooting was a deliberate act.

:: Why did he go towards the threat?

Another difficult moment for Oscar Pistorius came when Gerrie Nel asked him why he went towards the danger of the noise in the bathroom.

The athlete could not explain why - if he thought there was an intruder - he had not taken Reeva Steenkamp and escaped out into the safety of the rest of the house through the bedroom door.

Mr Pistorius admitted he had to walk right past the exit from the bedroom to get to the bathroom.

"It is my personality not to run away," he insisted, while re-iterating that he wanted to protect Ms Steenkamp.

The prosecution has declared his whole defence "a lie".

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Satellite Images 'Show Russian Forces Massing'

Satellite images which appear to show Russian warplanes, combat helicopters, armour, artillery near Ukraine's border have been released.

Primorko-Akhtarsk Air Base. Pic: DigitalGlobe

The organisation's top military commander in Europe, General Philip Breedlove said a probable airborne or special forces brigade deployement could also be spotted on the pictures as Russian armed forces maintained their presence the area's military bases.

Belgorod. Pic: DigitalGlobe

The bases are in southern Russia - east of the Ukraine-Russian border - near Kuzminka, Belgorod, Yeysk, and Novocherkassk, east of the Sea of Azov.

"This is a force that is very capable, at high readiness, and, as we have illustrated through the imagery, is close to routes and lines of communication," British Brigadier Gary Deakin said at a briefing at Nato military headquarters at Mons, Belgium.

An alleged Russian artillery battalion. Pic: DigitalGlobe

"It has the resources to be able to move quickly into Ukraine if it was ordered to do so."

The content of the photographs, which commercial provider DigitalGlobe said were taken on March 22, has not yet been independently verified.

Probable airborne or Spetznaz (special forces) brigade. Pic: DigitalGlobe

However, Russia's RIA news agency quoted the country's military general staff as saying the pictures were taken in August last year.

According to General Breedlove, possible countermoves to the Russian military threat against Ukraine could include sending US troops to alliance nations in eastern Europe who felt at risk.

Military tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. Pic: DigitalGlobe

Russian troops in March took control of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula after local citizens - the majority of whom are ethnic Russians - voted in a referendum to secede and join Russia.

The US and other Western countries have accused Moscow of massing troops on Ukraine's border to maintain the pressure on the government in Kiev, and possibly for military use.

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Pistorius: Hero Or Trigger-Happy Egotist?

By Emma Hurd, Sky Correspondent, in Pretoria

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel has put "character" at the heart of his bruising cross-examination of Oscar Pistorius.

In his quick-fire questioning he has sought to expose the athlete as self-centred, short-tempered, gun-obsessed and eager to shirk responsibility for his actions.

It is a familiar strategy in any murder trial, but in this case the man in the witness box is famous around the world.

Before the shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, Pistorius was best known for his achievements on the running track and his triumph over his disability.

In South Africa he was revered as a hero and praised for his charity work.

Brands including Nike showered him with lucrative endorsement contracts, keen to be associated with the 'bladerunner' and his remarkable story.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel has urged Pistorius to 'take responsibility'

Then came his arrest for murder and millions of people who had never met the athlete but still thought they knew him were left wondering whether the gilded image of Pistorius bore any relation to the truth.

Those watching the trial have now been presented with two versions.

The defence lawyers guided the athlete through his life story in the witness box; his double amputation as a baby, his devastation at the loss of his mother as a teenager and his overwhelming fear of crime exacerbated by his disability.

But the prosecution says Pistorius is a trigger-happy egotist, prone to throwing tantrums, whose girlfriend was scared of him in the weeks before he shot her dead.

Pistorius was revered by many before fatally shooting Reeva Steenkamp

Repeatedly, Mr Nel has urged him to "tell the truth" and "take responsibility", punctuating the runner's answers with exasperated sighs.

Pistorius has broken down in tears several times, but he has also displayed irritation and frustration during the cross-examination - exactly what Gerrie Nel seems to be trying to provoke.

In the absence of any eye witnesses or conclusive forensic evidence in this case, the key question has become: who is Oscar Pistorius?

The defence argues that he is a man who - in fear of his life - fired his gun thinking he was protecting himself and his girlfriend from an intruder.

The prosecution claims he is a murderer who has constructed an elaborate network of lies to cover up the deliberate killing of his girlfriend.

The judge will decide which version of the shooting - and the athlete's character - is closest to the truth.

Either way, the public perception of Pistorius, once the golden boy of South Africa, has irreversibly changed.

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Why Is MH370 Search Chief So Optimistic?

Retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston is a military man, and military men deal in certainties.

He won't commit himself to say they have found the plane. Not yet. Not until he sees some wreckage for his own eyes.

"How confident are you?" he was asked by an Australian reporter. "50%, 70%, 90%?"

He laughed it off. He wouldn't be drawn. Of course he wouldn't. He's a military man. Certainties, certainties, certainties, remember?

There's no "we think we've found it". In his way of thinking, you've either found it or you haven't.

But they have found it, and he knows it.

You only need to read his demeanour and body posture in the press conferences, and how he has relaxed in recent days.

Crews are searching the southern Indian Ocean

And he's absolutely right not to commit himself. Because he wouldn't just be making a judgement without the full facts, he would be sealing the fate of the 239 people who were on that plane, and he would be telling the families that any remaining hope was now lost.

He will have to do that at some point, in the coming days I suspect, but only when he is ready, only when he is sure.

And that's right.

I think his media management has been top notch.

He has answered all the many detailed questions the media have asked, and built trust.

But there is one thing that has me wondering...

"We're being transparent, we're hiding nothing," he said as he left the podium at the end of a recent press conference.

Mr Houston has appeared more relaxed in recent days

Well, I don't quite believe him. There was something that led them to that spot in the Indian Ocean, some clue, some intelligence, something that meant Ocean Shield heard the first pings on the very day the black box batteries were due to start weakening.

Sure, Inmarsat has been recalculating its data and narrowing down the search area, but that alone can't be enough.

They have found the plane's black box, potentially 14,700 ft (4,500m) below the Ocean in the middle of nowhere, and not a single piece of wreckage has been picked up to guide them.

Something told them to look there...

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Missing Plane: Search Narrowed In MH370 Hunt

Search Chief's Manner Says MH370 Found

Updated: 2:10pm UK, Wednesday 09 April 2014

Retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston is a military man, and military men deal in certainties.

He won't commit himself to say they have found the plane. Not yet. Not until he sees some wreckage for his own eyes.

"How confident are you?" he was asked by an Australian reporter. "50%, 70%, 90%?"

He laughed it off. He wouldn't be drawn. Of course he wouldn't. He's a military man. Certainties, certainties, certainties, remember?

There's no "we think we've found it". In his way of thinking, you've either found it or you haven't.

But they have found it, and he knows it.

You only need to read his demeanour and body posture in the press conferences, and how he has relaxed in recent days.

And he's absolutely right not to commit himself. Because he wouldn't just be making a judgement without the full facts, he would be sealing the fate of the 239 people who were on that plane, and he would be telling the families that any remaining hope was now lost.

He will have to do that at some point, in the coming days I suspect, but only when he is ready, only when he is sure.

And that's right.

I think his media management has been top notch.

He has answered all the many detailed questions the media have asked, and built trust.

But there is one thing that has me wondering...

"We're being transparent, we're hiding nothing," he said as he left the podium at the end of a recent press conference.

Well, I don't quite believe him. There was something that led them to that spot in the Indian Ocean, some clue, some intelligence, something that meant Ocean Shield heard the first pings on the very day the black box batteries were due to start weakening.

Sure, Inmarsat has been recalculating its data and narrowing down the search area, but that alone can't be enough.

They have found the plane's black box, potentially 14,700 ft (4,500m) below the Ocean in the middle of nowhere, and not a single piece of wreckage has been picked up to guide them.

Something told them to look there...

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China Trying To Scoop Malaysia In MH370 Race

MH370 Search Teams Face 'Underwater Alps'

Updated: 3:25pm UK, Monday 07 April 2014

Confirmation that the Ocean Shield vessel has picked up pings consistent with a plane's black box flight recorders has sparked hope of a breathrough in the hunt for MH370.

But while Malaysia's transport minister spoke of his hope of progress "in days, if not hours" the retired Australian defence chief in charge of the operation has warned that "we are talking about a long operation here".

Sky News experts, maritime explorer Jock Wishart and radar specialist Professor David Stupples, from City University, have been looking at what comes next for searchers working on "the most difficult search in human history".

Which set of signals detected is more likely to be MH370?

Search teams will be keen to investigate the pings detected by the Ocean Shield, but if they are to be thorough, they can not ignore the signals picked up 300 nautical miles away by Chinese ship, the Haixun 01.

They will be hoping to confirm that the 37.5kHz frequency transmissions do lead them to an aircraft's flight recorders.

Prof Stupples said the most recent discovery appeared to be most credible as it had been detected by the more advanced pinger locator on board the Ocean Shield.

He said: "The Chinese were using handheld devices which they would put over the side of a RIB and they received just two or three pings and with the sensitivity of those pieces of equipment it could be that they were just picking up some noise.

"It could be the signal - I'm not dismissing that. But it's probably noise.

The Australian ship was picking up a much more sustained collection of pings, but it was only a few over a two hour period, which means that if it is the black box they were picking up, it is quite some way away.

The Next Steps

Mr Wishart said it would be "incredible" if search teams have managed to track down the black boxes in a search area of some 90,000 square miles of the Indian Ocean.

Royal Australian Air Force aircraft which can drop sonobuoy listening devices have been sent to the area, where the Royal Navy's HMS Echo will also be key.

He said: "Luckily we've got HMS Echo down there, which is a very sophisticated bit of kit and she will do that. I would guess then, if that proves to be not valid, then they will want to move Echo back up North.

"Echo carries items on board which are much more helpful in terms of helping to locate any wreckage there may be, so that would be my next move."

Prof Stupples said: "What they will need to do is get a few more triangulations on these pingers to get the search down to the haystack itself. They've got to get it down to a much smaller area.

"Then they'll send down something like Bluefin - a device controlled from the ship above that will navigate along the sea bed.

"It has sideways-looking sonar, so it will be looking out for wreckage."

Little has been said about the nuclear-powered submarine HMS Tireless but it is understood to have been operating in the search area.

While it can not dive to the same depth as the Bluefin-21 autonomous underwater vehicle, it has incredibly sophisticated sonar equipment which can help with the search for wreckage.

How Long To Recover The Black Boxes?

Mr Wishart said robotic underwater craft could be used to help recover the black boxes if they are confirmed to be at the current search location - which could be 4,500m below the surface.

He said any search could be hampered by sea conditions, which could be treacherous as winter in the southern hemisphere approaches.

The jagged terrain and pressure deep under the surface will also be a challenge for searchers.

Mr Wishart said: "It's the underwater Pennines - maybe even the underwater Alps in terms of some of the stuff you've got down there."

However the search is conducted, he said: "We're not looking at days."

Will The Black Box Recorders Solve The MH370 Mystery?

The flight data recorder should hold up to 15 hours of information from the flight. That would cover the crucial period after contact was lost with air traffic control 38 minutes into the flight and the plane appeared to change course.

But the plane's voice recorder may hold only as little as two hours of information, which could mean that any conversations at that time are lost.

Prof Stupples said: "Everything the plane was doing will be recorded on those data recorders.

"The voice recorder will only have two hours or maybe three and if nothing was being said, nothing will be on that tape.

Are There Lessons For Future Air Travel?

Both Sky News experts agree that the aviation industry needs to look at automatic tracking devices for planes.

Mr Wishart said: "In a world where you can put automatic trackers on cars, it's nonsense that we don't have automatic trackers on planes - something that is completely free of human interference and linked by satellite.

"If that had been the case here, this mystery could have been solved in hours."

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Underwater 'Drone' Used In Hunt For MH370

An unmanned deep-water submarine will be used for the first time in the hunt for flight MH370.

It comes after faint sounds were detected by equipment on board an Australian ship that could be from the missing Malaysia Airlines plane's black boxes.

Warren Truss, Australia's acting prime minister, said the crew on board the Ocean Shield will launch the underwater vehicle, the Bluefin 21 autonomous sub, later.

Angus Houston, who is heading the search, said: "Today is another critical day as we try and reconnect with the signals that perhaps have been emanating from the black box flight recorder of the MH370.

"The connections two days ago were obviously a time of great hope that there had been a significant breakthrough and it was disappointing that we were unable to repeat that experience yesterday."

Mr Truss said the sub can create a sonar map of the area to chart any debris on the sea floor.

If it maps out a debris field, the crew will replace the sonar system with a camera unit to photograph any wreckage.

More follows...

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Ukraine: Pro-Russians Storm Govt Offices

Masked pro-Russian demonstrators have stormed government buildings in three major cities in eastern Ukraine.

Dozens of people armed with sticks and rocks broke through police lines during a pro-Russian rally to surge into a regional government office in Donetsk, roughly 80 kilometres (50 miles) west of the Russian border

Some of the protesters were chanting "Donetsk is a Russian city" as they climbed to the roof, where they waved the Russian flag.

They then threw firecrackers at around 200 police officers surrounding the building.

Government buildings were also seized in Lugansk and Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city.

Ukraine's Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov has cancelled a trip to Lithuania to deal with the latest violence. He has called an emergency meeting of security chiefs in Ukraine's capital Kiev.

Separatist protesters unfurled the Russian flag during the demonstration

Several eastern cities have seen regular protests since former Ukrainian president and Kremlin ally Viktor Yanukovych was ousted in February.

A subsequent referendum which saw Crimea secede Ukraine and join the Russian Federation has led to calls for similar referenda across the region, where half of the residents are ethnic Russians.

Sunday's protest in Donetsk attracted some 2,000 people.

Many, waving Russian flags, shouted "Give us a referendum" and "NATO go home".

In Lugansk several men broke down the doors of the regional government building while others pelted its windows with stones and eggs.

A smoke grenade and firebomb were also set off. Police responded with tear gas. 

Eastern Ukraine was the heartland of President Yanukovych's support

Protesters were calling for the release of 15 pro-Russian activists who were arrested earlier this week.

Police said they were planning to seize the city's main administration building with the use of "arms and explosives".

Similar unrest was also reported in Kharkiv, less than an hour's drive from the Russian border.

Western countries and Ukraine's interim government fear that growing unrest in the east could prompt Russian President Vladimir Putin to send troops to the region to follow through with his promise to protect its ethnic Russian population.

The US says Russia has already massed about 40,000 soldiers near the eastern border of Ukraine.

However, Russia denies that it plans to expand its military presence beyond Crimea.

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Missing Plane: HMS Echo Joins Black Box Hunt

A British navy ship with sophisticated sound-locating equipment has joined a refocussed search effort to find out if signals picked up in the southern Indian Ocean are from MH370's black boxes.

The Joint Agency Co-ordination Centre, at the centre of the search mission, announced at around 2am UK time that HMS Echo had arrived in the southern section of the search area to "assist" in the mission.

Sky's Alistair Bunkall said HMS Echo would begin its search after carrying out preliminary environmental tests.

"Before she starts listening for the black box, HMS Echo must basically work out what other sounds are out there to calibrate her systems," he said.

The location of the three signals detected in the southern Indian Ocean

Hopes of finding the plane were boosted after Chinese ship Haixun 01 said it picked up a faint electronic pulsing signal on Friday, around 1,000 miles (1,600 km) northwest of Perth.

A second signal was picked up by the vessel on Saturday, around 1.2 miles (2 km) away, lasting for around 90 seconds.

Both signals had a "ping" of 37.5kHz frequency - the same emitted by the missing jet's black box recorders.

On Sunday, Australian navy ship Ocean Shield detected a third signal in another area about 353 miles (555 km) away.

Officials, however, have urged caution while they verify where the "pings" have come from.

Searchers are anticipating good weather today, with 12 planes and a total of 14 ships expected to scour three locations totalling around 234,000 sq km.

HMS Echo is now involved in the search

Once Ocean Shield has finished investigating the acoustic sound it picked up on Sunday, it will head to the area where HMS Echo is helping in the search, Australian authorities said.

The focus of today's search will be the southern section of the current search zone rather than the northern part, the authorities added.

Time is running out to locate the black boxes, which are likely to hold the key to the mystery of the jet, which left Malaysia for China on March 8, carrying 239 people on board.

The boxes have a battery life of 30 days, although Retired Australian Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, head of the international search, said they can continue transmitting for "several days beyond that".

But there are questions about whether any of the sounds are the breakthrough that searchers are desperately seeking or just another dead end in a hunt seemingly full of them.

People take part in a special prayer for passengers

Experts have expressed doubt that the equipment aboard the Chinese ship was capable of picking up signals from the black boxes.

"This is an important and encouraging lead, but one which I urge you to treat carefully," said Mr Houston.

He warned that the sounds were "fleeting, fleeting acoustic events," not the more extended transmissions that would be expected.

"We are dealing with very deep water. We are dealing with an environment where sometimes you can get false indications," he added.

"There are lots of noises in the ocean, and sometimes the acoustic equipment can rebound, echo if you like."

More to follow...

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Missing Plane Searchers 'Hopeful' On Ship Signal

Searchers are "hopeful but by no means certain" that a pulse signal detected in the southern Indian Ocean is from flight MH370, says Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

The Boeing 777 carrying 239 people vanished from radar more than four weeks ago while travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Still no trace of the Malaysia Airlines jet has been found despite a massive air and sea search involving experts from around the world.

Hopes of a breakthrough came on Saturday when a Chinese patrol vessel reportedly picked up a "ping" of 37.5kHz frequency - the same emitted by black box flight recorders.

The location where the signal was detected

A Chinese air force plane also spotted a number of white floating objects in the area, around 1,000 miles (1,600km) northwest of Perth, said Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

Australian authorities are sending air force crews to investigate, but stressed there was no conclusive evidence linking it to the doomed airliner.

Mr Abbott told reporters in Tokyo: "This is the most difficult search in human history. We are searching for an aircraft which is at the bottom of a very deep ocean and it is a very, very wide search area.

The Malaysia Airlines plane vanished on March 8

"We need to be very careful about coming to hard and fast conclusions too soon."

A dozen planes and 13 ships are scouring three areas about 1,240 miles (2,000 km) northwest of Perth.

Malaysia said on Saturday it had launched a formal investigation into the plane's disappearance that would include experts from Britain, Australia, the US, China and France.

Hishammuddin Hussein at a news conference in Malaysia on Saturday

The country's acting defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein said it would be made up of three groups.

The first would examine maintenance records, structures and systems.

The second would study flight recorders, operations and meteorology.

The third, a "medical and human factors" group, would look into psychology, pathology and survival.

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Afghan Election: Obama Hails 'Critical' Vote

The Front Runners In Afghanistan's Elections

Updated: 1:29pm UK, Saturday 05 April 2014

Here is a guide to the leading contenders in the Afghan elections.

Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai

Known in Afghanistan as Doctor Ashraf Ghani, the American-trained anthropologist returned to his home country after the Taliban were ousted.

He had previously spent more than 25 years abroad during the turbulent years when Afghanistan came under Soviet control, descended into civil war and then was taken over by the Taliban.

During that period he worked for the United Nations and World Bank in the US, Denmark and in south and east Asia.

On his return he held various government posts, including finance minister.

He went on to take part in the disputed 2009 presidential election campaign when he won 4% of the vote, but was beaten by Hamid Karzai.

Mr Ghani is among the strongest backers of a disputed security deal which will keep US troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014.

But he has provoked controversy by picking ethnic Uzbek former warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum as a running mate.

Zalmai Rassoul

A relative of Afghanistan's former royal family, Zalmai Rassoul is seen as an establishment figure.

Although originally a doctor, he became involved in politics when representing the deposed king in 1998 on a body that played a key role in the future transition of the country after the end of the Soviet period.

He held roles in national security before being made Hamid Karzai's foreign minister, often accompanying the president on trips abroad.

Critics say that, if elected, Mr Rassoul would lack the strength and independence to make a break from the old administration, which many have accused of corruption.

But a number of foreign correspondents have said that despite serving for more than a decade in government, he remains untainted by the allegations that have dogged Mr Karzai's tenure in power.

He is comfortable dealing with those at home and abroad, speaking Dari, Pashto, English, French and Italian, among other languages.

He is also the only leading candidate with a woman as one of his vice-presidential running mates. 

Abdullah Abdullah

A former ophthalmologist-turned-fighter against Soviet forces in the 1980s, Mr Abdullah dropped out of a run-off against Mr Karzai in the 2009 election, saying he was concerned about electoral fraud.

He rose to take roles in government in the post-Taliban period having previously been an adviser to Ahmad Shah Masood, a leader in the Northern Alliance.

But he was abruptly dismissed from his role as Afghanistan's foreign minister in 2006 - a role he had previously held in the Northern Alliance when it fought alongside the American-led invasion of the country following the 9/11 attacks.

Mr Abdullah's base of support is the ethnic Tajik community whose rights and cause, although he is half-Pashtun, he has championed.

He spent some of the period during the Soviet-backed regime in Pakistan.

He took part in the 2009 election after registering as an independent candidate.

Other candidates are:

Abdul Rasul Sayyaf: A former warlord with ties to al Qaeda. An MP in the new parliament.

Mohammad Daud Sultanzoy: A former pilot and talk show host who is known for encouraging women to vote.

Qutbuddin Hilal: Former deputy prime minister with links to controversial mujahideen figure Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

Gul Agha Sherzai: Another former mujahideen member but later governor of two Afghan provinces during Mr Karzai's time.

Hedayat Amin Arsala: A prominent economist and politician who has held several high-ranking government posts.

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