CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: CNN STUDENT NEWS starts now. Hi, I`m Carl Azuz for CNN STUDENT NEWS. We are happy to see you. It`s Monday, April 7 and we are going all over the world today starting in Afghanistan. There was a big election there on Saturday. One that would determine the country`s next president. Afghanistan`s been led by President Hamid Karzai since 2001. That`s when the U.S.-led coalition kicked out Afghanistan`s former rulers, the Taliban who were protecting terrorists. The Taliban threatened voters in the run up to this election with violence. At least 20 people were killed by insurgent attacks across the country, but that combined with bad weather couldn`t keep people from the voting booths. There were a couple frontrunners for the title of president. Preliminary results will be announced at the end of the month, but some say that no matter who wins, the people will.

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Standing in the rain, some waiting for hours, the people of Afghanistan lined up, each holding their voting card, their ticket to democracy.

Um: We vote for him to win the future, we want to build the future for this man.

COREN: It was hope for the President Karzai would provide that future during his 12 years in office. But it`s now his successor who this Afghans are banking on.

(on camera): How does it feel to be here tonight?

SHUKRIA BARAKZAI, AFGHANISTAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Fantastic. Proud. Happy. Successful. I feel really good because I believe today is my day. Today is the day, which is people of Afghanistan can go and vote it freely.

COREN (voice over): Following weeks of high profile attacks and Taliban threats to disrupt this elections, the capital was unlocked down. Every man, woman and child searched before entering the polling station. Inside voters queued again, this time to deep their forefinger into the ink, before being given the ballot papers.

UM: Today I came here to select my next president and I hope to be a good person and to help the people and to survive the people and to bring change in Afghanistan.

COREN: Voter turned out exceeded expectations. Well and 50 percent of eligible voters cast their ballot. Remarkably, one third of them were women.

Several polling stations ran out of ballots and voting hours were extended by an hour, due to heavy turnouts.

The resilience of these people is truly inspiring. Despite all the attacks and threats of violence, Afghans have turned out in encouraging numbers to cast their vote in polling stations around the country. They strongly believe that after so many years of war, they too deserve a peaceful and brighter future.

AZUZ: Democratic elections are also taking place in what`s known as the world`s largest democracy. India is officially a federal republic. Its population is 1.2 billion people, the second highest population in the world. And because more than 814 million of them are eligible to vote, the election that starting in India today is being called the biggest election the world`s ever seen.

Opinion polls show that the political party that`s led India for the last ten years could be in trouble. The economy has slowed down, there`ve been some high profile scandals involving corruptions. And about 30 percent of the population leaves in poverty, so change is in the air. But with so many people voting this election happens in phases. The last one of those ends on May 12, and the results should be in by May 16.

The plane hasn`t been found, but the mystery about what happened to Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 has gotten deeper. A Malaysian government official says after the plane`s transponders stopped sending tracking information, the jet flew a wayward path around Indonesian airspace. Was it taken this way intentionally to avoid radar? As investigators consider that, two search ships might have picked up a signal over the weekend. They were in two different search areas in the Indian Ocean. What they heard might have been the ping that flight data recorders sent off after a plane goes down.

The ships can`t confirm, this is what they picked up and the batteries powering the signal only last a month or so. The flight disappeared on March 8. More ships are headed to this area`s west of Australia to listen in. The search has been massive, the cost of doing it massive.