US George W. Bush took an early lead in the US presidential election, but as the polls closed in in several states where he had been favored the vote was too close to call, a worrying sign in a tight race. US Americans turned out in droves to name their next president, choosing between incumbent George W. Bush and challanger John Kerry, both of whom made last-gasp bids for votes after a bitter marathon that left the race in a dead heat. US Long queues formed outside polling stations across the country amid predictions of a huge turnout in an extremely tight race between Republican President George W. Bush and Democrat John Kerry. Iraq The kidnappers of aid worker Margaret Hassan threatened to hand her over to the group led by Iraqi militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in a new video which also reportedly showed the British-Irish woman in a distressed state. Mideast Israel beefed up security in Tel Aviv after a suicide bombing in its commercial capital punctured hopes that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's absence could slow the cycle of violence. Afghanistan Islamic militants holding three foreign UN election workers in Afghanistan were locked in negotiations with groups trying to secure their release, as Muslim leaders condemned the kidnapping. Netherlands Dutch police said they have arrested about 20 people for handing out tracts inciting hatred of Muslims, following the slaying of controversial Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh. Germany-Britain Britain's Queen Elizabeth II began her first state visit to Germany in 12 years with a speech in which she recognised "the appalling suffering of war on both sides".