AFGHAN VOTES 'NEED 10% RECOUNT' !

Ballots from 10% of polling stations in Afghanistan's presidential vote need to be recounted because of indications of fraud, a top election official says.
About 2,500 polling stations across the country were affected, Grant Kippen of the UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) said.
His comments come amid reports of serious tensions within the UN mission over the issue of electoral fraud.
A substantive vote recount could force incumbent Hamid Karzai into a run-off.
With 95% of the vote counted, Mr Karzai had a 54% share, electoral officials said on Saturday.
But if fraud investigations cause this figure to drop below 50%, he and closest challenger Abdullah Abdullah, who has 28% of the vote, may have to go to a second-round vote.
UN 'divisions'
Afghanistan's second direct presidential election on 20 August was marred by widespread claims of vote-rigging and intimidation.
The ECC last week ordered Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission to identify stations reporting 100% turn-out or where one candidate received more than 95% of the vote in order for recounts to be carried out.

AFGHAN POLL FRAUD

15 Sep: ECC chief says 10% of votes need to be recounted
8 Sep: Poll complaints body orders some recounts nationwide
8 Sep: IEC says votes from 600 polling stations "quarantined"
3 Sep: Claims 30,000 fraudulent votes cast for Karzai in Kandahar
30 Aug: 2,000 fraud allegations are probed; 600 deemed serious
20 Aug: Election day and claims 80,000 ballots were filled out fraudulently for Karzai in Ghazni
18 Aug: Ballot cards sold openly and voter bribes offered

Election: Main fraud allegations

"About 2,500 plus polling stations are affected by the order and all provinces are affected," ECC Chairman Grant Kippen told AFP news agency.
Last week the ECC invalidated ballots from several polling stations in the three provinces of Paktika, Kandahar and Ghazni.
Mr Kippen's announcement comes amid reports of deep divisions among UN diplomats in Kabul over how to proceed in the wake of the election.
The Times reports that the head of the UN mission, Kai Eide, ordered US representative Peter Galbraith out of Afghanistan after the two reportedly disagreed over the extent to which vote recounts were necessary.
A wholesale recount as advocated by Mr Galbraith would be likely to ensure a second round run-off was held, the newspaper reported.
But Mr Eide feared such a run-off could be delayed until May, potentially leaving Afghanistan in political limbo, The Times said.

BBC NEWS REPORT.