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EGYPT'S STATE TV SAYS VICE PRESIDENT MAHMOUD MEKKI HAS RESIGNED

by Nasra Ismail and Biodun Iginla, BBC News

— Dec. 22 10:52 AM EST

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  A masked protester watches a vehicle burn during clashes between opponents of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and his Islamist supporters in Alexandria, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Thousands of Islamists clashed with their opponents on Friday in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria as the two sides hurled stones and youth protesters sat fire on vehicles belonging to Islamists, a day before the second leg of voting on a proposed constitution that has deeply polarized the nation.(AP Photo)

  A masked protester poses with a tear gas canister in front of a burning vehicle during clashes between opponents of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and his Islamist supporters in Alexandria, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Thousands of Islamists clashed with their opponents on Friday in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria as the two sides hurled stones and youth protesters sat fire on vehicles belonging to Islamists, a day before the second leg of voting on a proposed constitution that has deeply polarized the nation.(AP Photo)

  A cordon of riot police separates opponents of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and Islamist supporters of the president in Alexandria, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Thousands of Islamists clashed with their opponents Friday in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, on the eve of the second leg of voting on the country's contentious constitution that has deeply polarized the nation.(AP Photo/Ahmed Ramadan)

  Opponents of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi clash with Islamist supporters of the president, unseen, as a cordon of riot police separates the groups in Alexandria, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Thousands of Islamists clashed with their opponents Friday in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, on the eve of the second leg of voting on the country's contentious constitution that has deeply polarized the nation.(AP Photo/Ahmed Ramadan)

  A cordon of riot police separates supporters and opponents of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi as they clash in Alexandria, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Thousands of Islamists clashed with their opponents Friday in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, on the eve of the second leg of voting on the country's contentious constitution that has deeply polarized the nation.(AP Photo)

  Opponents of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi clash with Islamist supporters of the president, unseen, as a cordon of riot police separates the groups in Alexandria, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Thousands of Islamists clashed with their opponents Friday in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, on the eve of the second leg of voting on the country's contentious constitution that has deeply polarized the nation.(AP Photo/Ahmed Ramadan)

  Opponents of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi clash with Islamist supporters of the president, unseen in Alexandria, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Thousands of Islamists clashed with their opponents Friday in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, on the eve of the second leg of voting on the country's contentious constitution that has deeply polarized the nation.(AP Photo)

  Riot police detain a man as opponents of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi clash with Islamist supporters of the president in Alexandria, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Thousands of Islamists clashed with their opponents Friday in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, on the eve of the second leg of voting on the country's contentious constitution that has deeply polarized the nation.(AP Photo/Ahmed Ramadan)

  Opponents of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi clash with Islamist supporters of the president in Alexandria, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Thousands of Islamists clashed with their opponents Friday in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, on the eve of the second leg of voting on the country's contentious constitution that has deeply polarized the nation.(AP Photo/Ahmed Ramadan)

  Opponents of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi clash with Islamist supporters of the president as riot police tries to separate the groups in Alexandria, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Thousands of Islamists clashed with their opponents Friday in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, on the eve of the second leg of voting on the country's contentious constitution that has deeply polarized the nation.(AP Photo/Ahmed Ramadan)

  Opponents of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi clash with Islamist supporters of the president, unseen, as a cordon of riot police separates the groups in Alexandria, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Thousands of Islamists clashed with their opponents Friday in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, on the eve of the second leg of voting on the country's contentious constitution that has deeply polarized the nation.(AP Photo/Ahmed Ramadan)

  A woman reacts as she stands before riot policemen separating opponents of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi clashing with Islamist supporters of the president in Alexandria, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Thousands of Islamists clashed with their opponents Friday in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, on the eve of the second leg of voting on the country's contentious constitution that has deeply polarized the nation.(AP Photo)

  Opponents of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi clash with Islamist supporters of the president, unseen, as a cordon of riot police separates the groups in Alexandria, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Thousands of Islamists clashed with their opponents Friday in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, on the eve of the second leg of voting on the country's contentious constitution that has deeply polarized the nation.(AP Photo)

  a cordon of riot police separates ppponents of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and Islamist supporters of the president in Alexandria, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Thousands of Islamists clashed with their opponents Friday in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, on the eve of the second leg of voting on the country's contentious constitution that has deeply polarized the nation.(AP Photo/Ahmed Ramadan)

  Opponents of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi clash with Islamist supporters of the president, unseen, as a cordon of riot police separates the groups in Alexandria, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Thousands of Islamists clashed with their opponents Friday in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, on the eve of the second leg of voting on the country's contentious constitution that has deeply polarized the nation.(AP Photo)

  Egyptian woman casts a ballot at a polling station in the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

  Egyptian military officers hang the list of voters names next to stickers with Arabic writing that reads " No for the 2012 constitution" on a wall of a polling station during the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi in Fayoum, about 100 kilometers ( 62 miles ) south of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

  Egyptians line up outside a polling station as they wait their turn to cast their votes in the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi in Fayoum, about 100 kilometers ( 62 miles ) south of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

  Egyptian women line up outside a polling station next to stickers on a wall with Arabic writing that reads " No for the 2012 constitution" as they wait their turn to cast their votes in the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi in Fayoum, about 100 kilometers ( 62 miles ) south of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

  An Egyptian woman ink stains her finger after voting at a polling station during the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi, in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

  Egyptians walk outside a polling station of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi near the Giza Pyramids, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

  An Egyptian woman votes in the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

  Egyptian women wearing "Niqab" line up outside a polling station to vote in the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

  A veiled Egyptian woman casts her vote at a polling station during the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi, in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

  An Egyptian woman votes at a polling station in the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of president Mohammed Morsi, in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

  Egyptian women vote at a polling station in the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi, in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

  Egyptian women line up outside a polling station to cast their votes in the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

  A veiled Egyptian woman casts her vote at a polling station in the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of president Mohammed Morsi, in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

  An Egyptian elderly man shows his inked finger after casting his vote on the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi in Fayoum, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Cairo , Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

  Egyptian women voters queue outside a polling station during the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of president Mohammed Morsi, in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

  Egyptian voters check voter lists outside a polling station during the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of president Mohammed Morsi, in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

  Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie, second right, waits in line outside a polling place in Beni Suef, Egypt, to vote on a constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of Presudent Mohammed Morsi, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Ahmed Ramadan)

  Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie, second right, waits in line outside a polling place in Beni Suef, Egypt, to vote on a constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Mohamed Nohan, El Shorouk Newspaper)EGYPT OUT

  An Egyptian army soldier guards the site of a polling station as a women casts her vote during the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of president Mohammed Morsi, in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. Egyptians voted on Saturday in the final phase of a referendum on a proposed new constitution that has polarized the nation, with little indication that the result of the vote will end the political crisis in which the country is mired. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

  An Egyptian man smokes a water pipe outside a polling station as he waits to cast his vote during the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi in Fayoum, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

  Egyptians line up outside a polling station wait their turn to cast their votes during the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi in Fayoum, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

  Egyptians sit outside a polling station wait to cast their votes during the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi in Fayoum, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

  An Egyptian man casts his vote during the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi in Fayoum, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

  An Egyptian man waits outside a polling station for his turn to cast his vote during the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi in Fayoum, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

  Egyptians cast their votes during the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi in Fayoum, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Cairo , Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

  Egyptian women line up to vote under posters showing Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi and Arabic reading, "our strength in our unity," in the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of Morsi in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

  Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie, second right, waits in line outside a polling place in Beni Suef, Egypt, to vote on a constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Ahmed Ramadan)

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CAIRO — Egypt's state TV says Vice President Mahmoud Mekki has resigned.

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Deadly car bomb strikes Pakistan market

LATEST UPDATE: 17/12/2012 

- PAKISTAN - TALIBAN - TERRORISM

© AFP

A car bomb killed 17 people including women and children and wounded dozens more when it exploded near a bus queue at a market in northwest Pakistan on Monday, officials said.

by Sunita Kureishi and Biodun Iginla, BBC News

  A car bomb exploded in a crowded market in Pakistan’s troubled northwest tribal region Monday, killing 17 people and wounding more than 40 others, officials said.

The bomb went off next to the women’s waiting area of a bus stop, which is located near the office of one of the top political officials in the Khyber tribal area, said Hidayat Khan, a local government official. But it’s unclear if the office was the target.

The 17 dead included five boys and two women, said Abdul Qudoos, a doctor at a local hospital in Jamrud town, where the attack occurred. At least 44 people were wounded, he said.

Local TV footage showed several cars and shops in the market that were badly damaged.

Residents threw buckets of water on burning vehicles as rescue workers transported the wounded to the hospital.

The market was located close to the office of the assistant political agent for Khyber, said Khan, who works in the office. Initial reports wrongly indicated the women’s waiting area was for the political office, not the bus stop.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Khyber is home to various Islamist militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban, which have waged a bloody insurgency against the government for the past few years.

The army has carried out offensives against the Taliban in most parts of the tribal region, including Khyber, but militants continue to carry out regular attacks in the country.

Ten Taliban militants attacked the military side of an international airport in Peshawar on Saturday night with rockets and car bombs, killing four people and wounding over 40 others. Five of the militants were killed during the attack, and five others died the next day in a gunbattle with security forces.

Also Monday, gunmen killed a provincial government spokesman in the southwest Pakistan in an apparent sectarian attack, and then shot to death two nearby policemen, police said.

The attackers shot dead Khadim Hussain Noori in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, said local police official Hamid Shakeel. Noori was the provincial spokesman and also a Shiite Muslim.

As the gunmen were speeding away on a motorcycle, they killed two policemen and wounded a third, said Shakeel.

Baluchistan has experienced a spike in sectarian killings in the past year as radical Sunni Muslims have targeted Shiites, who they consider heretics.

The province is also the scene of a decades-long insurgency by Baluch nationalists who demand greater autonomy and a larger share of the province’s natural resources.

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Don't jump to conclusions over general, Pentagon chief says

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by Louise Healy, BBC News, for the BBC's Biodun Iginla

PERTH, Australia | Wed Nov 14, 2012 4:06am EST

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned on Wednesday against jumping to conclusions over the actions of the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, a day after placing him under investigation in a widening scandal that already cost CIA Director David Petraeus his job.

Marine General John Allen, who denies any wrongdoing, is being investigated for potentially inappropriate communications with a woman at the center of the Petraeus case, Jill Kelley, a Florida socialite.

Panetta defended his decision to refer the case to the Pentagon's inspector general and for suspending Allen's nomination to another top position in the U.S. military, saying it was a prudent step "until we determine what the facts are."

"And we will," Panetta told reporters at high-level talks in Australia, also attended by the top U.S. military officer, General Martin Dempsey, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

At the same time, he praised Allen's work commanding the Afghan war effort, a position he retains despite the probe.

"No one should leap to any conclusions here. General Allen is doing an excellent job at ISAF, in leading those forces," Panetta said, referring to the NATO-led force.

"He certainly has my continued confidence to lead our forces and continue the fight."

Clinton acknowledged that allies had raised questions about the Allen case but said there was "no concern whatsoever being expressed to us" about the mission in Afghanistan.

Defense officials and people close to Petraeus say neither he nor Allen had a romantic relationship with Kelley, a 37-year-old wife and mother, who is described as a prominent presence in military circles in Tampa.

She may have been seen as a rival by Petraeus' biographer, Paula Broadwell, who sent Kelley a series of anonymous, harassing emails which touched off an investigation that uncovered evidence of an affair between Petraeus and Broadwell.

According to law enforcement sources, FBI investigators decided to pursue the matter when they found the messages contained information about the CIA chief's activities that was not publicly available.

Kelley had gotten to know both Petraeus and Allen as a volunteer setting up social events at MacDill Air Force Base outside Tampa, headquarters of U.S. Central Command.

The relationship was evidently close enough that both men intervened in a child custody battle involving Kelley's twin sister, Natalie Khawam.

"She is a dedicated mother, whose only focus is to provide the necessary support, love, and care for her son," Allen wrote about Khawam in a September 22 letter to a Washington, D.C., court.

Allen and Kelley communicated often enough over the past two years to produce between 20,000 and 30,000 pages of email and other messages, which were turned over to Defense Department investigators on Sunday.

The actual volume of communications is likely much smaller, an official said, as the printouts include messages involving other people and email threads including prior communications.

A senior defense official told Reuters the messages were seen as inappropriate because they were "flirtatious" in nature, not because they dealt with sensitive information.

But "flirtatious" may be an understatement. Another U.S. official said the Pentagon only decided to refer it for investigation after an initial look found the communications to be of "a sufficient character" to warrant further review.

Allen has denied that the two had a sexual relationship, officials said on condition of anonymity. Adultery can lead to a dishonorable discharge under U.S. military law.

WHITE HOUSE BACKS ALLEN

The scandal complicates President Barack Obama's efforts to reorganize his national security team following his re-election. The White House said it still had faith in Allen, but acknowledged its plans to transfer him to Europe, where he would head U.S. and allied forces, have been suspended.

Obama also has to find a replacement for Petraeus at the CIA at a time when the president is vetting candidates to head the State and Defense departments.

The scandal could throw a wrench into Obama's relations with Congress at a time when he is engaging in high-stakes budget negotiations to avoid the combination of tax increases and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff."

"I certainly wouldn't call it welcome," White House spokesman Jay Carney said of the scandal.

Both Allen and the official due to replace him in Afghanistan, Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate before they can take up their new posts.

Lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee said they would go ahead with a confirmation hearing for Dunford on Thursday. Allen's appearance was canceled.

Allen had just submitted recommendations on what role the United States should play in Afghanistan after most American combat troops withdraw by the end of 2014.

FBI agents searched Broadwell's Charlotte, North Carolina, home late on Monday in a sign that the case involving Petraeus was not fully closed.

Agents entered the house carrying boxes at around 9 p.m. (0200 GMT Tuesday) and emerged four hours later, carrying away what appeared to be two computers and about 10 boxes.

Broadwell's family was not at home at the time.

U.S. officials have said recently that their investigation was largely complete and that prosecutors had determined it was unlikely they would bring charges in that case, which started when Kelley contacted an FBI agent in Tampa.

That FBI agent, who has not been identified, came under scrutiny himself after it was discovered he had sent shirtless photographs of himself to Kelley "long before" this investigation, a law enforcement official told Reuters.

The agent, who alerted an FBI cyber squad to the Broadwell case, apparently became frustrated at the pace of the investigation and complained to a member of Congress about it, the official said.

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