Petraeus' Successor John Allen In Email Probe

Petraeus Affair Scandal: Timeline

Updated: 9:33am UK, Tuesday 13 November 2012

The end of General David Petraeus' career has raised several questions about when the affair began and who knew about it. Here is a timeline of events according to officials involved in the investigation.

:: Spring 2006 Paula Broadwell meets Gen Petraeus at Harvard University, where she is a graduate student. Petraeus is a lieutenant general working on a manual about counterinsurgency and is invited to give a speech about his experiences in Iraq.

:: January 2007 Gen Petraeus is confirmed as the commanding general of US troops in Iraq.

:: 2008 Ms Broadwell begins to study his leadership, and he invites her on a run with him and his team along Washington's Potomac River.

:: October 2008 Petraeus is named commander of US Central Command, based at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, where Jill Kelley and her husband attend social events alongside the area's military elite.

:: June 2010 Gen Petraeus is confirmed as the new commander of the war in Afghanistan and Ms Broadwell expands her research to become an authorised biography, making multiple trips to the country and getting unprecedented access to Gen Petraeus and his staff.

:: September 2011 He is sworn in as CIA director with his wife, Holly, by his side. Mr Broadwell keeps in contact and is invited to his office for events, including a meeting with Angelina Jolie. In November of that year, the pair begin an extramarital affair, according to retired Army Colonel Steve Boylan.

:: January 2012 Ms Broadwell's biography is released and she tells her local paper, the Bismark Tribune, that he is an inspirational figure.

:: May 2012 Ms Kelley, a socialite, starts to receive harassing emails and an FBI probe begins. They later determine the email trail leads to Ms Broadwell. Emails between Gen Petraeus and Ms Broadwell suggest an affair.

:: July 2012 The affair ends, according to Col Boylan, a friend of Gen Petraeus. The FBI has concluded there was no security breach, but continues to look at whether Gen Petraeus had any involvement in emails sent to Ms Kelley.

:: October 2012 By the end of the month, Ms Broadwell and Gen Petraeus have acknowledged the affair following questioning by the FBI. He is urged to resign by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

:: November 8 Gen Petraeus asks Barack Obama if he can resign, on the day the president returns from election celebrations in Chicago. Mr Obama accepts the resignation a day later.

:: November 9 Ms Broadwell's husband emails guests to cancel her 40th birthday party, scheduled for that weekend.

:: November 10 Ms Broadwell's biography of Gen Petraeus jumps to 111th place on Amazon, up from 76,792nd the day before as her identity becomes known.

:: November 12 Members of Congress demand to know more details about the sequence of events and FBI agents begin searching the North Carolina home of Ms Broadwell.

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Royal Tour: NZ Man 'Planned Manure Attack'

A man has appeared in court in New Zealand accused of planning to throw a bucket of horse manure over the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.

Castislav Bacanov, 76, pleaded not guilty at Auckland District Court to a charge of preparing to commit a crime in a public place.

He was arrested on Monday, about 50 minutes before Charles and Camilla arrived at the quayside in Auckland to meet hundreds of well-wishers during a walkabout.

The 76-year-old was remanded on bail on condition he keep at least 500 metres away from the royal couple, who are touring New Zealand as part of the Queen's diamond jubilee events.

He is due to return to court on November 27.

Castislav Bracanov listens during court proceedings

Charles and Camilla are on a seven-day visit to the Commonwealth country, the last leg of their Pacific tour which has already taken them to Australia and Papua New Guinea.

The royal couple took a break from official duties on Tuesday and are believed to have gone walking - they are known to be keen walkers.  

The Prince will celebrate his 64th birthday on Wednesday in the New Zealand capital Wellington with some of the country's most prominent figures.

The heir to the throne shares his birthday with the country's Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae, and Bronagh Key, wife of the Prime Minister John Key, and the trio will be joined by 64 specially chosen New Zealanders also born on November 14.

During the day, the Prince will be given a behind the scenes look at the new blockbuster movie from Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, visiting a workshop that created special effects for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

The heir to the throne will meet Mr Jackson and be shown make-up props worn by actors including The Office star Martin Freeman, who plays Bilbo Baggins - the lead role in The Hobbit.

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China Braced For New Glamorous First Lady

China is preparing for its new president, and one of the most glamorous First Ladies world politics has ever seen.

Peng Liyuan is one of the best known singers in China.  Now she is about to take on an entirely new role as the wife of President Xi Jinping.

The 18th Communist Party Congress will close with the confirmation of Xi Jinping as China's leader for the next ten years. 

And that means a change of career for Peng Liyuan.

The entertainer is already a household name. For 25 years she has sung and acted for the Chinese people. 

She is even a Major General in the People's Liberation Army.

In 2011 she took a starring role in the celebrations to mark the 90th anniversary of the Communist Party - performing in front of China's powerful ruling elite including her husband Mr Xi.

Xi Jinping will be confirmed as China's leader for the next ten years

But as the second wife of Xi Jinping her career will have to take a back seat - or worse.

It is extremely difficult to buy CDs or DVDs of her recordings anywhere in Beijing.

It appears they have disappeared from the shelves as it became clear that Mr Xi was destined for the top job.

The Communist Party does not like personality politics and Peng Liyuan's status seems to be shifting from colourful performer to Mother of the Nation.

But on the streets of Beijing people queuing to buy freshly made buns told us how proud they are to have such a talented First Lady.

One lady told Sky News: "Of course a singer can be a leader's wife - what's wrong with that? I admire her voice very much. 

"I like her a lot and she's well respected."

Another said: "I'm really looking forward to her becoming China's First Lady. I think she will improve the image of Chinese women around the world."

A man standing in the queue added: "She's just as good as any foreign leader's wife.

"People love her because she has her own career and she sings for the people."

China's out-going President Hu Jintao was usually seen in public without his wife. 

It is not clear whether the Communist Party of grey suits is quite ready to parade a dazzling First Lady to match the likes of Michelle Obama.

Politicians' wives are often referred to as their secret weapon - helping to promote their spouses through their own charm and personality.

People in China clearly see Peng Liyuan as one of their country's greatest asset as they go into a new era of politics hoping to become a powerful and influential nation in every way.

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Syria: Opposition Form Coalition Against Assad

Syria's divided opposition groups have struck a deal to form a new umbrella organisation which they hope will defeat President Bashar al Assad.

After four days of wrangling in Qatar, representatives of groups including rebel fighters, veteran dissidents and ethnic and religious minorities agreed to form the coalition supported by Western and Arab backers.

Muslim cleric Ahmed Moaz al Khatib, 52, a Damascus moderate who left Syria three months ago, was elected president of the coalition, with prominent dissident Riad Seif and female opposition figure Suhair al Atassi chosen as his deputies.

Mr Seif, who championed the US-backed reform proposals on which the agreement was based, said the group had signed a 12-point agreement to establish the coalition.

In a document seen by journalists, the parties have agreed "to work for the fall of the regime and of all its symbols and pillars", and ruled out any dialogue with Mr Assad's government.

They agreed to unify the fighting forces under a supreme military council and to set up a national judicial commission for rebel-held areas.

A provisional government would be formed after the coalition "gains international recognition", and a transitional government after the regime has fallen.

It remains to be seen whether the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces can overcome four decades of rule by President Assad's family.

But for those allies who see the coalition emulating Libya's Transitional National Council, the deal has been welcomed.

The new coalition is aiming to break a stalemate Syria's civil war

"We will strive from now on to have this new body recognised completely by all parties ... as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people," said Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim of Qatar, a supporter of the rebels.

Turkish foreign minister Ahmed Davutoglu said there was "no excuse any more" for foreign governments not to support an opposition whose internal divisions had given many pause.

France, a vocal backer of the rebels and which once ruled Syria, hailed the deal.

"France will work with its partners to secure international recognition of this new entity as the representative of the aspirations of the Syrian people," said foreign minister Laurent Fabius.

The US had also strongly promoted the plan for the Doha meeting to unite the various factions.

Meanwhile, Israel has fired warning shots into Syria after mortar fire from fighting in the civil war-hit nation hit the UN-monitored ceasefire line between Syria and the occupied Golan Heights.

It was the first time Israel has been drawn into the unrest in the neighbouring country, and was the first Israeli fire directed at the Syrian military since the 1973 war.

It came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet that Israel was "ready for any development" and as his defence minister warned a "tougher response" would follow.

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Emirates Superjumbo Turned Back By Engine Fire

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

An Emirates Airlines A380 jet bound for Dubai has been forced to return to Sydney after a fire in one of its engines just minutes after take-off.

The superjumbo had reached 10,000ft and had been flying for just 20 minutes when passengers said they heard a bang and felt the double-decker aircraft "judder".

They then saw flames shooting several metres out of one of the engines.

Passenger John Fothergill of Auckland, New Zealand, said he saw a flash.

"I thought it could have been lightning but then we saw flames come out of the engine. The whole interior of the A380 lit up," he told News Limited.

"You'd have to say there were two or three metre flames. (The) explosion shook the plane, there was a bigger judder."

Passenger Ross Clarke described hearing a loud bang.

"We were told by the pilot that something had gone wrong on the starboard engine, number three engine," he told Channel Seven News.

Emirates flight attendants moved to the windows to observe and asked passengers what they had seen.

Mr Fothergill's wife, Amal Aburawi, said the attendants appeared to panic more than the passengers.

"Everyone was running left and right, no-one knowing what's happened," she said.

In a statement the airline said: "Emirates flight EK413 from Sydney to Dubai on 11 November turned back shortly after take-off due to an engine fault. Passengers are being rebooked on alternative flights."

A mid-air engine blowout in November 2010 on an A380 using Rolls Royce Trent engines prompted Australia's Qantas Airlines to ground its entire fleet of Airbus superjumbos for nearly a month.

But Emirates, the world's biggest user of A380s, uses rival GP7200 engines built by Engine Alliance, a joint venture between engine manufacturers General Electric and Pratt & Whitney.

Emirates apologised for the inconvenience to its passengers, but said the safety was "of the highest priority and will not be compromised". The A380s, worth £235m ($375m) apiece, typically carry around 525 passengers.

The A380 aircraft, manufactured in Toulouse from parts sourced across Europe, have also been affected by cracks in the wings of a small number of planes. There are 18 airlines currently using the aircraft with total orders outstanding for 262.

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Australia Child Sex Abuse Inquiry Launched

Australia's prime minister has announced a royal commission that will look at institutional responses to alleged child sex abuse after a series of scandals involving paedophile priests.

Julia Gillard's comments follow claims by a senior policeman that the Catholic Church in an area of New South Wales destroyed evidence and silenced investigations.

The country's leader had faced increasing pressure to establish a national inquiry after the recent allegations as well as an ongoing inquiry in Victoria state, but said the probe would be broader than just the Catholic Church.

Ms Gillard said: "There have been too many revelations of adults who have averted their eyes from this evil. I believe in these circumstances that it is appropriate for there to be a national response through a royal commission."

"This is not a royal commission targeting any one church," she told reporters.

The terms of reference have yet to be decided, but the commission will cover all religious organisations, as well as those providing state care and other not-for-profit bodies. It will also look at the response of the police.

A senior police investigator last week alleged that the Catholic Church had covered up sexual abuse of children in the Hunter Valley north of Sydney, to protect paedophiles and its own reputation.

Pope offered an apology for child sex abuse by priests in Australia in 2008

New South Wales authorities last week announced an investigation into the allegations after Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox claimed the church hindered police, alerted offenders and destroyed evidence.

But DCI Fox had urged a full-scale national inquiry, saying limiting a probe to one region was ineffective, particularly as priests alleged to have committed offences were often moved to different states.

"I've got no doubt that it's got tentacles everywhere," he said. "State boundaries aren't going to stop these sorts of predators from operating."

Cardinal George Pell, Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, has said he supports the New South Wales inquiry but added the church had worked hard to stamp out abuse.

"Critics talk as though earlier inadequacies are still prevalent," he said, saying it was unjust for anyone to suggest crimes were being - or had been - committed, without producing evidence.

Calls for a national inquiry intensified in September when the Catholic Church in Victoria revealed at least 620 children had been abused by clergy in that state since the 1930s.

The church in Australia, as in other parts of the world, has endured a long-running controversy over its response to past abuses.

When Pope Benedict XVI visited Sydney in 2008 he met victims and offered a historic apology for child sex abuse by predatory priests, saying he was "deeply sorry" and calling for those guilty of the "evil" to be punished.

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Syria: 'Casualties After Two Large Blasts'

Two large explosions have struck the Syrian city of Deraa, causing multiple casualties, according to the state-run news agency.

The blasts were reportedly followed by clashes between regime forces and rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad.

Activists said dozens of members of the Syrian security forces were killed when two cars loaded with explosives drove into a military camp.

In what could have been a double suicide attack, the first car was driven into the camp and exploded, followed by the second vehicle, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Deraa was the birthplace of the Syrian uprising against Mr Assad

The blast from the second vehicle caused the casualties, it added.

Deraa, in the south of the country, was the birthplace of the Syrian uprising against Mr Assad, which erupted in March 2011.

The conflict began largely with peaceful protests against his rule but turned bloody after rebels took up arms in response to the regime's crackdown.

Activists say more than 36,000 people have died in Syria during the 19-month-long uprising.

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China To Step Up Space Ambitions In 2013

China is stepping up its ambitious space exploration programme with another manned space mission early next summer, according to its official news agency Xinhua.

The Shenzhou-10, with three crew members, is aiming for a primary launch window in June according to Niu Hongguang, deputy commander-in-chief of the manned space programme.

Mr Niu, speaking on the sidelines of China's 18th Communist Party Congress in Beijing, said officials had identified a back-up launch window for July or August.

He also revealed that one of the three astronauts would probably be a woman.

Shenzhou-9 astronauts, from left, Liu Wang, Jing Haipeng and Liu Yang

China sent its first female astronaut, Liu Yang, into space earlier this year on the Shenzhou-9 in the country's first manual space docking mission.

The docking procedure was a major milestone in the country's ambitious space programme that has a goal of building a space station by 2020.

China has said it is working towards landing a man on the moon, but has not specified a time-frame.

The last time a man landed on the moon was during the United States' 1972 Apollo 17 mission.

Beijing has said it will also attempt to land an exploratory craft on the moon for the first time in the second half of next year and transmit back a survey of the lunar surface.

China sees its space programme as a symbol of its rising global stature, growing technical expertise, and the Communist Party's success in turning around the fortunes of the once poverty-stricken nation.

The country sent its first man into space in 2003. It completed a space walk in 2008 and an unmanned docking between a module and rocket last year.

The US is not expected to test a new rocket to take people into space until 2017, and Russia has said manned missions are no longer a priority.

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'Harassing Emails Exposed' CIA Boss' Affair

The FBI investigation that led to the discovery of CIA boss David Petraeus' affair and resignation was reportedly triggered by "harassing" emails allegedly sent by 'lover' Paula Broadwell to another woman.

The receiver of the emails went to the FBI for protection and to help track down the sender, said the Washington Post.

A US official told the Associated Press the FBI's investigation began several months ago with a complaint against Ms Broadwell, who is Gen Petraeus' biographer.

That inquiry reportedly led agents to her email account, which uncovered the alleged relationship with the 60-year-old retired four-star general, who earned acclaim for his leadership of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Amid concerns the emails he exchanged with Ms Broadwell, 40, raised the possibility of a security breach, the FBI brought the matter up with Gen Petraeus directly, according to the official.

The FBI was also alerted that Ms Broadwell may have had access to his personal email account, said Fox News.

The agency then apparently determined she allegedly had emailed a number of government workers.

Paula Broadwell reportedly had an affair with General Petraeus (Pic: News)

It was at one point trying to establish whether any of the employees were being stalked, sources told Fox.

The person who complained about Ms Broadwell's purported harassing messages was not a family member nor a government official, the network added.

Gen Petraeus announced on Friday he was quitting, abruptly ending a high-profile career that might have culminated in a bid for the presidency.

He has been married for 38 years to Holly, who he met when he was a cadet at the US Military Academy at West Point.

She was the daughter of the academy superintendent. They have two children, and their son led an infantry platoon in Afghanistan.

Ms Broadwell, who is married with two young sons, has not commented on the claims.

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CIA Director Petraeus Quits Over Affair

CIA Director David Petraeus has resigned over an extramarital affair - which officials say was uncovered by an FBI investigation.

According to his letter of resignation, General Petraeus asked President Barack Obama on Thursday to allow him to resign, and on Friday the president accepted.

The general admitted he had shown "extremely poor judgement" in having an affair.

"Such behaviour is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organisation such as ours," he wrote.

He had only been sworn in as director of the Central Intelligence Agency on September 6, last year.

Prior to that, he was a four-star general with 37 years' service in the US Army.

His last assignments in the army were as commander of Isaf, the International Security Assistance Force, and commander of US forces in Afghanistan and in Iraq.

The resignation took Washington's intelligence and political communities by surprise, coming as a sudden end to the public career of the best-known general in recent years.

Neither Gen Petraeus nor the CIA explained why he felt he had to step down over the affair, and whether his liaison presented a purely personal problem or raised security issues in his sensitive work as spy chief.

The affair came to light as the FBI was investigating whether a computer used by the general had been compromised, the New York Times and other US media reported, citing government officials.

General Petraeus with his wife Holly

In a statement released after the resignation was announced, Mr Obama hailed the "extraordinary service" of Gen Petraeus.

"David Petraeus has provided extraordinary service to the United States for decades," Mr Obama said.

"By any measure, he was one of the outstanding general officers of his generation."

The president said the CIA's Deputy Director Michael Morell would serve as acting director.

"I am completely confident that the CIA will continue to thrive and carry out its essential mission," Mr Obama said.

Gen Petraeus has been married for 37 years to Holly, who he met when he was a cadet at the US Military Academy at West Point.

Although the president made no direct mention of Gen Petraeus' reason for resigning, he offered his thoughts and prayers to the general and his wife.

He said Mrs Petraeus has "done so much to help military families through her own work. I wish them the very best at this difficult time".

The CIA has come under fire in recent weeks in the wake of the September 11 attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed US ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

Critics have questioned how much the intelligence agency knew about the likelihood and nature of the attack.

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