Afghan parliament has rejected 10 of 17 new cabinet nominees

The Afghan parliament has rejected 10 of 17 new cabinet nominees suggested by President Hamid Karzai.

The vote comes two weeks after MPs turned down most of Mr Karzai's first choices, dealing him a serious blow.

Two key posts were approved - Mr Karzai's former security adviser Zalmay Rasul as foreign minister and Habibullah Ghalib as justice minister.

However, MPs backed only one of the three women nominees, Amina Afzali, as work and social affairs minister.

The two women put forward for the posts of public health and women's affairs were rejected.

The BBC's Mark Dummett, in Kabul, says Mr Karzai had hoped to have his new cabinet in place before a crucial donor conference in London on 28 January, but that now appears impossible.

However despite the setback, the president now has 14 of 24 ministers confirmed including the most powerful ones in charge of foreign, defence and interior ministries, our correspondent adds.

It is not yet clear when the president will propose names to fill the vacant positions and when Parliament will vote for these candidates.