Morsi criticises army ultimatum

2 July 2013 Last updated at 05:30 ET

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Noisy celebrations erupted in Cairo as the army delivered its ultimatum

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi says he was not consulted by the army before it set a 48-hour ultimatum to resolve the country's deadly crisis.

Mr Morsi said a part of the statement "may cause confusion in the complex national scene". He vowed to stick to his "national reconciliation" plan.

The army has warned it will intervene if the government and its opponents fail to heed "the will of the people".

However, it denies that the ultimatum amounts to a coup.

Meanwhile, Egypt's state news agency Mena reported early on Tuesday that Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr had submitted his resignation.

If accepted, he would join at least five other ministers who have already reportedly resigned over the political crisis.

On Sunday, millions rallied nationwide, urging the president to step down.

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Analysis

The statement by the minister of defence and army chief, Gen al-Sisi, was worded carefully.

It did not say the president must go. The army, with troops in strategic positions across Cairo, is saying the government and opposition have 48 hours to agree a way forward or it will intervene with its own plan.

The Egyptian military has been both hero and villain for the people involved in the ousting of President Mubarak in 2011.

Heroes, first of all, when they put themselves between protesters and the Mubarak regime's enforcers. But later they were widely criticised for holding onto power for too long.

The reality is they have never given up their critical role behind the scenes, which includes huge economic power.

No matter which way Egypt goes - and there could be some very rough days ahead - the army will never want its own power diluted.

Large protests continued on Monday with activists storming and ransacking Cairo's Muslim Brotherhood headquarters - the group from which the president hails.

President Morsi's opponents accuse him of putting the Brotherhood's interests ahead of the country's as a whole.

He became Egypt's first Islamist president on 30 June 2012, after winning an election considered free and fair following the 2011 revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak.

US President Barack Obama - currently on a tour of Africa - called Mr Morsi to encourage him to respond to the protesters' concerns.

Mr Obama "underscored that the current crisis can only be resolved through a political process," the White House said in a statement".

Coup in the making?

In an announcement read out on Egyptian TV, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, defence minister and head of the armed forces, described the protests as an "unprecedented" expression of the popular will.

If the people's demands were not met, he said, the military would have to take responsibility for a plan for the future.

But while he said the army would not get involved in politics or government, his words were seen by many as a coup in the making.

Noisy celebrations erupted in Cairo as protesters interpreted the army's ultimatum as spelling the end of Mr Morsi's rule.

Tens of thousands of flag-waving supporters of Tamarod (Rebel) - the opposition movement behind the protests - partied in Cairo's Tahrir Square late into the night.

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Tamarod (Rebel)

The Tamarod movement says more than 22 million people have signed a petition complaining that:

• Security has not been restored since the 2011 revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak
• The poor "have no place" in society
• The government has had to "beg" the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $4.8bn loan to help shore up the public finances
• There has been "no justice" for people killed by security forces during the uprising and at anti-government protests since then
• "No dignity is left" for Egyptians or their country
• The economy has "collapsed", with growth poor and inflation high
• Egypt is "following in the footsteps" of the US

Meanwhile senior Brotherhood figure Muhammad al-Biltaji urged pro-Morsi supporters to "call their families in all Egyptian governorates and villages to be prepared to take to the streets and fill squares" to support their president.

"Any coup of any sort will only pass over our dead bodies," he said to a roar from thousands gathered outside the Rab'ah al-Adawiyah mosque in Cairo's Nasr district.

There were reports of gun clashes between rival factions in the city of Suez, east of the capital, on Monday night.

The army later issued a second statement on its Facebook page emphasising that it "does not aspire to rule and will not overstep its prescribed role".

According to Tuesday's presidential statement, President Morsi was not consulted ahead of the ultimatum announcement. It said that such action "may cause confusion in the complex national scene".

"The presidency asserts that the presidency is going on in its pre-planned path to hold a comprehensive national reconciliation," the presidency statement said.

Given the inability of politicians from all sides to agree until now, the 48-hour ultimatum makes it unlikely Mr Morsi can survive in power, says the BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Cairo.

The opposition movement had given Mr Morsi until Tuesday afternoon to step down and call fresh presidential elections, or else face a campaign of civil disobedience.

On Saturday, the group said it had collected more than 22 million signatures - more than a quarter of Egypt's population - in support.

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Amr Moussa: "We are really hoping to save Egypt from real collapse to ruins"

And on Monday the ministers of tourism, environment, communication, water utilities and legal affairs reportedly resigned in an act of "solidarity with the people's demand to overthrow the regime".

But Mr Morsi was defiant in an interview published on Sunday, rejecting calls for early presidential elections.

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Obama honours 1998 Tanzania dead

2 July 2013 Last updated at 05:43 ET

US President Barack Obama has laid a wreath for the victims of the 1998 US embassy bombing in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam.

Eleven Americans were killed in the al-Qaeda attack, which coincided with a bombing in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, which left hundreds dead.

The president was joined for the ceremony by predecessor George W Bush.

President Obama is on the last leg of his second Africa tour as president, which took in Senegal and South Africa.

In Tanzania, Mr Obama also visited a US-owned power plant, following his announcement over the weekend of a multi-billion-dollar electricity initiative.

The $7bn (£4.6bn) five-year initiative is intended to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa, in partnership with African countries and the private sector.

"We're starting with countries that are making progress already with reforms in the energy sector - Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Mozambique and Liberia," he told a business leaders forum in Dar es Salaam.

"And with a focus on cleaner energy, we will initially add 10,000 megawatts of new electricity generation, which expands electricity to 20 million homes and businesses."

At the same forum on Monday evening, Mr Obama launched a programme helping Africa's eastern nations of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda trade both with each other and with the US.

"We'll work with the countries involved to modernise customs, move to single more efficient border crossings, reduce bottlenecks, reduce the roadblocks that stymie the flow of goods to market," he said.

Mr Bush was in Dar es Salaam for a conference on African women sponsored by the George W Bush Institute.

As he and Mr Obama attended the ceremony at the US embassy memorial, their wives took part in the African First Ladies Summit.

President Obama and his family have now left for the US.

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Snowden 'broadens asylum requests'

2 July 2013 Last updated at 05:56 ET

Fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has sent asylum requests to 21 countries, according to a statement published by Wikileaks.

They include China, France, Ireland and Venezuela. But eight European countries said the requests were invalid.

And Russia said Mr Snowden later withdrew the application to Moscow as the Kremlin had set conditions.

He accuses US President Barack Obama of putting pressure on the countries to which he has applied.

The former intelligence systems analyst, who is holed up at Moscow airport, is wanted by the US on charges of leaking secrets.

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Analysis

Vladimir Putin's warning to Mr Snowden that he should stop "harming our American partners" is indicative of a significant shifting of gear. Russia now has ownership of the Snowden affair. What happens to Mr Snowden will depend upon Russia's calculations and what serves Russia's interests.

The authorities in Moscow could have moved Mr Snowden on quickly, joining the diplomatic game of pass-the-parcel that began in Hong Kong. But the longer the errant US intelligence analyst stays in limbo at the Moscow airport, so the more Russia has become a central actor in this drama.

Russia must balance a range of factors in seeking to determine Mr Snowden's fate - the risk of a serious rift with Washington and Russia's own standing as an international actor that upholds the legal order must be set against the strong vein of sympathy for Mr Snowden amongst Russian public opinion.

US Secretary of State John Kerry raised Mr Snowden's case in talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Brunei.

But Mr Kerry said the two did not discuss the matter substantively.

"I did raise the issue of Mr Snowden but that is not his portfolio, nor is it mine, but it is being handled within the justice department," he said, quoted by Reuters news agency.

'Not an agent'

The Wikileaks press release said that most of the asylum requests - including to Russia itself - were handed to the Russian consulate at Sheremetyevo airport late on Sunday for delivery to the relevant embassies in Moscow.

The requests were submitted by Sarah Harrison, a British member of the Wikileaks legal team acting as Mr Snowden's representative, the statement added.

But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said Mr Snowden withdrew the application to Russia because Moscow had said he should give up "anti-American activity".

"After learning of Russia's position yesterday, voiced by President Putin ... he abandoned his intention [of staying] and his request to be able to stay in Russia," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had said that while Moscow "never hands over anybody anywhere", Mr Snowden could only stay on condition that he stopped damaging Russia's "American partners" with his leaks.

Mr Snowden has reportedly been in the transit area of Sheremetyevo since arriving there from Hong Kong on 23 June.

Mr Peskov confirmed he was still there and had not crossed into Russian territory, adding that the former analyst had never been a Russian agent and had never worked with its intelligence services.

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Asylum requests to 21 countries

• Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Poland, Russia (withdrawn), Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela

Norway, Poland, Germany, Austria, Finland, Ireland, Spain and Switzerland said asylum requests could only be made on their soil.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is on a visit to Moscow, said Caracas had not yet received an asylum application from Mr Snowden but that he had "done something very important for humanity" and "deserved the world's protection".

"The world's conscience should react, the world youth should react, the decent people who want a peaceful world should react, everyone should react and find solidarity with this young man who has denounced and altered the world that they [the US] pretend to control."

Mr Snowden had previously submitted an application to Ecuador, whose embassy in London is sheltering Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, and to Iceland.

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Vladimir Putin: "He should cease his work aimed at damaging our American partners"

Ecuador's President Rafael Correa told the Agence France-Presse news agency on Monday that his country would process Mr Snowden's asylum request if he managed to enter an Ecuadorean embassy.

However, if he can complete his asylum request on Russian territory , then "the situation can be processed and resolved there," President Correa added.

Details have also emerged of a letter from Mr Snowden to President Correa, thanking Ecuador for guaranteeing "my rights would be protected upon departing Hong Kong - I could never have risked travel without that".

'Stateless person'

Speaking in Tanzania on Monday, President Barack Obama said Moscow and Washington had held "high level discussions" about Mr Snowden, who he said had travelled to Moscow without valid documents.

Mr Snowden describes himself as "a stateless person", accusing the US government of stopping him from exercising the "basic right...to seek asylum".

"The president ordered his vice president to pressure the leaders of nations from which I have requested protection to deny my asylum petitions," he is quoted by Wikileaks as saying.

"This kind of deception from a world leader is not justice, and neither is the extralegal penalty of exile. These are the old, bad tools of political aggression. Their purpose is to frighten, not me, but those who would come after me."

The leaking of thousands of classified intelligence documents has led to revelations that the US is systematically seizing vast amounts of phone and web data.

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Scores of Islamists jailed in UAE

2 July 2013 Last updated at 06:36 ET

Sixty-eight Islamists in the United Arab Emirates have been jailed over allegations of a plot to overthrow the government.

Many of those convicted were imprisoned for at least seven years. Another 26, including 13 women, were acquitted.

The 94 defendants were accused of trying to seize power in the Emirates.

The verdict ended a trial criticised by human rights groups, which said the judge failed to investigate "credible" allegations of torture of defendants.

The defendants included human rights lawyers, university lecturers and students.

A majority of those convicted were given jail sentences between seven and 10 years, reports said.

Eight defendants no longer in the country were sentenced to 15 years.

The convictions were condemned by Human Rights Watch. Nick McGeehan, the organisation's Gulf researcher, said they represented "another low point for the UAE's worsening human rights record".

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This decision will have come as no surprise.

The UAE government, along with other Gulf Co-operation Council states, is fighting an ongoing battle with dissidents and human rights activists. But the battle is not in the streets - it is happening online.

The Gulf royal families face a rising tide of criticism from young Arabs who are using social networks to challenge their governments.

In the short term, arbitrary arrests and harsh sentences may have a limited effect but in the longer term the effort to stem the tide will likely end in failure. As a young Saudi blogger told me: "They can't put all of us in jail."

"These verdicts cement the UAE's reputation as a serious abuser of basic human rights," Mr McGeehan added.

No foreign media

The Federal Supreme Court jailed two prominent human rights lawyers to 10 years in prison each, the Emirates Centre for Human Rights said.

The verdict was reported on local state-run TV.

Roads outside the court were blocked and reporters kept away from the site ahead of the verdict, Reuters news agency said.

Foreign observers and international media have not been allowed access to the hearings.

The defendants are said to be members of al-Islah, an Emirati-based Islamist group linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.

They were accused of setting up an organisation "seeking to oppose the basic principles of the UAE system of governance and to seize power".

Political parties and demonstrations are banned in the UAE, which comprises seven sheikdoms run by ruling families.

The trial which began in March has been strongly criticised by global human rights advocates, who have said the proceedings were in "flagrant disregard of fair trial guarantees".

Most of the defendants were arrested in July and August 2012. Their families were denied visitation rights during pre-trial detention.

Human rights groups also alleged that some of the inmates were tortured during their detention.

But the UAE attorney general has rejected the claims, saying the prisoners were being "dealt with according to the law".

The 68 who were convicted have no right of appeal.

The UAE like other Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries has cracked down hard on dissidents and social media activists.

Two more were arrested on Monday night for tweeting in support of the 94, including the brother of a prominent detainee, a local activist told the BBC. He said they were being held in an unknown location.

The activist described the detainees as "singing Islamic songs and chanting God is great" when the verdicts were announced in court.

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US wildfire kills 19 firefighters

1 July 2013 Last updated at 04:12 ET

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Nineteen firefighters have been killed battling a wildfire in central Arizona

At least 19 US firefighters have been killed battling a wildfire in central Arizona, local officials say.

They died while fighting the blaze threatening the town of Yarnell, about 80 miles (130km) north-west of Phoenix.

The fire was started by lightning on Friday and spread rapidly amid high heat, low humidity and strong winds. At least 200 homes were burned.

Arizona and other parts of the western US - including California - had near-record temperatures over the weekend.

It is the highest death toll for firefighters in a single incident since 9/11.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

One of the last methods a firefighter can do is to dig as much as they can and cover themselves with a protective fire-resistant material"

End Quote Dan Fraijo Prescott Fire Chief

US President Barack Obama said the firefighters were heroes who had "put themselves in harm's way to protect the lives and property of fellow citizens".

Arizona Senator John McCain said the families of the dead firefighters were in the thoughts and prayers of all Americans.

"This devastating loss is a reminder of the grave risks our firefighters take every day on our behalf in Arizona and in communities across this nation. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten," he said in a statement.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said it could take "days or longer" to reveal how the deaths occurred.

"This is as dark a day as I can remember," she said.

'Hotshot' unit

"It has been confirmed that 19 wildland firefighters have lost their lives on the Yarnell Hill fire Arizona," the US Wildland Fire Aviation said in a statement.

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US wildfire tragedies

• 3 Oct 1933: At least 25 firemen killed at a blaze in Griffith Park, Los Angeles
• 21 Aug 1937: Fifteen firefighters die in Blackwater fire in Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming
• 5 Aug 1949: Twelve parachute firefighters and a forest ranger killed by Mann Gulch fire near Helena, in the state of Montana
• 9 July 1953: Rattlesnake fire in Mendocino National Forest, southern California, kills 15 firefighters
• 6 July 1994: Fourteen firefighters killed in lightning-induced Storm King Mountain blaze near Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Source: US National Fire Protection Association

The firefighters were part of a specially trained "hotshot" unit who had battled other wildfires in New Mexico and Arizona in recent weeks, officials say.

They were forced to deploy emergency tent-like structures meant to shield them from flames after becoming trapped and "something drastic" happened, said Dan Fraijo, fire chief in the nearby city of Prescott.

"One of the last fail-safe methods a firefighter can do is literally to dig as much as they can down and cover themselves with a protective fire-resistant material, with the hope that the fire will burn over the top of them and they can survive it," he said.

"Under certain conditions there's usually only sometimes a 50% chance that they survive. It's an extreme measure that's taken under the absolute worst conditions."

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Fire chief Dan Fraijo: "They were the finest most dedicated people"

Two other members of the elite unit who suffered severe burns have been flown to a burn treatment centre in Phoenix.

Dwight Devlin from the Arizona Sheriff's Office told the BBC that the firefighters were carrying fire blankets but they were ineffective in this case.

"Some were actually found with those blankets over them but unfortunately it appears the flames and the heat were too much," he said.

Mr Devlin added that they were on their way on foot to an area where they had been directed to clear brush to prevent the spread of the fire.

The tragedy is the worst in a wildfire since 1933, when at least 25 firemen died battling a fire in Griffith Park, Los Angeles.

Homes destroyed

Some 200 firefighters are still battling the fast-moving wildfire, which has grown to 1,000 acres. Additional reinforcements have been called in.

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Arizona and other parts of the western US - including California - are baking in record heat. Stav Danaos explains why.

The blaze has forced the evacuation of local residents.

An estimated 200 homes were destroyed in Yarnell, the Associated Press reported, almost half the properties in the town.

In recent days, dozens of people across western US states have been treated for exhaustion and dehydration, as the heat wave continues.

Temperatures in some areas were expected to reach 54C (130F), close to the world's all-time high recorded 100 years ago in California's Death Valley.

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China children 'must visit parents'

1 July 2013 Last updated at 06:04 ET By Celia Hatton BBC News, Beijing

Grown children in China must visit their parents or potentially face fines or jail, a new law that came into effect on Monday says.

China's new "Elderly Rights Law" deals with the growing problem of lonely elderly people by ordering adult children to visit their ageing parents.

The law says adults should care about their parents "spiritual needs" and "never neglect or snub elderly people".

The regulation has been ridiculed by tens of thousands of Chinese web users.

Many across China are questioning how the law could be enforced, since it fails to spell out a detailed schedule dictating the frequency with which children should make parental house calls.

"Those who live far away from parents should go home often," it says.

However, that does not mean the law is toothless.

Instead, it serves as an "educational message" to the public, while also serving as a starting point for law suits, explained Zhang Yan Feng, a lawyer with Beijing's King & Capital Law Firm.

"It's hard to put this law into practice, but not impossible," Mr Zhang explained.

"If a case is brought to court on the basis of this law, I think it'll probably end up in a peaceful settlement. But if no settlement is reached, technically speaking, court rulings can force the person to visit home certain times a month."

"If this person disobeys court rulings, he could be fined or detained."

'Spontaneous emotions'

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We all know to cherish our elderly parents, but sometimes we are just too busy trying to make a living"

End Quote Weibo user

But few in China seem to fear they will end up behind bars if they fail to log visits home.

"Who doesn't want to visit home often? What is considered "often"? Who will oversee the process?" complained one poster on weibo, China's version of Twitter.

"We all know to cherish our elderly parents, but sometimes we are just too busy trying to make a living and the pressure is too much."

"It's fine that no-one is paying for us to visit our parents, but is there someone who can give us time off to do it?" asked another.

The question of how to deal with ageing parents is a mounting problem in China.

According to Chinese government statistics, more than 178 million people in China were 60 years or older in 2010. By 2030, that figure will double.

As China's population goes grey, the Chinese media fills with stories of neglected old people.

Many were shocked by the story of a 91-year-old grandmother who was beaten and forced out of her home in China's southern Jiangsu province after she asked her daughter-in-law for a bowl of rice porridge.

Two days later, internet forums were filled with a similar story of farmers in the same province who allowed their family's 100-year-old matriarch to sleep in a pig sty, sharing close quarters with a pungent pig.

But those stories have not lead most people to support the new Elderly Rights Law.

"Family bonds should be based on spontaneous emotions," argued one weibo user.

"It's funny to make it part of a law; it's like requiring couples to have a harmonious sex life after marriage."

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Brotherhood HQ in Cairo stormed

1 July 2013 Last updated at 06:33 ET

Anti-government protesters in Egypt have stormed the national headquarters of President Mohammed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood in the capital, Cairo.

People are reported to have ransacked the building in the eastern Moqattam district and also set it on fire.

Eight people have been killed outside since Sunday, security sources say.

Earlier, the opposition movement behind the protests that saw millions take to the streets across Egypt on Sunday gave Mr Morsi until Tuesday to resign.

Tamarod (Rebel) said Mr Morsi would face a campaign of civil disobedience if he did not leave power and allow elections to be held.

Protesters across Egypt have accused the president of failing to tackle economic and security problems since being elected a year ago. His supporters have insisted he needs more time.

Staff evacuated

Millions of people attended demonstrations across the country on Sunday to demand Mr Morsi step down.

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Analysis

All sides in Egypt were surprised by the huge scale of the demonstrations against the president.

The opposition is a broad and informal coalition, which ranges from supporters of the old Mubarak regime to people who risked their lives to topple it. Their challenge is to find a way to sustain the momentum of Sunday's protests.

President Morsi's spokesman has called for dialogue. For that to work, the president would have to offer major concessions, perhaps on a rewritten constitution. He showed no signs of conciliation during a major political speech last week, instead appealing to his Muslim Brotherhood base.

As for the demonstrators, they have called for his resignation and early elections. Political chaos looks likely to continue.

The crowds seen in Cairo's Tahrir Square were the biggest since the 2011 revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak.

Sporadic outbreaks of violence were reported nationwide. Four people were killed in the central province of Assiut, while security sources told BBC Arabic that eight people had died in clashes around the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in Moqattam since Sunday evening.

Overnight, protesters threw petrol bombs and rocks at armed guards inside, who retaliated by firing at them.

On Monday morning, the protesters stormed the six-storey building and began throwing objects of broken windows. One protester was seen removing the Muslim Brotherhood sign, while an Egyptian flag was flown from a balcony.

A Brotherhood spokesman blamed the violence on "thugs" and said it would be demanding the police explain why officers had failed to protect the group's headquarters, according to the Reuters news agency.

Two people inside had been injured by fires before a Brotherhood security detail could evacuate them on Monday morning, he added.

'Constitutional legitimacy'

Earlier, Tamarod issued a statement saying the protesters would give Mr Morsi until 17:00 (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday to leave power and allow state institutions to prepare for early presidential elections.

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Tamarod (Rebel)

The Tamarod movement says more than 22 million people have signed a petition complaining that:

• Security has not been restored since the 2011 revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak
• The poor "have no place" in society
• The government has had to "beg" the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $4.8bn loan to help shore up the public finances
• There has been "no justice" for people killed by security forces during the uprising and at anti-government protests since then
• "No dignity is left" for Egyptians or their country
• The economy has "collapsed", with growth poor and inflation high
• Egypt is "following in the footsteps" of the US

Otherwise, people would begin a campaign of "complete civil disobedience", the group warned.

It urged "state institutions including the army, the police and the judiciary, to clearly side with the popular will as represented by the crowds".

The group also rejected offers of dialogue from the president.

"There is no way to accept any half measures," it said. "There is no alternative other than the peaceful end of power of the Muslim Brotherhood and its representative, Mohammed Morsi."

On Saturday, Tamarod said it had collected more than 22 million signatures - more than a quarter of Egypt's population - in support.

But Mr Morsi was defiant in an interview published on Sunday, rejecting the opposition calls for early presidential elections.

"If we changed someone in office who [was elected] according to constitutional legitimacy - well, there will be people opposing the new president too, and a week or a month later they will ask him to step down," he told the Guardian newspaper.

He said he would not tolerate any deviation from constitutional order.

"There is no room for any talk against this constitutional legitimacy. There can be demonstrations and people expressing their opinions," he added. "But what's critical in all this is the adoption and application of the constitution. This is the critical point."

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Kerry responds to US bugging claims

1 July 2013 Last updated at 06:45 ET

US Secretary of State John Kerry has responded to allegations that the US bugged the offices of its allies, saying its activities were "not unusual" in international relations.

There has been outrage in Europe following claims that EU embassies and American allies including France, Italy and Greece were among those targeted.

A top EU official has warned the affair could put a massive trade pact at risk.

The allegations come from documents apparently leaked by an ex-CIA analyst.

Edward Snowden has been charged with theft of government property, unauthorised communication of national defence information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence.

He is believed to be at an airport in Moscow, and is seeking a destination safe from prosecution by the US authorities.

Green parties in France and Germany have called on their governments to offer Mr Snowden asylum.

"Someone like that should be protected," said Juergen Trittin, leader of Germany's Greens.

"He should get safe haven here in Europe because he has done us a service by revealing a massive attack on European citizens and companies. Germany, as part of Europe, could do that."

The revelation could put plans for a new trade pact between the US and European Union, the biggest of its kind in the world, in jeopardy.

"Partners do not spy on each other,'' said EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding. "We cannot negotiate over a big trans-Atlantic market if there is the slightest doubt that our partners are carrying out spying activities on the offices of our negotiators."

Green Party leaders have also called for existing US-EU agreements on the exchange of bank transfer and passenger record information to be cancelled.

The EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton raised concerns about the reports in a meeting with Mr Kerry in Brunei.

He said he did not know the truth of the allegations, published at the weekend by Der Spiegel in Germany and the Guardian in Britain.

But he said at a press conference: "Every country in the world that is engaged in international affairs of national security undertakes lots of activities to protect its national security and all kinds of information contributes to that.

"And all I know is that is not unusual for lots of nations. But beyond that I'm not going to comment any further until I have all the facts and find out precisely what the situation is."

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Rudd sworn in as new Australian PM

27 June 2013 Last updated at 03:50 ET

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Kevin Rudd was sworn in, promising to do his ''absolute best''

Kevin Rudd has been sworn in as prime minister of Australia, a day after he ousted Julia Gillard as leader of the Labor Party.

Mr Rudd took the oath at Government House in front of Governor-General Quentin Bryce.

He then addressed parliament briefly, paying tribute to Ms Gillard, who is stepping down from politics.

The leadership change comes ahead of an election scheduled for 14 September, which polls suggest Labor will lose.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott called on Mr Rudd to clarify whether the election would be brought forward.

"I congratulate the prime minister on his restoration to high office," he said. "May he elevate that office... by telling the Australian people when will they get the chance to decide who the prime minister of this country should be and who should form the government of this country?"

Continue reading the main story

By calling on a ballot and demanding the loser leave politics, Gillard has ensured her role in the ousting of Rudd almost three years ago and the ensuing national schism will in time pale alongside her achievements... A competitive contest is good for Australia. Thanks to Julia Gillard's decision, we now have one. (Editorial, Sydney Morning Herald)

[Mr Rudd's] task now is to resume office without the hubris that consumed his first term as prime minister... Neither will Mr Rudd get far by presenting himself simply as the candidate who is not Mr Abbott. He must recognise that Mr Abbott is now an opposition leader of experience and stature who, like Mr Rudd himself, has been strengthened by the experience of the past three years. (Editorial, The Australian)

Julia Gillard has delivered the ultimate act of leadership and paid the ultimate price, ending the most poisonous, inglorious chapter in modern Labor Party history. But whether Kevin Rudd transforms Labor's prospects at the election depends on whether he can re-unite a fractured party that he helped divide, re-connect with a hostile electorate and challenge a rampant opposition. (Michael Gordon, political editor, The Age)

The more Labor squabbles, the more it turns on itself, the more the Liberal and National parties are spared the necessity of presenting a coherent platform for election. Why, in the circumstances, should they bother?... Never mind its three-year obsession with leadership, with that at last behind it the [Labor Party] really ought to have a stab at leading, even if it is to defeat. (Jonathan Green, ABC's The Drum blog)

Mr Rudd said he would "identify a date for an election", suggesting that he would not stick with the date set by Ms Gillard.

"There's going to be an election, it will be held consistent with the constitution and... there's not going to be a huge variation one way or the other," he said.

'Energy and purpose'

Mr Rudd returned to lead Australia's government three years and three days after he was toppled in a similar Labor leadership contest by Ms Gillard, then his deputy.

He secured 57 votes to Ms Gillard's 45 in Wednesday's vote, which followed months of speculation and bitter infighting over who should lead Labor into the forthcoming election.

Opinion polls have suggested Labor will suffer a crushing defeat. But Mr Rudd is more popular with voters than Ms Gillard and many believe the party will perform better under him.

Speaking after his win on Wednesday, Mr Rudd said he resumed the role of prime minister with "an important sense of energy and purpose".

"Why am I taking on this challenge? For me it's pretty basic, it's pretty clear. I simply do not have it in my nature to stand idly by and to allow an Abbott government to come to power in this country by default," he said.

Ms Gillard resigned as prime minister on Wednesday and said she would leave politics, as she and Mr Rudd had agreed the loser would before the vote.

Despite their bitter rivalry, Mr Rudd praised his predecessor when he addressed parliament shortly after being sworn in.

"Through the difficult years of minority government the former prime minister has achieved major reforms for our nation that will shape our country's future," he said.

"On top of all that, I acknowledge her great work as a standard bearer for women in our country."

Describing politics as a "very hard life", he also called on fellow lawmakers "to be a little kinder and gentler with each other".

He added that further information on his ministerial line-up would come later.

Anthony Albanese has been sworn in as deputy prime minister and Chris Bowen replaces Wayne Swan as treasurer.

Six of Ms Gillard's ministers resigned after the party vote and further shake-ups are expected.

Ms Gillard's government depended on the support of independents for its majority - reports suggest that enough of them have swung behind Mr Rudd to give him control of parliament.

The BBC's Nick Bryant, in Sydney, says it is an astonishing return for a politician who has long been popular with the public at large but despised by senior colleagues within his party.

It is a measure of his unpopularity that a third of Julia Gillard's ministry resigned rather than serve under him, our correspondent adds.

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Obama begins Africa tour in Senegal

27 June 2013 Last updated at 06:39 ET

US President Barack Obama has arrived in Senegal on the first leg of a three-nation tour of Africa.

It is Mr Obama's second visit to the continent since he became president.

He is hoping to boost economic ties with the African countries and promote good governance - all the countries he is visiting have stable democracies.

The South African leg of his trip is expected to be overshadowed by the continuing critical condition of former President Nelson Mandela.

The White House has said it will defer to the wishes of Mr Mandela's family over whether Mr Mandela is well enough to receive a visit from him in hospital.

Mr Obama is visiting Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania, excluding Kenya, where his father was born, and Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil-producer which has been hit by an Islamist insurgency.

'Combat corruption'

Continue reading the main story

• 16-19 Century: Slaves shipped from Goree
• 1776: Slave House built
• 1978: Designated World Heritage Site
• Notable visitors: Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, George W Bush

US officials said the indictment of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta at the International Criminal Court on charges of fuelling violence after the 2007 election, which he denies, made it politically impossible for Mr Obama to visit the country, the AFP news agency reports.

Crowds welcomed Mr Obama's motorcade in Senegal's capital, Dakar, on Thursday cheering and waving homemade signs as he made his way to the presidential palace for a meeting with President Macky Sall, the Associated Press news agency reports.

Some in the crowd drummed and sang outside the palace gates, as Mr Sall and his wife, Marieme Faye Sall, welcomed them, it reports.

Mr Obama's decision to visit Senegal, a mainly Muslim country which is politically stable, was to acknowledge the strides it made in achieving democracy, correspondents say.

He is due to visit the Supreme Court to speak about the importance of an independent judiciary and the rule of law in Africa's development.

"It's not enough to have elections, it's not enough to have democratically elected leaders. You need to have independent judiciaries. You need to have confidence in the rule of law. You need to have efforts to combat corruption,'' Mr Obama's foreign policy adviser Ben Rhodes is quoted by AP as saying.

"You need to have efforts to combat corruption because, frankly, not only is that good for democracy and respect for human rights, but it's critical to Africa's economic growth."

Mr Obama, along with his wife and children, will also travel by ferry to Senegal's Goree Island, a memorial to Africans who were caught up in the Atlantic slave trade.

The visit is expected to be emotional because Mr Obama is the son of an African and Michelle Obama is a descendant of slaves, correspondents say.

"A visit like this by an American President, any American President, is powerful," said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

"I think that will be the case when President Obama visits and I'm sure particularly so, given that he is African American."

On Sunday, Mr Obama is expected to visit Robben Island, where Mr Mandela was jailed for 18 of the 27 years he spent in prison, on the second leg of his African tour.

However, it is unclear whether the visit will take place because of Mr Mandela's deteriorating health, correspondents say.

Mr Obama is due to end his African tour with a visit to Tanzania, where he will lay a memorial outside the US embassy in the main city, Dar es Salaam, in honour of 11 people killed in a bombing by al-Qaeda in 1998.

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