Egypt: President Morsi Rejects Army Ultimatum

Egypt's president Mohamed Morsi has rejected an ultimatum issued by the country's army threatening to intervene if he does not meet the demands of the people.

It came as US President Barack Obama spoke to the Egyptian leader, urging him to take steps to show he is responding to concerns of protesters - millions of whom took to the streets on Sunday demanding Mr Morsi step down.

At the same time it was confirmed the country's foreign minister, Mohammed Kamel Amr, had resigned.

He is the most senior politician to quit Mr Morsi's government after a series of cabinet ministers stood down on Monday.

The ministerial resignations deal a further blow to the president, who has been warned by the armed forces that he has 48 hours to solve the country's political crisis or face intervention.

Protesters, demanding Mr Morsi quit, camp out overnight in Tahrir Square

But Mr Morsi rejected the ultimatum, insisting he would continue on his path towards national reconciliation. He said the directive "could cause confusion in the complex national environment".

The army statement, read out on television Monday, said: "If the demands of the people are not met in this period ... (the armed forces) will announce a future roadmap and measures to oversee its implementation."

The statement received a rapturous welcome from Mr Morsi's opponents, still camped out in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

Tamarod, the grassroots campaign behind Sunday's massive protests against the president, also hailed the statement by the armed forces which it said had "sided with the people".

It "will mean early presidential elections", Tamarod's spokesman Mahmud Badr said.

Egypt's army issued an ultimatum to Mr Morsi and his opponents

Responding to the army's ultimatum, the presidency also denounced any declaration that would "deepen division" and "threaten the social peace".

Mr Morsi was consulting "with all national forces to secure the path of democratic change and the protection of the popular will".

Referring to the 2011 uprising that toppled dictator Hosni Mubarak, the presidency added: "The civil democratic Egyptian state is one of the most important achievements of the January 25 revolution.

"Egypt will absolutely not permit any step backward whatever the circumstances."

The White House meanwhile said Mr Obama had called Mr Morsi by telephone from Tanzania, during the final stop of his African tour, on Tuesday to express concerns over the escalating political crisis.

Mr Morsi says the army's directive to restore order is 'confusing'

Mr Obama told him Washington, a major military aid donor to Egypt, was committed to "the democratic process in Egypt and does not support any single party or group". 

He added that the "current crisis can only be resolved through a political process".

Sixteen people died in protests on Sunday, including eight in clashes between supporters and opponents of the president outside the Cairo headquarters of Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.

Early on Monday, protesters set the Brotherhood's headquarters ablaze before looting it.

Mr Morsi's opponents accuse him of having betrayed the revolution by concentrating power in Islamist hands and of sending the economy into freefall.

His supporters say he inherited many problems from a corrupt regime, and that he should be allowed to complete his term, which ends in 2016.

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Arizona Wildfire: Killed Firefighters Photo

A photograph of the elite team of firemen who died in a runaway wildfire in Arizona has been released by US authorities.

Only one of the 20 members of the unit survived the tragedy

The Yarnell Hill fire killed all but one member of the 20-strong Granite Mountain "hotshot" team, the biggest loss of life among US firefighters since the September 11 attacks and the most from a wildfire in 80 years.

They have been named as Andrew Ashcraft, 29, Kevin Woyjeck, 21, Anthony Rose, 23, Eric Marsh, 43, Christopher MacKenzie, 30, Robert Caldwell, 23, Clayton Whitted , 28, Scott Norris, 28, Dustin Deford, 24, Sean Misner, 26, Garret Zuppiger, 27, Travis Carter, 31, Grant McKee, 21, TravisTurbyfill, 27, Jesse Steed, 36, Wade Parker, 22, Joe Thurston, 32, William Warneke, 25, John Percin, 24.

A firefighter leaves flowers outside the team's home station

A makeshift memorial grew steadily outside the elite crew's home station, including various messages of support alongside a number of American flags and 19 water bottles arranged in a heart shape.

Barack Obama also paid tribute to the men, while Arizona governor Jan Brewer ordered flags to be flown at half-mast.

American flags could also be seen among the tributes

Ms Brewer said: "The Yarnell fire exploded into a firestorm that overran the local Granite Mountain hotshots."

Recalling the 340 who died on 9/11, she added: "Just as we honour the memory of the firefighters lost that day as they charged into the burning towers, we will remember the brave men of the Granite Mountain hotshots."

A picture of Wade Parker, one of the 19 firefighters killed

Juliann Ashcraft's husband, Andrew, was among those who died in the fire.

"They died heroes ... We'll miss them. We love them," she told AZ Central website - after learning about the tragedy while watching TV with her four children.

The men who died have been described as 'heroes'

The one member of the crew not killed survived because he was moving the unit's truck at the time.

Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said the man "feels terribly, and we all feel terribly".

A local man pays his respects

Hundreds more firefighters have poured into area of Arizona 85 miles (135km) north of Phoenix to help battle the blaze, which has ripped through more than 8,000 acres.

High winds were expected to worsen the fire, complicating the task for around 400 firefighters now attempting to contain it - up from 200 on Sunday.

More than 8,000 acres and scores of homes have been destroyed

Arizona land management spokesman Dennis Godfrey said: "It's a very difficult situation.

"The high winds are a real danger ... It's even a greater danger when those winds are shifting directions."

Incident commander Roy Hall: "Until we get a significant showing of the monsoons, it's show time and it's dangerous, really dangerous."

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Afghanistan: Taliban Attack On Nato Compound

Insurgents including a suicide bomber in a truck have killed six people in an attack on a Nato compound.

The early morning assault began when the truck packed with explosives detonated itself in a vehicle bay, leaving a hole six metres deep and about 15 metres wide.

Three other suicide attackers wearing explosive vests then began a gunfight with guards. All the attackers were killed after about an hour.

Police chief General Ayoub Salangi said two truck drivers waiting to enter the compound and four Nepalese guards died in the attack.

The bomb left a crater the "size of a pool" according to police

Three other employees were wounded, he said.

The Nato compound, based in the north of Kabul, is used by a number of foreign companies supplying Nato forces in Afghanistan.

Atiqullah, a 54-year-old truck driver, said some of his colleagues had been wounded in the attack.

"I woke up to go for morning prayer and suddenly there was a very heavy explosion followed by gunfire," he said.

"We escaped from the compound and went to another company nearby. Security forces came in 30 minutes and rescued us."

Six people died and others were wounded in the blast

A spokesman for the Taliban said it carried out the attack and said its fighters had entered what it described as "an important foreign base and logistics warehouse".

In June, the Nato coalition formally handed over all security operations across the country to Afghan forces.

But casualties among local forces are mounting as insurgents step up attacks.

Nearly 300 Afghan local and national police have been killed in the last month, according to the Afghan interior ministry.

In the eastern city of Jalalabad this week a bomb disposal expert risked his life to defuse a suicide vest

Nato-led combat troops are preparing to pull out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

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Brazil Violence Mars Confederations Cup Final

Molotov cocktails were hurled at police as violence broke out before the Confederations Cup final match in Brazil.

Police responded by firing tear gas and shock grenades at the crowd as the protests turned violent.

One protester, who did not give her name, described the police response as an "embarrassment" to Brazil.

Protesters at a security line near the entry to Maracana Stadium

"You can't do anything. You can't protest. You know why? Because our government has no shame," the protester said.

More than 5,000 demonstrators marched near the Maracana stadium, where Brazil defeated Spain 3-0 in the Confederations Cup final.

They vented their anger about the billions of dollars the Brazilian government is spending on major sporting events, rather than on public services.

Federal police in riot gear stand guard outside the stadium

"We are here protesting for a greater investment in health and education, for people to have their citizen's rights and not only football, beer and samba," said Juliana Silva, one of the protesters.

Though smaller in size, the march was the latest in a wave of protests that has spread across the country in recent weeks.

Many are calling the protest movement the biggest seen in Brazil in decades, with more than one million people having taken to the streets nationwide on the night of June 20.

The protests triggered a fall in President Dilma Rousseff's approval rating

The demonstrations have dwindled in size and frequency in recent days as officials from all levels of government have scrambled to calm public anger with poor public services and a heavy tax burden.

The first national poll conducted after the protests ignited showed a steep drop in President Dilma Rousseff's approval rating and throws in doubt what had seemed an easy re-election next year.

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Arizona Wildfire: 19 Firefighters Killed

A team of 19 elite firefighters have been killed while battling a fast-moving wildfire in Arizona.

The firefighters, 18 of whom are believed to have been from the specially-trained Granite Mountain Hotshots, were caught by the blaze near the central town of Yarnell.

They were hailed as "heroes" by US President Barack Obama, who said they "selflessly put themselves in harm's way to protect the lives and property of fellow citizens they would never meet".

The firefighters were confronted by a fast-moving blaze

The wildfire is the deadliest involving fatalities to fire crews since a blaze at Griffith Park, Los Angeles, nearly 70 years ago, according to figures from the National Fire Protection Association.

"We're devastated," Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said. "We've just lost 19 of the finest people you'll ever meet."

Hotshot crews often hike long distances and carry chainsaws and backpacks filled with heavy gear to build lines of protection between people and fires.

They were forced to deploy their emergency shelters when confronted by the blaze.

"One of the last fail safe methods that a firefighter can do under those conditions is literally to dig as much as they can down and cover themselves with a protective … fire-resistant material," Mr Frajo said.

"The hope at least is that the fire will burn over the top of them and they can survive it. Under certain conditions there's ... a 50% chance they survive.

"It's an extreme measure that's taken under the absolute worst conditions."

Messages of condolence for the families of those who died have been left on a Facebook page set up in their memory.

Strong winds and low humidity allowed the blaze to spread quickly

"This awful tragedy really reminds us how dangerous a job firefighters have," wrote Lakyn Spivey. "They go to work every day to save lives, not knowing if they themselves will be coming home that day."

Natalie Minafore added: "My son is a firefighter and I cannot imagine the heartache these families must feel. These men are heroes."

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said the state had endured "as dark a day" as she could remember.

"It may be days or longer before an investigation reveals how this tragedy occurred, but the essence we already know in our hearts is that fighting fires is dangerous work," she said.

Hundreds of homes have been destroyed by the fire

According to local newspaper The Republic, around 250 homes - roughly half the town of Yarnell - were destroyed by the wildfire.

Federal government is assisting and President Obama pledged to provide state and local officials with all the support they need.

The blaze, which broke out on Friday, is thought to have been triggered by a lightning strike.

Hot, gusty winds blew the fire out of control over the weekend, as flames ripped through 2,000 acres of dry land.

More follows...

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Egypt: Seven Killed As Protests Turn Violent

The Cairo headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood have reportedly been stormed and ransacked by protesters as fierce demonstrations continue to rage.

At least seven people have been killed in Egypt and more than 600 wounded in clashes between supporters and opponents of President Mohamed Morsi.

Five of the dead were shot in towns south of Cairo, one each in Beni Suef and Fayoum and three others in Assiut.

Two more people were killed by gunfire during an attack on the national headquarters of Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.

The attack came amid mass protests across Egypt calling for the Islamist president to resign.

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets as part of the demonstrations.

The protests are being held exactly a year since Mr Morsi came to power.

Some 500,000 people descended on Cairo's Tahrir Square, the heart of the 2011 uprising against Mr Morsi's predecessor Hosni Mubarak.

Other demonstrations have been held outside the presidential palace several miles away, which was under heavy guard.

Police and troops have deployed to protect key buildings around the country, security officials said. The health ministry said hospitals have been placed on high alert.

On Friday an American student, 21-year-old Andrew Pochter, was killed during clashes in the city of Alexandria.

A senior security official said the Suez Canal, the vital waterway that connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea, has been placed under "maximum security".

Liberal leaders say nearly half the voting population - 22 million people - have signed a petition calling for change. Mr Morsi's opponents have promised a "second revolution".

But the president's Muslim Brotherhood and militant allies pledge to defend what they say is the legitimate order.

Mr Morsi has called his opponents bad losers backed by "thugs" from the rule of deposed Mr Mubarak.

He is banking on the "Tamarud - Rebel!" coalition fizzling out, as other challenges in the streets have done since he took power.

US President Barack Obama has called on Egyptians to focus on dialogue. His ambassador to Egypt has angered the opposition by suggesting protests are not helping the economy.

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Cameron In Pakistan To Meet Newly-Elected PM

David Cameron will become the first world leader to meet Pakistan's newly-elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif later.

The meeting with Mr Sharif follows talks with the country's President Asif Ali Zardari.

Mr Sharif was elected for an unprecedented third time last month in a surprise landslide victory for his party.

Speaking in Afghanistan before flying to Pakistan, Mr Cameron his success at the polls gave him "credibility" and a "certain power of influence" to encourage the Taliban on the path to peace in the region.

"I think that he is in a strong position because Pakistan has had this democratic transition which is a huge bonus for Pakistan and will raise its profile in a good way in the eyes of the world," he said.

Mr Cameron spoke to soldiers at Camp Bastion during his trip to Afghanistan

Mr Cameron said he wanted to see a stronger relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan, adding it was in the country's "short, medium and long-term interests to have a secure, stable and prosperous" neighbour.

Although the talks will cover Afghanistan, issues of "prosperity, security and trade" are also on the agenda.

Mr Cameron's visit is being seen as an attempt to "relaunch" the UK's relationship with the country and open doors for British businesses.

"The emphasis for us is relaunching the Pakistan relationship, getting in there early, helping work with them to shape the right reforms on security and development and also open up potential for British business given the growth in the Pakistan economy and potential there," a Number 10 source said.

Meanwhile, Mr Cameron visited Pakistan's national monument where he met people taking part in the British Council's Active Citizens programme, which aims to empower young people to bring about change in their communities.

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Al Shabaab Commanders Killed By Own Group

Two top Islamist militants in Somalia, including one with a $5m (£3.2m) US bounty on his head, have been killed by members of their own extremist group.

The pair - Ibrahim Haji Jama Mead, better known as Al Afghani, and Abul Hamid Hashi Olhayi - were both co-founders of al Shabaab which is linked to al Qaeda.

Afghani, who was wanted by the US and got his nickname due to his training and fighting with militants in Afghanistan, opposed the command of top al Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane.

Godane, who America has offered a $7m (£4.6m) bounty for, ordered Afghani and at least a dozen other leaders to be arrested earlier this month, reported the AFP news agency, citing security sources.

Al Shabaab gunmen also killed Olhayi, named as another senior commander.

"We have informed their widows of their deaths, as they must now wear the clothes of mourning," the group's spokesman Abdulaziz Abu Musab told AFP.

The deaths show the splits in the long-running insurgency to topple the internationally-backed government.

But the killings also signalled Godane's efforts to sweep away opposition to his command and cement his more radical leadership.

Family members - including Afghani's sister - said the pair were arrested and then executed, but al Shabaab said they were killed during a gun battle.

"We deny reports that the men were killed after capture," Musab told AFP.

"The two men were killed in a shoot-out when they were resisting arrest on court orders."

Al Shabaab is fractured into multiple rival factions, some based along clan lines and others ideological.

Some are more attracted by a nationalist agenda to oust foreign forces from Somalia, while others - including Godane - have more international jihadi ambitions.

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Egypt: Mass Protests Expected Against Morsi

Mass demonstrations are expected across Egypt today - a year to the day since President Mohamed Morsi came to power.

In Cairo, thousands of people gathered on Tahrir Square, the seat of the uprising of 2011. Others gathered outside the presidential palace several miles away, which was under heavy guard.

Police and troops have deployed to protect key buildings around the country, security officials said. The health ministry said hospitals have been placed on high alert.

A senior security official said the Suez Canal, the vital waterway that connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea, has been placed under "maximum security".

Liberal leaders say nearly half the voting population - 22 million people - have signed a petition calling for change. Mr Morsi's opponents have promised a "second revolution".

But the president's Muslim Brotherhood and militant allies pledge to defend what they say is the legitimate order.

Andrew Pochter was killed in Alexandria

Several people have been killed and hundreds wounded in days of street fighting across the country.

Yesterday, an American student who was killed during violent clashes in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, was identified as Andrew Pochter, 21, from Maryland.

Mr Morsi calls opponents bad losers backed by "thugs" from the rule of Hosni Mubarak.

He is banking on the "Tamarud - Rebel!" coalition fizzling out, as other challenges in the streets have done since he took power a year ago.

Recent days have seen intense street fighting

An economic crisis deepened by unrest and political deadlock may spur many less partisan Egyptians to join the rallies, due to start in the afternoon in Cairo.

But many, too, are weary of turmoil and are sceptical that the opposition's demand to reset the rules of the new democracy is better than soldiering on.

US President Barack Obama called on Egyptians to focus on dialogue. His ambassador to Egypt has angered the opposition by suggesting protests are not helping the economy.

Liberal leaders, fractious and defeated in a series of ballots last year, hope that by putting millions on the streets they can force Mr Morsi to relent.

Religious authorities have warned of "civil war".

The army has said it will step in if violence gets out of control but insists it will respect the "will of the people".

Mr Morsi, who on Saturday met the head of the military he appointed last year, interprets that to mean army support for election results.

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Egypt Protests: US Citizen Among Three Dead

Violent clashes across the Egyptian cities of Alexandria and Port Said have left three people dead and more than 70 others injured.

Two people were killed in Alexandria. One of them was an American citizen, the US State Department confirmed.

He has been identified as Andrew Pochter, 21, from Maryland, who was a student at Kenyon College in Ohio.

He had been working as an intern at Amideast, an American non-profit organisation, a statement from the college said.

Mr Pochter died from a stab wound to the chest after violence erupted between supporters and opponents of President Mohamed Morsi.

A protester hurls a rock towards riot police in Alexandria

General Amin Ezzeddin, a senior Alexandria security official, said the American was using a mobile phone camera near an office of Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood in the city's Sidi Gaber neighbourhood when it was being attacked by protesters.

He was rushed to a military hospital, where he died.

A second victim was shot dead during clashes in the city, while a third person died as protests also turned violent in Port Said.

The deaths come as leading clerics warned of "civil war" in Egypt after violence in the last week has left several dead and hundreds wounded.

They backed Mr Morsi's offer to talk to opposition groups ahead of mass protests scheduled for Sunday.

A supporter of Mr Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo

State news agency MENA said 70 people had been injured.

TV footage showed protesters running from the scene as gunshots were heard.

The offices of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the political arm of Mr Morsi's party, were also set on fire during the confrontations.

A Brotherhood member was also killed overnight in an attack on a party office at Zagazig, in the heavily populated Nile Delta, where much of the recent violence has been concentrated.

Mr Morsi's movement said five supporters in all had died this week - three in Mansura and two in Zagazig.

Anti-government protesters start a fire outside an FJP office in Alexandria

The unrest is seen by many as a prelude to mass anti-Morsi protests planned for Sunday - marking his first year in office.

The June 30 protest was called by Tamarod, a grassroots movement which says it has more than 15 million signatures for a petition demanding Mr Morsi's resignation and a snap election.

It alleges that Mr Morsi reneged on his promise to be a president for all Egyptians and has failed to deliver on the uprising's aspirations for freedom and social justice.

The president himself warned in a televised speech on Wednesday that the growing polarisation threatens to "paralyse" Egypt.

The army, which oversaw the transition from former president Mubarak's autocratic rule but has been on the sidelines since Mr Morsi's election, warned it would intervene if violence erupts.

It has brought in reinforcements to key cities, security officials said.

In an updated travel warning, the State Department cautioned US citizens "to defer non-essential travel to Egypt at this time due to the continuing possibility of political and social unrest".

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