Cuba Bus Crash: Two UK Tourists Among Injured

Sixteen passengers, including two Britons, have been injured in Cuba after a bus left the road and flipped over.

State-run newspaper Cinco de Septiembre said the crash occurred in the province of Cienfuegos on the route between Trinidad and Varadero, two popular tourist destinations.

The injured were listed as two Britons, two Czechs, four Dutch, one Filipino, one Irish and six Russians.

One of the injured passengers is taken to hospital

Cinco de Septiembre said three of the tourists were thought to be in a serious condition.

Two have reportedly undergone surgery and are in intensive care.

Carlos Mendoza, a doctor who attended the injured passengers, confirmed that three people were in hospital.

But he added that "at this time there are no life-threatening injuries".

Emergency services attending the scene

Other wounds included broken collarbones and minor lesions.

The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in a statement: "We are aware of a bus crash involving British nationals between Trinidad and Varadero in Cuba on the evening of July 4.

"Our embassy in Havana is in close contact with local authorities. Consular officials are on their way to the area to provide assistance if needed."

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Snowden Offered Asylum In Two Countries

US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has been told he could be welcomed in Nicaragua and Venezuela after applying to another six countries for asylum.

Speaking at a public event, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said his government was willing to grant political asylum to the former NSA contractor "if circumstances permit it".

He added: "We are open, respectful of the right to asylum, and it is clear that if circumstances permit it, we would receive Snowden with pleasure and give him asylum here in Nicaragua.

"We have the sovereign right to help a person who felt remorse after finding out how the United States was using technology to spy on the whole world, and especially its European allies."

Mr Ortega said his government had received an asylum application at its embassy in Moscow.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro made the same promise during a speech marking the anniversary of Venezuela's independence.

He said: "As head of state, the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela decided to offer humanitarian asylum to the young American Edward Snowden so that he can live (without) ... persecution from the empire.

It was not immediately clear if there were any conditions to Venezuela's offer.         

Snowden is believed to be holed up at a Moscow airport looking for a country that will give him safe haven as the US wants to extradite him to face espionage charges.

The 30-year-old initially asked 21 countries for asylum but most said he must be on their soil for his application to be accepted.

WikiLeaks revealed he has since applied to more countries.

A tweet from the anti-secrecy website said: "Edward Snowden has applied to another six countries for asylum.

"They will not be named at this time due to attempted US interference."

The message appeared to be an allusion to the drama surrounding the flight of Bolivian President Evo Morales, whose plane was recently abruptly rerouted to Austria over suspicions Snowden was aboard.

Washington has revoked the passport of Snowden, who is seeking to evade US justice for leaking details about a vast US electronic surveillance programme to collect phone and Internet data.

He also revealed evidence of the spying activities of British eavesdropping agency GCHQ - including its scanning of vast amounts of emails and other internet traffic by tapping cable networks.

A bid by Snowden for Icelandic citizenship failed when the country's parliament voted not to debate it before the summer recess.

Russia has shown signs of growing impatience over his stay in the country.

Its deputy foreign minister said on Thursday Snowden had not sought asylum there and needed to choose a place to go.

Moscow has made clear that the longer he stays, the greater the risk of lasting damage to relations with Washington.

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Egypt Clashes Turn Deadly As Troops Open Fire

By Dominic Waghorn, Sky News Correspondent, in Cairo

At least 36 people in Egypt have died and over 1,000 were hurt in fierce clashes between supporters and opponents of deposed president Mohamed Morsi.

Supporters of the former leader marched to the Cairo barracks of the Republican Guard chanting "down with military rule" after a Muslim Brotherhood rally at the city's Rabea al Adaweya mosque.

Shots were fired as protesters hung pictures of Mr Morsi on a barbed wire barrier around the military complex. At least three demonstrators were shot by the military.

Downtown Cairo witnessed the same street battles played out two-and-a-half years ago, this time with Morsi supporters fighting their enemies with rocks, clubs and fireworks. One person was killed in their clashes.

Following the violence, the country's interim president Adli Mansour held talks with General Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi - the army chief who is also defence minister - and interior minister Mohammed Ibrahim who is in charge of the police.

It was the first time Mr Mansour has worked from the president's main offices since he was sworn-in on Thursday, after the military overthrew Mr Morsi - the country's first democratically elected president.

An anti-Morsi protester with evidence of gun cartridges

A pro-Morsi crowd crossed the Sixth Of October bridge heading towards Tahrir Square, provoking a fierce confrontation.

The Egyptian army said troops were responding only with blank rounds and tear gas.

However, anti-Morsi youths showed Sky News what their enemies had done to them, brandishing used shotgun cartridges and pellet wounds.

"They are terrorists and we should get rid of them," they said. "They're using automatic weapons and shotguns."

Egyptian elite soldiers guard a military building in Cairo

The atmosphere was febrile. Changing in a second. Turning from triumphant to panicked, as the crowd scattered thinking their attackers had returned.

"The Muslim Brotherhood is coming here beating us shooting us," said one man. "We're here, we're alone and we need someone to  help us."

As if to answer him, military armoured personnel carriers appeared from the gloom.

But this isn't a conflict against foreign invaders, it's between Egyptians.

The anti-Morsi crowd screamed curses against the ousted president venting their fury, and relief then turned against us, the Sky News crew, mistaking us for Americans.

A hurried explanation gave us time to escape.

More than 200 people have been wounded nationwide, according to officials

There are now two armies of protesters on the streets of Cairo - enraged and out for vengeance, determined to prevail.

Violence also erupted in cities of southern Egypt, along the Suez Canal and in the Nile Delta, with officials reporting more than 200 people injured. Four were killed in the northern Sinai city of el Arish, where Islamists stormed a government building.

Egypt's ambulance authority said 36 people had died nationwide, including 12 people in clashes in Alexandria. Most of the fatalities were from gunshot wounds.

It came after the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies called for protesters to take to the streets on the Muslim day of prayer for what it described as a "Friday of Rage".

The leader of the Brotherhood called for followers to remain peaceful but he vowed to restore power to Mr Morsi, who was ousted in a military coup earlier this week, a year after being elected to office.

Meanwhile, lawyers for ex-president Hosni Mubarak entered a not guilty plea as his retrial for alleged complicity in the killings of protesters in 2011 resumed.

The 85-year-old former leader appeared in the dock behind bars, wearing dark sunglasses and a white prison uniform.

During the televised hearing, Cairo's criminal court heard submissions by the defence before proceedings were adjourned  until August 17.

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Islamic Militants Kill 30 In Nigeria School Attack

Armed Islamic militants have killed 29 students and an English teacher in an attack on a boarding school in northeastern Nigeria.

Survivors being treated for burns and gunshot wounds said some students were burned alive in the attack on Saturday which has been blamed on a radical terror group.

Gunmen, believed to be from Islamist sect Boko Haram, stormed the premises of Government Secondary School in the town of Mamudo in Yobe state at around 3am, setting fire to parts of the complex.

Dozens of children from the 1,200-student school escaped into the bush and have not been seen since.

Parents rushed to the school and screamed in anguish as they tried to identify the charred and dead bodies of the victims.

Mohammed Musa, who taught English at the school, died after he was shot in the chest.

One 15-year-old, who survived the attack, told of how he awoke to find one of the attackers pointing a gun at him.

Speaking at Potsikum General Hospital, Musa Hassan said: "We were sleeping when we heard gunshots. When I woke up, someone was pointing a gun at me."

Nigerian soldiers on patrol in a village

He put up his hands in defence and was shot in his right hand, the one he uses to write with, and lost four fingers.

The child said the gunmen came armed with jerry cans of fuel that they used to torch the school's administrative block and one of the hostels.

"They burned the children alive," he added.

Farmer Malam Abdullahi found the bodies of two of his sons, a 10-year-old shot in the back as he apparently tried to run away, and a 12-year-old shot in the chest.

He said he planned to withdraw his three remaining sons from another school nearby.

"That's it, I'm taking my other boys out of school," he said.

He complained there was no protection for students despite the deployment of thousands of troops since the government declared a state of emergency mid-May in three northeastern states.

"It's not safe," he said. "The gunmen are attacking schools and there is no protection for students despite all the soldiers," he added.

A poster offers a reward for the capture of Boko Haram head Abubakar Shekau

It is the deadliest of three attacks on schools since the military launched its offensive to try to crush Boko Haram. The group's nickname translates as "Western education is sinful" in the northern Hausa language.

Suspected Islamist militants opened fire on a school in Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri last month, killing nine students, and a similar attack on a school in the city of Damaturu killed seven just days earlier.

Dozens of schools have been torched and unknown scores of students killed among more than 1,600 victims slain by extremists since 2010.

Militants have increasingly targeted civilians, including health workers on vaccination campaigns, teachers and government workers, while farmers have been driven from their land.

President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency on May 14, and deployed thousands of troops to halt the insurgency, acknowledging that militants had taken control of some towns and villages.

Nigerian forces say they have wrest back control of the remote northeast from Boko Haram, destroying key bases and arresting scores of suspects.

However, the military crackdown has pushed many militants into hiding.

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Fireworks Injure 28 At Independence Day Event

Malfunctioning fireworks are being blamed for a blast that injured 28 people at a 4th of July celebration northwest of Los Angeles.

Around 20 people had to be taken to hospital late on Thursday night with minor to serious injuries after the explosion at the Simi Valley park in California.

Videos posted online show a series of large unexpected blasts on or near the ground.

One man watching the scene is heard saying: "That wasn't supposed to happen."

A man is treated for head injuries after the blast. Pic: CBS News

A wooden platform holding the live pyrotechnics tipped over. Authorities estimate people were 900ft (275m) away from where the fireworks were being launched.

Witnesses described how large rockets, that were meant to shoot and explode high in the sky, were flying horizontally into the crowd before detonating.

"We saw at least two or three fireworks go sideways, horizontally and explode," said JT Alpaugh, a KABC-TV reporter who was watching the display with his family.

"And then it seemed like the barrage of fireworks started exploding at the base of the park, right near the soccer field at ground level. Now obviously fireworks are designed to go up 200ft in the air and explode. And we realised immediately that something was terribly, terribly wrong."

Witnesses described how the fireworks flew into the crowd. Pic: CBS News

Four of the injured spectators are said to have serious wounds consistent with shrapnel injuries.

One police officer who ran into the crowd when the blasts occurred had shrapnel tear through his leather belt and his clothing. He has minor injuries to his back

"There was an accidental detonation of a professional fireworks show that resulted in the cancellation of the show," Police Commander John Parks told the Ventura County Star.

At least four of the 28 victims were seriously hurt. Pic: CBS News

The annual city-run Fireworks Extravaganza usually attracts thousands of Independence Day revellers.

The display field was evacuated and cordoned off. The Ventura County fire department's bomb squad was called in to deactivate the remaining fireworks.

Meanwhile, a worker at a fireworks show in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was injured when a shell exploded prematurely.

The explosion at the Cherry Grove Pier caused the show to end after just six minutes, and left a hole in the pier.

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Egypt Braced For Violence Amid Coup Protests

Muslim Brotherhood's Future

Updated: 12:46pm UK, Friday 05 July 2013

By Sam Kiley, Middle East Correspondent

Some 300 leaders rounded up, gone into hiding or facing travel bans; its Supreme Guide and his deputy labelled as wanted men - Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood is reeling and leaderless.

Why, then, would Adli Mansour, the new Egyptian president, reach out to it, saying that it is "invited to take part in political life - they should not be excluded"?

Oddly enough, there is nothing inconsistent about such inconsistencies.

The Supreme Council for the Armed Forces, headed by the man who led the coup against former president Mohamed Morsi, is made up of officers who have spent their careers being indoctrinated with the view that the Brotherhood is a dangerous threat to the Egyptian state.

So rounding up its members, just like they did under Hosni Mubarak and his predecessors as far back as 1954 when the Brotherhood was banned, comes easily.

But the caretaker president knows that the movement is the most effective and widely spread political group in Egypt.

The Brotherhood, even driven underground, will remain a potent if not the most potent force in Egyptian politics.

It has renounced violence. So, although there were bloodcurdling references as the coup unfolded to members being prepared to die to protect the presidency, they chose instead to wait and see what would happen.

So far, what they have seen has frightened them.

"We have gone back to the days of Mubarak. People have gone underground, they are afraid that they will lose their jobs or face persecution, be jailed without charge - just like in the old days," said a Brotherhood activist who said he was in hiding and asked to remain anonymous.

"We don't know what to do next. Our leaders have been silenced and our communities don't know whether they should take to the streets, try to win the next election, or start fighting," he added.

More extreme groups from the Islamic firmament - such as the Dawa movement of Salafists who are dedicated to establishing strict Sharia law - have abandoned the Brotherhood.

Dawa may see an opportunity in the Brotherhood's dark hours to pick up followers. Its members have been ordered to stay away from demonstrations and return to their homes so they can be distinguished from Mr Morsi's supporters.

Such a calculation is unlikely to prove sound - Dawa is more likely to be seen as a sell-out.

The Brotherhood leaders have been in jail before but the movement has survived.

Come the elections promised by the new incumbent in the presidential palace, the movement can expect a strong showing - that is if it's really going to be invited back to Egypt's political party.

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Freak Meeting Reunites Twins After 41 Years

By Victoria Wei and Sabrina Zeng, in Beijing

Twin brothers, separated as babies, have been reunited after more than 40 years following a chance encounter in China's Sichuan province.

In late June, a friend of Chengdu resident Zeng Yong, 41, said he had met a man in the city of Neijiang, 200km away, whom he claimed was identical to Mr Zeng.

Mr Zeng, a hotelier, travelled to Neijiang, home to close to four million people, to see the man for himself.

Amazingly, on meeting Liu Yonggang, a junior manager at the city's bus company, he realised he was his long-lost twin brother.

Due to their parents' poverty, the pair had been put up for adoption in 1972 when only a few months old. They were taken by different families.

Since being reunited, the brothers have tracked down their estranged 74-year-old mother.

After being reunited, the twins tracked down their mother.

She was living in Jianning, having remarried after the death of the boys' father a decade earlier.

The twins' story has proved popular on China's Sina Weibo social media website.

One user commented: "People nowadays can't understand the helplessness of parents in that era of poverty.

"Keeping children at home meant leaving them to die of starvation … I hope they are both happy."

Another said: "Brothers reunited. Words can't express it. 41 years apart, how sad. I wish them all the happiness."

Mr Liu's colleagues at the bus company have organised a party to celebrate the reunion and welcome the new family members to Neijiang.

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Pope Clears John Paul II For Sainthood

Pope Francis has cleared John Paul II for sainthood, approving a second miracle attributed to his intercession, the Vatican says.

John Paul was extremely popular during much of his 27-year-papacy. 

He died in 2005 at age 84.

The canonisation ceremony is expected to take place before the end of the year, possibly in December.

Two miracles are required for sainthood.

The first miracle to be approved by the Vatican came just six months after John Paul's death, when French nun Sister Marie Simon-Pierre inexplicably recovered from Parkinson's disease after praying for the late pontiff's "intercession".

Pope Francis approved the second miracle attributed to John Paul

There have been suggestions that Sister Marie did not actually have Parkinson's.

The Vatican spokesman said the second miracle concerned a Costa Rican woman.

The Spanish Catholic newspaper La Razon said she suffered from a brain aneurysm that was inexplicably cured on May 1, 2011 - the day of John Paul's beatification.

La Razon reported that the woman had been given only a month to live after doctors found she had the aneurysm. But her family said that after they prayed to John Paul, the aneurysm disappeared.

The newspaper quoted her doctor, Dr Alejandro Vargas, as saying: "I can't explain it based on science."

For a healing to be officially certified as a miracle, the occurrence must be permanent, instantaneous and have no scientific explanation.

The Vatican put John Paul on a fast-track to sainthood just weeks after his death on April 2, 2005, dispensing with the traditional five-year waiting period.

Calls for the beloved pontiff to become a saint erupted at his funeral, where many mourners shouted "Santo Subito!" ("Sainthood Now!").

A view of St Peter's Square during John Paul's funeral

But some Vatican observers have voiced concerns that the process has been too quick.

The last years of John Paul's papacy have been marred by a clerical sex abuse scandal, and critics said he failed to address other problems such as dysfunctional governance at the Vatican.

As one of the longest-serving popes, the Polish-born John Paul travelled far and wide, often greeted by massive crowds as he championed peace, denounced human rights abuses and deplored the decadence of the modern world.

He eschewed the pomp that surrounded his predecessors to seek contact with ordinary people, and is credited by many with helping to topple Communism in Eastern Europe. In 1981, he survived an assassination attempt in St Peter's Square.

But he also alienated many Catholics with staunchly conservative views on social matters.

The Pope with the Queen in 2000

Pope Francis also decided to make the late pontiff John XXIII a saint even though the Vatican has not confirmed a second miracle attributed to his intercession.

The Vatican said Francis had the power to "dispense" with the normal saint-making procedures to canonise him on his own merit, without a miracle.

John XXIII, who led the Roman Catholic Church between 1958 and 1963, was dubbed the "good pope" and enacted sweeping reforms to modernise the Vatican.

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Egyptians Celebrate Revolutionary Encore

By Dominic Waghorn, in Cairo

Elated crowds thronged Tahrir Square and let loose fireworks into the night sky as they celebrated what they say is a second revolution.

One young protester told Sky News: "I feel proud, I feel happy I feel relieved that Egypt has changed a regime, a very fascist regime, to a multi-party regime, hopefully a democratic one."

In numbers rivalling those that saw off Hosni Mubarak two and a half years ago, protesters gathered all day as they have since last week, in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and other towns.

Even among those who voted for Mr Morsi, there was an impatience to see him go.

Farmer Mansour told Sky News he bitterly regrets helping to put him in power because, he said, life has only got worse.

He said: "There's no gas to make our machines work, and all the plants die, what can people do, kids have no milk, no medicine, nothing."

Protesters concede Mr Morsi was voted president in elections, but accuse him of hijacking their revolution for his own ends.

They hope their revolutionary encore gives Egypt a second chance. But there were many expressing fear about the consequences, worried the Muslim Brotherhood will now take violent revenge.

There was a profound and surreal sense of deja vu about the events in Cairo to those of us who witnessed the first revolution.

But this is different. Instead of removing a dictator, the people and the military have deposed an elected president.

Egypt remains divided and its revolution in crisis, and violence seems likely.

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Doctor Punches Heart Surgery Patient In Chest

Footage has emerged of a doctor punching a patient in the chest just after a heart bypass operation.

Highly-regarded Russian anaesthesiologist Dr Andrey Votyakov told investigators he was extremely tired after a 36-hour shift and grew angry when the patient started abusing him.

He is seen hitting the man in the face and striking his fist at his chest while he is strapped on to a bed.

The patient reportedly died later at the Federal Centre for Cardiovascular Surgery in Perm, a city in the Urals, although his death is not believed to be linked to the attack.

Dr Votyakov said: "As soon as I came into the room with my team he started to call me various derogative names. And I just got blown away by it.

"We had spent so much time with his very complicated case to help him recover and he said not a single word of gratitude.

"And then the chronic tiredness added to it. I got carried away, and I punched him several times."

Dr Votyakov said he was "very sorry" and has reportedly apologised to the patient's parents.

It happened in February and at the time the doctor was head of anaesthesiology and intensive care at the hospital.

He was sacked after the incident became public and it is being investigated by police.

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Egypt Coup: Interim President Is Sworn In

The head of the constitutional court has been sworn in as Egypt's interim president, a day after the overthrow of the country's first democratically elected leader, Mohamed Morsi.

Adli Mansour took his oath of office under an army transition plan in a ceremony that was broadcast live on state television.

As the ceremony got underway, the skies above Cairo filled with military jets in a series of fly-pasts.

Above Tahrir Square, for days the centre of anti-government protests, Air Force planes painted the sky in the colours of the national flag.

"I swear to preserve the system of the republic, and respect the constitution and law, and guard the people's interests," Mr Mansour said.

He praised the mass protests demanding the ouster of Mr Morsi, saying they united Egyptians, but also invited the deposed president's Muslim Brotherhood "to take part in the political life".

The ousted president is in custody

The ceremony came after the army removed Mr Morsi, replacing him with Mr Mansour, suspended the Islamist-drafted constitution, and called for new elections.

Mr Morsi, who was elected a year ago, and his Brotherhood allies have blasted the army's intervention as a "full coup" by the generals.

The "second revolution" - after Arab Spring uprisings that led to the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in 2011 - leaves Egypt's 84 million people deeply divided.

In the streets of Cairo, millions celebrated the news of Mr Morsi's removal, as fireworks lit up the sky over Tahrir Square. At a square near Cairo University, his supporters were stunned into initial silence at the news.

Anti-Morsi protesters react to the army statement

Mr Morsi's removal prompted clashes across Egypt that left at least 14 people dead and hundreds wounded.

Fearing a violent reaction by Mr Morsi's Islamist supporters, troops and armoured vehicles deployed in the streets of Cairo and elsewhere, surrounding rallies.

David Cameron called for a return to the democratic process.

"We never support in countries the intervention by the military but what now needs to happen … is for democracy to flourish and for a genuine democratic transition to take place," the Prime Minister said.

"All parties need to be involved in that, and that's what Britain and our allies will be saying very clearly to the Egyptians."

General Abdul Fatah Khalil al Sisi announces the overthrow of Mohamed Morsi

Mr Morsi was being detained by the armed forces at an undisclosed facility, and prosecutors ordered the arrest of the Muslim Brotherhood's top leader, Mohamed Badie, and his deputy, Khairat el-Shater.

Arrest warrants have been issued for scores of other members of the political party.

In a televised address, the commander of the armed forces, General Abdul Fatah Khalil al Sisi, said Mr Morsi had "failed to meet the demands of the Egyptian people".

Flanked by military officials, Muslim and Christian clerics and political figures, he unveiled details of a political transition which he said had been agreed with them.

As acting leader, Mr Mansour will be assisted by an interim council and a technocratic government until new presidential and parliamentary elections are held.

No details were given as to when the new polls would take place.

The military chief also announced a national reconciliation committee that would include youth movements, and said the armed forces and police would deal "decisively" with any violence.

"Those in the meeting have agreed on a road map for the future that includes initial steps to achieve the building of a strong Egyptian society that is cohesive and does not exclude anyone and ends the state of tension and division," he said.

Muslim Brotherhood members and pro-Morsi supporters react in Cairo

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed for a peaceful settlement of the crisis, saying he will personally deliver a message to the country's leaders later in the day.

Ban said the "voices and aspirations of the people should have been heard" and that it was important to restore the democratic process in a "very volatile" situation.

President Barack Obama voiced his concern over the military intervention and urged a speedy return to a democratically elected government.

In a statement he said: "We are deeply concerned by the decision of the Egyptian Armed Forces to remove President Morsi and suspend the Egyptian constitution.

"I now call on the Egyptian military to move quickly and responsibly to return full authority back to a democratically elected civilian government as soon as possible through an inclusive and transparent process, and to avoid any arbitrary arrests of President Morsi and his supporters."

A military helicopter above Tahrir Square

However, the US and other world powers have not branded Mr Morsi's removal as a military coup - which might trigger sanctions.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he had talked with his Egyptian counterpart and had been reassured that "there will be early presidential elections".

He said: "It is the problem with a military intervention that it is a precedent for the future, that if this is going to happen to a democratically elected president it can happen to another in the future, and that's why it's so important to entrench democratic institutions."

The Foreign Office has advised British citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Egypt apart from the Red Sea resorts, and to monitor travel advice from the Foreign Office.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton condemned the bloodshed and also called for a swift return to democracy.

A soldier cheers with anti-Morsi protesters

Mr Morsi's overthrow came after days of demonstrations against the government. He rejected calls to step down and defied an army deadline.

Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sam Kiley, reporting from within a military cordon around Cairo University, said: "This is a miserable scene from the perspective of the Muslim Brotherhood's supporters.

"They cannot understand why it is possible to overthrow an elected president of the country simply by taking to the streets and holding loud demonstrations. They are also afraid that this could herald a crackdown against them."

The Muslim Brotherhood's TV station was taken off air and its managers arrested hours after Mr Morsi was overthrown.

The Egypt25 channel had been broadcasting live coverage of rallies by tens of thousands of pro-Morsi demonstrators in Cairo and around the country, with speeches by leading Brotherhood politicians denouncing the military intervention to oust the elected president.

The offices of Al Jazeera's Egyptian television channel were also reportedly raided by security forces and prevented from broadcasting from a pro-Morsi rally. Several members of staff were also reportedly detained.

:: Follow live updates here

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Nelson Mandela Children Reburied At Qunu

The exhumed remains of three of Nelson Mandela's children have been reburied in his childhood village of Qunu, AFP has reported.

"We are here now at the graveyard burying the remains," police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Mzukisi Fatyela said.

The remains of the three children have been at the centre of a bitter family feud over the former South African president's final resting place.

More follows...

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Portugal: Markets Fall As Crisis Deepens

Portugal's financial crisis has reignited, triggering a stock market plunge and once again raising the spectre that its borrowing costs could soon become unsustainable.

Share prices plummeted 6% in early trading on Wednesday and other major stock markets, including the FTSE 100, also fell sharply.

Investors were reacting to growing political turmoil after Foreign Minister Paulo Portas resigned on Tuesday night, a day after the shock departure of Finance Minister Vitor Gaspar amid growing unrest against austerity.

Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho has defied calls to follow suit but the resignations at the top of the centre-right government have left deep concerns over not only the coalition's future but Portugal's ability to pursue the steep savings, demanded by creditors, in return for continued bailout support.

There has been a fierce public backlash against the austerity drive, in what is one of the poorest countries that uses the euro.

Values correct at 09:24 BST

But unease among investors about whether that tough savings programme will continue has forced up the country's borrowing costs too on bond markets.

The yield - the percentage Portugal pays to service its debts - on the country's benchmark 10-year bond spiked just below 8% on Wednesday.

A 10-year borrowing rate of about 8% is widely considered unsustainable.

Spanish and Italian yields jumped too while nervousness over the state of Greece's next tranche of bailout money also caused jitters on stock markets as well.

"With disorder and uncertainty over the political situation in Egypt threatening stability in the Middle East, and a Greek deadline looming to prove it can action its bailout conditions before receiving the next tranche of aid, volatility is likely to be high," Mark Ward, head of trading at Sanlam Securities, said.

Jose Manuel Barroso is monitoring developments with "concern"

The President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso admitted the situation in Portugal was a worry.

He said: "The initial reaction of the markets shows the obvious risk that the financial credibility recently built up by Portugal could be jeopardised by the current political instability.

"If this happens it would be especially damaging for the Portuguese people, particularly as there were already preliminary signs of economic recovery.

This delicate situation requires a great sense of responsibility from all political forces and leaders. The situation should be clarified as soon as possible."

He concluded: "We trust that Portuguese democracy will deliver a solution ensuring that the sacrifices the Portuguese people have made until now will not have been in vain."

It later emerged that Portugal's president would meet the prime minister and leaders of political parties on Thursday in a bid to settle the uncertainty.

President Anibal Cavaco Silva has the power to call snap elections.

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Egypt Sex Attacks Reach 'Horrific' Levels

Almost 100 women have been sexually assaulted in Cairo's Tahrir Square in just four days, according to Human Rights Watch.

The charity described the attacks as "rampant" and said they highlight the "failure of the government and all political parties to face up to the violence that women in Egypt experience on a daily basis".

Some of the 91 women assaulted were reportedly beaten with metal chains, chairs and sticks, while others were attacked with knives.

Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said: "These are serious crimes that are holding women back from participating fully in the public life of Egypt at a critical point in the country's development."

The assaults come amid escalating protests in the square around the first anniversary of President Mohamed Morsi's election.

He faces mounting pressure to resign, as well as an army deadline to resolve the country's political crisis that could lead to military intervention.

Some say the attacks are staged by thugs who are abusing a lack of security and are confident of escaping prosecution.

Others claim they are organised to scare women into not joining anti-government protests.

Human Rights Watch cited figures from a hotline for victims of sexual assault and Nazra for Feminist Studies, a women's rights group.

The watchdog called on Egyptian officials and political leaders to "condemn and take immediate steps to address the horrific levels of sexual violence" in the square.

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Egypt: 'Crisis Meeting Held' As Deadline Looms

Military chiefs in Egypt have reportedly met for crisis talks, as an army deadline to resolve the country's political crisis draws near.

Senior commanders attended the meeting of the Armed Forces General Command, military sources claimed.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian liberal opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei is believed to have met army chief General Abdel Fattah al Sisi.

Tens of thousands of Egyptians have staged protests across the country

"ElBaradei will urge the armed forces to intervene to stop the bloodshed," a political source told the Reuters news agency.

The Egyptian army has threatened to intervene unless President Mohamed Morsi agrees to a resolution. It could dissolve parliament and take control of the country, sparking fears of a military coup.

The deadline expires at 5pm (3pm GMT), although the army said it had set no time for issuing statements or speeches.

Thousands joined a protest in Tahrir Square in Cairo

Earlier, a state-run newspaper claimed Mr Morsi will either step down or be removed from office when a political road map for the future of the country is drawn up.

The Al-Ahram newspaper said the plan would establish a three-member presidential council to be chaired by the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court.

However an Egyptian military source denied the reports and said he expected political, social and economic figures to be called to talks.

Mr Morsi said he would protect democratic "legitimacy" with his life

Mr Morsi previously refused to step down and said he would protect democratic "legitimacy" with his life.

Addressing the nation in a 45-minute televised speech, he said he had been voted for in a free and fair election and it was his job to "safeguard the revolution" that put him in office.

Mr Morsi called for calm and said Egyptians should not attack the army, police or each other. He was, he said, attempting to get the army to return to its normal duties and withdraw its ultimatum.

A protester sits in front of anti-Morsi artwork on a Cairo building

Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sam Kiley, in the Egyptian capital Cairo, said: "What matters is what does the military do now it's nailed its colours so firmly to the deadline that comes on Wednesday evening, and what will be the reaction, not only of Mr Morsi, but of his supporters?

"The President has very substantial support from, broadly speaking, Islamists across the country and they are not likely to take a sudden change in a presidency that has a three-year mandate lying down.

"They've put out numerous statements on social media saying they will fight and lay down their lives for the cause."

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood ride on a truck through Cairo

The armed forces, which took control of the country after the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in 2011, have intensified their presence in Egypt's cities ahead of the deadline.

Thousands of people gathered in Tahrir Square, the birthplace of the revolution, while a giant crowd protested outside the Qasr el-Qobba presidential palace where Mr Morsi has been working in recent days.

Meanwhile, Muslim Brotherhood supporters who witnessed clashes near Cairo University told Sky News demonstrators were attacked with automatic gunfire.

They claimed many protesters were killed and said they expect similar attacks after the deadline passes.

The Foreign Office has warned against all but essential travel to most of Egypt and said any Britons in the country should consider "whether they have a pressing need to remain".

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Mandela Family Remains 'Must Be Exhumed'

By Robert Nisbet, Sky News Correspondent

Nelson Mandela's eldest grandson has lost his appeal against a court order to return the remains of three relatives to a graveyard where the former president was raised.

Mandla Mandela, who is the chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council, had exhumed the bodies of his father and two other children of the ailing icon without seeking permission from other relatives.

He put the remains in three graves near a visitor centre and complex he is building in the Eastern Cape where Nelson Mandela was born.

The relatives argue he moved the bodies to establish a family cemetery at the development - which could eventually include the grave of Nelson Mandela - in order to attract paying tourists.

After Judge Lusindiso Pakade made the ruling, one of the lawyers for the Mandela family was heard saying outside court: "The hearse is on the way."

Mandela's daughter Makaziwe (L), grandson Ndaba and granddaughter Ndileka

The court has said Mandla, the chief of the clan and Mandela's official heir, must exhume the bodies by 3pm on Wednesday, or a sheriff would be sent to Qunu to carry out the task.

The grandson's legal team launched an immediate appeal, saying the chief did not have enough time to explain his side of the story to the court and called for a mediator to be appointed, to avoid unwanted publicity.

Mandela's eldest daughter Makaziwe Mandela, her nephew Ndaba Mandela, and niece Ndileka Mandela were in court to observe proceedings.

The graves are those of Mandela's eldest son, Mandla Mandela's father, Makgatho Mandela, who died in 2005; Mandela's first daughter Makaziwe Mandela, who died as an infant in 1948; and Mandela's second son Madiba Thembekile, who died in a car accident in 1969.

The family dispute comes as the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader remains critically ill in a Pretoria hospital.  

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Snowden Changes His Mind On Asylum In Russia

Fugitive Edward Snowden has withdrawn his request for political asylum in Russia after Moscow told him he would have to stop leaking US intelligence reports.

The news comes after it emerged that the 30-year-old, who faces espionage charges in America, has asked for asylum in 21 countries, including 13 in Europe.

They include Poland, which has turned him down, while officials in Germany, Norway, Austria and Switzerland said he cannot apply for asylum from abroad.

Among the other countries approached are Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Finland, Ireland the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and India, which has also said 'no'.

Mr Snowden's about-turn on Russia apparently followed comments by President Vladimir Putin that he was welcome to stay in the country as long he stopped "harming our American partners".

Cuba's Raul Castro and Bolivia's Evo Morales are both being asked for help

The former intelligence analyst, who is holed up the transit area at Moscow airport, has received a more encouraging response from Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.

He said on Tuesday that Caracas had not yet received an asylum request from him and would make a decision only when it did.

But he voiced sympathy with Mr Snowden's actions and described him as a champion of human rights.

"He deserves the world's protection. He has not asked us for it yet. When he does we will give our answer," Mr Maduro said during a visit to Moscow.

President Obama: Fierce criticism

"We think this young person has done something very important for humanity, has done a favour to humanity, has spoken great truths to deconstruct a world that … is controlled by an imperialist American elite."

In contrast, Ecuador has said it is not considering Mr Snowden's asylum request and never intended to facilitate his flight from Hong Kong, to Moscow on June 23.

President Rafael Correa told The Guardian newspaper the whistle blower was Russia's responsibility and would have to reach Ecuadorean territory before the country would consider granting him asylum.

Mr Correa, speaking at the presidential palace in Quito, insisted his government had not intended to give Mr Snowden a temporary travel pass. "It was a mistake on our part," he said.

His comments came after the American wrote him a letter, praising Ecuador's "bravery" in considering his request for political asylum.

Mr Snowden has, meanwhile, accused US Presdent Barack Obama of denying him the right to asylum and of putting political pressure on countries he has approached.

In a statement published on the WikiLeaks website, he said Mr Obama was practising the "old, bad tools of political aggression".

"On Thursday, President Obama declared before the world that he would not permit any diplomatic "wheeling and dealing" over my case.

"Yet now it is being reported that after promising not to do so, the President ordered his Vice President to pressure the leaders of nations from which I have requested protection to deny my asylum petitions.

"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."

Mr Snowden said the White House was "using citizenship as a weapon" and had denied him the right to seek asylum by revoking his passport, "leaving me a stateless person" and stopping him from "exercising a basic human right... the right to seek asylum".

He added: "In the end the Obama administration is not afraid of whistleblowers like me, Bradley Manning or Thomas Drake.

"We are stateless, imprisoned, or powerless. No, the Obama administration is afraid of you. It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be."

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Bond And Bueller Cars To Be Auctioned Off

Two famous movie cars are going up for sale - the Ferrari from classic 80s movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off and James Bond's submersible Lotus.

The Bond car, which appeared in The Spy Who Loved Me, goes under the hammer in London in September and the Bueller car at Pebble Beach, California, in August.

Auctioneers say the famous Lotus Esprit was the only one made for the film and cost about £65,000 when built, the equivalent of £330,000 today.

Known as 'Wet Nellie' on the set of the 1977 film, the propeller vehicle laid 'undiscovered' in a Long Island storage unit for 10 years.

A local couple unexpectedly found themselves owner of the iconic motor after they won a blind auction for the contents of the unit.

The fully-functioning Lotus was originally built by Perry Oceanographic in Florida and was piloted by a retired US Navy Seal.

Matthew Broderick took his dad's car for a spin in Ferris Bueller's Day Off

The Ferris Bueller car, which gets wrecked at the end of the 1986 film, is depicted as a Ferrari 250 GT California.

However, film-makers actually used three replicas built by California company Modena Design and Development.

With 500 horsepower though, its new owner will certainly get supercar performance.

Modena co-founder Neil Glassmoyer said the company built the replicas in four weeks.

"Two were interchangeably used as hero and stunt cars and one was a rolling fibreglass shell that was used in the destruction scene," he said.

"This car was actually intended for the stunt work, but both saw action, and both wound up with broken front suspension bolts because the big jump scene took nine takes between the two cars."

Glassmoyer said director John Hughes was also considering a Porsche Turbo for the film but eventually chose the iconic red sportscar.

The car goes up for sale on August 17 but will have to go some way to beat the prices achieved by authentic Ferrari classics.

In 2010, DJ Chris Evans paid £12m for a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO.

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Russia: Lebedev Guilty Over Chat Show Brawl

Media magnate Alexander Lebedev has been found guilty of battery over a brawl on a TV chat show in his native Russia.

The financial backer of Britain's Independent and Evening Standard newspapers had claimed the case against him was politically motivated.

Last week the opposition surprisingly dropped the main charge against him, of "hooliganism", which carried the threat of several years in prison.

Instead they asked for his movements to be restricted for 21 months and for him to be banned from large public gatherings.

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti said he had been sentenced to 150 hours of community service.

Lebedev, a former London-based KGB agent, punched Sergei Polonsky on a Russian political chat show in September 2011, knocking him to the floor.

He claimed he was protecting himself and that the subsequent charge of hooliganism was disproportionate.

Last week Mr Polonsky called for Lebedev to be forgiven.

More follows ...

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Marine Le Pen: Far-Right Leader Loses Immunity

The European Parliament has lifted French National Front leader Marine Le Pen's criminal and civil immunity, opening the way for race hate charges.

Prosecutors in Lyon in central France are investigating Ms Le Pen for alleged incitement to racial hatred over remarks she made during a speech in 2010.

She likened the sight of Muslims praying in the street to Nazi occupation during World War Two.

The populist far-right leader, who was first elected to the European Parliament in 2004, said ahead of the decision that she was a "dissident" and had invoked her right to freedom of expression.

Ms Le Pen said she was confident she would win any trial.

In the speech, she denounced the holding of Muslim prayers in the streets of France - where a dearth of mosques has forced many to pray outside.

"For those who like to talk about World War Two, to talk about occupation, we could talk about, for once, the occupation of our territory," she said.

"There are no armoured vehicles, no soldiers, but it is an occupation all the same and it weighs on people."

Ms Le Pen won 18% of the vote in the first round of France's presidential election in April 2012, her party's highest-ever score.

The European Parliament's judicial committee last month voted with an overwhelming majority in favour of lifting her immunity.

French politicians abstained to avoid any accusation of a political settling of scores.

As with many national parliaments, members of the European Parliament enjoy immunity from criminal and civil liability for opinions expressed as part of their duties, unless the chamber votes to lift the immunity.

Immunity has been revoked dozens of times for MEPs in the past.

Ms Le Pen's father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, had his European Parliament immunity revoked in 1998 when he said that Nazi gas chambers were "a detail" in the history of World War Two.

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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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Croatia Celebrates European Union Membership

Croatia has become the 28th member of the European Union, a major milestone which comes some 20 years after the country won independence in a bloody civil war.

It is the bloc's first addition since Bulgaria and Romania joined in 2007.

The republic joins the EU two decades after declaring independence from federal Yugoslavia, a step that triggered four years of war in which some 20,000 people died.

Though enthusiasm for the country's achievement has been dampened by the EU's financial turmoil, it is a historic turning point for the Balkan nation of 4.2 million people.

Among those who gathered in the capital Zagreb to celebrate were the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy.

Fireworks during the celebration in Split

President Ivo Josipovic told Croatia's Nova TV that journalists from EU countries had repeatedly asked him why the nation wanted to join the bloc.

"My counter question was: 'You come from the EU. Is your country preparing to leave the bloc?' They would invariably reply: 'Of course not.' Well, there you go, that's why we are joining, because we also believe the EU has a future," he said.

But few Croatians were in the mood to party as they face a fifth year of recession and record unemployment of 21%.

Most of the 3,700 fishermen who ply their trade in Croatia's eastern Adriatic fear that the country's accession to the bloc and strict laws and regulations that come with it will damage their trade.

"I'm afraid we're in for a lot of unpleasant surprises," said Danilo Latin, whose family have been fishermen for four generations.

Fisherman Danilo Latin fears EU accession could put an end to his business

"We'll lose the subsidies, we'll have to change our nets, fish further from the shore, there will be more competition and new restrictions, so we're looking at harder times," he said.

But for some Croatians the merits of accession were undeniable, despite the lukewarm mood.

"I know many people in Croatia are very sceptical but I think EU entry is the best thing that could have happened and it's an injustice we should have waited since 1990," said Zeljko Kastelan, a businessman whose hotels employ 70 people.

"What we need to do now is work hard to make up for the lost time."

Speaking on Sky's Murnaghan programme on Sunday, the Croatian prime minister, Zoran Milanovic, said the scepticism was to be expected.

"Croatian citizens always retain a pinch of scepticism, so in relation to the EU you would hardly ever get in Croatia 100% support for any grand idea," he said.

"It's a rational and reasonable amount of scepticism that's always present in Croatian society."

Croatia has gone through seven years of tortuous and often unpopular EU-guided reform.

It has handed over more than a dozen Croatian and Bosnian Croat military and political leaders charged with war crimes to the United Nations tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.

It has sold shipyards, steeped in history and tradition but deep in debt, and launched a fight against corruption that saw former prime minister Ivo Sanader jailed.

Some EU members remain concerned at the level organised crime.

The country, which has a coastline that attracts 10 million tourists each year, is one of seven that emerged from the ashes of Yugoslavia during a decade of war in the 1990s.

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Egypt: Seven Killed As Protests Turn Violent

Four ministers have resigned from Egypt's ruling cabinet amid fierce protests against President Mohamed Morsi.

The ministers of tourism, environment, communication and legal affairs handed in their letters of resignation together to Prime Minister Hisham Qandil.

Mass protests are taking place across Egypt calling for the Islamist president to resign. The protests are being held exactly a year since Mr Morsi came to power.

The Cairo headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood were stormed and ransacked by protesters overnight, leaving the heavily fortified villa with furniture and files.

Footage on local TV networks showed smashed windows and smoke billowing out of the building. One protester was seen removing the Muslim Brotherhood sign from the building's front wall.

The Muslim Brotherhood says it is considering self-defence units to protect the building.

The storming of the headquarters followed overnight clashes between armed supporters of Mr Morsi barricaded inside the building and young protesters pelting it with firebombs and rocks.

At least seven people have reportedly been killed and more than 600 wounded in clashes between supporters and opponents of the president.

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.

Organisers of the protests have given the president until 5pm on Tuesday to step down, and called on the police and the military to clearly state their support for what the protest movement called the popular will.

Police and troops have deployed to protect key buildings around the country, and 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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Arizona Wildfire: 19 Firefighters Killed

Nineteen 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 wildfire is the deadliest involving fatalities to fire crews since a blaze at Griffith Park, Los Angeles, in 1933, where 29 firefighters died, according to figures from the National Fire Protection Association.

"We're devastated," said Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo. "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.

Strong winds and low humidity allowed the blaze to spread quickly

"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 Fraijo 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."

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, who said the state had endured "as dark a day" as she could remember, said the firefighters may have been caught in a flash fire that "turned around and overcame them all".

Art Morrison, a state forestry official, added: "In normal circumstances, when you're digging fire lines, you make sure you have a good escape route and you have a safety zone set up.

"Evidently, their safety zone wasn't big enough and the fire just overtook them."

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

Hundreds of homes have been destroyed by the fire

"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."

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 Mr 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.

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Snowden Spying Claims: US 'Bugged EU Offices'

European Union offices in Brussels and the US were bugged by Washington, according to fresh spying allegations reportedly made by fugitive Edward Snowden.

The German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel reported the new claims by the former US intelligence analyst, who is on the run from US authorities seeking his extradition over intelligence leaks.

It said its report was based on confidential documents, some of which it had been able to consult via Snowden.

One document describes how the US National Security Agency (NSA) installed microphones in a building housing the EU's diplomatic mission in Washington.

Snowden's face appears on a TV at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport

The "strictly confidential" paper, dated September 2010, also shows its computer network had been infiltrated to provide access to emails and internal documents.

The EU delegation at the UN was also subject to similar surveillance and leaked documents referred to the Europeans as "targets", according to the report.

And the spying also extended to the 27-member bloc's Brussels headquarters.

Der Spiegel referred to an incident "more than five years ago" when EU security experts discovered telephone and online bugging devices at the Justus Lipsius building.

In 2003, the EU announced it had found phone taps in the building targeting the offices of several countries, including Britain, France and Germany.

EU Parliament President Martin Schulz

It was not immediately clear if Der Spiegel was referring to this case.

The latest claims are likely to strain America's relations with its European partners.

European Parliament President Martin Schulz has demanded a full and speedy clarification from Washington.

He said: "I am deeply worried and shocked about the allegations of US authorities spying on EU offices.

"If the allegations prove to be true, it would be an extremely serious matter which will have a severe impact on EU-US relations."

US spying was "out of control", said Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn.

"The US would do better to monitor its intelligence services instead of its allies," he added.

Even before the latest allegations, the EU's Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding wrote to US Attorney General Eric Holder earlier this month calling for answers about its internet spy programme.

In a speech on June 14, he said: "Fundamentally, this is a question of trust.

"Trust of citizens towards their governments and to the governments of partner nations."

Earlier this month, Snowden revealed details of the top-secret Prism programme operated by the NSA.

EU Commission at the EU headquarters in Brussels

He subsequently fled to Hong Kong before escaping to Moscow where he is currently in transit in an airport awaiting asylum from a country that will accept him.

Prism collects and analyses information from internet and phone users around the world, with access to data from Google, Yahoo! and other internet firms.

US officials say the information gathered is vital in the fight against global terrorism.

Meanwhile, the diplomatic squabbling over the fate of Snowden continues.

Ecuador's President Rafael Correa said that US Vice President Joe Biden had, in a telephone conversation on Saturday, asked him to reject any asylum request from Snowden.

But in a television interview later, Mr Correa said Snowden's fate was in Russia's hands as Quito could not process his asylum until he was on Ecuadoran soil.

The president said his government would listen to opinions from US authorities, but that the final decision rested with Ecuador.

"We have not sought out this situation," said Mr Correa.

"Snowden is in contact with (WikiLeaks founder Julian) Assange, who recommended he seek asylum in Ecuador," he added.

Ecuador has already granted refuge to Australian activist Assange, founder of the anti-secrecy WikiLeaks website.

Assange, who is wanted for questioning in Sweden on sex assault allegations, took refuge at the Ecuadoran embassy in London a year ago to avoid Britain putting him on a plane to Stockholm.

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Egypt: Crowds Gather For Anti-Morsi Protests

Thousands of protesters gathered in Cairo ahead of mass demonstrations across Egypt today - a year since President Mohamed Morsi came to power.

Scores of people gathered at 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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Obama Visits Mandela's Robben Island Cell

Barack Obama and his family have visited the stark cell where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison during the apartheid regime.

The US President arrived in Cape Town ahead of his visit to the jail on Robben Island, now preserved as a tribute to the anti-apartheid icon, who is critically ill in hospital.

Mr Obama has been to the prison before, when he was a senator in 2006, but wanted to return with his wife Michelle and daughters.

"For me to be able to bring my daughters there and teach them the history of that place and this country ... that's a great privilege and a great honour," said Mr Obama during his stop in South Africa as part of a three-nation tour.

South Africa's first black president will be the focus of Mr Obama's keynote speech at the University of Cape Town where Robert F Kennedy gave a speech in 1966 linking the struggles against apartheid and the US civil rights movement.

Barack Obama visiting a prison cell as senator in 2006

Mr Obama will use the platform to cite Mr Mandela's unifying legacy as a blueprint for a new generation in emerging Africa.

Pointing to Africa's crippling lack of electrical power, Mr Obama is also expected to announce a $7bn initiative over five years to double access to power in sub-Saharan Africa.

Mr Mandela's illness placed Mr Obama in a tricky political spot, forcing him to balance his desire to push for a new economic relationship with Africa, with the need to properly honour his hero and "personal inspiration".

On Saturday, Mr Obama called Mr Mandela's wife Graca Machel and privately visited several of his daughters and grandchildren to offer support and prayers.

But he did not push for a visit to the Pretoria hospital where the 94-year-old is being treated, worried that he would disturb his peace.

Nelson Mandela visiting his old prison cell in 1995

"I expressed my hope that Madiba draws peace and comfort from the time that he is spending with loved ones," Mr Obama told Mrs Machel according to a statement.

Mrs Machel said she drew "strength from the support" from the Obama family.

After bilateral talks with Mr Obama, South Africa President Jacob Zuma said Mr Mandela remained in a "critical but stable" condition with a recurring lung infection.

Mr Obama has been faulted for lacking a grand programme to benefit Africa like the HIV/Aids initiative launched by George W Bush or the broad reductions of trade barriers achieved by Bill Clinton.

Many Africans have been disappointed at what they see as Mr Obama's hands-off approach to the continent, noting that his first extended trip the continent has not come until his second term in office despite his African ancestry.

Mr Obama's father was a native of Kenya.

The president's aides say he has been held back by the need to wind down two wars and to right the US economy after the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

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Croatia PM Dismisses Fears About Joining EU

Croatia's prime minister has told Sky News his people have a "reasonable amount of scepticism" about entering the European Union, with just hours until the country becomes a member.

Zoran Milanovic sought to dispel doubts about becoming the bloc's 28th addition as fireworks are prepared and foreign leaders arrive for celebrations at midnight on Sunday.

The ex-Yugoslav country is the first to join since Bulgaria and Romania came on board in 2007 and the government is hoping the move will attract badly needed foreign investment and boost the economy.

Mr Milanovic told Sky's Murnaghan show there was a "plethora" of good reasons for being part of the EU, despite the bloc's economic woes of recent years which have undermined the public's support.

Seven years of EU-guided reforms - including the sale of deeply indebted shipyards - in exchange for membership are seen to have dampened the enthusiasm of many Croatians.

Croatia PM: 'Economic failure not likely'

Support for membership is now at just about 50% down from the 66% recorded during a referendum last year.

Referring to the low turnout for recent elections of Croatian MEPs, which Mr Milanovic said was below 21% of the electorate, he told Sky News: "When you say people are not enthusiastic, I think people are sober because this succession has been long overdue.

"Croatian citizens always retain a pinch of scepticism, so in relation to the EU you would hardly ever get in Croatia 100% support for any grand idea.

"It's a rational and reasonable amount of scepticism that's always present in Croatian society."

Concerns have been raised in other member states, such as Germany, that another new member with its own economic difficulties could prove to be a drain on the bloc, which itself is struggling with recession in nine member states and with the eurozone debt crisis.

Figures from the EU's statistics office show that Croatia, which has a population of 4.2 million, would be among the poorest members.

Mr Milanovic said: "We've been so closely scrutinised in the past that such failure is not likely to repeat.

"Our banking sector is doing well - it's kind of robust, but also inert in that people don't lend and people don't borrow, but that's a problem we see throughout Europe, don't we?"

Croatia is joining two decades after declaring independence from federal Yugoslavia, which triggered four years of war in which some 20,000 people died.

It will not yet join the 17-nation single currency zone, nor the visa-free Schengen zone.

The transition will be marked at midnight with the "Customs" sign being removed at a border crossing with Slovenia, the only other ex-Yugoslav republic to have joined the EU since the break-up of the ex-communist federation.

At the same time the EU sign will be put up on the border with Serbia.

Both events will be broadcast live at the main square of the Croatian capital, Zagreb.

Heads of state from all six former Yugoslav republics will attend the celebrations, but leaders of EU members including Britain, France and Germany will not be present.

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