US travel warning over Egypt clashes

29 June 2013 Last updated at 07:11 ET

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Footage from Alexandria shows protesters storming the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood

The US has warned Americans not to travel to Egypt and has told non-emergency diplomatic staff to leave, as clashes continue in the country.

The state department also urged US nationals in Egypt "to remain alert".

The warning came as at least three people - including a US citizen - died in clashes between supporters and opponents of President Mohammed Morsi.

Tensions have been rising ahead of a mass rally planned by the opposition on Sunday to demand Mr Morsi steps down.

His supporters are stressing what they see as Mr Morsi's "legitimacy", rejecting the opposition's demand.

Sunday is the first anniversary of the president's inauguration.

Speaking during an official visit to South Africa, US President Barack Obama said the US was "looking with concern" at the situation in Egypt.

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"Start Quote

Morsi has accomplished nothing, and things are only going from bad to worse"

End Quote Maha Said Housewife

He said the US's "immediate concern" was with securing its embassies and consulates, and their staff.

"We support peaceful protests and peaceful methods of bringing about change in Egypt," Mr Obama said, but he added that every party had to "denounce violence".

Earlier, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Egyptians to respect "universal principles of peaceful dialogue" amid growing concern over the tension between Mr Morsi's supporters and his opponents.

'Unprecedented exodus'

In a warning on Friday, the US state department said it had "authorised the departure of a limited number of non-emergency employees and family members" from Egypt.

It asked Americans "to defer non-essential travel to Egypt at this time due to the continuing possibility of political and social unrest".

Cairo's main airport was packed with departing passengers, and all flights leaving for Europe, the US and the Gulf were fully booked, officials were quoted as saying.

The officials - who spoke on condition of anonymity - described the exodus as unprecedented, the Associated Press reports.

On Friday, two people died in the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria as protesters stormed an office of the Muslim Brotherhood - the political movement supporting President Morsi. It was one of eight of its offices around the country the Brotherhood said came under attack.

The US national who was killed was apparently using a mobile phone to take pictures at the time.

There are conflicting reports about the way he died. Egyptian officials say the victim was stabbed in the chest, but other reports say he was hit by gun pellets.

A statement posted on the website of Kenyon College, Ohio, identified the victim as 21-year-old student Andrew Pochter, an intern at Amideast, an American non-profit organisation working in international education and training in the Middle East and North Africa.

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Mohammed Morsi's first year

• June 2012 - Narrowly wins presidential election. Orders parliament to meet in defiance of a military decree dissolving it
• July 2012 - Submits to a Supreme Court ruling that the parliamentary elections were invalid
• August 2012 - Dismisses Defence Minister Hussein Tantawi and Chief of Staff Sami Annan, and strips military of say in legislation and drafting the new constitution
• November 2012 - Rescinds a decree stripping the judiciary of the right to challenge his decisions, after popular protests
• December 2012 - Public vote approves draft constitution boosting the role of Islam and restricting freedom of speech and assembly
• March 2013 - Court halts his plans to bring parliamentary elections forward to April, citing failure to refer the electoral law to the Constitutional Court
• June 2013 - Puts Islamists in charge of 13 of Egypt's 27 governorships - controversially he appoints a member of the former armed group Gamaa Islamiya to be governor of Luxor

The state department confirmed the death, saying it was "providing appropriate consular assistance from our embassy in Cairo and our Bureau of Consular Affairs at the state department".

The other fatality in Alexandria on Friday was an Egyptian man who was shot dead, according to medical sources.

Dozens more people were injured.

'Legitimate order'

The office of the Muslim Brotherhood in the city was set on fire, and the authorities are reported to have called in riot police and army helicopters to try to quell the violence.

Some marchers said they feared the Brotherhood was using the revolution to entrench its power and Islamic law, but others had economic grievances.

"I've nothing to do with politics, but with the state we're in now, even a stone would cry out," 42-year-old accountant Mohamed Abdel Latif told Reuters news agency.

"There are no services, we can't find diesel or gasoline. We elected Morsi, but this is enough. Let him make way for someone else who can fix it."

In Port Said, also in the north, an explosion left one person dead - a journalist, according to one report - and five injured, officials said.

Meanwhile, in Cairo thousands of Morsi supporters rallied outside the main mosque.

"I came to support the legitimate order," said Ahmed al-Maghrabi, 37, a shopkeeper from the Nile Delta city of Mansoura.

"I am with the elected president. He needs to see out his term," he told Reuters.

President Morsi earlier this week warned that divisions threatened to "paralyse" Egypt.

He offered a dialogue with the opposition - a move rejected by his opponents.

Mr Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood, became Egypt's first Islamist president on 30 June 2012, after winning an election considered free and fair.

His first year as president has been marred by constant political unrest and a sinking economy.

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US-Afghan aircraft deal 'wasteful'

28 June 2013 Last updated at 13:12 ET

A US watchdog has advised the Pentagon to ground plans to spend $780m (£513m) on 48 aircraft for the Afghan military, as their pilots lack expertise.

The planes and helicopters are intended for the Afghan Special Mission Wing (SMW), but the audit found the unit has no command structure.

And only seven of its Afghan pilots were trained to fly with night-vision goggles, according to the report.

It could take 10 years before the unit is self-sufficient, said the watchdog.

The audit also noted the US currently carried out most of the aircraft repair and maintenance for the Afghans.

'Waste of US funds'

The Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction's report found the Afghans could not carry out counter-militancy missions as most of the SMW's 47 pilots could not fly at night.

The audit also cited difficulties in finding candidates who were literate and able to pass the exhaustive 18-20 month US vetting process.

"The Afghans lack the capacity - in both personnel numbers and expertise - to operate and maintain the existing and planned SMW fleets," the report said.

As a result, the planes "could be left sitting on runways in Afghanistan, rather than supporting critical missions, resulting in waste of US funds", the audit said.

"We maintain that moving forward with the acquisition of these aircraft is imprudent," it added.

The Pentagon has a $218m contract with Nevada-based Sierra Nevada Corporation for 18 PC-12 fixed-wing aircraft and a $554m deal with a Russian firm, Rosoboronexport, for 30 Mi-17 helicopters, according to the audit.

The report recommended the purchases be halted, but Deputy Assistant Defence Secretary Michael Dumont said that would "unacceptably delay our efforts to develop the SMW into a capable force".

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Snowden father proposes son's return

28 June 2013 Last updated at 13:55 ET

The father of leaker Edward Snowden has said he believes his son would return to the US on certain conditions.

Lon Snowden asked for "ironclad assurances" his son's rights would be protected in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, seen by the BBC.

He asked his son not be held before trial nor subjected to a gag order, and be able to choose where he was tried.

Edward Snowden, who faces spy charges in the US, flew to Moscow last weekend and has requested asylum in Ecuador.

"Mr Snowden is reasonably confident that his son would voluntarily return to the United States if there were ironclad assurances that his constitutional rights would be honored," said the letter by Lon Snowden's lawyer, Bruce Fein.

Exploited by Wikileaks?

The correspondence also requested for the case against the former intelligence contractor to be dismissed in the event that any of the three conditions were not met.

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The BBC's Steve Rosenberg explores the hotel Edward Snowden is believed to be in

Earlier on Friday, Lon Snowden told NBC News he had not spoken to his son since April, a month before he fled to Hong Kong after leaking to media details of a huge US snooping programme.

Mr Snowden said his son had broken the law, but denied he was a traitor.

"At this point I don't feel that he's committed treason," he said. "He has in fact broken US law, in a sense that he has released classified information."

He also voiced concern his son was being exploited by Wikileaks, which has offered legal assistance to the 30-year-old.

"I don't want to put him in peril, but I am concerned about those who surround him," he said.

"I think Wikileaks, if you've looked at past history, you know, their focus isn't necessarily the constitution of the United States. It's simply to release as much information as possible."

Chinese 'misbehaviour'

Mr Snowden flew last Sunday from Hong Kong to Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, where Russian authorities say he remains in a transit zone.

On Friday, the diplomatic fallout from the affair continued as a US envoy accused China of "misbehaviour" for allowing Mr Snowden to leave.

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Transit zones: A legal grey area

• Sheremetyevo airport transit area is Russian sovereign territory, but Russia says that in staying there, Snowden has not formally entered the country
• Legally, an arriving air passenger may be said to "cross the border" only after clearing immigration, which would require an entry visa
• If Russia allowed Mr Snowden to enter, it could implicate the state in helping a fugitive, analysts say

"I don't think we had a good-faith partner throughout that process," said Stephen Young, the US consul general in Hong Kong, warning of repercussions.

The city's government has said the US arrest paperwork had clerical errors, and that it had no legal basis to stop Mr Snowden travelling to Russia.

Beijing has accused the US of "double standards" on cybersecurity.

Ecuador says it has not yet processed the former US National Security Agency contractor's request for asylum.

Russian authorities complained on Friday the US had not informed them in time that Mr Snowden's passport had been revoked, placing Moscow in a "tough spot".

"If this fact had been known in advance, then possibly Mr Snowden might not have flown to Moscow and this entire story might never have happened," an unnamed Russian official told Interfax news agency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin this week refused to hand over Mr Snowden to Washington, saying he was a "free man".

Late on Thursday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro repeated his offer of sanctuary to the US fugitive.

CLICKABLE

Hawaii

20 May: Snowden flies from Hawaii to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong

5 June: From Hong Kong, Snowden discloses details of what he describes as a vast US phone and internet surveillance programme to the UK's Guardian newspaper.

Moscow

23 June: Snowden leaves Hong Kong on a flight to Moscow. He is currently thought to remain airside at Sheremetyevo airport.

Cuba

From Moscow, Snowden could fly to Cuba, en route to Ecuador, which has said it is "analysing" whether to grant him asylum.

Venezuela

Venezuela had also been considered a possible destination for Snowden, however it is thought he would only pass through on his way to Ecuador.

Ecuador

Snowden is reported to have requested asylum in Ecuador, which previously granted haven to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in its London embassy.

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Life term for penis-severing US wife

28 June 2013 Last updated at 16:27 ET

A California woman convicted of severing her ex-husband's penis and throwing it in a kitchen waste disposal has been sentenced to life in prison.

Catherine Kieu, 50, may seek parole after seven years. Her lawyers said she had mental health issues caused by abuse as a child and by her ex-husband.

But the victim said he lost part of his life and identity after the attack.

Kieu attacked her former spouse with a knife in July 2011 after drugging him with sleeping pills, prosecutors said.

She also tied him to the bed, prosecutors in Orange County, California, said.

Police have said the couple were going through a divorce at the time of the attack.

Kieu told the officers responding to the scene that her husband deserved it, police said.

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Blackberry shares dive after loss

28 June 2013 Last updated at 16:56 ET

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The BBC's Michelle Fleury says investors are clearly not impressed by RIM's efforts to revive its fortunes

Shares in smartphone maker Blackberry have dived after it reported an $84m (£55m) loss for the three months to 1 June.

The figure was better than the $518m loss for the same period last year, but much worse than analysts' forecasts.

The company, based in Ontario, Canada, also said it would post an operating loss for the next quarter running to September.

Blackberry shares closed down 28% in New York.

Shipments of new smartphones increased, but Blackberry, which used to be called Research In Motion, did not release how many new handsets running the BB10 operating system were sold in the quarter.

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Chief executive Thorstein Heins said the company was continuing to focus on the global roll-out of BB10 and was confident it would be a hit with customers.

"We are still in the early stages of this launch, but already, the Blackberry 10 platform and Blackberry Enterprise Service 10 are proving themselves to customers to be very secure, flexible and dynamic mobile computing solutions," he said in a statement.

He added that the group would be increasing investments to support the roll-out of new products and services over the next three quarters.

'Doesn't bode well'

Revenue rose to $3.1bn in the quarter from $2.8bn a year earlier.

Analysts had been particularly keen to see the numbers for the new Z10 handset, as it was the first full quarter that the model had been on sale in the United States.

Blackberry launched two all-new smartphones this year, the touchscreen Z10 device, followed by the Q10, with a mini keyboard favoured by many Blackberry users.

Blackberry said that it had shipped 6.8 million phones overall in its first quarter versus 7.8 million in the same three-month period last year.

"It doesn't bode well for the initial Blackberry 10 launch, particularly the Z10. But even the outlook for a second-quarter loss doesn't bode well for the Q10 either," said Brian Colello, an analyst with Morningstar.

Blackberry has been battling stiff competition in the smartphone sector, and has struggled to compete with the likes of Apple and Samsung.

Daniel Ernst from Hudson Square Research said the company fell between two camps.

"They're not the high-end provider any more, they're not Apple. They're not the low-end provider, they're not Nokia. So they are in the middle and they do relatively low volumes," he said.

"It's difficult to make great margins on that kind of volume, so I would say the outlook is quite negative."

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US court jails Mexico ex-governor

28 June 2013 Last updated at 21:08 ET

A US court has sentenced a former governor of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo to 11 years in prison for money laundering.

Mario Villanueva pleaded guilty to transferring millions of dollars in bribery money from the Juarez drug cartel to foreign bank accounts.

Villanueva, 64, received large sums of money in exchange for allowing cocaine to be smuggled into the US.

He was arrested in Mexico in 2001 and extradited to the US in 2010.

Villanueva served six years in Mexico for money laundering before his extradition.

As he co-operated with US authorities, he could be released in two to three years, said his lawyer said.

Cocaine shipments

The former governor was in office between 1993 and 1999. Prosecutors said he made an agreement with the Juarez drug cartel in the early years of his tenure.

He was paid up to $500,000 for each shipment of cocaine despatched to the US from Quintana Roo. In exchange, the authorities turned a blind eye to the drug smuggling.

"This defendant violated the public trust to enrich himself," Assistant US Attorney Glen Kopp said in the Manhattan court.

Later Villanueva began transferring vast amounts of money to accounts in the US, Switzerland and other countries.

He was put under investigation in 1999 and went on the run before being arrested in 2001.

Quintana Roo state is home to the Caribbean resorts of Cancun and Playa del Carmen.

The region has avoided most of the violence Mexico has seen since December 2006, when former president Felipe Calderon deployed the armed forces to tackle the drug trafficking cartels.

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US state drops long-term jobless aid

28 June 2013 Last updated at 21:48 ET

As many as 70,000 long-term unemployed North Carolina workers will lose public benefits on Monday in a budget move enacted in February.

Cuts to state jobless aid rendered North Carolina ineligible for federal benefits to the long-term unemployed.

The state said it needed to slash benefits to repay debt more quickly, but critics argue the move favours business interests over individuals.

North Carolina has the nation's fifth-highest unemployment rate at 8.8%.

The US economy has endured a painfully slow recovery with the national unemployment rate currently at 7.6%, down from 10% at the depths of the financial crisis in October 2009.

'What are we to do?'

The looming end of long-term unemployment benefits has left those dependent on them reeling.

"I'm just not sure what I'm going to do," said Lee Creighton, 45, who lost a job as a manager of statisticians and writers in 2009 and last worked in October.

"What are we to do? Is the state prepared to have this many people with no source of income?"

Under a law passed in February by North Carolina's Republican legislature, the state forfeits federal funds that support the long-term unemployed by cutting the dollar amount of weekly benefits offered to shorter-term unemployed residents.

While other US states have reduced the length of time unemployment benefits are paid out, they have spared weekly benefit payments, thereby avoiding the loss of federal assistance to the long-term jobless.

At the heart of the matter is $2.5bn (£1.6bn) in debt North Carolina owes to the US government, which the state accrued to pay for a sharp rise in demand for benefits during the 2009 economic meltdown.

Under the February law, the state's budget will see a net increase of $3.6bn over four years. More than two-thirds of that comes from benefit cuts, with the rest made up in tax rises to employers.

Much of the savings is being redirected toward the debt owed to the US.

'Over-taxation'

North Carolina officials hope the debt will now be paid down by 2015 or 2016, not 2018 as before the February law was passed.

The law was signed by Republican Governor Pat McCrory in February.

Mr McCrory said it would protect the state's small businesses from "continued over-taxation" while securing the unemployment safety net and encouraging businesses to create jobs.

State Representative Julia Howard, the Republican who sponsored the bill, suggested the cuts would push out-of-work North Carolinians to find employment faster.

"It may not be the job that you want or your career for the rest of your life," she said.

Critics of the law say the state legislature has favoured businesses over the state's workers. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and other groups have staged Monday protests at the state assembly for seven weeks against the legislature's more conservative policies.

Democratic State Representative Paul Luebke told the Raleigh News and Observer he and others would continue to fight for the restoration of the programme.

"This is critical income," Mr Luebke said. "This is income that in some instances is the difference between losing a house, foreclosure, losing a car, repossession, or getting along a little bit."

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Move to halt California gay weddings

29 June 2013 Last updated at 20:37 ET

Opponents of same-sex marriage in California have filed an emergency petition to the US Supreme Court to try to halt gay weddings in the state.

The move comes a day after a federal appeals court in San Francisco lifted a ban that had been in place since 2008.

Many Californian gay couples then rushed to get married.

But the opponents say the appeals court acted prematurely because by law they had more time to appeal before the ban can be lifted.

Friday's decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals court followed a ruling by the US Supreme Court against supporters of the California ban on gay marriage.

On Saturday the Alliance Defending Freedom, which supports the ban, filed the petition asking the Supreme Court to overrule the order by appeals court.

The group argued that by law it had 25 days to challenge the Supreme Court ruling, and therefore that the ban should not have been lifted.

The Alliance Defending Freedom described the appeals court order as "the latest in a long line of judicial irregularities".

The gay marriage ban - known as Proposition 8 - was approved by voters in 2008, months after California's supreme court decided such unions were legal.

The two couples then launched the legal challenge. As the state of California refused to defend the proposition, the group that sponsored it stepped up to do so.

But on Wednesday the Supreme Court ruled that a private party could not challenge the earlier lower court ruling, as it could not demonstrate it would suffer injury if same-sex marriages were allowed.

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EU alarm over US bugging claim

29 June 2013 Last updated at 23:36 ET

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BBC's Stephen Evans said reaction in Europe is "shock and dismay"

The head of the European Parliament has demanded "full clarification" from the US over a report that key EU premises in America have been bugged.

Martin Schulz said that if this was true, it would have a "severe impact" on ties between the EU and the US.

The report, carried by Germany's Der Spiegel magazine, cites a secret 2010 document alleging that the US spied on EU offices in New York and Washington.

Fugitive ex-CIA analyst Edward Snowden leaked the paper, Der Spiegel says.

Mr Snowden - a former contractor for the CIA and also the National Security Agency (NSA) - has since requested asylum in Ecuador.

According to the document - which Der Spiegel says comes from the NSA - the agency spied on EU internal computer networks in Washington and at the 27-member bloc's UN office in New York.

The document also allegedly referring to the EU as a "target".

It is not known what information US spies might have got, but details of European positions on trade and military matters would have been useful to those involved in negotiations between Washington and European governments, the BBC's Stephen Evans says.

'Polite request'

In a statement on Saturday, Mr Schulz said: "On behalf of the European Parliament, I demand full clarification and require further information speedily from the US authorities with regard to these allegations."

Der Spiegel also quotes Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn as saying: "If these reports are true, it's disgusting. The United States would be better off monitoring its secret services rather than its allies."

The US government has so far made no public comments on Der Spiegel's report.

Mr Snowden is believed to be currently staying at Moscow's airport. He arrived there last weekend from Hong Kong, where he had been staying since he revealed details of top secret US surveillance programmes.

The US has charged him with theft of government property, unauthorised communication of national defence information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence.

Each charge carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.

On Saturday, US Vice-President Joe Biden and Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa held a telephone conversation about Mr Snowden's asylum request.

According to Mr Correa, Mr Biden had "passed on a polite request from the United States to reject the request".

The left-wing Ecuadorian leader said his answer was: "Mr vice-president, thanks for calling. We hold the United States in high regard. We did not seek to be in this situation."

If Mr Snowden ever came to "Ecuadoran soil" with his request, he added, "the first people whose opinion we will seek is that of the United States".

Quito earlier said it was willing to consider Mr Snowden's request but only when he was physically in the Latin American country.

Meanwhile, White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said only that Mr Biden and Mr Correa had held a wide-ranging conversation.

CLICKABLE

Hawaii

20 May: Snowden flies from Hawaii to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong

5 June: From Hong Kong, Snowden discloses details of what he describes as a vast US phone and internet surveillance programme to the UK's Guardian newspaper.

Moscow

23 June: Snowden leaves Hong Kong on a flight to Moscow. He is currently thought to remain airside at Sheremetyevo airport.

Cuba

From Moscow, Snowden could fly to Cuba, en route to Ecuador, which has said it is "analysing" whether to grant him asylum.

Venezuela

Venezuela had also been considered a possible destination for Snowden, however it is thought he would only pass through on his way to Ecuador.

Ecuador

Snowden is reported to have requested asylum in Ecuador, which previously granted haven to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in its London embassy.

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Dozens treated as heat grips US west

30 June 2013 Last updated at 04:18 ET

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Spencer Lubitz a reporter with KNTV in Las Vegas spoke to BBC News about the effect of the extreme heat

Dozens of people across western US states have been treated for exhaustion and dehydration, as the region is continuing to bake in a heat wave.

A man in Las Vegas is believed to have died from a heat-related illness.

Air-conditioned "cooling centres" have been set up in California, Nevada and Arizona, as officials warn the heat could be life-threatening.

Temperatures in some areas are expected to be near 54C (130F) - close to the world's all-time record.

Several parts of California - including the desert town of Palm Springs - saw record highs on Saturday.

There are fears of wildfires, as the heat could last for several days.

Pushed to the limit

More than 34 people were taken to hospital after attending an outdoor concert in Las Vegas, Nevada, officials said.

They also said that an elderly resident was found dead in a house with no air-conditioning. The man suffered medical problems, but his condition is believed to have been aggravated by the heat, according to the Associated Press news agency.

Continue reading the main story

In Los Angeles, California, a number of people were treated for heat stroke and dehydration.

Shelters for homeless in Phoenix, Arizona, added extra beds as temperatures in the city were expected to hit 50C.

The Running with the Devil Marathon in the Mojave Desert outside Las Vegas - which had been scheduled for Saturday - was later cancelled because of extreme heat.

The National Weather Service earlier issued a heat warning for several parts of the region until Monday morning.

Temperatures in Death Valley in the California desert are forecast to reach 54C. The highest-ever temperature on Earth - 56.7C (134F) - was recorded there on 10 July 1913.

The heat wave comes after one of the driest winters on record, and there is a fear of wildfires, the BBC's David Willis in Los Angeles says.

Energy suppliers are expected to be pushed to the limit in the next few days, our correspondent adds.

Weather officials say the extreme weather is caused by a high-pressure system stuck over the area.

The US Border Patrol's rescue unit has added extra personnel this weekend as the threat of exhaustion and dehydration rises for those attempting to cross the US-Mexico border illegally on foot.

At least seven migrants were found dead in Arizona's desert last week in lower temperatures. Border officials in Tucson, Arizona, rescued more than 170 people suffering from the heat during a 30-day period in May and June.

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Barack Obama to meet Mandela family

29 June 2013 Last updated at 06:26 ET

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Live: President Obama meets students at Soweto campus of the University of Johannesburg

US President Barack Obama is to meet members of Nelson Mandela's family during his visit to South Africa, the White House says.

But officials confirmed that the president will not see the ailing leader himself, who is in a critical condition in hospital.

Mr Obama is in Pretoria as part of his three-country tour of Africa and held talks with President Jacob Zuma.

They discussed economic co-operation as well as conflicts in the region.

Mr Mandela, who is 94, is critically ill in hospital, where he was admitted on 8 June with a recurring lung infection.

His ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, said on Friday she felt it would not be right for President Obama to visit him while he was in a critical condition.

"I'm not a doctor but I can say that from what he was a few days ago there is great improvement, but clinically he is still unwell," she said.

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Winnie Madikizela-Mandela spoke of "a very difficult situation"

'Legacy will linger'

Mr Obama, who is travelling with his family, arrived in South Africa from Senegal on Friday evening.

In a joint news briefing on Saturday morning, President Zuma thanked the US for its historic anti-apartheid movement, and Mr Obama for his role in it.

He said Mr Obama and Mr Mandela were "bound by history as the first black presidents of your respective countries, thus you both carry the dreams of millions of people in Africa and in the diaspora who were previously oppressed".

Mr Zuma said Africa was rising, and that Mr Obama's visit was "well timed to take advantage of this growing market", calling for greater US investment in South Africa.

Mr Obama said the "moral courage" of Mr Mandela was an inspiration to many regions of the world which are divided by conflict.

During his weekend trip, the US president will visit Robben Island, where Mr Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years.

He is also expected to meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu and give a major speech at the University of Cape Town. The address is due to take place on Sunday night.

On Friday, Mr Obama had said it was unlikely he would see Mr Mandela, saying he did not "need a photo op" with him.

Speaking on board Air Force One after leaving Senegal, he told reporters: "The last thing I want to do is to be in any way obtrusive at a time when the family is concerned with Nelson Mandela's condition."

"I think the main message we'll want to deliver is not directly to him, but to his family - is simply profound gratitude for his leadership all these years, and that the thoughts and prayers of the American people are with him, his family and his country."

The White House later confirmed that he and First Lady Michelle Obama will later "meet privately with members of the Mandela family to offer their thoughts and prayers at this difficult time".

"Out of deference to Nelson Mandela's peace and comfort and the family's wishes, they will not be visiting the hospital," said the statement.

Mr Obama met Mr Mandela in 2005 when he was still a US senator. Both men became the first black presidents of their nations and have received the Nobel Peace Prize.

His wife and daughters had a private meeting with Mr Mandela in 2011.

The US president has described Mr Mandela as a "hero for the world", whose "legacy will linger on through the ages", and who had inspired his own activism as a student.

Mr Obama will finish his Africa tour in Tanzania. It is his first prolonged trip to the continent since he became president in 2009.

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US-Afghan aircraft deal 'wasteful'

28 June 2013 Last updated at 13:12 ET

A US watchdog has advised the Pentagon to ground plans to spend $780m (£513m) on 48 aircraft for the Afghan military, as their pilots lack expertise.

The planes and helicopters are intended for the Afghan Special Mission Wing (SMW), but the audit found the unit has no command structure.

And only seven of its Afghan pilots were trained to fly with night-vision goggles, according to the report.

It could take 10 years before the unit is self-sufficient, said the watchdog.

The audit also noted the US currently carried out most of the aircraft repair and maintenance for the Afghans.

'Waste of US funds'

The Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction's report found the Afghans could not carry out counter-militancy missions as most of the SMW's 47 pilots could not fly at night.

The audit also cited difficulties in finding candidates who were literate and able to pass the exhaustive 18-20 month US vetting process.

"The Afghans lack the capacity - in both personnel numbers and expertise - to operate and maintain the existing and planned SMW fleets," the report said.

As a result, the planes "could be left sitting on runways in Afghanistan, rather than supporting critical missions, resulting in waste of US funds", the audit said.

"We maintain that moving forward with the acquisition of these aircraft is imprudent," it added.

The Pentagon has a $218m contract with Nevada-based Sierra Nevada Corporation for 18 PC-12 fixed-wing aircraft and a $554m deal with a Russian firm, Rosoboronexport, for 30 Mi-17 helicopters, according to the audit.

The report recommended the purchases be halted, but Deputy Assistant Defence Secretary Michael Dumont said that would "unacceptably delay our efforts to develop the SMW into a capable force".

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Snowden father proposes son's return

28 June 2013 Last updated at 13:55 ET

The father of leaker Edward Snowden has said he believes his son would return to the US on certain conditions.

Lon Snowden asked for "ironclad assurances" his son's rights would be protected in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, seen by the BBC.

He asked his son not be held before trial nor subjected to a gag order, and be able to choose where he was tried.

Edward Snowden, who faces spy charges in the US, flew to Moscow last weekend and has requested asylum in Ecuador.

"Mr Snowden is reasonably confident that his son would voluntarily return to the United States if there were ironclad assurances that his constitutional rights would be honored," said the letter by Lon Snowden's lawyer, Bruce Fein.

Exploited by Wikileaks?

The correspondence also requested for the case against the former intelligence contractor to be dismissed in the event that any of the three conditions were not met.

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The BBC's Steve Rosenberg explores the hotel Edward Snowden is believed to be in

Earlier on Friday, Lon Snowden told NBC News he had not spoken to his son since April, a month before he fled to Hong Kong after leaking to media details of a huge US snooping programme.

Mr Snowden said his son had broken the law, but denied he was a traitor.

"At this point I don't feel that he's committed treason," he said. "He has in fact broken US law, in a sense that he has released classified information."

He also voiced concern his son was being exploited by Wikileaks, which has offered legal assistance to the 30-year-old.

"I don't want to put him in peril, but I am concerned about those who surround him," he said.

"I think Wikileaks, if you've looked at past history, you know, their focus isn't necessarily the constitution of the United States. It's simply to release as much information as possible."

Chinese 'misbehaviour'

Mr Snowden flew last Sunday from Hong Kong to Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, where Russian authorities say he remains in a transit zone.

On Friday, the diplomatic fallout from the affair continued as a US envoy accused China of "misbehaviour" for allowing Mr Snowden to leave.

Continue reading the main story

Transit zones: A legal grey area

• Sheremetyevo airport transit area is Russian sovereign territory, but Russia says that in staying there, Snowden has not formally entered the country
• Legally, an arriving air passenger may be said to "cross the border" only after clearing immigration, which would require an entry visa
• If Russia allowed Mr Snowden to enter, it could implicate the state in helping a fugitive, analysts say

"I don't think we had a good-faith partner throughout that process," said Stephen Young, the US consul general in Hong Kong, warning of repercussions.

The city's government has said the US arrest paperwork had clerical errors, and that it had no legal basis to stop Mr Snowden travelling to Russia.

Beijing has accused the US of "double standards" on cybersecurity.

Ecuador says it has not yet processed the former US National Security Agency contractor's request for asylum.

Russian authorities complained on Friday the US had not informed them in time that Mr Snowden's passport had been revoked, placing Moscow in a "tough spot".

"If this fact had been known in advance, then possibly Mr Snowden might not have flown to Moscow and this entire story might never have happened," an unnamed Russian official told Interfax news agency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin this week refused to hand over Mr Snowden to Washington, saying he was a "free man".

Late on Thursday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro repeated his offer of sanctuary to the US fugitive.

CLICKABLE

Hawaii

20 May: Snowden flies from Hawaii to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong

5 June: From Hong Kong, Snowden discloses details of what he describes as a vast US phone and internet surveillance programme to the UK's Guardian newspaper.

Moscow

23 June: Snowden leaves Hong Kong on a flight to Moscow. He is currently thought to remain airside at Sheremetyevo airport.

Cuba

From Moscow, Snowden could fly to Cuba, en route to Ecuador, which has said it is "analysing" whether to grant him asylum.

Venezuela

Venezuela had also been considered a possible destination for Snowden, however it is thought he would only pass through on his way to Ecuador.

Ecuador

Snowden is reported to have requested asylum in Ecuador, which previously granted haven to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in its London embassy.

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Life term for penis-severing US wife

28 June 2013 Last updated at 16:27 ET

A California woman convicted of severing her ex-husband's penis and throwing it in a kitchen waste disposal has been sentenced to life in prison.

Catherine Kieu, 50, may seek parole after seven years. Her lawyers said she had mental health issues caused by abuse as a child and by her ex-husband.

But the victim said he lost part of his life and identity after the attack.

Kieu attacked her former spouse with a knife in July 2011 after drugging him with sleeping pills, prosecutors said.

She also tied him to the bed, prosecutors in Orange County, California, said.

Police have said the couple were going through a divorce at the time of the attack.

Kieu told the officers responding to the scene that her husband deserved it, police said.

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Blackberry shares dive after loss

28 June 2013 Last updated at 16:56 ET

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The BBC's Michelle Fleury says investors are clearly not impressed by RIM's efforts to revive its fortunes

Shares in smartphone maker Blackberry have dived after it reported an $84m (£55m) loss for the three months to 1 June.

The figure was better than the $518m loss for the same period last year, but much worse than analysts' forecasts.

The company, based in Ontario, Canada, also said it would post an operating loss for the next quarter running to September.

Blackberry shares closed down 28% in New York.

Shipments of new smartphones increased, but Blackberry, which used to be called Research In Motion, did not release how many new handsets running the BB10 operating system were sold in the quarter.

Continue reading the main story

Chief executive Thorstein Heins said the company was continuing to focus on the global roll-out of BB10 and was confident it would be a hit with customers.

"We are still in the early stages of this launch, but already, the Blackberry 10 platform and Blackberry Enterprise Service 10 are proving themselves to customers to be very secure, flexible and dynamic mobile computing solutions," he said in a statement.

He added that the group would be increasing investments to support the roll-out of new products and services over the next three quarters.

'Doesn't bode well'

Revenue rose to $3.1bn in the quarter from $2.8bn a year earlier.

Analysts had been particularly keen to see the numbers for the new Z10 handset, as it was the first full quarter that the model had been on sale in the United States.

Blackberry launched two all-new smartphones this year, the touchscreen Z10 device, followed by the Q10, with a mini keyboard favoured by many Blackberry users.

Blackberry said that it had shipped 6.8 million phones overall in its first quarter versus 7.8 million in the same three-month period last year.

"It doesn't bode well for the initial Blackberry 10 launch, particularly the Z10. But even the outlook for a second-quarter loss doesn't bode well for the Q10 either," said Brian Colello, an analyst with Morningstar.

Blackberry has been battling stiff competition in the smartphone sector, and has struggled to compete with the likes of Apple and Samsung.

Daniel Ernst from Hudson Square Research said the company fell between two camps.

"They're not the high-end provider any more, they're not Apple. They're not the low-end provider, they're not Nokia. So they are in the middle and they do relatively low volumes," he said.

"It's difficult to make great margins on that kind of volume, so I would say the outlook is quite negative."

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US court jails Mexico ex-governor

28 June 2013 Last updated at 21:08 ET

A US court has sentenced a former governor of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo to 11 years in prison for money laundering.

Mario Villanueva pleaded guilty to transferring millions of dollars in bribery money from the Juarez drug cartel to foreign bank accounts.

Villanueva, 64, received large sums of money in exchange for allowing cocaine to be smuggled into the US.

He was arrested in Mexico in 2001 and extradited to the US in 2010.

Villanueva served six years in Mexico for money laundering before his extradition.

As he co-operated with US authorities, he could be released in two to three years, said his lawyer said.

Cocaine shipments

The former governor was in office between 1993 and 1999. Prosecutors said he made an agreement with the Juarez drug cartel in the early years of his tenure.

He was paid up to $500,000 for each shipment of cocaine despatched to the US from Quintana Roo. In exchange, the authorities turned a blind eye to the drug smuggling.

"This defendant violated the public trust to enrich himself," Assistant US Attorney Glen Kopp said in the Manhattan court.

Later Villanueva began transferring vast amounts of money to accounts in the US, Switzerland and other countries.

He was put under investigation in 1999 and went on the run before being arrested in 2001.

Quintana Roo state is home to the Caribbean resorts of Cancun and Playa del Carmen.

The region has avoided most of the violence Mexico has seen since December 2006, when former president Felipe Calderon deployed the armed forces to tackle the drug trafficking cartels.

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US state drops long-term jobless aid

28 June 2013 Last updated at 21:48 ET

As many as 70,000 long-term unemployed North Carolina workers will lose public benefits on Monday in a budget move enacted in February.

Cuts to state jobless aid rendered North Carolina ineligible for federal benefits to the long-term unemployed.

The state said it needed to slash benefits to repay debt more quickly, but critics argue the move favours business interests over individuals.

North Carolina has the nation's fifth-highest unemployment rate at 8.8%.

The US economy has endured a painfully slow recovery with the national unemployment rate currently at 7.6%, down from 10% at the depths of the financial crisis in October 2009.

'What are we to do?'

The looming end of long-term unemployment benefits has left those dependent on them reeling.

"I'm just not sure what I'm going to do," said Lee Creighton, 45, who lost a job as a manager of statisticians and writers in 2009 and last worked in October.

"What are we to do? Is the state prepared to have this many people with no source of income?"

Under a law passed in February by North Carolina's Republican legislature, the state forfeits federal funds that support the long-term unemployed by cutting the dollar amount of weekly benefits offered to shorter-term unemployed residents.

While other US states have reduced the length of time unemployment benefits are paid out, they have spared weekly benefit payments, thereby avoiding the loss of federal assistance to the long-term jobless.

At the heart of the matter is $2.5bn (£1.6bn) in debt North Carolina owes to the US government, which the state accrued to pay for a sharp rise in demand for benefits during the 2009 economic meltdown.

Under the February law, the state's budget will see a net increase of $3.6bn over four years. More than two-thirds of that comes from benefit cuts, with the rest made up in tax rises to employers.

Much of the savings is being redirected toward the debt owed to the US.

'Over-taxation'

North Carolina officials hope the debt will now be paid down by 2015 or 2016, not 2018 as before the February law was passed.

The law was signed by Republican Governor Pat McCrory in February.

Mr McCrory said it would protect the state's small businesses from "continued over-taxation" while securing the unemployment safety net and encouraging businesses to create jobs.

State Representative Julia Howard, the Republican who sponsored the bill, suggested the cuts would push out-of-work North Carolinians to find employment faster.

"It may not be the job that you want or your career for the rest of your life," she said.

Critics of the law say the state legislature has favoured businesses over the state's workers. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and other groups have staged Monday protests at the state assembly for seven weeks against the legislature's more conservative policies.

Democratic State Representative Paul Luebke told the Raleigh News and Observer he and others would continue to fight for the restoration of the programme.

"This is critical income," Mr Luebke said. "This is income that in some instances is the difference between losing a house, foreclosure, losing a car, repossession, or getting along a little bit."

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Heat wave bakes western US states

28 June 2013 Last updated at 22:01 ET

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Footage from across the south west shows the heat wave take hold, which Arizona resident Michael Fedo describes as "an invisible wall"

Western US states are baking in an extended heat wave, with temperatures threatening to break the all-time high recorded on Earth.

In Phoenix, Arizona, the mercury hit 47C (116F) on Friday, and in the desert of Death Valley, California, the thermometer approached 51C.

The heat wave is expected to last through the weekend.

Cities in the region are opening cooling centres and officials fear the heat could delay air travel.

'Hurts to breathe'

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The temperatures are about 10C higher than average for this time of year

Most large aircraft can operate in temperatures up to 52C, but readings as low as 47C could affect liftoff conditions.

A US Airways spokesman said the airline would be monitoring temperatures in Phoenix "very closely".

Michael Fedo of Scottsdale, Arizona, told the BBC his family was spending less time outdoors as the temperature rose and that he had taken to going to the grocery store in the middle of the night.

"I've installed blackout shades on every window in my house," he said.

"I'm a fourth-generation native of Phoenix so I expect it to be hot. But when it goes above 45C it hurts to breathe. The heat sucks the energy from your core."

The National Weather Service has issued a heat warning for several parts of the region, including Las Vegas, until Monday morning. Parts of five states including Colorado and Utah will see temperatures higher than 37C over the weekend.

"We'll be at or above record levels in the Phoenix area and throughout a lot of the south-western United States," meteorologist Mark O'Malley said.

Temperatures in Death Valley in the California desert are forecast to reach 53C over the weekend. The hottest air temperature ever recorded on Earth, 57C, was marked there almost 100 years ago on 10 July 1913.

'Leave town'

Weather officials say the extreme weather is caused by a high-pressure system stuck over the area.

Scientists say the North American jet stream, the path of air that influences weather patterns, has become more erratic in the past few years, making weather systems more likely to become stuck in place.

But they disagree on whether global warming is the cause of the jet stream's behaviour.

The US Border Patrol's search, trauma and rescue unit has added extra personnel this weekend as the threat of exhaustion and dehydration rises for those attempting to cross the US-Mexico border illegally on foot.

At least seven migrants were found dead in Arizona's desert last week in lower temperatures. Border officials in Tucson, Arizona, rescued more than 170 people suffering from the heat during a thirty-day period in May and June.

Utility officials planned to monitor electricity usage closely over the weekend but were not immediately concerned about overloads.

"While it's hot, people tend to leave town and some businesses aren't open, so that has a tendency to mitigate demand and is why we typically don't set records on weekends," said spokesman Scott Harelson of Phoenix-area utility Salt River Project.

And zookeepers at the Phoenix Zoo were expected to keep outdoor animals chilled with water hoses and concrete slabs cooled by internal water-filled pipes.

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California gay marriage ban lifted

29 June 2013 Last updated at 00:52 ET

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Sandy Stier and Kris Perry took each other as a "lawfully wedded wife"

A US appeals court has lifted a ban on same-sex marriages in California, following a Supreme Court ruling.

The order was issued by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

Within moments, gay weddings resumed at the city hall - the first such marriages in the state since the voter-approved ban in November 2008.

On Wednesday the US Supreme Court left in place a lower court ruling which had struck down the ban - also known as Proposition 8.

The ruling means that 13 US states and the District of Columbia now recognise same-sex marriage.

Supporters of Proposition 8 described the appeals's court action as "outrageous".

'Wait is over'

Continue reading the main story

It remains to be seen whether the fight can go on, but either way, it is a disgraceful day for California"

End Quote Proposition 8 supporter

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had been expected to wait 25 days before lifting the ban - in case the losing side wanted to ask for the case to be heard again.

But judges at the appeals court decided to act on Friday, saying: "The stay in the above matter is dissolved effective immediately."

Shortly afterwards, two same-sex couples whose case led to the Supreme Court's Wednesday decision got married.

The wedding of Kris Perry, 48, and Sandy Stier, 50, was officiated by California's Attorney General Kamala Harris at San Francisco's town hall.

She declared them "spouse and spouse", but during their vows they took each other as a "lawfully wedded wife".

"They have waited and fought for this moment. Today their wait is finally over," Ms Harris said.

The other couple, Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo, married in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Proposition 8 supporters accused their opponents of "achieving their goal in a dishonourable fashion".

"It is a disgraceful day for California,'' said Andy Pugno, general counsel for the coalition of religious conservative groups that had sponsored the proposition.

Proposition 8 was passed in 2008 - months after California's supreme court decided such unions were legal.

The two couples launched the legal challenge. As the state of California refused to defend the proposition, the group that sponsored it stepped up to do so.

On Wednesday the Supreme Court ruled that a private party could not challenge the earlier lower court ruling, as it could not demonstrate it would suffer injury if same-sex marriages were allowed.

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US travel warning over Egypt clashes

29 June 2013 Last updated at 07:11 ET

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Footage from Alexandria shows protesters storming the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood

The US has warned Americans not to travel to Egypt and has told non-emergency diplomatic staff to leave, as clashes continue in the country.

The state department also urged US nationals in Egypt "to remain alert".

The warning came as at least three people - including a US citizen - died in clashes between supporters and opponents of President Mohammed Morsi.

Tensions have been rising ahead of a mass rally planned by the opposition on Sunday to demand Mr Morsi steps down.

His supporters are stressing what they see as Mr Morsi's "legitimacy", rejecting the opposition's demand.

Sunday is the first anniversary of the president's inauguration.

Speaking during an official visit to South Africa, US President Barack Obama said the US was "looking with concern" at the situation in Egypt.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

Morsi has accomplished nothing, and things are only going from bad to worse"

End Quote Maha Said Housewife

He said the US's "immediate concern" was with securing its embassies and consulates, and their staff.

"We support peaceful protests and peaceful methods of bringing about change in Egypt," Mr Obama said, but he added that every party had to "denounce violence".

Earlier, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Egyptians to respect "universal principles of peaceful dialogue" amid growing concern over the tension between Mr Morsi's supporters and his opponents.

'Unprecedented exodus'

In a warning on Friday, the US state department said it had "authorised the departure of a limited number of non-emergency employees and family members" from Egypt.

It asked Americans "to defer non-essential travel to Egypt at this time due to the continuing possibility of political and social unrest".

Cairo's main airport was packed with departing passengers, and all flights leaving for Europe, the US and the Gulf were fully booked, officials were quoted as saying.

The officials - who spoke on condition of anonymity - described the exodus as unprecedented, the Associated Press reports.

On Friday, two people died in the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria as protesters stormed an office of the Muslim Brotherhood - the political movement supporting President Morsi. It was one of eight of its offices around the country the Brotherhood said came under attack.

The US national who was killed was apparently using a mobile phone to take pictures at the time.

There are conflicting reports about the way he died. Egyptian officials say the victim was stabbed in the chest, but other reports say he was hit by gun pellets.

A statement posted on the website of Kenyon College, Ohio, identified the victim as 21-year-old student Andrew Pochter, an intern at Amideast, an American non-profit organisation working in international education and training in the Middle East and North Africa.

Continue reading the main story

Mohammed Morsi's first year

• June 2012 - Narrowly wins presidential election. Orders parliament to meet in defiance of a military decree dissolving it
• July 2012 - Submits to a Supreme Court ruling that the parliamentary elections were invalid
• August 2012 - Dismisses Defence Minister Hussein Tantawi and Chief of Staff Sami Annan, and strips military of say in legislation and drafting the new constitution
• November 2012 - Rescinds a decree stripping the judiciary of the right to challenge his decisions, after popular protests
• December 2012 - Public vote approves draft constitution boosting the role of Islam and restricting freedom of speech and assembly
• March 2013 - Court halts his plans to bring parliamentary elections forward to April, citing failure to refer the electoral law to the Constitutional Court
• June 2013 - Puts Islamists in charge of 13 of Egypt's 27 governorships - controversially he appoints a member of the former armed group Gamaa Islamiya to be governor of Luxor

The state department confirmed the death, saying it was "providing appropriate consular assistance from our embassy in Cairo and our Bureau of Consular Affairs at the state department".

The other fatality in Alexandria on Friday was an Egyptian man who was shot dead, according to medical sources.

Dozens more people were injured.

'Legitimate order'

The office of the Muslim Brotherhood in the city was set on fire, and the authorities are reported to have called in riot police and army helicopters to try to quell the violence.

Some marchers said they feared the Brotherhood was using the revolution to entrench its power and Islamic law, but others had economic grievances.

"I've nothing to do with politics, but with the state we're in now, even a stone would cry out," 42-year-old accountant Mohamed Abdel Latif told Reuters news agency.

"There are no services, we can't find diesel or gasoline. We elected Morsi, but this is enough. Let him make way for someone else who can fix it."

In Port Said, also in the north, an explosion left one person dead - a journalist, according to one report - and five injured, officials said.

Meanwhile, in Cairo thousands of Morsi supporters rallied outside the main mosque.

"I came to support the legitimate order," said Ahmed al-Maghrabi, 37, a shopkeeper from the Nile Delta city of Mansoura.

"I am with the elected president. He needs to see out his term," he told Reuters.

President Morsi earlier this week warned that divisions threatened to "paralyse" Egypt.

He offered a dialogue with the opposition - a move rejected by his opponents.

Mr Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood, became Egypt's first Islamist president on 30 June 2012, after winning an election considered free and fair.

His first year as president has been marred by constant political unrest and a sinking economy.

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Jackson son testifies in court

27 June 2013 Last updated at 05:37 ET

Michael Jackson's eldest son has spoken publicly for the first time about his father's death as he testified at his wrongful death trial in Los Angeles.

Prince Jackson, 16, told jurors his father had some tense phone calls with concert promoter AEG Live, sometimes ending with his father in tears.

"He would say, 'They're going to kill me. They're going to kill me'."

Katherine Jackson, is suing AEG Live for $40bn (£26bn) over her son's death. The company has denied any wrongdoing.

The Jackson family claim AEG Live failed to properly investigate Dr Conrad Murray - the former cardiologist who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 - and missed warning signs about the singer's health.

Murray was caring for the singer as he prepared for his This Is It shows. AEG Live said it did not hire or supervise Murray and has argued Jackson had prescription drug and addiction problems long before entering into any agreement with the company.

AEG Live also said it could not have foreseen that Murray posed a danger to Jackson.

Prince was 12 when his father died in 2009, aged 50, from an overdose of surgical anaesthetic propofol, ahead of a series of comeback concerts in London.

He told the court that he and his two younger siblings - sister Paris and brother Prince Michael II, also known as Blanket - were at their Los Angeles home when they heard screams on the night of his father's death.

"I ran upstairs and I saw Dr Conrad doing CPR on my dad on the bed," he said. "My dad was hanging halfway off the bed, and his eyes were rolled back in his head."

He added: "My sister was screaming the whole time, saying she wants her daddy. I was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, crying, waiting for the ambulance."

Later, Murray told them in a hospital waiting room Jackson had a heart attack. "Sorry kids, your dad's dead," said Prince, recalling Murray's words in front of jurors on Wednesday.

He said he never saw the doctor's treatment of his father, who was hired to serve as his personal physician. "I was 12. To my understanding he was supposed to make sure my dad stayed healthy," he testified.

Murray was to be paid $150,000 (£98,000) a month during the This Is It concert series, but Jackson died before the tour began.

Murray is in prison, appealing against his conviction.

All three Jackson children are plaintiffs in the case against AEG Live, which their grandmother and primary carer filed in August 2010.

The trial, which is currently in its ninth week, is expected to last for another month.

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Obama seeks to defuse Snowden row

27 June 2013 Last updated at 09:14 ET

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President Obama "not going to be scrambling jets to get Snowden"

President Barack Obama says efforts to arrest US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden will be dealt with through routine legal channels.

"I am not going to be scrambling jets to get a 29-year-old hacker," said Mr Obama, speaking on a visit to the West African nation of Senegal.

He also said he had not called China and Russia's presidents about the case.

Mr Snowden, who faces US espionage charges, flew to Moscow at the weekend and requested asylum in Ecuador.

"I have not called President Xi personally or President Putin personally and the reason is... number one, I shouldn't have to," Mr Obama told a news conference on Thursday.

"Number two, we've got a whole lot of business that we do with China and Russia, and I'm not going to have one case of a suspect who we're trying to extradite suddenly being elevated to the point where I've got to start doing wheeling and dealing and trading on a whole host of other issues."

He added: "My continued expectation is that Russia or other countries that have talked about potentially providing Mr Snowden asylum recognise that they are a part of an international community and they should be abiding by international law."

'Hypocritical behaviour'

Mr Obama also said the case highlighted significant vulnerabilities at the National Security Agency, the US electronic spying agency where Mr Snowden worked as a contractor until last month.

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The BBC's Steve Rosenberg is at Moscow airport looking for Edward Snowden

The American president was speaking on the first leg of an African tour that will also take in South Africa and Tanzania. He will not visit Kenya, where his father was born, amid US concern over allegations that country's president fomented election violence.

Meanwhile, Ecuador's government said on Thursday that it had not processed Mr Snowden's asylum request because he had not reached any of its diplomatic premises.

Mr Snowden is wanted for leaking to the media that the US is systematically seizing vast amounts of phone and web data under a surveillance programme known as Prism.

He fled to Hong Kong on 20 May before flying to Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport on Sunday.

Mr Snowden's case has caused a diplomatic spat, with the US accusing Russia and China of assisting the fugitive. Both nations deny the charges.

On Thursday, Beijing accused the US of "double standards" and hypocrisy on cyber security.

China's defence ministry said the Prism programme "has revealed the concerned country's true face and hypocritical behaviour".

Continue reading the main story

Transit zones: A legal grey area

• The Sheremetyevo airport transit area is Russian sovereign territory, but Russia says that in staying there, Edward Snowden has not formally entered the country
• Legally, an arriving air passenger may be said to "cross the border" only after clearing immigration, which would require an entry visa
• If Russia allowed Mr Snowden to enter, it could implicate the state in helping a fugitive, analysts say
• It is thought Mr Snowden may be staying at a complex of 47 basic "capsule" hotel rooms located in the zone

Although Russia has no extradition treaty with the US, Washington says it wants Moscow to extradite Mr Snowden without delay.

But Russia said the American, who turned 30 last week, was technically not yet under its jurisdiction because he had not passed through immigration.

Russia has denied reports that its secret police have questioned Mr Snowden, who has had his US passport revoked.

Venezuela has also said it would consider an asylum application from him.

He is charged with theft of government property, unauthorised communication of national defence information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence.

US officials have defended the practice of gathering telephone and internet data from private users around the world.

They say Prism cannot be used to target intentionally any Americans or anyone in the US, and stress that it is supervised by judges.

CLICKABLE

Hawaii

20 May: Snowden flies from Hawaii to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong

5 June: From Hong Kong, Snowden discloses details of what he describes as a vast US phone and internet surveillance programme to the UK's Guardian newspaper.

Moscow

23 June: Snowden leaves Hong Kong on a flight to Moscow. He is currently thought to remain airside at Sheremetyevo airport.

Cuba

From Moscow, Snowden could fly to Cuba, en route to Ecuador, which has said it is "analysing" whether to grant him asylum.

Venezuela

Venezuela had also been considered a possible destination for Snowden, however it is thought he would only pass through on his way to Ecuador.

Ecuador

Snowden is reported to have requested asylum in Ecuador, which previously granted haven to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in its London embassy.

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Obama in Africa gay rights appeal

27 June 2013 Last updated at 09:21 ET

US President Barack Obama has called on African governments to give gay people equal rights by decriminalising homosexual acts.

Mr Obama made the comments in Senegal after meeting President Macky Sall on the first leg of his African tour.

Mr Sall said Senegal was a "very tolerant" country but it was "not ready to decriminalise homosexuality".

Homosexual acts are still a crime in 38 African countries, where most people hold conservative religious views.

In 2011, the US and UK hinted that they could withdraw aid from countries which did not respect gay rights.

Mr Obama said at a news conference that the issue did not come up in his discussions with Mr Sall.

'Not homophobic'

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

It [Senegal] is moving in the right direction with reforms to deepen democratic institutions"

End Quote Barack Obama US President

Nevertheless, he believed that while different customs and religions should be respected, the law should treat everybody equally, he said.

Mr Obama welcomed the US Supreme Court's decision on Wednesday to strike down a law that denied the recognition of same-sex marriages.

The ruling was a "victory for American democracy and a proud day for equal rights", he said

Mr Sall said Senegal was still not ready to change its laws, but that "does not mean we are homophobic''.

This is Mr Obama's third visit to Africa since he became president in 2008.

He is also due to travel to South Africa and Tanzania.

Africa had made "amazing" strides in achieving democracy, Mr Obama said.

Senegal, a mainly Muslim country which has never been hit by a coup, was one of America's "strongest partners" on the continent, he added.

"It's moving in the right direction with reforms to deepen democratic institutions and as more Africans across this continent stand up and demand governments that are accountable and serve the people, I believe Senegal can be a great example," Mr Obama said.

Continue reading the main story

Goree: Slave island

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He has excluded from his itinerary Kenya, where his father was born, and Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer which has been hit by an Islamist insurgency.

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

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Two die in wing walker crash in Ohio

22 June 2013 Last updated at 17:32 ET

A wing walker and her pilot were killed when their biplane crashed during an air show near Dayton, in the US state of Ohio.

The plane carrying Jane Wicker overturned and hit the ground, bursting into flames in front of spectators at the Vectren Dayton Air Show.

Organisers cancelled the show for the rest of the day.

Ms Wicker's company confirmed on Facebook that she and pilot Charlie Schwenker had died.

No spectators were hurt.

'Really close'

The crash occurred at 12:45 (16:45 GMT) and was captured on video.

Ian Hoyt, an aviation photographer who was at the show, told the Associated Press news agency he had been taking photos as the plane passed by and had just raised his camera to take another shot.

"Then I realised they were too low and too slow," he said. "And before I knew it, they hit the ground."

He could not tell exactly what had happened, but it appeared that the plane had stalled.

Shawn Warwick of New Knoxville said he was watching the plane through binoculars.

"I noticed it was upside down really close to the ground," he was quoted as saying by the Dayton Daily News.

"She was sitting on the bottom of the plane. I saw it just go right into the ground and explode."

His wife was getting a drink when the crash happened. "I came back and everybody was just in shock," said Cara Warwick.

'Never scared'

Wicker first applied to be a wing walker in 1990, AP reports.

She was a contract employee who worked as a Federal Aviation Administration budget analyst.

She told WDTN-TV in an interview this week that her signature move was hanging underneath the plane's wing by her feet and sitting on the bottom of the airplane while it was upside-down.

"I'm never nervous or scared because I know if I do everything as I usually do, everything's going to be just fine," she said.

One of the country's oldest air shows, Vectren Dayton usually draws around 70,000 people.

A veteran stunt pilot, Jim LeRoy, was killed when his plane crashed and burned at the 2007 Vectren Dayton show.

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Obama promises US climate plan

22 June 2013 Last updated at 18:40 ET

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Mr Obama said no single step could reverse the effects of climate change

US President Barack Obama has promised to outline his plan to deal with climate change in a speech at Georgetown University on Tuesday.

He said it would include measures to reduce carbon pollution and to lead global efforts to fight climate change.

Mr Obama has said repeatedly he would tackle climate change, but has been blocked by Congress.

He is believed to be planning to pass the new measures by executive action, meaning he will bypass Congress.

"There's no single step that can reverse the effects of climate change," he said in a video message.

"But when it comes to the world we leave our children, we owe it to them to do what we can."

He made similar points earlier this year at his inauguration and in his State of the Union address.

He returned to the theme in Berlin on Wednesday: "We know we have to do more, and we will do more."

Mr Obama also promised at the beginning of his first term in office in 2009 to provide global leadership on climate change.

Power plants

But his attempts to introduce a cap-and-trade scheme to reduce carbon emissions were thwarted by his opponents in Congress.

Many Republicans argue that his attempts to tackle climate change are wasteful and give too much power to the state.

US media report that Mr Obama is now intending to introduce a series of executive actions, which can be put into effect by various federal agencies without Congress approval.

The measures reportedly will include tighter regulation of coal-fired power plants and making more land available for wind farms and other renewable energy projects.

White House energy and climate adviser Heather Zichal told a forum in Washington a few days ago "we are very much focused on the power plant piece of the equation".

She said the plan would also boost energy efficiency of appliances and buildings.

Mr Obama has come under pressure to cut emissions from power plants. from prominent figures in north-eastern states hit by Super storm Sandy in October 2012.

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Alberta braced for fresh flooding

22 June 2013 Last updated at 21:39 ET

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The site of the Calgary Stampede, due to take place in 2 weeks, is badly hit

More communities in the Canadian province of Alberta have been placed on flood alert as high water levels move downstream from the city of Calgary.

About 10,000 residents in low-lying areas of the city of Medicine Hat have been ordered to leave their homes.

In Calgary, river levels have receded but the city remains under a state of emergency.

The floods, triggered by torrential rain, have killed at least three people and displaced more than 100,000 others.

Calgary's emergency management agency chief Bruce Burrell said on Saturday they were seeing improvements in the city's two rivers - the Bow and Elbow.

The news prompted Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi to Tweet: "It's morning in Calgary! Sunny, water levels are down, and our spirit remains strong. We're not out of this, but maybe have turned corner."

However, he later warned that a state of emergency was still in effect.

More than 20 neighbourhoods in Calgary have been evacuated with an estimated 75,000 residents ordered from their homes.

The town of High River, south-west of Calgary, has been one of the hardest-hit areas and remained under an evacuation order. Police said they had recovered three bodies in the area.

Alberta Premier Alison Redford Tweeted: "A very emotional day so far. The destruction in High River is indescribable. The town is resilient and we will rebuild."

She also warned on Saturday that towns and cities downstream of Calgary had not yet felt the full force of the floodwaters.

The focus of the emergency is now shifting to the southeast, Canadian broadcaster CBC reported, towards the cities of Lethbridge and Medicine Hat.

In Medicine Hat, the South Saskatchewan River is not expected to peak until Monday and many residents are being evacuated to a local college, CBC said, citing officials.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who is from Calgary, said he never imagined the city could suffer a flood of such magnitude.

"This is incredible. I've seen a little bit of flooding in Calgary before. I don't think any of us have seen anything like this before. The magnitude is just extraordinary," he said.

The floods come after torrential rain swept Alberta, capped by a 4in (10cm) downpour on Thursday.

The deluge washed away roads and bridges, cut power lines and submerged hundreds of homes.

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VIDEO: Idaho's solidarity for Berghdahl

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VIDEO: 'I'm sure my kids never would do this'

The mother of the two brothers suspected of the bomb attack on the Boston marathon has told the BBC she is sure her sons would never have done it.

Her younger son, Dzhokar, is in custody in the US awaiting his first court appearance, while her elder son, Tamerlan, died in a shoot-out with police a few days after the bombing.

Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, who has an American passport, says she is planning to return to the United States for Dzhokar's first court appearance next month.

Speaking to the BBC's Tim Franks in Dagestan, she said the word killing had no place in their house.

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VIDEO: Canada floods leave three dead

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Monsters trounce Superman in cinemas

24 June 2013 Last updated at 04:24 ET

Monsters University has topped the US box office, beating the zombies of World War Z and Superman in Man of Steel, according to studio estimates.

Monsters University is Pixar's 14th consecutive film to open at number one, exceeding studio expectations by taking $82m (£53m), according to Dave Hollis, Disney's head of distribution.

World War Z, which stars Brad Pitt, was second with $66m (£42.9m).

Superman reboot Man of Steel came third with $41.2m (£26.8m).

Hollis said of the three films: "The diversity of this weekend is part of what makes this business so great. It's a really extraordinary weekend for the industry."

Paramount's World War Z did well, despite reports of problems with a revamped ending, plus rewrites and reshoots which sent the film over budget.

Continue reading the main story

• Monsters University: $82 m
• World War Z: $66m
• Man of Steel: $41.2m
• This Is the End: $13m
• Now You See Me: $7.87m

"What World War Z proves is that all the negative backstory that can be thrown at a movie doesn't matter if the movie's good," said Paul Dergarabedian of box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

"I don't think the audience cares one lick if they had to reshoot the ending if they like the ending and like the movie."

Paramount's president of domestic distribution, Don Harris, said: "It's the biggest live-action original opening since Avatar", adding it was "Brad Pitt's biggest opening ever".

In terms of Paramount's recent blockbusters, he added, it ranked behind Iron Man and Transformers as "the third largest potential franchise opening in the history of the company".

Warner Bros' Man of Steel, which stars British actor Henry Cavill, is in its second week of release, and came third, bringing its US revenue to more than $210m (£136).

This Is The End, which stars Seth Rogen, James Franco and Jonah Hill, playing themselves during the apocalypse, came fourth.

Magic heist thriller Now You See Me held onto fifth place.

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Family Ties creator dies aged 68

24 June 2013 Last updated at 06:07 ET

Gary David Goldberg, the creator of hit US sitcom Family Ties, which made Michael J Fox a star, has died at the age of 68, according to reports.

Brooklyn-born Goldberg, who based much of the show on his own life, died of brain cancer on 23 June at his California home, Hollywood Reporter and Variety said.

He went on to co-create the series Spin City, which also starred Fox.

The double Emmy-winner Goldberg also penned episodes of M*A*S*H.

He won one Emmy in 1987 for outstanding writing on Family Ties and the other for newsroom drama Lou Grant in 1979, for which he won an outstanding series award.

In total, Goldberg garnered seven Emmy nominations and he also wrote the critically-acclaimed Brooklyn Bridge, derived from his New York youth, in a noisy apartment building presided over by his matriarchal grandmother.

"She had the family's only telephone, television and car, thus consolidating her absolute power," he wrote in his official biography.

The writer was also behind episodes of The Bob Newhart Show and he wrote and directed a couple of films - 1989 comedy-drama Dad starring Jack Lemmon and John Cusack romantic comedy Must Love Dogs (2005).

Family Ties, which he created in the 80s, centred around a liberal hippy couple, whose offspring were more in tune with the materialism of the Reagan era.

"That sharp right turn was embodied by Fox, a baby-faced Canadian who played 17-year-old, tie-wearing Alex P Keaton, the oldest kid of aging flower children played by Meredith Baxter-Birney and Michael Gross," said the Hollywood Reporter.

Goldberg was quoted as saying the show was "totally autobiographical in concept", describing himself and his wife Diana as "the parents", adding: "Our daughter Shana was as smart as Alex but could shop with Mallory."

It went on to huge success, attracting US audiences of 28.2m at its peak, and casting a young Tom Hanks in a recurring role.

Running from 1982 to 1989, it notched up 180 episodes, 19 Emmy nominations and five wins. In the UK, it was broadcast on Channel 4.

Post 1980, all of Goldberg's shows were made via his own company, Ubu Productions, in partnership with Paramount.

All of the credits to his shows had a famous ending - a photograph of his black Labrador Retriever in front of the Louvre in Paris, with Goldberg saying: "Sit, Ubu, sit! Good dog," followed by a bark.

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Carrey refuses to support Kick-Ass 2

24 June 2013 Last updated at 07:18 ET

Jim Carrey, star of Kick-Ass 2, has withdrawn support for the film following the Sandy Hook massacre.

Carrey tweeted on Sunday: "I did Kickass a month b4 Sandy Hook and now in all good conscience I cannot support that level of violence.

"My apologies to others involved with the film. I am not ashamed of it but recent events have caused a change in my heart," he added.

Carrey is well-known for his support of gun control measures.

Twenty pupils and six staff were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut last December by 20-year-old gunman Adam Lanza. He had earlier shot dead his mother in their home.

'Passionate advocate'

Kick-Ass 2 follows 2010's ultra-violent comic book movie and sees Chloe Moretz and Aaron Taylor-Johnson reprise their roles as high school pupils turned DIY superheroes Hit Girl and Kick-Ass.

The movie will be released in the UK and the US on 16 August.

Carrey's character in the film is Colonel Stars and Stripes, the leader of a group of superheroes.

Creator of the original comic book and Kick-Ass executive producer Mark Millar said he was "baffled" by Carrey's decision and asked him to reconsider.

In a forum on his website Millarworld, he wrote: "As you may know, Jim is a passionate advocate of gun-control and I respect both his politics and his opinion, but I'm baffled by this sudden announcement as nothing seen in this picture wasn't in the screenplay eighteen months ago.

"Yes, the body-count is very high, but a movie called Kick-Ass 2 really has to do what it says on the tin.

"A sequel to the picture that gave us Hit-Girl was always going to have some blood on the floor and this should have been no shock to a guy who enjoyed the first movie so much... like Jim, I'm horrified by real-life violence (even though I'm Scottish), but Kick-Ass 2 isn't a documentary."

Further down in his posting, he continued: "Ultimately, this is his decision, but I've never quite bought the notion that violence in fiction leads to violence in real-life any more than Harry Potter casting a spell creates more Boy Wizards in real life.,, Jim, I love ya and I hope you reconsider for all the above points."

Universal Pictures, the film's studio, has yet to comment on Carrey's decision.

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Kerry warns of Snowden consequences

24 June 2013 Last updated at 08:58 ET

US Secretary of State John Kerry has said it would be "disappointing" if Russia and China had helped US fugitive Edward Snowden evade US attempts to extradite him from Hong Kong.

Speaking during a visit to India, Mr Kerry said there would inevitably be "consequences" to such a move.

Mr Snowden flew out of Hong Kong to Moscow on Sunday.

He was thought to have flown to Cuba, but Ecuador's foreign minister has since implied he was still in Russia.

Speaking during a visit to Vietnam, Ricardo Patino said Ecuador had maintained "respectful and diplomatic contacts" with the Russian government so Moscow can "make the decision it feels is most convenient in accordance with its laws and politics and in accordance with the international laws and norms that could be applied to this case".

However, when asked whether he knew of Mr Snowden's current location he declined to answer.

Mr Patino confirmed that Ecuador was processing an asylum request from Mr Snowden, and read out the letter the fugitive had sent to President Rafael Correa in which he said he was "at risk of being persecuted by the US and its agents".

Defending the decision to consider Mr Snowden's request, Mr Patino said his country puts human rights "above any other interest that may be discussed or any other pressure it may be subjected to".

'Effect and impact'

Mr Snowden is wanted by the US for revealing to the media details of a secret government surveillance programme, which he obtained while briefly working as an IT contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA).

The 30-year-old been charged in the US with theft of government property, unauthorised communication of national defence information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence.

The Hong Kong authorities have said he left the territory voluntarily, and that US extradition papers were incomplete so there was no legal reason to prevent his departure.

But Albert Ho, his lawyer in Hong Kong, told the BBC that a government official urged Mr Snowden to go over the weekend. Mr Ho said he believed the official was acting on the orders of the Beijing government.

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Passenger on flight SU213: "It's strange, because they were getting luggage straight from the airplane and putting it into the car"

Mr Kerry told reporters in Delhi it would "be obviously disappointing if he was wilfully allowed to board an airplane".

"As a result there would be without any question some effect and impact on the relationship and consequences."

Mr Snowden's exact whereabouts are currently unclear - he is believed to have spent the night in a hotel at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.

The US has revoked his passport and wants Russia to hand him over before he leaves Russian soil.

Mr Kerry urged Moscow to "live by the standards of the law because that's in the interests of everybody".

"In the last two years we have transferred seven prisoners to Russia that they wanted so I think reciprocity and the enforcement of the law is pretty important," he said.

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CLICKABLE

Hawaii

20 May: Snowden flies from Hawaii to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong

5 June: From Hong Kong, Snowden discloses details of what he describes as a vast US phone and internet surveillance programme to the UK's Guardian newspaper.

Moscow

23 June: Snowden leaves Hong Kong on a flight to Moscow.

Cuba

From Moscow, Snowden could fly to Cuba, en route to Ecuador, which has said it is "analysing" whether to grant him asylum.

Venezuela

Venezuela had also been considered a possible destination for Snowden, however it is thought he would only pass through on his way to Ecuador.

Ecuador

Snowden is reported to have requested asylum in Ecuador, which previously granted haven to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in its London embassy.

Reports had suggested Mr Snowden would fly to the Cuban capital, Havana, before taking an onward to flight, possibly to Ecuador.

The first plane scheduled to fly to Havana left Sheremetyevo at 14:05 Moscow time (10:05 GMT), but journalists on board said he had not been seen.

'Litany of lies'

Ecuador is already giving political asylum to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who has been sheltering in its London embassy for the past year.

Wikileaks is now supporting Mr Snowden and said in a statement that he was "bound for the Republic of Ecuador via a safe route for the purposes of asylum, and is being escorted by diplomats and legal advisers from Wikileaks".

Continue reading the main story

Who is Edward Snowden?

• Age 30, grew up in North Carolina
• Joined army reserves in 2004, discharged four months later, says the Guardian
• First job at National Security Agency was as security guard
• Worked on IT security at the CIA
• Left CIA in 2009 for contract work at NSA for various firms including Booz Allen
• Called himself Verax, Latin for "speaking the truth", in exchanges with the Washington Post

Although the US and Ecuador have a joint extradition treaty, it is not applicable to "crimes or offences of a political character".

Mr Snowden left his home in Hawaii after leaking details of his work at the NSA and US surveillance tactics to the UK's Guardian newspaper and the Washington Post.

His leaks have led to revelations that the US is systematically seizing vast amounts of phone and web data under an NSA programme known as Prism.

He has previously said had decided to speak out after observing "a continuing litany of lies" from senior officials to Congress.

Each of the charges he faces carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.

The Obama administration is desperate to get its hands on Mr Snowden before he reveals any more secrets, says the BBC's Paul Adams in Washington.

US officials have defended the practice of gathering telephone and internet data from private users around the world.

They say Prism cannot be used to intentionally target any Americans or anyone in the US, and that it is supervised by judges.

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