US Missiles And Troops To Protect Turkey

The US is deploying two Patriot missile units along with 400 troops to Turkey as part of a Nato force to protect Turkish territory from potential Syrian attack.

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta signed a deployment order on Friday on his way to Turkey from Afghanistan.

The order calls for the American soldiers to operate two batteries of Patriots at undisclosed locations in Turkey.

The move is part of a wider Nato effort to bolster Ankara's air defences amid growing tension on the Turkish-Syrian border.

Germany and the Netherlands are also sending Patriots, which are designed to knock out cruise and ballistic missiles as well as aircraft.

Turkey is a founding member of Nato and requested the help from the alliance after siding with opposition forces battling President Bashar al Assad's regime.

Leon Panetta has been meeting troops and politicians in Afghanistan

The Turkish government has vowed to defend its territory after cross-border artillery fire wounded civilians and one of its fighter jets was  downed.

US and European leaders have warned the Assad regime not to use its arsenal of chemical arms, calling it a "red line" that would trigger international military action.

During a brief stop at Incirlik Air Base Mr Panetta told US troops that Turkey might need the Patriots.

He said he had approved the deployment "so that we can help Turkey have the kind of missile defence it may very well need to deal with the threats coming out of Syria."

Mr Panetta did not reveal how soon the two Patriot batteries will head to Turkey or how long they will stay.

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Egyptian Sword Fight Injures Protesters

At least 19 people have reportedly been hurt in Egypt, after supporters of the country's draft constitution attacked protesters with swords.

The clashes in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria come on the eve of a referendum on the charter, which opponents claim does not guarantee basic rights to Egyptians and places emphasis on Islam and Sharia law.

Witnesses said dozens of protesters fought with clubs and swords and threw stones at one another.

Cars were set alight and a large crowd of anti-Mursi protesters armed with knives surrounded a mosque in the city, trapping a preacher who had criticised those planning to oppose the constitution when voting begins on Saturday.

A hospital official told the AP news agency that 19 Egyptians were injured in the clashes.

In the Egyptian capital Cairo, where tanks and armed troops have been deployed, protests outside mosques were peaceful.

Demonstrators gathered outside the presidential palace but there were no reports of any violence.

At least eight people have died and hundreds have been injured in the three weeks since Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi assumed sweeping new powers - which have now been abolished - to push through the constitution.

The referendum, which will be held on two days, asks Egyptians to accept or reject a basic law that must be in place before national elections can be held early next year.

The government said Saturday would be made a holiday to enable people to vote.

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Royal Hoax Radio Staff 'Moved Into Safehouses'

Staff at a radio station behind a hoax call that led to the apparent suicide of nurse Jacintha Saldanha have been moved to safehouses, according to reports.

Managers at Sydney radio station 2Day FM have also recruited 24-hour bodyguards to protect employees.

Ms Saldanha was found dead days after the DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian called London's King Edward VII hospital, where the Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for severe morning sickness.

They impersonated the Queen and Prince Charles, with the "monarch" making enquiries about her "granddaughter".

Nurse Jacintha Saldanha was found dead after receiving a hoax call

Australian news website news.co.au said police have launched an investigation due to staff receiving death threats, with one letter specifically targeting Mr Christian.

The letter reportedly said there are "bullets out there with your (Mr Christian's) name on" and contained further threats involving a shotgun.

An inquest into the 46-year-old nurse's death opened at Westminster Coroner's Court on Thursday, and heard injuries were found on her wrists and that she had left three notes.

Two of the notes were found in her room at the hospital. The other was among her possessions.

The mother-of-two's body was released to undertakers on behalf of the family after the hearing.

The court heard that police are exploring emails and texts sent by Ms Saldanha, who was discovered by a colleague and a security guard on Friday.

Officers are also interviewing her friends and family, and staff at the Australian radio station responsible for the prank.

Detective Chief Inspector James Harman said: "On Friday December 7 Jacintha Saldanha was found by a colleague and a member of security staff. Sadly she was found hanging.

"There were also injuries to her wrists. The London Ambulance Service was called to the scene. At this time there are no suspicious circumstances."

The inquest came as pressure mounted on bosses at the radio station to name the executives responsible for airing the hoax call.

Sky News understands Australia's independent media watchdog, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), has had 2,500 complaints from around the world over the 2Day FM segment.

ACMA has announced a rare fast-track investigation into the prank, which saw Ms Saldanha put two radio hosts through to a fellow nurse who unwittingly revealed details about Kate's treatment.

Australia's radio broadcasting code stipulates that it is a breach to record a person in conversation, and also air it, without their knowledge.

The radio station insists it did not break the law and says it tried to contact the hospital on five separate occasions. The hospital disputes any contact was ever sought.

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Serbian FA Fined For Racist Behaviour Of Fans

The Serbian Football Association has been fined £65,000 over the improper conduct of fans involving racist chanting during a match against England's Under-21s.

UEFA, the governing body of football in Europe, also ordered Serbia to play their next Under-21 international fixture behind closed doors, following the violent scenes during and after the game at the Mladost Stadium in Krusevac in October.

But the FA, which complained of the racism to UEFA after the incident, said the sanctions were not tough enough.

FA General Secretary Alex Horne said: "We are disappointed with the sanctions levied by UEFA with regards to the racist behaviour displayed towards England's players.

"Let's be clear, racism is unacceptable in any form, and should play no part in football.

"The scenes were deplorable and we do not believe the sanction sends a strong enough message."

FA General Secretary Alex Horne says he is "disappointed" by the sanctions

The control and disciplinary body also banned six players for varying terms, including English duo Thomas Ince and Steven Caulker, as well as two Serbian coaches, after ugly scenes marred the end of the European Championship play-off which England won 1-0.

It means defender Caulker will play no part in the ties against Italy and Norway in June next year, while midfielder Ince will miss just the first fixture.

They have three days to lodge an appeal against the decisions.

A charge against the Football Association of failing to control their players was dismissed by UEFA.

Serbian midfielder Goran Causic was handed a four-match ban, teammates Ognjen Mudrinski and Filip Malbasic were suspended for three games, and Nikola Ninkovic for two.

Serbia fitness coach Andreja Milunovic, who attacked England officials, was banned for two years, the second of which has been suspended for three years.

Assistant coach Predrag Katic was also banned for two years, the final six months of which were suspended for three years.

Disciplinary proceedings against Serbian defender Aleksandar Pantic were dismissed.

Ninkovic (L) and England's Danny Rose (R) clash during the October 16 match

The FA had reported the racist abuse to UEFA plus a number of other incidents.

Full-back Danny Rose, who was dismissed after the final whistle for kicking the ball away in anger, complained he had been particularly targeted.

He claimed he was subjected to monkey chants throughout the match - and as he left the pitch.

Players from both sides were charged with misconduct after the game and an investigation launched into the incidents.

Mr Horne added: "It is the FA's vehement belief that its players and staff acted correctly in the face of provocation, including racist abuse and missiles being thrown.

"We are therefore surprised to see that two of our players have been given suspensions.

"We shall await UEFA's reasoning but it is our intention, at this stage, to support our players and appeal these decisions."

Head Coach Stuart Pearce said: "I am concerned to see our players suspended by UEFA and we will continue to support them.

"I maintain that our players played no part in the aggression. From what I witnessed our players and staff were forced to protect themselves in the violent scenes that followed the game."

Rose will still face a one-match suspension from UEFA for his sending off after the final whistle.

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McAfee Back In US After Release From Jail

Anti-virus software pioneer John McAfee has arrived in the US after being deported from Guatemala.

The 67-year-old, who is wanted for questioning in Belize over the murder of his neighbour, had spent a week in a cell after arriving in Guatemala illegally.

A short time after the commercial jet carrying McAfee landed in Miami, a posting on his website announced he was at a hotel in the city's upscale South Beach area.

"I have no phone, no money, no contact information," the post says. Earlier, as he prepared to board the plane in Guatemala he told reporters he felt "10 years older".

McAfee and his girlfriend, Sam Vanegas

British-born McAfee, who travelled home in economy class, frequently blogged and spoke to reporters as he spent nearly a month in hiding.

Reached by telephone at his hotel, McAfee told an Associated Press reporter that he was unable to talk because he was waiting for a call from his 20-year-old Belizean girlfriend, who did not travel with him.

The former tycoon has been described as "a person of interest" by the Belizean authorities following the killing of Gregory Faull.

McAfee and Mr Faull are understood to have had several arguments over the behaviour of McAfee's dogs. McAfee acknowledges his pets were unruly, but he denies any involvement in Mr Faull's death.

He has previously told Sky News he went on the run for his own "safety" because the authorities wanted to silence him.

After three weeks in hiding, he crossed into Guatemala with his girlfriend Samantha Vanegas to evade authorities. He was arrested on December 5 for illegal entry.

McAfee sold his stake in the anti-virus software company that is named after him and moved to Ambergris Caye in Belize three years ago.

He told The New York Times in 2009 he had lost all but $4m (£2.5m) of his $100m (£62.4m) fortune in the US financial crisis.

However, a story on the Gizmodo website quoted him as describing that claim as "not very accurate at all".

US officials have said there is no active arrest warrant for him in America.

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Argentina Sex Slavery Court Ruling Sparks Riots

Riots have broken out in Argentina after 13 people were acquitted over the disappearance of a young woman who was allegedly kidnapped and forced into sex slavery.

The court ruling has also prompted calls by political leaders to impeach the three judges who delivered the verdict.

Many have called the ruling a setback for Argentina's efforts to combat sex trafficking.

When Maria de los Angeles "Marita" Veron vanished in 2002, her mother, Susana Trimarco, launched a one-woman campaign to find her - and rescued hundreds of women from sex slavery along the way.

Ms Trimarco's search exposed an underworld of organised crime figures who operate brothels with protection from authorities across Argentina.

Maria Veron went missing in 2002

The 13 people on trial - seven men and six women - faced up to 25 years in prison if convicted on charges they abducted Ms Veron and made her work as a prostitute.

The three-judge panel delayed for more than four hours on Tuesday night before reading their unanimous verdict: not guilty of any of the charges.

The courtroom erupted at the news, with the defendants sobbing and spectators shouting expletives.

President Cristina Fernandez personally called Ms Trimarco to express her surprise and outrage.

"I thought I would find her destroyed, but I found her more together than ever, more committed to keep fighting," she said.

Susana Trimarco has helped free many sex trade victims

Ms Fernandez also said that while she cannot prove it, she is sure that judicial corruption influenced the verdicts.

Security Minister Nilda Garre called the verdict "a tremendous slap in the face for the prospect of justice".

The judges later explained from the bench that despite the testimony of more than 130 witnesses, including a dozen former sex slaves who described brutal conditions in brothels, there was no physical evidence linking any of the defendants to Ms Veron, and no trace of her whereabouts.

Prostitution is legal in Argentina, but managing brothels and trafficking in people have been federal crimes since 2008.

Last year 938 people were saved from trafficking, 215 people from the sex trade and 723 from other workplace exploitation. More than 800 have been rescued so far this year.

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Syria: How War Is Tearing Apart Families

At night the Rizak extended family come together in one room and listen to the sounds of shelling, gunfire, and explosions.

They are from Jaramana in Damascus, close to the road leading to the international airport which continues to see fierce fighting between Syrian troops and opposition fighters.

It is a mixed district, but the majority of residents are from the minority Druze and Christian communities.

Residents inspect the scene of a car bomb explosion in Jaramana

They mix freely with Alawites and some Sunni Muslims who also live there.

It is a microcosm of Syrian society, one which is slowly being destroyed as people cleave to their own amid the violence pushing them apart from others.

The Rizaks gather in a room away from the windows in case a stray shell hits their building.

Tragedy has already struck them.

Two weeks ago, two car bombs exploded in the street next to their home. Some 68 people were killed and 130 injured. Annan Rizak, 20, was killed alongside his uncle Haldoon.

Annan's father Salim, an engineer, invited us into their front room, reserved for guests, and now adorned with a large photo of the deceased.

Over small cups of Arabic coffee Salim told me of the hopes he had that Annan would have a successful life.

"He was very clever, he always had good grades," he said.

"Now in the evenings, we are all in one room. We sit very close so we can help each other. There is too much noise, too many explosions coming down."

Two floors up, in the same building, Ghias Rizak lies in bed, his leg shattered in the same explosion that killed Annan and Haldoon.

The attack was blamed on then Jihadist al Nusra Front, which has carried out a number of such attacks including suicide bombings. Other victims included Iraqis who had fled the violence in Baghdad.

Sky's Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall talks to Ghias Rizak

As we talked Ghias' wife, Malak, bustled in tidying up because of the presence of a TV crew. She insisted we have coffee and eat some fruit and told of how she had heard the first explosion and rushed out onto her balcony to see what was happening.

"I looked down and there was Ghias, and then there was the second bomb, and I saw him thrown several metres by the blast," she said.

Ghias and Malak have two children who join Salim and others in the evenings.

Ghias, who will be off work for three months because of his injuries, said their two children are always asking questions: "Will we go to school tomorrow? Can I see my friends? What is going to happen?"

On the ground floor the family's patio is crowded with bags of candles brought by neighbours of other religions to help them light the house during the frequent electricity cuts, and to remember their loss.

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Obama: US Recognises Syrian Opposition

Syria: A War Tearing Apart Families

Updated: 1:38am UK, Wednesday 12 December 2012

By Tim Marshall, Foreign Affairs Editor, in Damascus

At night the Rizak extended family come together in one room and listen to the sounds of shelling, gunfire, and explosions.

They are from Jaramana in Damascus, close to the road leading to the international airport which continues to see fierce fighting between Syrian troops and opposition fighters.

It is a mixed district, but the majority of residents are from the minority Druze and Christian communities.

They mix freely with Alawites and some Sunni Muslims who also live there.

It is a microcosm of Syrian society, one which is slowly being destroyed as people cleave to their own amid the violence pushing them apart from others.

The Rizaks gather in a room away from the windows in case a stray shell hits their building.

Tragedy has already struck them.

Two weeks ago, two car bombs exploded in the street next to their home. Some 68 people were killed and 130 injured. Annan Rizak, 20, was killed alongside his uncle Haldoon.

Annan's father Salim, an engineer, invited us into their front room, reserved for guests, and now adorned with a large photo of the deceased.

Over small cups of Arabic coffee Salim told me of the hopes he had that Annan would have a successful life.

"He was very clever, he always had good grades," he said.

"Now in the evenings, we are all in one room. We sit very close so we can help each other. There is too much noise, too many explosions coming down."

Two floors up, in the same building, Ghias Rizak lies in bed, his leg shattered in the same explosion that killed Annan and Haldoon.

The attack was blamed on then Jihadist al Nusra Front, which has carried out a number of such attacks including suicide bombings. Other victims included Iraqis who had fled the violence in Baghdad.

As we talked Ghias' wife, Malak, bustled in tidying up because of the presence of a TV crew. She insisted we have coffee and eat some fruit and told of how she had heard the first explosion and rushed out onto her balcony to see what was happening.

"I looked down and there was Ghias, and then there was the second bomb, and I saw him thrown several metres by the blast," she said.

Ghias and Malak have two children who join Salim and others in the evenings.

Ghias, who will be off work for three months because of his injuries, said their two children are always asking questions: "Will we go to school tomorrow? Can I see my friends? What is going to happen?"

On the ground floor the family's patio is crowded with bags of candles brought by neighbours of other religions to help them light the house during the frequent electricity cuts, and to remember their loss.

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Strauss-Kahn Agrees Deal Over Sex Assault Case

Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has reached a settlement in a civil lawsuit brought by a hotel maid who accused him of sexually assaulting her.

Details of the financial agreement between Nafissatou Diallo and Mr Strauss-Kahn will remain confidential, according to the judge in the case.

"About 10 minutes ago we reached a settlement in this case which was put on record," Douglas McKeon told the court at the start of a hearing in New York.

A French newspaper reported last month that the settlement would be in the region of $10m (£6.2m).

Ms Diallo accused Mr Strauss-Kahn of attacking her in a $3,000-a-night hotel suite at the Sofitel Hotel in Manhattan on May 14, 2011.

She alleged he forced her to perform oral sex on him after emerging naked from the bathroom, but the 63-year-old Frenchman said it was consensual.

The ensuing scandal forced Mr Strauss-Kahn from his role at the IMF and put an end to his ambitions to run for the French presidency.

However, criminal charges were dropped after prosecutors developed concerns about the Guinean immigrant's credibility, including what they said were inconsistencies in her account of what happened immediately following the incident. Ms Diallo insists she has always told the truth about the encounter.

Outside the court, the maid's lawyer, Ken Thompson, said: "Ms Diallo is a strong and courageous woman who never lost faith in our system of justice.

"With this resolution she can now move on with her life."

Ms Diallo herself made a short statement thanking her supporters.

Mr Strauss-Kahn, who has quietly resumed his career in recent months with speeches at private conferences and the establishment of a consulting firm, was not at the hearing in New York but was seen leaving his Paris apartment.

However, he is still awaiting a decision by a French court on whether he will face trial on pimping charges.

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HSBC 'To Pay $1.9bn' In Money Laundering Case

British banking giant HSBC will pay a record $1.9bn (£1.2bn) to settle a money-laundering probe by US authorities into Europe's biggest bank, reports say.

The investigation of the bank has focused on the transfer of billions of dollars on behalf of nations such as Iran and the movement of money through the US financial system from Mexican drug cartels.

Reports say the bank is expected to pay $1.25bn (£778m) in forfeiture - the biggest such amount in any case involving a bank - on top of $655m (£408m) in civil penalties.

Under what is known as a deferred prosecution agreement, the bank will be accused of violating the Bank Secrecy Act and the Trading With The Enemy Act.

The bank says it is co-operating with investigations but that those discussions are confidential.

Standard Chartered agreed to pay £203m to settle money laundering claims

A US Senate investigative committee reported earlier this year that in 2007 and 2008, HSBC Mexico sent about $7bn in cash to the US. The committee said such an amount of cash pointed to illegal drug proceeds.

Last month it emerged HSBC was setting aside as much as $1.5bn (£935m) to cover the likely bill for fines from US authorities.

The HSBC agreement comes after another London-based bank, Standard Chartered, agreed to pay $340m (£203m) to settle federal charges that it laundered money on behalf of four countries, including Iran, that were subject to US economic sanctions.

That deal covered currency transactions made at the bank's New York branch for Iranian, Sudanese, Libyan and Burmese entities from 2001 to 2007.

With US officials increasingly cracking down on money laundering by banks, Credit Suisse, Barclays and Lloyds have all paid settlements since 2009 related to allegations that they moved money for people or companies that were on the US sanctions list.

An official announcement of the HSBC agreement is expected as early as Tuesday.

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Egypt: Opposition Rejects Referendum

Egypt's main opposition group has rejected a constitutional referendum set by President Mohamed Morsi, saying it risked dragging the country into "violent confrontation".

The opposition coalition has vowed to oppose a referendum scheduled for December 15, despite Mr Morsi apparently backing down on a decree which gave him sweeping new powers.

The National Salvation Front said in a statement read by its spokesman: "Holding a referendum now in the absence of security reflects haste and an absence of a sense of responsibility on the part of the regime, which risks pushing the country towards violent confrontation."

The Front, an umbrella opposition group of liberal and leftist parties, called for mass protests on Tuesday against a draft constitution shaped by Islamists that it said lacked consensus.

"The Front calls for demonstrations in the capital and in the regions on Tuesday as a rejection of the president's decision that goes against our legitimate demands," the coalition spokesman said.

The statement also condemned "militias" from the Muslim Brotherhood backing Mr Morsi and "terrorist gangs".

Pro-Morsi supporters with 'I support the President's decisions' banners

Hundreds of protesters milled around Mr Morsi's palace, despite tanks, barbed wire and other barriers installed last week.

With the president's decision on Saturday to retract a controversial decree awarding himself wide powers failing to placate his opponents, the call for a mass protest on Tuesday extends Egypt's political crisis.

The demonstrations could lead to more violence, as occurred on Wednesday when seven people were killed and hundreds injured in vicious clashes outside the presidential palace.

The referendum plan has sparked some of the bloodiest clashes between Morsi supporters and opponents since he came to power in June.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which propelled the president to power, urged the opposition to accept the referendum's verdict.

Islamists say the vote will seal a democratic transition that began when a popular uprising toppled ex-president Hosni Mubarak 22 months ago after three decades of military-backed one-man rule.

Their liberal, leftist and Christian adversaries say the document being fast-tracked through could threaten freedoms and fails to embrace the diversity of Egypt's 83 million people.

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Syria: Homs Scarred By Guerilla Warfare

With a Syrian fighter jet overhead, bombing rebel positions, we made our way through the wrecked streets of the Bab Sbaa district of Homs and to the front lines.

Bab Sbaa borders the Old City and Khaldia districts. The Syrian Army unit we were with said they believed there are 4,000 opposition fighters in these districts, many of them foreign jihadists, and that they have them surrounded. We could not verify the claims.

What was clear, from experience of previous visits to the city, is that the rebels have lost ground in Homs.

A destroyed Syrian army tank in Homs

We saw no evidence they hold any other districts. When we went to the Bab Amr area, the building formerly used as the Free Syrian Army headquarters had a large poster of President Bashar al Assad on its front.

On the front line we crossed from street to street using the holes rebels had punched through houses when they first arrived in force, but now being used by the army.

At one point we filmed through a sniper hole at opposition positions just 100 yards away.

The air force dropped three bombs while we were in Homs, but it is the brutal low-tech urban guerilla war fought at street level that has caused most of the extensive damage to large areas of the city.

The catapult that was used to launch bombs toward army positions

We came across a remarkable contraption - an industrial sized catapult, left behind during a rebel retreat, which had been used to launch homemade bombs towards army positions. Had it not been partially made from what looked like car parts, it could have been from the times of the Crusades.

There appears to have been a change in the government's tactics. They may have abandoned large swathes of countryside containing small towns, and are concentrating on holding the big cities, notably, Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Hama, and coastal towns such as Tartus and Latakia.

As a long-term strategy for victory it leaves a lot to be desired, especially as the opposition fighters are already using its territory to regroup, resupply, train, and formulate their own long-term plan.

However, holding the urban areas means the government does not lose, and, at the moment, that seems the best they can hope for.

Syria's agony still looks set to be a tragedy played out over many more months.

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Nelson Mandela: Ex-SA President In Hospital

Former South African President Nelson Mandela has been admitted to hospital for tests.

The country's government said Mr Mandela, 94, had been taken to hospital in Pretoria for routine checks, adding that there was no cause for alarm.

The anti-apartheid icon is known to be in frail health and has not made public appearances for some years.

He was last taken to hospital in February after suffering from persistent abdominal pain. He was released the following day after a keyhole examination showed there was nothing seriously wrong with him.

A statement from President Jacob Zuma's office about his re-admittance to hospital in South Africa's administrative capital gave no details of the condition of the former leader.

"Mandela will receive medical attention from time to time which is consistent with his age," said Mr Zuma's office.

Hillary Clinton met Nelson Mandela at his home in August

"President Zuma assures all that Madiba is doing well and there is no cause for alarm," it added, referring to Mr Mandela by his clan name.

Mr Mandela spent 27 years in prison for his fight against white minority rule under apartheid, becoming the country's first black president in 1994 at the end of white minority rule.

He turned 94 in July and has not appeared in public since South Africa's Football World Cup Final in 2010 because of his frail health.

However, in the last few months he has continued to receive high-profile visitors, including former US President Bill Clinton and Mr Clinton's wife Hillary, the US Secretary of State.

Since retiring from public life, Mr Mandela has spent most of his time in his ancestral home in Qunu, a village in the impoverished Eastern Cape province.

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Egypt: President Morsi Backs Down On Powers

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has annulled a decree he issued last month expanding his powers, an official has said.

But a referendum on a draft constitution would still go ahead as planned on December 15, Islamist politician Selim al Awa added.

He explained that constitutionally President Morsi was unable to change the date, as Mr al Awa spoke to reporters after talks between the President and political leaders.

The two issues -  the decree and the referendum - have been at the heart of anti-Morsi protests that have rocked Egypt in the past two weeks.

But the initial signs are that Mr Morsi's concession will not satisfy an increasingly fierce opposition which is calling for the vote of the new constitution to be cancelled as well

Overnight, protesters continued to gather in Cairo's Tahrir Square, which has become a focal point for anti-Morsi activists, and news of the annulled decree sparked no celebrations.

"This will change nothing," said Mohamed Shakir, 50.

"Even if they offered us honey, it would not be enough," added Hisham Ezzat.

Over the past seven days, the demonstrations have left seven people dead and hundreds injured.

Mohamed Morsi is abolishing an unpopular decree

The main opposition bloc, the National Salvation Front, has said it is ready for "serious and objective dialogue" as soon as Mr Morsi met its demands to scrap both the decree and the referendum.

It had rebuffed his offer on Thursday to open talks because he failed to give way on those two points.

On Saturday the Front spoke of the possibility of organising a general strike in protest.

However Islamist groups supportive of Mr Morsi have categorically refused to consider even delaying the constitutional referendum.

Egypt's military has said it will not allow violence and has called on rival political groups in the country to talk.

The controversial decree, issued on November 22, had put the president's decisions beyond judicial review - a measure fiercely denounced as dictatorial by the opposition.

Opposition leaders demanded it be rescinded and the referendum be scrapped before they entered into any dialogue with Mr Morsi to calm a crisis which led to street clashes this week that left seven people dead and hundreds injured.

Egypt's powerful military warned Mr Morsi and the opposition to sit down for talks, otherwise it would take steps to prevent a "disastrous" degradation of the situation.

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