Egypt unrest: Fourth trial called for Mohammed Morsi

The ousted president of Egypt, Mohammed Morsi, faces a fourth trial, on charges of insulting the judiciary.

The Islamist leader and 24 other politicians, media personalities, activists and lawyers will be tried on the new charges, judicial sources said.

Mr Morsi was removed from power in July and his Muslim Brotherhood declared a terrorist organisation.

His first trial to date was adjourned earlier this month.

Correspondents say the new trial is a sign that the military have no intention of easing their crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood.

The move followed a referendum in which 98% of voters approved a new constitution, according to electoral officials.

The vote was seen as a vote on the legitimacy of the military's removal of Mr Morsi.

Turnout was less than 40% amid a boycott by Morsi supporters, who dismissed it as a "farce".

A constitutional referendum held in 2012 while Mohammed Morsi was in power but boycotted by secularists saw a turnout of 33%, with 64% of voters approving the document.

Four cases

The new trial dates back to Mr Morsi's time in office, when he named a judge in a public speech and accused him of overseeing fraud in previous elections, the Associated Press reports.

On 11 January, he had been due to appear in court in Cairo over the killing of protesters outside a presidential palace in 2012.

But proceedings were adjourned after bad weather reportedly stopped his helicopter from taking off from Alexandria, where is in prison.

At the opening of the trial on 4 November, he had insisted he was still Egypt's legitimate leader and refused to wear the uniform given to defendants.

Neither of his two other trials, for organising prison breaks during the 2011 uprising and conspiring with foreign militant groups to destabilise Egypt, have opened yet.

Although Mr Morsi won the presidency in a democratic election, replacing ousted long-term leader Hosni Mubarak, he fell out with key institutions during his 13 months in power.

Since his removal, at least 1,000 people have been killed in clashes with security forces.

Mr Morsi's supporters say he and other senior Brotherhood leaders are the victims of politically motivated prosecutions.

Courtesy: BBC

Iraq fighting: UN warns of humanitarian crisis in Anbar

The UN's envoy to Iraq has warned of a "critical humanitarian situation" in Anbar province, as troops prepare to launch a major assault against al-Qaeda-linked militants in Fallujah.

Nickolay Mladenov said more than 5,000 families had fled the city as food, water and medicine began to run out.

An Iraqi Red Crescent official put the figure far higher - at 13,000 families.

Earlier, Iraq's prime minister urged the militants who have seized control of Fallujah to give up their struggle.

Nouri Maliki appeared to hold out the offer of a pardon if they did so.

Markets reopen

Sunni militants 

allied to the al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), as well as armed tribesmen angry with the government, overran Fallujah last week after clashes triggered by a raid on protest camps in the city and in the provincial capital, Ramadi.

On Wednesday morning, security officials and tribal leaders said Mr Maliki had agreed to delay any assault to give people in Fallujah time to persuade or force ISIS out.

"We've done our part of the deal. Now they should do theirs. If not, a quick offensive is coming," a special forces officer told the Reuters news agency.

On Wednesday the Associated Press reported that calls had been broadcast on mosque loudspeakers calling on militants to leave the city and on fleeing families to come back. Markets had also reopened, and civilian vehicles and traffic policemen had returned to the streets, it added.

But the UN's special representative to Iraq warned that food and water supplies were beginning to run out and that the humanitarian situation was "likely to worsen as operations continue".

"The UN agencies are working to identify the needs of the population and prepare medical supplies, food and non-food items for distribution if safe passage can be ensured. This remains a primary challenge," Mr Mladenov said in a statement.

According to a preliminary UN assessment, more than 5,000 families have sought refuge in the neighbouring provinces of Karbala, Salahuddin and Baghdad, but Iraqi Red Crescent official Mohammed al-Khuzaie said as many as 13,000 families had fled, and that it had provided humanitarian assistance to more than 8,000.

Fighting continued on the outskirts of Ramadi on Wednesday, although security forces backed by pro-government tribesmen largely regained control of the city two days ago.

'Sacred war'

In his weekly televised address on Wednesday, Mr Maliki vowed to continue the "sacred war" against ISIS and regain full control of Fallujah and Ramadi.

"The war that is being fought by the Iraqi security forces, tribes and all segments of Iraqi society against al-Qaeda and its affiliates is a sacred war," he said. "I call on those who were lured to be part of the terrorism machine led by al-Qaeda to return to reason."

In return, the prime minister promised to "open a new page to settle their cases so that they won't be fuel for the war that is led by al-Qaeda".

Islamist militants have capitalised on deep-seated grievances among Iraq's minority Sunni Arab community, which has complained for years that it is being marginalised by Mr Maliki's Shia-led government and unfairly targeted by the security forces.

Correspondents say the prime minister's drive to restore control of the two predominantly Sunni cities of Fallujah and Ramadi is being seen by many Sunnis as an attempt at domination and oppression, and is taking Iraq back to the brink of a sectarian civil war.

Courtesy: BBC

North America's deep freeze set to ease

The deep freeze that has left people in North America shivering for days, shattering century-old temperature records, is loosening its icy grip.

The mercury is rising in the US Midwest and East, which has borne the brunt of the so-called polar vortex, but was still below freezing in many areas.

At least 21 people have died since Sunday as a result of the weather, and more than 11,000 flights were grounded.

US natural gas usage hit an all-time record in the US to meet heat demands.

Forecasters predicted weather would return to normal across much of the US in the coming days, after 50 US cities set new record low temperatures on Tuesday.

'Dramatically warmer'

Dogs found with frozen paws were rescued in Ohio, as ABC's Linzie Janis reports

The US National Weather Service predicted "a much-anticipated warm up" for much of the eastern US on Wednesday.

The US Midwest - which experienced -37C (-35F) in recent days - also warmed slightly, but still faced temperatures 15 to 25 degrees below average.

Atlanta, Georgia, returned to a more temperate 5C (42F) on Wednesday following a record low of -14C (6F) a day earlier.

New York City topped -5C (22F) on Wednesday, after shattering a 118-year-old low temperature record with -15C (4F) on Tuesday.

Temperatures in parts of North America plunged so low this week that they eclipsed readings recently recorded on the Red Planet by the Mars Rover.

Even Alabama's top official was not immune to the extreme cold.

Governor Robert Bentley faced an estimated $50,000 (£30,397) in damage after a water pipe froze and burst in the attic of his home in Tuscaloosa.

In Canada, meanwhile, a 70-year-old Ontario man is recovering in hospital after being buried in a snowdrift in his vehicle for nearly 24 hours.

Guy Walton, a meteorologist at The Weather Channel, told US media that the worst of the Arctic outbreak is over.

"It will be getting dramatically warmer from today," he said on Wednesday.

"By Thursday temperatures will be almost back to normal."

Scientists also posited a silver lining to the cold snap, saying it could kill some of the pests that have ravaged northern forests.

The low temperatures may also slow the migration of invasive species and prevent erosion of wetlands, they say.

Courtesy: BBC