Egypt crisis: Interim president to be sworn in after Morsi ousted

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[QUOTE]The top judge of Egypt's constitutional court, Adli Mansour, is to be sworn in as interim leader, hours after the army ousted President Mohammed Morsi.

Army chief Gen Abdul Fattah al-Sisi announced the move in a TV address on Wednesday evening, in what Mr Morsi said was a military coup.

Gen Sisi said Mr Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected leader, had "failed to meet the demands of the people".

The move comes after days of mass rallies against the Islamist president.

His opponents celebrated through the night in Cairo's Tahrir Square, as the army announced it had suspended the constitution and pledged to hold new elections.

But clashes erupted overnight between Morsi supporters and the security forces in Cairo and Alexandria, leaving seven protestors dead. A further 10 deaths have been reported in confrontations in other parts of the country.

Gehad el-Haddad, a spokesman for Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, told the BBC the ousted leader had been put under house arrest and the "entire presidential team" was in detention.

Mr Haddad's father, senior Morsi aide Essam el-Haddad, and Saad al-Katatni, head of the Brotherhood's political wing, are among those held.

The state-run al-Ahram newspaper reported that arrest warrants had been issued for 300 leaders and members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

US President Barack Obama has said he is "deeply concerned" by the latest turn of events and called for a swift return to civilian rule.[/QUOTE]
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23176401[/url]