07:32
Tieng Anh Vui
President Morsi has rejected an army ultimatum
Opponents and supporters of Egypt's president are gathering in the capital, Cairo, ahead of a deadline set by a protest group for him to leave power.
Tamarod (Rebel) has given Mohammed Morsi until 17:00 (15:00 GMT) to resign or face a civil disobedience campaign.
The ultimatum was issued on Monday, hours before the military itself warned it would intervene unless he reached an agreement with the opposition.
Mr Morsi criticised the statement, saying it "might cause confusion".
He was put under further pressure by the resignation of six ministers from his government on Monday, including Foreign Minister Kamel Amr.
On Tuesday, the spokesmen for the presidency and the cabinet were also reported to have quit.
And the UN high commissioner for human rights called on the president to engage in a "serious national dialogue" to end the political crisis, and said nothing should be done to undermine the democratic process.
Egypt's top appeals court also upheld the dismissal of the prosecutor general appointed by Mr Morsi, who had been criticised by the opposition.
'Road map'
As the Tamarod deadline approached, thousands of protesters gathered in Tahrir Square in central Cairo on Tuesday afternoon to demand Mr Morsi step down.
Waving flags, the crowds chanted slogans including: "The people have brought down the regime." When several military helicopters flew ahead, they erupted in cheers.
Opposition supporters also reportedly gathered outside the Ittahidiya and Quba presidential palaces, to the north-east, where protesters have been camped out.
Nationwide protests on Sunday - a year after the president took office - which were organised by Tamarod brought millions of people out onto the streets.
The group also claims to have collected more than 22 million signatures for a petition that criticises Mr Morsi for failing to revive the economy and restore security.
It welcomed the military's statement, which warned the president to satisfy the public's demands within 48 hours or see the generals impose their own "road map".
Tamarod spokesman Mahmoud Badr told reporters that the military had "sided with the people" and that it would "mean early presidential elections".
The military's threat was criticised in a statement issued by the presidency early on Tuesday, which said Mr Morsi was continuing with plans for dialogue and reconciliation.
Mr Morsi's office said it had not been consulted by the generals and that "some of its phrases have connotations that may cause confusion in the complicated national scene" and "threaten the social peace no matter what the motivation".
Tamarod (Rebel)
The Tamarod movement says more than 22 million people have signed a petition complaining that:
- Security has not been restored since the 2011 revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak
- The poor "have no place" in society
- The government has had to "beg" the International Monetary Fund for a $4.8bn loan to help shore up the public finances
- There has been "no justice" for people killed by security forces during the uprising and at anti-government protests since then
- "No dignity is left" for Egyptians or their country
- The economy has "collapsed", with growth poor and inflation high
- Egypt is "following in the footsteps" of the US
On Monday evening supporters of the president and the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement to which he belongs, attended a rally outside the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in Cairo's Nasr district.
A senior Brotherhood leader, Mohammed al-Biltaji, called on the crowds to be "prepared to take to the streets and fill squares" in support of the president.
"No coup against legitimacy of any kind will pass except over our dead bodies," he said.
On Tuesday, Brotherhood supporters again gathered outside the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque.
The group also said rallies were being held in Marsa Matruh, Beni Suef, Kafr al-Sheikh, and stressed that it disavowed bloodshed and warned against any attack on the opposition.
The main opposition alliance, the National Salvation Front (NSF) also issued a statement saying that it did "not support a military coup".
"We trust the army's declaration, reflected in their statement, that they don't want to get involved in politics, or play a political role," it added.
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