President Morsi pledges 'new Egypt'

Islamist Mohammed Morsi has promised a "new Egypt" as he took the oath of office to become the country's first freely elected president, succeeding Hosni Mubarak who was ousted 16 months ago.

At his inauguration before the Supreme Constitutional Court in Cairo, the 60-year-old also became the Arab world's first freely elected Islamist president and Egypt's fifth head of state since the overthrow of the monarchy some 60 years ago.

He took the oath before 18 black-robed judges in the Nile-side courthouse built to resemble an ancient Egyptian temple.

"We aspire to a better tomorrow, a new Egypt and a second republic," Mr Morsi said during a solemn ceremony shown live on state television.

"Today, the Egyptian people laid the foundation of a new life - absolute freedom, a genuine democracy and stability," said Mr Morsi, a US-trained engineer from the Muslim Brotherhood, a fundamentalist group that has spent most of the 84 years since its inception as an outlawed organisation harshly targeted by successive governments.

Hundreds of soldiers and policemen guarded the building as Mr Morsi arrived in a small motorcade.