MOSCOW — Both Russia and Ecuador appeared to distance themselves today from NSA leaker Edward Snowden.

In an interview with Ekho Moskvy radio, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin suggested Snowden would find no refuge in Moscow.

Snowden is “not a topic on the agenda of the Kremlin,” Dmitri Peskov said.

His comments came after Putin said last week that “the sooner he leaves, the better for him and Russia.”

Snowden remains holed up inside Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, unable to travel because the United States had revoked his passport. He also appears to be struggling to find his way to Ecuador, where he has reportedly sought political asylum.

He has so far been unable to take any of the flights from Moscow to Havana, Cuba, which would allow him to connect to Ecuador.

Ecuador’s president, meanwhile, also appeared to pull back some of his country’s apparent earlier support for Snowden.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said Snowden is “under the care of the Russian authorities” and that “the case is not in Ecuador’s hands.”

“If he arrives at an Ecuadorean embassy we’ll analyze his request for asylum,” he added.

Correa’s stance appeared to soften after he received a call from Vice President Joe Biden on Saturday. He said Biden’s opinion is “very important to us.”

“If he really could have broken North American laws, I am very respectful of other countries and their laws and I believe that someone who breaks the law must assume his responsibilities,” Correa said of Snowden. “But we also believe in human rights and due process.”

Correa also suggested Ecuador was unaware that Snowden would seek to travel on to Ecuador after he fled Hong Kong for Moscow on June 23. In another interview he suggested that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who himself is hiding from prosecution in Ecuador’s embassy in London, was the one who came up with that plan.

“We have not sought out this situation. Snowden is in contact with Assange, who recommended he seek asylum in Ecuador,” he said.

Correa also reprimanded an Ecuadorian official in London who provided Snowden with an emergency travel document. In another sign that perhaps Ecuador was not prepared to host Snowden, Correa said that document was issued without consulting officials in Quito, calling the move a “serious error.” He said the official would be punished.

At the same time, Correa offered words of encouragement for Snowden.

“Keep your spirits up and be brave,” he said.

(Credit: The Guardian/AP Photo)

(Credit: AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

CAIRO, Egypt — A sea of bobbing heads hoisting Egyptian flags high spilled out of Tahrir Square as drivers pulled their cars over on the October 6 Bridge to watch the scene below. A long procession of others walked down Ramses Street in the direction of the presidential palace.

We’ve covered a lot of protests in Egypt since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, but the last time we’d seen anything on this massive scale was in the days following Jan. 25, 2011, when the revolution started against him.

As night fell today, it quickly became clear the size of the June 30 protests by opponents of President Mohammed Morsi would eclipse those seen during the revolution. Egypt’s CBC cable channel showed a split-screen of high shots of the various protests, each box revealing a staggering number of Egyptians walking and chanting.

It’s impossible to confirm, but a military source told the Al Masry Al Youm newspaper that millions had taken to the streets in the biggest protests Egypt has ever seen. It’s easy to believe.

On the road to the palace this afternoon, the mass of humanity stretched in both directions as far as the eye could see. It was a brain-rattling cacophony of car honking, megaphones and chants. Men, women and children of all stripes were out to protest Morsi’s first year in office and his inability to get Egypt back on track.

“A year, he did nothing for this year,” Ghada Ahmd said. “He is not even trying. He is doing everything for his Muslim Brotherhood group. Not for Egypt, not for Egyptians. He is ignoring everything.”

A few miles away in Nasr City, the Muslim Brotherhood held a far smaller rally in support of Morsi. Most protests these days have civilian security but this was really something. Several rings of serious looking men, mostly bearded, many wearing construction helmets and holding clubs.

The clubs (later we saw nunchucks, chains and batons) were just for defense, we were told repeatedly. But when several groups of young Brothers ran through the crowd with their sticks in the air, shouting, you’d be forgiven for thinking they might perhaps eventually be used to offensively crack some liberal/secular skulls.

The rally was meant to show how peaceful Morsi supporters are, Hossam Ramadan, an English high school teacher told us. And to counter the opposition’s argument that Egyptians’ are worse off now than they were under Mubarak.

“We would like to give Dr. Morsi the full chance to achieve our hopes and to gather all the Egyptian people in one hand,” he said in impressively fluent English.

The Brothers had their talking points down pat: Morsi’s only had a year, give him more time. How can democracy flourish after such a short period? No other democratic country would call for the ouster of its president so soon after he/she took office.

The rally ran hot and cold. Many were happy to see a western media outlet, since the opposition usually gets most of the attention.

“You are most welcome in Egypt,” a stream of demonstrators said warmly.

Others were more skeptical, and became downright hostile when we filmed a group of ultra-conservative Salafists holding what is commonly referred to as the al Qaeda flag.

“We will spill our blood for the sake of Islam,” the black-clad men chanted into our microphones.

“Why are you focusing on them?” several irate Brothers demanded, fearful that yet another western outlet would lump them in with the extremist fringes of Islam.

We’re not focusing on them, we insisted, we’ve filmed everyone else and spoken with a number of people.

We didn’t loiter.

Tonight was not void of violence. There are reports of at least five killed in protests outside Cairo as well as an attack on the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in the capital. Egypt has never been so divided and the warnings of a civil war still loom large. Change must come to Egypt, but the answers of how and when remain as elusive forever.

But at least for tonight, Egypt appears to have avoided the wide scale bloodshed many feared would arise from today’s protests.

Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo

MOSCOW — After a week searching for Edward Snowden inside Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, I can tell you where to find a decent bagel. I can tell you the wifi password at Burger King. I can even tell you where they sell snorkeling equipment.

What I can’t tell you is where Snowden is hiding.

He’s holed up somewhere on the airport grounds, yet nobody has seen him since he arrived. Trying to find him has been a maddening, quixotic search.

A typical day consists of patrolling the terminals, camping in front of the most likely hiding spots, evading airport security (who chase me away when I start filming), and then searching for places to charge my phone and laptop.

I’ve spent up to 18 hours a day beyond passport control and security looking for Snowden. There is an irrational fear, even late at night, that the moment I call it quits he’ll come strolling down the hall, take the escalator down to Terminal D, and sit by his gate, waiting patiently for Zone 2 to be called before boarding a flight.

It’s the kind of mirage-inducing paranoia that makes the sight of any young white man with glasses the cause of a high-speed pursuit down the halls, camera in hand.

At this point it appears that Snowden is not in any public part of the airport. It seems unlikely he is browsing the duty-free for bargains on booze and perfume. There’s no sign of him in the VIP lounges and he’s not at the bars.

In short, I’m running out of places to look for him.

He also does not appear to be staying at the small hotel inside Terminal E. A small army of other reporters has camped outside that hotel and paced its only hallway around the clock. He hasn’t been seen coming or going and nobody has been bringing food inside.

Even if Snowden were hiding in a public part of the airport, the chances of running into him are slim. Sheremetyevo has three interconnected international terminals, each with dozens of gates, shops, cafes, and lounges. Parking myself at one of the gates yields a less than 1 percent chance of running into him.

More likely is the possibility that Snowden is staying somewhere in a restricted area. He could be in Terminal A, which is for official use only. Or perhaps Ecuadorean diplomats, who will reportedly escort him whenever he does travel, can afford him access to a diplomatic lounge.

Or maybe he’s staying at what’s been dubbed the Sheremetyevo Novotel “Prison” Hotel, where passengers with long layovers and no visa — like Snowden — can book rooms. They’re confined to a blocked off wing of the hotel and can only order room service, but at least it’s more comfortable than the airport floor and far away from pesky reporters.

Still, that haunting fear of missing Snowden means I have turned up day after day in hopes of finding one of the world’s most wanted men. It has also led to some desperate, if ultimately embarrassing, measures.

Snowden has already thrown reporters for a loop once. He was checked in for a flight to Havana on Monday and a couple dozen Russian and foreign journalists booked tickets, hoping to have him cornered on the long flight. But as the plane pulled away from the gate there was no sign of Snowden on board.

The reporters were subjected to an 11-hour flight to Cuba without the benefit of alcohol to drown their frustration. (Aeroflot stopped selling alcoholic drinks on that route in 2010.)

In order to get to the part of the airport where Snowden is hiding, the area by the gates beyond passport control, journalists have been purchasing the least expensive ticket available and then missing the flight. (It was a cruel joke when I was once booked on a flight to Paris.) That, however, has led to some trouble with Russian immigration.

After an American colleague was held for nearly two hours and warned she could lose her visa, I decided it was better to take my overnight round-trip flight to Armenia. After 14 hours of fruitless search at the airport, I flew to Yerevan at 10 p.m., landing in the middle of the night, and returning just a couple hours later, ready for another day of searching.

At the moment, it appears Snowden will be stuck in the airport for a while longer. The United States canceled his passport and he has few, if any, safe routes to Ecuador, which has said it would consider his request for asylum if he can make it to the country or one of its embassies.

For his sake, I hope he is somewhere more comfortable than the transit area. Those of us who are looking for him there must survive off of a steady diet of greasy TGI Friday’s (there are two, in front of gates 28 and 32) and $11 coffees.

Snowden’s dilemma has drawn comparison to the Tom Hanks movie “The Terminal,” in which Hanks’ character remains stuck in the airport for years after his country ceases to exist while he is en route. The longer I wait for Snowden to emerge, however, the more I’m starting to think I’m the one who is stuck at the airport.

If it goes any longer I fear it may start feeling like “Waiting for Godot.”

Lee Jin-man/AP Photo

Major websites in both North and South Korea are under a series of cyberattacks after international hacking group Anonymous warned last week it planned to disclose North Korea’s military documents today.

The targeted state-run North Korean websites Rodong Sinmun, Korea Central News Agency and Air Koryo, among others, were down or temporarily blocked today. Twitter accounts of Anonymous were tweeting live as the attacks were underway.

One Korean Twitter account suspected as that of hacker @Anonsj tweeted, “is #TANGODOWN ~ ” just minutes after the Pyongyang-run website went blank.

Anonymous had widely advertised its plans to infiltrate North Korean websites through a video message posted on YouTube June 17.

“Your major missile documentation and residents, military documents show down is already in progress … We are partially sharing this information with the world,” the two-minute video clip said.

The group claimed it will “no longer tolerate North Korea’s way of ruling and will work towards world peace.”

Anonymous had warned that the cyberattack would be conducted today, the 63^rd anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War in 1950, to prove its strength.

North Korea has accused the U.S. and South Korea governments of backing Anonymous but released no immediate statement today.

In South Korea, dozens of websites were also temporarily disabled throughout the day, including the official site for the presidential office, major government agencies and media companies such as Chosun Ilbo.

The Presidential Office website went down for 10 minutes from 10 a.m. local time with Anonymous’ signature black skull and masks displayed on screen with the message “hacked by Anonymous” and “Long live the Unification President, Great Leader Kim Jong-un.”

The global Anonymous denied it was behind the attacks on South Korean websites and insisted North Korean hackers were framing the group in retaliation by staging the attack on South Korean websites to make it look like  Anonymous was responsible.

The damage was seen as little threat to national security, but the South Korean government issued a cyberattack alert, raising the five-stage national cyberalert from level one to two.

“The government can confirm a cyberattack by unidentified hackers that shut down several sites, including the Blue House,” the science ministry said in a statement.

It did not speculate who might be responsible.

ABC News’ Joanne Kim contributed to this report. 

Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo

MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin today addressed an international scandal that has hounded him for the past week: accusations that he stole a Super Bowl ring from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

His response: What ring?

“You know, I don’t remember either Mr. Kraft, or the ring,” Putin said, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency, adding that he only remembers some “souvenirs.”

“But if it is such a big treasure for Mr. Kraft and the team,” Putin continued with an air of sarcasm, “I have a suggestion.”

His idea: to make the Patriots another ring, one so luxurious they’ll forget about the one that Kraft claims Putin pocketed during their 2005 meeting.

“I will ask one of our businesses to make a really good and big thing, so everyone will see it is a luxury piece, made of quality metal and with a stone, so this piece will be passed from generation to generation in the team,” the Russian president said during a question and answer session after a major economic speech in St Petersburg.

“This would be the smartest solution partners can ever achieve while tackling such a complicated international problem,” Putin added, according to Interfax.

During a speech on June 13, Kraft claimed that Putin walked off with his Super Bowl ring after he showed it to him during a 2005 visit to St Petersburg with other business leaders.

“I could kill someone with this ring,” Kraft recalled the ex-KGB spy saying as he held the massive ring, which contains 124 diamonds weighing over 4.94 karats. Reports from 2005 estimated its value at over $25,000.

Then, Kraft claims, Putin put the ring in his pocket and walked off, surrounded by a trio of burly bodyguards.

Amid confusion over what happened, Kraft issued a statement at the time saying the ring was a gift as a sign of “friendship” with the Russian people and for appreciation of Putin’s leadership. But during his remarks last week, Kraft claims he issued the statement only after pressure from the White House, which feared the incident would become a diplomatic debacle.

Last Sunday, Putin’s spokesman responded to Kraft’s claims, saying he recalls the ring was given as a gift, calling the Patriots’ owner’s claims “weird.”

New England Patriots, spokesman Stacey James declined to comment today and said Kraft is currently out of the country.

ABC News’ Alana Abramson contributed to this report

Laurent Fievet/AFP/Getty Images

By SASHA HAN

BEIJING – The Chinese white dolphin, treasured by the people of Hong Kong people for its pink color and friendly nature,  is endanger of being exterminated by pollution and a traffic jam of boats.

The dolphin, once the official mascot of the 1997 sovereignty changing ceremonies, draws tourists from around the world.

But the delightful dolphins are rapidly becoming in danger of extinction with the population decreasing by nearly 60 percent in the last decade. Conservationists warn that action must be taken if people hope to be able to see the dolphin in the coming years.

According to the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society the number of dolphins has decreased from 159 in 2003 to 61 just last year. This figure is expected to be significantly lower when the organization releases its updated report in late June.

Experts attribute this population decrease to five main factors: habitat loss from coastal development, water pollution, underwater noise pollution, vessel collision, and overfishing.

Beginning in the mid 1990′s, over 3,500 acres of sea have been reclaimed in Hong Kong’s western waters. This has inadvertently damaged a large portion of the dolphin’s habitat in addition to greatly affecting the fishing industry. This has subsequently lead to a decrease in the dolphin’s food supply.

The decline of the pink dolphins gained attention earlier this spring. During a dolphin watching tour, a popular activity for tourists visiting Hong Kong, a group watched as a mother dolphin struggled to lift the body of her dead calf above the water. This scene continued for about 30 minutes. In the end the dolphin was ultimately unable to revive the calf and was forced to swim away without it. A video of this tragic event quickly became viral, inciting considerable discussion among netizens worldwide.

A spokesperson from Hong Kong Dolphinwatch, Janet Walker, believes that the calf died due to “toxins in the mother’s milk, accumulated from polluted seawater.”

The pink dolphin is currently classified as a “near-threatened” species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (ICUN) Red List of Threatened Species while China places it as a Grade 1 National Key Protected Species, a list that includes the giant panda and golden monkey.

The announcement made earlier this week was not the first time a conservation group has attempted to increase public awareness about the dwindling dolphin population. During January 2012 the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Hong Kong joined forces with a Chinese university to set up a DNA bank in order to save the animal from extinction.

Samuel Hung, head of the Dolphin Conservation Society, urges both government officials as well as Hong Kong citizens to stand up for the dolphins, claiming that the health of the dolphins is a reflection of “the overall health of our marine ecosystem.”

Krtolica, 51, and his Buca Potok  team were competing in an amateur soccer tournament in Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital, on Saturday when he felt sharp pain and a headache. He believed the pain came from earlier in the match when he dived to save a goal and hit his head on the side of the goalpost.

It was not until the end of the match that Krtolica began to feel numbness on the right side of his body and his speech deteriorated. He was taken to a hospital for examination. Doctors were shocked to discover on an X-ray a bullet lodged in his temple.

The doctors were able to remove the bullet without any further complications.

“He is in semi-intensive care unit now. His condition is stable and he is recovering, but his speech is completely slurred,” a neurosurgeon who operated Krtolica told ABC News. “To receive a bullet in the head and live—he already beat the odds.”

Investigating police found 12 other bullet shells scattered around the field where the tournament took place. They have been sent to ballistic experts. Police suspect they were fired as part of traditional wedding celebrations nearby. There were at least three weddings taking place nearby. A man named Sejno Ligata, 42, was arrested in connection with the shooting.

LONDON – It is certain to be the most anticipated, most-reported birth of the year.

Sometime around mid-July, the Duchess of  Cambridge – formerly known as Catherine Middleton – will give birth to a baby in line to be the future king – or queen – of England.

Kate made her final solo engagement last week in Southampton. Her final public appearance will be Sunday.

From Kate’s baby bump fashion to possible names, click HERE for full coverage of the royal baby.

Plans are now in place for the royal birth, sources told ABC News. The baby is likely to be born at St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, here in London. That’s the same hospital where Diana gave birth to Prince William and Prince Harry.

The palace is being extremely careful in planning media coverage of the birth, trying hard to control what will inevitably be a circus, according to sources. The first announcement will only come after Kate has been admitted to the hospital in early stage of labor. The palace wants to avoid the media’s catching her being admitted while having contractions.

That will be followed by a second announcement: the birth. The public will only learn of the birth after the Queen and the Middleton family have been informed, according to royal protocol.

Sign The Royal Baby Guestbook

But in keeping with royal tradition, there will be an element of theater to it all.  The birth announcement will be signed on official Buckingham Palace note paper and – with cameras rolling – it will be driven to the palace where a liveried footman will put it on an easel in the palace forecourt (the easel last used when Prince William was born.)

The birth announcement will include sex, weight and time of birth. There may a few additional literary flourishes. When William was born the announcement included the words “he has blue eyes and cried lustily.”

See photos from throughout Kate Middleton’s pregnancy.

As for the name of the baby, it will be announced when the parents decide. Because royal babies have a long string of names, royal watchers are guessing a boy would have the names Charles and Philip and a girl would have the names Elizabeth and Diana.

The duke and duchess do not know the sex of their baby: They chose not to ask.  Traditionally in England, a girl takes the throne only if she does not have brothers. It is called the rule of primogeniture and it dates back to the 1700s.

But the 16 nations of the Commonwealth have already agreed to amend those rules in a nod to changing times and changing attitudes.

That means that the baby – boy or girl – will be third in line to the throne. It could, however, be a long wait. The baby’s great-grandmother,  Elizabeth II, is 87-years-old and in good health after 61 years as queen.

The baby’s grandfather, Prince Charles,  64, is next in line.  Father Prince William will turn 31 June 21 and is second in line.

                                                                        (Image Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

                                                                                                     (Image Credit: EPA|AP Photo)

SEOUL – Critics slapped Bill Gates’ one-handed shake with the South Korean president in April as rude and culturally insensitive, but Mark Zuckerberg charmed the public here Tuesday with proper attire and a handshake, a slight bow included.

The Facebook CEO, 29, known for his signature zip-front hoodie and jeans, met with President Park Geun-hye to discuss South Korea’s plans to raise employment by fostering start-up and venture companies.

But issues aside, the public and media here were more focused on how Zuckerberg would extent a hand for the introduction.

Gates, 57, had shocked people here by extending a single hand and keeping the other tucked in his pocket, jacket unbuttoned. The Microsoft chairman might not have realized it, but such body language is considered rude in Asian culture, done when one is expressing superiority to the other.

South Korean TV news aired stories comparing Gates, Zuckerberg, and Google CEO Larry Page, who also visited in April, on how these high-tech global gurus differ in wardrobe and public-etiquette skills. The culturally sensitive winner by far was Zuckerberg, who dressed in a black business suit complete with a taupe tie.

Although he offered one hand for the shake with the 61-year-old Park – whereas Page, 40, offered both, the proper way – Zuckerberg’s slight bow is considered respectful to someone more than twice his age.

It hit the right spot.

Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

ABC News’ Sasha Han reports:

BEIJING — It might not be a goal in the soccer field, but David Beckham is scoring big in another arena: China.

“Hi I am David! Welcome to the OFFICIAL David Beckham Sina Page! Talk to you soon!” was the Englishman’s first post on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter. In just one day he garnered over 400,000 followers.

The recently retired and international soccer star arrived in Beijing on Monday in his role as the country’s first ever soccer ambassador. It is part of of an attempt to revive the game’s image abroad amid several game-fixing scandals. His visit coincides with China’s confrontation with its own soccer scandals.

Although he received a warm welcome from Chinese fans, not even Beckham’s arrival could lift the spirits of soccer fans here after the country suffered a humiliating defeat late last week. China, which is ranked 47 places ahead of Thailand by FIFA, lost 5-1 when the two countries met. While the defeat was enough to spur heated debate among sports commentators, the fact that Thailand was fielding seven players from their under-21 squad provoked more than the usual share of anger amongst soccer enthusiasts.

To add insult to injury, all of this happened on President Xi Jinping’s 60th birthday.

It wasn’t long before angry fans began citing internal corruption and a lack of national spirit as the reasons behind the loss. The defeat one of the top trending topics on Weibo. Rumors began to fly that the team intentionally threw the game after pressure from gamblers betting against them. Others quickly placed the blame on head coach, Jose Antonio Camacho. Under his leadership the team has dropped 26 places in the FIFA world rankings and failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The short history of China’s national soccer team has been one steeped in scandal and corruption. The future success of the men’s soccer team, one disappointed fan commented is “an achievable goal gradually became a dream and is now becoming an illusion.”

Faced with this extreme public backlash, the only thing the Chinese national male soccer team could do was apologize to netizens online by posting a single “Sorry” on their official Weibo account.