Egypt

Egyptians vote on divisive constitution

Egyptians voted on Saturday on a constitution promoted by its Islamist backers as the way out of a prolonged political crisis and rejected by opponents as a recipe for further divisions in the Arab world's biggest nation. ...  

Egypt opposition urges 'no' vote on constitution

Egypt's main opposition alliance called for a "No" vote in the referendum on a disputed constitution rather than a boycott, hours after Islamist President Mohammed Morsi's government forged ahead by starting overseas voting in diplomatic missions for expatriates. ...  

Egyptian army to host unity talks as crisis deepens

Egypt's army chief will host national unity talks on Wednesday, seeking to end a growing political and economic crisis in the Arab world's most populous nation. ...  

Gunmen attack Egyptian opposition protesters

Masked gunmen attacked opposition protesters camped out at Cairo's Tahrir Square early on Tuesday, firing birdshot at them and wounding nine people, security officials said. The attack stoked tensions just hours ahead of rival mass rallies in the Egyptian capital by supporters and opponents of the country's Islamist president over a disputed draft constitution. ...  

Egypt's president behaves like his predecessors

The freshly scrawled graffiti depicting Mohammed Morsi as a pharaonic Saddam Hussein tells the tale of high hopes dashed with record speed: Barely six months after becoming Egypt's first democratically elected president, the Islamist is widely accused of abandoning pledges of inclusive government for doctrinaire and authoritarian ways. ...  

Egypt President cancels decree that sparked protests

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has cancelled a decree that gave him sweeping powers and sparked huge protests, but did not delay a referendum on a constitution as his opponents had demanded. ...  

Morsi to authorise army to take on security role

Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi, facing street protests over his attempts to push through a new constitution, will soon authorise the armed forces to help police keep order, the state-run newspaper al-Ahram reported on Saturday. The daily said the cabinet had also approved a legal measure. ...  

Protesters surge around Egypt's presidential palace

Tens of thousands of Egyptian protesters surged around the presidential palace on Friday and the opposition rejected President Mohamed Mursi's call for dialogue to end a crisis that has polarised the nation and sparked deadly clashes. ...  

Obama calls Morsi over Egypt deaths

US President Barack Obama called his Egyptian counterpart Mohamed Morsi expressing concern over death of protesters and emphasised on ending violence. "The President emphasised that all political leaders in Egypt should make clear to their supporters that violence is unacceptable," White House said on Thursday after the phone call, noting Obama expressed his deep concern about the deaths and injuries of protesters in Egypt. ...  

Egypt:100,000 protest outside president's palace

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Egyptian papers suspend publication in protest

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Egypt's top court shuts down, blames protesters

Protests by Islamists allied to President Mohamed Mursi forced Egypt's highest court to adjourn its work indefinitely on Sunday, intensifying a conflict between some of the country's top judges and the head of state. ...  

Egypt's president sets date for constitution vote

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi called on Saturday for a referendum in two weeks on a disputed draft constitution, as tens of thousands of his supporters celebrated the decision. ...  

Hamas complains to Egypt after Israeli army kills Gazan

Hamas accused Israel on Saturday of violating the shaky, Egyptian-brokered Gaza truce of November 21 after Israeli troops killed a Palestinian taking part in a protest at the enclave's border fence. ...  

Egypt assembly seeks to wrap up constitution

The assembly writing Egypt's constitution said it could wrap up a final draft later on Wednesday, a move the Muslim Brotherhood sees as a way out of a crisis over a decree by President Mohamed Mursi that protesters say gives him dictatorial powers. ...  

Egypt mass protests challenge Islamist president

More than 100,000 people flocked to Cairo's central Tahrir square on Tuesday, chanting against Egypt's Islamist president in a powerful show of strength by the opposition demanding Mohammed Morsi revoke edicts granting himself near autocratic powers. ...  

Egypt's Islamists seek to defuse crisis over decree

Egypt's ruling Islamists tried to defuse a political crisis on Monday, with President Mohamed Morsi backing a compromise over his seizure of extended powers and his Muslim Brotherhood calling off a planned demonstration. ...  

Egypt's president stands by his decrees

Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi told the country's top judges on Monday that he did not infringe on their authority when he seized near absolute powers, setting the stage for a prolonged showdown on the eve of mass protests planned by both supporters and opponents of the Islamist leader. ...  

Egypt President Mursi to meet judges over power grab

Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi will meet senior judges on Monday to try to ease a crisis over his seizure of new powers which has set off violent protests reminiscent of last year's revolution which brought him to power. ...