Showdown or compromise? Mursi meets judges

Under-fire Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi will meet senior judges in Cairo today in an attempt to ease the crisis generated by his unilateral decision to extend his powers.

Protesters have once more gathered in Tahrir Square, an unsettling reminder of the popular uprising of 2011 that eventually ousted Hosni Mubarak.

Protests over the last week have left Egypt bitterly divided as supporters and opponents of Mursi make their voices heard.

More than 500 people have been injured in clashes between police and protesters worried that the Muslim Brotherhood aims to dominate the post-Mubarak era.

One person was killed and 60 injured in an attack on the Brotherhood’s main office in the Nile Delta town of Damanhour.

Thousands rallied on the Sinai Peninsula and Alexandria in support of Mursi and the new decree, that will extend his powers and shield his decisions from judicial scrutiny.

Mursi says it is an attempt to speed up vital reforms but there are concerns over Egypt’s fledgling democratic integrity.

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