Egyptian riot police fired tear gas and clashed with dozens of protesters all day today as they tried to tear down a cement wall built to prevent demonstrators from reaching the parliament and the Cabinet building in central Cairo. Some in the crowd threw rocks and Molotov cocktails

Egypt delayed early voting on a contentious draft constitution and might even call off the entire referendum, in the first signs that Islamic leader President Mohammed Morsi is finally yielding to days of protests and deadly street clashes.

Thousands of Egyptians took to the streets after Friday midday prayers in rival rallies and marches across Cairo, as the standoff deepened over what opponents call the Islamist president’s power grab, raising the spectre of more violence.

Islamists approved a draft constitution for Egypt early today without the participation of liberal and Christian members, seeking to pre-empt a court ruling that could dissolve their panel with a rushed, marathon vote that further inflames the clash between the opposition and President Mohammed Morsi.

Egypt's judges have joined the stand-off between the country's Islamist President and democracy activists.

Tens of thousands of Egyptians have gathered to mark the first anniversary of the country’s 2011 uprising, with liberals and Islamists on different sides of Cairo’s Tahrir Square in a reflection of the deep political divides.

Egypt’s reform leader Mohamed ElBaradei is pulling out of the country’s presidential race to protest at the military’s failure to put the country on the path to democracy.

Egypt’s vice president met major opposition groups for the first time and offered new concessions including freedom of the press, release of those detained since anti-government protests began nearly two weeks ago and the eventual lifting of hated emergency laws.

Tens of thousands packed central Cairo today on what they dubbed “the day of departure” in their campaign to remove President Hosni Mubarak.

Egyptian protesters have massed for sweeping "departure day" demonstrations to force President Hosni Mubarak out of office.

Embattled President Hosni Mubarak defied protesters demanding he step down immediately, announcing he would serve out the last months of his term and “die on Egyptian soil”.

EGYPTIAN President Hosni Mubarak said he would step down in a few months once a successor is elected, a move that responds to massive street protests but which may not satisfy many who want him out now.

More than 250,000 people joined a mass protest in Cairo's main square today in the largest protest yet in a week of unrelenting demands for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to leave after nearly 30 years in power.

Egypt’s most prominent democracy advocate took up a loudspeaker and called for President Hosni Mubarak to resign, speaking to thousands of protesters who defied a curfew for a third night.

THE fighting continues on the streets of Egypt’s cities and nobody is sure yet what the outcome will be of the Tunisian revolution that threw out its dictator of 30 years.

Egypt’s military has deployed on the streets of Cairo to enforce a night-time curfew as the sun set on a day of rioting and violent chaos that was a major escalation in the challenge to authoritarian President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule.

Egyptian security officials have said pro-democracy leader Mohamed ElBaradei has been placed under house arrest as nationwide anti-government protests raged into a fourth day.

Thousands of Egyptian anti-government protesters clashed with police in Cairo, who fired rubber bullets into the crowds and used tear gas and water cannons to disperse them.

Thousands of Egyptian anti-government protesters are clashing with police in Cairo, who are firing rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons to disperse them.

EGYPTIAN police fought protesters in two cities in eastern Egypt yesterday and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei headed back to the country to join demonstrators trying to oust President Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt’s leading pro-reform advocate and Nobel peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei plans to return to his country to take part in anti-government protests, his spokesman said today.

HUNDREDS of Egyptian opposition activists defied warnings to welcome home Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei amid hopes he will run for president.

The outgoing head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said he had reached a “dead end” investigating Iran’s nuclear programme.

THE UN’s atomic watchdog yesterday handed Iran and world powers a draft deal for approval by tomorrow that could dramatically ease tensions over the Islamic republic’s controversial nuclear programme.

Iran today signalled it would agree a deal to delay its capacity to produce nuclear weapons.

The surprise choice of President Barack Obama for the Nobel Peace Prize drew praise from much of the world today even as many pointed out he has not yet accomplished much on the world stage.

THE head of the UN nuclear watchdog said yesterday there is a “shifting of gears” in Iran’s confrontation with the West to more co-operation and transparency and he announced that international inspectors would visit Tehran’s newly revealed uranium enrichment site on October 25.

The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog has set the date for the inspection of Iran’s newly revealed uranium processing facility for October 25.

Iran experts at the United Nations’ nuclear monitoring agency believe Tehran has the ability to make a nuclear bomb and worked on developing a missile system that can carry an atomic warhead.

The UN nuclear watchdog is locked in a “stalemate” with Iran over the country’s suspect nuclear programme, the agency’s chief said today, pressing Tehran to answer lingering questions about its atomic ambitions.

The chief United Nations nuclear inspector said his agency’s Syria probe had been hampered because key satellite images of an alleged nuclear reactor bombed by Israel were inexplicably unavailable on the market.

NORTH KOREA barred UN nuclear inspectors from its main nuclear reactor yesterday and within a week plans to reactivate the plant that once provided the plutonium for its atomic test explosion, the chief UN nuclear inspector said.

The UN nuclear watchdog chief warned in comments aired today that any military strike on Iran could turn the Mideast to a “ball of fire” and lead Iran to a more-aggressive stance on its controversial nuclear programme.

THE head of the UN nuclear monitoring agency angrily criticised Israel yesterday for bombing an alleged Syrian nuclear facility, and chastised the US for withholding information on the site.

The head of the United Nations nuclear monitoring agency, Mohamed ElBaradei today criticised the US for not giving his organisation intelligence information sooner on what Washington says was a nuclear reactor in Syria.

Iran has been “somewhat vindicated” by a new US intelligence review that concludes the nation stopped developing a nuclear weapons programme in 2003, the head of the UN atomic watchdog agency said today.

The world’s nuclear watchdog knows less about Iran’s atomic programme now than it did a year ago, it admitted today.

Representatives of the world’s major powers will meet in London today to discuss the possible tightening of sanctions on Iran if it does not halt its nuclear programme.

Iran today warned that UN sanctions could “destroy” its willingness to co-operate with an investigation of past nuclear activities.

UN inspectors have verified that North Korea has shut down its sole functioning nuclear reactor, the chief of the watchdog agency said today, confirming Pyongyang's first step to halt production of atomic weapons in nearly five years.

A UN nuclear watchdog delegation arrived in Iran today to see if the Tehran government is willing to answer all outstanding questions about its disputed nuclear programme, state television reported.

The UN’s nuclear agency today approved sending experts to North Korea to supervise the shutdown of its plutonium-producing reactor, the agency’s chief Mohamed ElBaradei said.

North Korea vowed today to move forward with its pledge to shut down its nuclear reactor in exchange for aid.

A senior official from the UN nuclear watchdog is preparing today for a rare visit to North Korea for discussions on how the agency’s inspectors would monitor and verify the shutdown of the Yongbyon nuclear reactor.