Egypt's Mursi hopes to overcome crisis with new constitution as protests continue

An Egyptian panel was rushing through approval of a new constitution at the centre of a political crisis pitting the Islamist president against his opposition, which has threatened new protests.

By late afternoon, the constituent assembly, which has been boycotted by liberals and Christians, had approved almost one-fifth of 234 articles, including a unanimous decision to retain Islamic law as the main source of legislation.

"We want a constitution we agree on," said assembly chief Hossam al-Gheriani.

President Mohammed Mursi was expected later to call for national unity in a public address to ease the crisis prompted by a decree expanding his powers. The move set off a week of protests and threatens to derail early signs of economic recovery after two years of turmoil.

Two people have been killed and hundreds injured in country-wide protests.

The constitution is one of the main reasons Mursi and his Islamist backers are at loggerheads with opponents who are boycotting the 100-member constitutional assembly. They say the Islamists have hijacked it to impose their vision of the future.