BREAKING NEWS

Egypt's army says ends deadlock on assembly

CAIRO - Egypt's ruling army council called on Thursday for parliament to meet next week to pick members of an assembly tasked with drawing up a new constitution, signalling the end of a weeks-long deadlock.
The previous assembly was dissolved by court order after liberals and others quit the body complaining it was dominated by Islamists.
The military council that took over after former President Hosni Mubarak was toppled last year has promised to hand over to a newly elected president by July 1, but no one knows what constitutional authority the next head of state will have.
A new president will be elected in a run-off on June 16-17 in a polarizing vote that pits Mubarak's last premier and former air force commander Ahmed Shafik against the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate Mohamed Mursi.