Constitution

CAIRO - - Approval of Egypt's controversial draft constitution in an initial round of voting revealed the grass-roots power of Islamists even as the popularity of President Mohamed Morsi has dimmed in this increasingly polarized and economically struggling nation. Unofficial results reported by state media from Saturday's constitutional referendum indicated that the Islamist-backed draft charter passed by about 56% of the vote in 10 of Egypt's 27 governorates. The results were immediately challenged by mainly secular opponents of the Morsi government, who cited thousands of alleged voting abuses and irregularities.

CAIRO -- Egyptians began voting Saturday for a constitution that sharpens divisions between Islamists and secularists and intensifies the dangerous struggle over the country's political identity nearly two years after the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak. Voters stood in polling lines in slums and wealthy enclaves in an uninspired atmosphere on a day meant to enshrine hallowed ideals into law. Soldiers and police stood guard. Strong opinions muted any hint of consensus and most believed the country's polarization would only deepen after the votes were counted.

CAIRO - Egyptians began voting Saturday on a constitution that sharpens divisions between Islamists and secularists and intensifies the dangerous struggle over the country's political identity nearly two years after the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak's police state. Voters streamed through slums and wealthy enclaves in an uninspired atmosphere on a day meant to enshrine hallowed ideals into law. Soldiers and police stood guard and questions arose about whether judicial supervision was adequate.

Elections on Sunday are expected to return former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe to power, a hawk by the standards of restrained Japan. The nation's apparent rightward swing has spurred concerns that a victorious Abe might attempt one of his most controversial quests: undoing Japan's constitutional ban on waging war. Predictions that Abe and his right-wing party will win are a result of the Japanese right profiting politically from disillusionment with...

CAIRO - Demonstrators clashed in Alexandria on Friday as Egyptians gathered across the nation in rival rallies on the eve of a referendum on a divisive draft constitution backed by Islamist President Mohamed Morsi. Thousands of Islamists waved banners and flags in Cairo and other cities to support the proposed charter that has been criticized by secularists and civil rights groups for limiting personal freedoms and emphasizing Sharia law by allowing clerics to be consulted on legislation.

CAIRO - Egypt's leading opposition group urged its followers Wednesday to vote against an Islamist-inspired draft constitution, ending weeks of indecision over whether antigovernment forces should boycott the referendum, which begins this weekend and pits secularists against the Muslim Brotherhood. The move by the National Salvation Front is a crucial test of its popularity against President Mohamed Morsi and his Islamist supporters. The opposition movement has revived the country's revolutionary fervor but has been marred by division and poor organization, which are expected to be exploited by the Brotherhood's vast grass-roots networks.

A vote by millions of Egyptians on a new constitution should have been an occasion for national celebration. But overreaching by Islamists, including the country's president, has made the referendum that begins Saturday a source of division. Even if the document is approved, President Mohamed Morsi will need to reach out to Egyptians - including Christians, secularists and women - who feel they have been excluded from a revolution they helped create. Yes, Morsi was legitimately elected, but that doesn't relieve him of the responsibility to preside over an inclusive government.

CAIRO - Egypt's volatile political fault lines were shaken Tuesday as rival protests echoed across the capital over the fate of a proposed constitution drafted by Islamists nearly two years after the overthrow of autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Tens of thousands of Islamist supporters of President Mohamed Morsi rallied at a mosque in Cairo to back a constitutional referendum set for Saturday. Two miles away, mainly secular opposition groups marched to the barricaded presidential palace in what increasingly appears to be an improbable task of blocking the vote and forcing Morsi to order the writing of a new charter.

Acceptable or exceptional? There are several degrees of separation possible for the Clippers as they start a potentially troublesome four-game trip Tuesday. The Clippers will hopscotch through the Midwest and Southeast with two games in two nights at Chicago and Charlotte and then have two days off before playing in Milwaukee and finishing in Detroit. Reserve guard Jamal Crawford was experienced enough not to offer an exact definition of what would be a satisfactory outcome of the trip.

CAIRO - Knots of men argue politics, barefoot boys grip stones, graffiti blooms, banners unfurl and wind whistles through the tents of protesters in the latest stage of a revolution that, at least for now, has revived passions and lighted new campfires in Tahrir Square. How long the fervor will last is uncertain. The opposition against Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has called for mass rallies Tuesday in a final push to block a referendum on a new constitution - one that many fear would favor Islamist interests - set for this weekend.