Egypt and its political crisis!

–Egyptian opposition protesters have broken through a barricade erected by security forces to prevent them reaching the presidential palace.

Thousands had marched on the palace in Cairo after rejecting a call for dialogue by President Mohammed Morsi.

The opposition says the president has offered no concession on his decision to expand his powers and put a new draft constitution to a referendum.

Earlier, supporters of Mr Morsi held their own march in the capital.

They vowed vengeance at a funeral for men killed in clashes earlier in the week. “Egypt is Islamic, it will not be secular, it will not be liberal,” the crowd chanted.

However, opponents of the president gathered near the presidential palace. Some cut through barbed wire and surged up to the walls of the palace, Reuters news agency reported.

The president has been under fire over a decree he issued last month granting himself new powers.

Talks boycott

The main opposition movement, the National Salvation Front, said it would not take part in talks Mr Morsi had offered to hold on Saturday, in an effort to resolve the spiralling crisis.

Nobel prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei, the movement’s chief co-ordinator, posted a message on his Twitter account calling on political groups to shun all dialogue with Mr Morsi.

“We [want] a dialogue not based on an arm-twisting policy and imposing fait accompli,” his message read.

Two other opposition groups, the liberal Wafd party and the National Association for Change, said they were also boycotting the talks.

The president angered his opponents on Thursday when he refused in a televised statement to withdraw his new powers and delay a referendum on Egypt’s draft constitution. The vote is due to be held on 15 December…(BBC)