Egypt’s cabinet to debate fate of Muslim Brotherhood

Egypt’s deputy prime minister will propose a way out of a bloody confrontation between the security forces and the Muslim Brotherhood of deposed president Mohammed Mursi when the cabinet discusses the crisis on Sunday.

But his ideas seemed to run counter to a suggestion by the prime minister to dissolve the Islamist organisation, the target of a fierce crackdown by the army-backed government last week.

The authorities declared a state of emergency and killed hundreds of people in raids on Wednesday on protest camps set up in Cairo to demand Mursi’s reinstatement.

The capital’s frenetic streets, unusually empty in the past few days, were returning to normal on Sunday, although the army kept several big squares closed and enforced a curfew overnight.

At night, soldiers standing beside armoured personnel carriers man checkpoints, and vigilantes inspect cars for weapons.