Egypt

MINYA, Egypt (AP) -- The Muslim Brotherhood's spiritual leader and over 180 others were sentenced to death Saturday by an Egyptian court in the latest mass trial following last year's overthrow of the country's Islamist president.

Egyptian authorities scrambled to rescue the country's presidential election from a debacle of low voter turnout, but few people trickled to the polls on Wednesday even after the balloting was extended for a third day.

Supporters of retired Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi danced to pop tunes praising the military and sported T-shirts bearing his image as they cast ballots Monday in a presidential election that is considered certain to vault the former military chief to office.

An Egyptian court on Tuesday banned leaders of the former ruling party of ousted President Hosni Mubarak from running in any elections, a vague ruling that could bar former officials of that regime from returning to politics for the time being.

Persistent violence in Syria and Egypt has sharply divided senior White House advisers over a moral dilemma: How far should the U.S. go to stop the killing when its actions could lead to war with Syria or damage relations with Egypt?

Officials say an Egyptian court has ordered the release of ex-President Hosni Mubarak, but it's not immediately clear whether the prosecutors will appeal the order.

Another domino has fallen as Egypt's military-backed rulers continue a crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood.

Tensions in Egypt continue to escalate in the aftermath of the July 3 ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

Senior diplomats from the European Union's member states are discussing how the 28-nation bloc will respond to a week of bloody violence in Egypt that has left nearly 900 people dead.

Egyptian officials say security forces fired tear gas at a prison truck Sunday in an attempt to free a badly beaten police officer from rioting detainees, killing at least 36 suspects.