Islamist President Mohamed Mursi's supporters force Egypt court to halt session

CAIRO (AFP) - Hundreds of supporters of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi protested Sunday outside a top Egyptian court, forcing judges to delay a hearing on a constitutional panel at the heart of a deepening crisis.

The Supreme Constitutional Court could not even begin sitting when it called an "administrative delay" to the session that would have also looked into the status of the Islamist-dominated senate, a judicial official told AFP.

Any rulings would have escalated a crisis with Mr Mursi, who in a decree expanding his powers barred the court from examining the case, before the panel adopted the constitution on Friday.

Both the judicial official and state television did not say when the court would hold any new session.