Egypt's president dismisses calls for early vote

Egypt's embattled president on Friday dismissed calls for early presidential elections as clashes erupted in a northern Egyptian city and unidentified assailants torched a Cairo campaign headquarters of a youth group petitioning for Mohammed Morsi's removal from office.

Clashes erupted Friday evening in downtown Cairo between security forces and members of the Black Block, a group of young masked men opposed to president Morsi's rule. In a four-page interview with the state-run Al-Ahram daily, Morsi said demands for an early presidential vote are both "absurd and illegal." (AP)