Night clashes in Egypt

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)

STORY: Clashes between police and anti-government protesters in Egypt continued into their fourth day Friday as tensions rose after President Mohamed Mursi's presidential decree where he announced he was to be above legal challenge until a new parliament was elected, the date for which has not yet been announced.

In the capital, protesters hurled stones and Molotov cocktails at riot police and some held a banner that showed the faces of Mursi and deposed President Hosni Mubarak morphed together, suggesting one autocrat has been replaced by another.

Mursi's aides argued he needed to extend his presidential powers in order to speed up a protracted transition that has been hindered by legal obstacles. But Mursi's rivals were quick to condemn him as a new autocratic pharaoh who wanted to impose his Islamist vision on Egypt.

Running battles continued after nightfall and police used tear gas and drove vehicles at demonstrators, pushing them back towards Tahrir Square.

The square was the heart of the 2011 anti-Mubarak uprising, where on Friday thousands demanded Mursi quit and accused him of launching a "coup."