PORT SAID, Egypt (AP) _ The death toll from rioting in the Egyptian city of Port Said has risen to 31, health officials said Sunday, as army troops backed by tanks and armored vehicles staked out positions at key government facilities to try to restore order.
The violence erupted Saturday after a court handed down death sentences to almost two dozen local fans involved in a deadly melee at a Port Said soccer game last year. Immediately after the ruling was announced, angry residents and young men went on a rampage in the city, attacking the prison where the defendants were being held and trying to storm police stations and government offices.
The street clashes in Port Said were the latest in a bout of unrest that has left a total of 42 people dead in two days, including 11 killed in clashes between police and protesters marking Friday’s second anniversary of the uprising that overthrew longtime leader Hosni Mubarak. On Sunday, clashes continued for the fourth successive between protesters and police near Cairo’s central Tahrir square, birthplace of the 2011 uprising. Police used tear gas, while the protesters pelted them with rocks.
The bloodshed highlights the challenges facing President Mohammed Morsi, who took office nearly seven months ago following the uprising that ousted Mubarak. Critics say Morsi has failed to carry out promised reforms in the country’s judiciary and police force, and claim little has improved in the two years after the uprising against Mubarak.
As the situation spiraled out of control Saturday, police disappeared from Port Said’s streets, residents and security officials said.
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Casey Anthony files for bankruptcy in Florida; lists $792K in debts
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) _ Casey Anthony filed for bankruptcy in Florida on Friday, claiming about $1,100 in assets and $792,000 in liabilities.
Court records show that Anthony, who was acquitted of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee in 2011, sought Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in federal court in Tampa.
Her listed debts include $500,000 for attorney fees and costs for her criminal defense lawyer during the trial, Jose Baez; $145,660 for the Orange County Sheriff’s office for a judgment covering investigative fees and costs related to the case; $68,540 for the Internal Revenue Service for taxes, interest and penalties; and $61,505 for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for court costs.
The filling also states that she is a defendant in several civil suits, including one brought by Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez for defamation in Orange County Circuit Court.
Fernandez-Gonzalez claims her reputation was damaged by Anthony telling detectives that a baby sitter by the same name kidnapped Caylee. The detectives were investigating the 2008 disappearance of the girl, who later was found dead. Anthony’s attorney said details offered by Anthony did not match Fernandez-Gonzalez and clearly showed Anthony wasn’t talking about her.
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War movies, candy swaps and tea: A glimpse of Prince Harry’s off-duty life in Afghanistan
LONDON (AP) _ Prince Harry’s off-duty time in Afghanistan appeared to be full of war movies, board games and elaborate candy trades.
The 28-year-old helicopter pilot and fellow members of his squad swapped Kit Kats and Rice Krispies Squares for American soldiers’ M&Ms, according to a British media pool report released Sunday.
Harry himself outlined one of his less-prestigious duties. The third-in-line to the U.K. throne said anyone who lost at Uckers _ a military game similar to Ludo or Parcheesi _ had to then wait on his comrades like a Buckingham Palace butler, ready with a fresh cup of tea whenever anyone rang their bell.
“Whoever loses … then you have to make brews for everybody all day,” Harry told journalists ahead of his return to Britain this week.
He also denied rumors that he was far better at PlayStation than at traditional board games.
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`Fruitvale,’ `Blood Brother’ double up with audience and jury prizes at Sundance Awards
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) _ The dramatic film “Fruitvale” and the documentary “Blood Brother” won over audiences and Sundance Film Festival judges.
Both American films won audience awards and grand jury prizes Saturday at the Sundance Awards.
“Fruitvale” is based on the true story of Oscar Grant, who was 22 years old when he was shot and killed in a public transit station in Oakland, Calif. First-time filmmaker Ryan Coogler wrote and directed the dramatic narrative.
“This project was about humanity, about human beings and how we treat each other; how we treat the people that we love the most, and how we treat the people that we don’t know,” the 26-year-old said as he accepted the final prize of the night. “To get this award means that it had a profound impact on the audience that saw it, on the people that were responsible for picking it up. And this goes back to my home, to the Bay Area, where Oscar Grant lived, breathed, slept, loved, fought, had fun, and survived for 22 years.”
Fox Searchlight founder and Sundance juror Tom Rothman said “Fruitvale” was recognized for “its skillful realization, its devastating emotional impact and its moral and social urgency _ and for anyone out there who thinks for one second that movies don’t matter and can’t make a difference in the world.
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Djokovic-Murray childhood rivalry returns to Grand Slam stage at Australian Open final
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) _ Novak Djokovic remembers when he was about 11 and meeting a boy his age named Andy Murray.
The young Murray from Dunblane, Scotland, was “quite pale,” recalled the Serbian, known as “The Joker” for his wisecracks.
Back then, they were playing on the juniors’ circuit “just trying to play tennis and enjoy the game,” Djokovic said. Little did either know that later in life they would keep running into each other on tennis’ biggest stages.
On Sunday, Djokovic and Murray meet for their third Grand Slam final at the Australian Open. It is the latest rematch in a rivalry that Djokovic describes as unique because they’ve known each other since childhood.
“It’s nice to see somebody that you grew up with doing so well,” the 25-year-old Serbian player said Saturday. “We know each other since we were 11, 12 years old. I guess that adds something special to our rivalry.”
