EGYPT: Survivors of rock slide at slum protest in anger

Many of those left homeless by last week’s rock slide demonstrated in front of Cairo’s City Hall this week to push the government, which they say has reacted slowly to a tragedy that killed as many as 160 residents, to provide them with shelter.

In the meantime, the atmosphere at the Douaiqa slums became more volatile as survivors threw stones at police after authorities called off the search for the many who remain missing. Eight people were arrested, according to the local press.

The latest official death toll is 86; residents say at least 160 were killed.

EGYPT: Death toll from rockslide rises to 61

To vent their rage at a state that they say is failing them, residents of the Douaiqa slum, recently devastated by the slide of massive boulders, clashed with the police over allegations that the government may stop rescue efforts for scores of missing people, according to a news report in El-Masry El-Youm.

The independent daily reported that the Douaiqa residents threw stones Tuesday at the police, accusing authorities of not moving quickly enough to recover bodies.

Meanwhile, the state news agency announced that the death toll rose to 61. Hundreds of victims are believed to still be trapped under the boulders; however, there is little hope of finding survivors.

EGYPT: Deadly rockslide unleashes anger in the press

The rockslide that killed at least 38 people in one of Cairo's largest shantytowns on Saturday has elicited a new wave of public outrage over the failure of the state not only to deal with emergencies, but also to contain poverty.

The residents of the Douaiqa slum woke up to the fall of massive boulders on about 35 of their houses Saturday. Hundreds of bodies are believed to be still missing.   

Today’s editorial of al-Wafd, an opposition newspaper, read: “How were the victims allowed to live in this dangerous place? How were they left there after the first rockslide that happened in 1994 despite all technical reports that expected further rockslides? Where was the state when these people first arrived in this area? Where has the state been for the last 14 years since the first rockslide happened?”

The incident was perceived by some observers as another example of the state's inability to close the widening gap between rich and poor. “The people know quite well that the regime dedicates all its efforts to serve the rich and when it is forced to deal with the poor, it just gives them [minor donations] instead of elaborating a policy to eliminate poverty and prevent the construction of slums in dangerous areas,” wrote Mohamed Sayed Said, editor of al-Badeel, an independent daily.

“The fundamental solution to such problems lies in putting an end to this catastrophic government and instating a regime that fights poverty rather than the poor,” Said wrote. 

The rockslide came days after the case of the real estate mogul Hisham Talaat Mostafa, who was charged in the slaying of a Lebanese singer. The press seized the opportunity to criticize real estate tycoons who were given many state incentives to build extravagant residential compounds while leaving the poor in shantytowns with little water and sewage services.

“In his current ordeal, [Mostafa] can feel for the poor of this country which gave him everything from wealth to power. He inquired thousands of feddans [land units] at very low prices to build projects that brought hundreds of millions into his pockets. Like the majority of businessmen who do not resemble the people of this blessed land, he never thought about this duty towards a society plagued by poverty,” wrote Waheed Abdel Meguid in al-Wafd.

— Noha El-Hennawy in Cairo

EGYPT: Controversial fire

The fire that gutted parliament’s upper house earlier this week has exposed the deep-seated public disenchantment with the government of President Hosni Mubarak.

Egyptians met the news with more than sorrow or shock. On the contrary, for some, the incident was an opportunity to openly rail against a government incapable of handling crises and, for others, to mock a ruling regime that is failing to improve the lives of Egyptians not connected to the ruling National Democratic Party.

The 19-century palace burned on Tuesday, leaving one firefighter dead and about 16 hospitalized. Firefighters spent the night struggling with flames that raced through the three-story building in downtown Cairo. According to initial reports, no criminal cause stands behind the fire. So far, the blaze is blamed on a short electrical circuit.

IRAQ: Far from Beijing, he runs to forget

While runners in Beijing compete for medals, fame and fortune, Mahmoud Kamil Ahmed runs to forget. The Iraqi distance runner, who has represented his country in international competition, lost 27 members of his family a year ago when Sunni Muslim insurgents loyal to Al Qaeda in Iraq attacked their homestead north of Baghdad.

Ahmed was not home at the time. He was in Cairo training for future competitions. But his mother, father and two brothers were among the dead. It took Ahmed several days to learn what really had happened. Up until July 27, 2007, he had spoken to his relatives nearly every day in phone calls from Cairo. But on July 27, nobody answered the phone when he called.

"My village was controlled by Qaeda gunmen. My worry began to increase when I was trying to reach others in the village whom I know, but I couldn't get them," Ahmed said.

He returned to Iraqi on July 30, 2007, and kept trying to call home from Baghdad, about 60 miles away, to no avail. Finally, he reached a brother-in-law who does not live in the village. "He said, 'Everything is all right, don't worry, but don't come home,' " Ahmed recalls.

But his voice was sad, and Ahmed knew something was wrong. He called someone else he knew. "When I asked him what was going on, he surprised me. 'Ohhhhh, don't you know? Gunmen killed all your family,' " he said.

"I was not digesting what I was hearing. Was it a dream or reality?" Ahmed said. He called his brother-in-law again and demanded the truth. This time he got another story: that two uncles were dead and the rest of the family had survived and gone into hiding.

Eventually, Ahmed reached someone else who told him the truth.

Read more about Ahmed's story here.

--Raheem Salman and Tina Susman

Photo: Iraqi distance runner Mahmoud Kamil Ahmed shows photographs of his slain family. Credit: Saad Khalaf / Los Angeles Times

AFGHANISTAN: American casualty identified

Spc. Estell L. Turner, 43, of Sioux Falls, S.D., died Wednesday at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., of wounds caused by a roadside bomb June 28 in Malikheyl, Afghanistan, the Defense Department announced. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Ft. Campbell, Ky.

AFGHANISTAN: 4 American casualties identified

The Defense Department identified three soldiers and a Marine who died in Afghanistan, where at least 537 American military personnel have lost their lives since 2001.

Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey M. Radamorales, 32, of Naranjito, Puerto Rico; Master Sgt. Shawn E. Simmons, 39, of Ashland, Mass.; and Sgt. James M. Treber, 24, of Imperial Beach, Calif., died Sunday in Khosrow-E Sofla from injuries sustained when their vehicle rolled into a canal. They were assigned to the Army's 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Staff Sgt. Edgar A. Heredia, 28, of Houston died Thursday while supporting combat operations in Farah province. He was assigned to 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command.

*Read about the record number of U.S. and allied forces killed in June here.

AFGHANISTAN: 4 American casualties identified

The Defense Department has identified three soldiers who were killed Thursday when their convoy  was attacked with roadside bombs, gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades near  Forward Operating Base Shank in Lowgar province, Afghanistan. At least 537 U.S. service members have died in the war.

Sgt. 1st Class Matthew L. Hilton, 37, of Livonia, Mich., was assigned to the 425th Infantry Regiment, Michigan Army National Guard, Selfridge, Mich.

Sgt. 1st Class Joseph A. McKay, 51, of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Spc. Mark C. Palmateer, 38, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., were assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition), New York Army National Guard, Jamestown, N.Y.

Staff Sgt. Travis K. Hunsberger, 24, of Goshen, Ind., was killed by a roadside bomb while on combat patrol Friday near Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan, the Defense Department announced.  He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Ft. Bragg, N.C.

IRAQ: 10 American casualties identified

The Defense Department has identified seven soldiers and three Marines who were killed in Iraq, where at least 4,113 American service members have lost their lives.

Pfc. Bryan M. Thomas, 22, of Lake Charles, La., died June 23 in Baghdad of gunshot wounds suffered during combat operations in Salman Pak, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany.
   
Spc. Joshua L. Plocica, 20, of Clarksville, Tenn., was killed by a roadside bomb Wednesday in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Ft. Hood, Texas.

Sgt. Alejandro A. Dominguez, 24, of San Diego;   Spc. Joel A. Taylor, 20, of Pinetown, N.C.; and       Pfc. James M. Yohn, 25, of Highspire, Pa., died Wednesday in Mosul, Iraq of wounds caused by a roadside bomb Tuesday. They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Ft. Hood, Texas.

Chief Warrant Officer Robert C. Hammett, 39, of Tucson, Ariz., who was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Ft. Carson, Colo., and Maj. Dwayne M. Kelley, 48, of Willingboro, N.J., who was assigned to the 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion, Green Bay, Wis., were killed by a bomb Tuesday in Baghdad.

Three Marines — Lt. Col. Max A. Galeai, 42, of Pago Pago, American Samoa;  Capt. Philip J. Dykeman, 38, of Brockport, N.Y.; and Cpl. Marcus W. Preudhomme, 23, of North Miami Beach, Fla. — died Thursday while supporting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq. They were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay.

         

IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN: 'Sopranos' auction benefits the troops

Twenty-five outfits worn by actor James Gandolfini in his starring role in "The Sopranos" were auctioned this week in New York for $187,750, with proceeds going to the Wounded Warrior Project, which helps Marines and soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The auction, held at Christie's, was Gandolfini's idea. Last year his production company, Attaboy Films, did a well-received documentary for HBO about wounded military personnel and their struggles. Gandolfini was the interviewer.

Of the auction items, the polo shirt, tank top and black pants worn by Gandolfini in the episode in which he was shot by his demented uncle Junior fetched the most: $43,750. The bathrobe worn by the faux mobster as he brought in the morning newspaper went for $13,750.

The troops are big fans of "The Sopranos." At the Marine-Army base outside Ramadi, Iraq, the shack that served as an after-hours joint is called the Bada Bing. It's exactly like the one in the HBO series, except it has no strippers, no booze, no gambling and no smoking. The weapons are real though.

-- Tony Perry, in San Diego

Photo: Actor James Gandolfini played Tony Soprano in the hit HBO series "The Sopranos." Credit: Associated Press