1 dead in police-protester clash in Egypt

CAIRO -- Protesters denouncing Egypt's Islamist president hurled stones and firebombs through the gates of his palace gates yesterday, clashing with security forces who fired tear gas and water cannons.

One protester was shot to death, the Health Ministry said, as more than a week of political violence came to Mohammed Morsi's symbolic doorstep for the first time.

The march on the palace was part of a wave of demonstrations in cities around the country called by opposition politicians trying to wrest concessions from Morsi after around 60 people were killed in protests, clashes and riots.

But many of the protesters go further, saying he must be removed from office, accusing his Muslim Brotherhood of monopolizing power and failing to deal with the country's mounting woes. Many have been further angered by Morsi's praise of the security forces after the high death toll, which is widely blamed on excessive use of force by the police.

Friday, Mohammed Hussein Qurni, 23, died after being shot in the chest and forehead, Health Ministry spokesman Ahmed Omar said, according to the state news agency.

The day's unrest risked boosting attempts by the government and Brotherhood to taint the opposition as destructive -- a tack Morsi supporters have taken for weeks.

The streets outside the presidential palace -- where Morsi was not present -- were a scene of mayhem after nightfall. Police fired dozens of volleys of tear gas, and protesters hurled stones, banged on metal fences and threw fireworks.