Egyptian comic praised by Jon Stewart goes back into the fray
By Laura King
CAIRO — In these turbulent days, Egypt is a political satirist’s paradise — or minefield. Bassem Youssef is about to find out which.
The country’s most popular comedian, whose cause was championed by Jon Stewart when Youssef’s scathing stand-up humor drew the wrath of Egypt’s then-Islamist government, is scheduled to return to the airwaves Friday night after a more than three-month hiatus. And Egyptians are buzzing about what his take on an authoritarian-minded new administration will be.
Youssef has vowed to pull no punches and spare no punch lines. He has already said he won’t be surprised if state prosecutors come calling after he unveils his new act.
Germany and France to seek talks over US spy row
Reports that the US had monitored the mobile phone of Chancellor Angela Merkel prompts call to suspend trade talks
The leaders of Germany and France are to seek talks with the United States in an effort to resolve a trans-Atlantic spying dispute that has plunged relations between America and Europe to a low point.
Fury over reports that US intelligence had monitored the mobile phone of Chancellor Angela Merkel spread from there to other European leaders, Taoiseach Enda Kenny among them, and prompted calls to suspend trade talks with the United States.
Seeking to rebuild trust among the longstanding allies, Dr Merkel said at an early-morning news conference here that a pact should be agreed to by the end of the year ending the kind of surveillance that was made public as part of the disclosure of documents harvested by Edward J Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor.
COURT CASES
Former Chinese politician Bo Xilai's verdict upheld
A Chinese court has upheld a life sentence for former senior politician Bo Xilai after rejecting his appeal. The ex-local Communist Party boss, and once rising political star, was convicted on corruption charges.
The Shandong Provincial Higher People's Court rejected an appeal by deposed regional leader Bo Xilai on Friday, upholding the original verdict and sentence.
Bo was sentenced to life in prison in September after being found guilty on all the charges he faced, including corruption, accepting bribes and abuse of power.
Bo, a former member of the Politburo and Communist Party chief in the megacity of Chongqing has denied any wrongdoing.
According to Chinese law, Bo will not be able to make any further formal appeals. He may submit a "petition" to China's Supreme Court, however it is not required to take further action.
Self-Assembly on the Savanna: IKEA Shelters House Refugees
The Swedish furniture giant IKEA has sent self-assembly huts to the savanna of Ethiopia to house Somali refugees. If the test case proves successful, they soon could be used as alternatives to tents in other parts of the world.
The howling wind is always the first thing that Sayunda Hassan Ibrahim hears when she wakes up in the morning. The constant buffeting makes the walls shake, but something has been different for the past three weeks. Although Sayunda still hears the wind, she doesn't notice it as much as when she lived in a tent.
North Korea to release South Korean prisoners
October 25, 2013 - 1:25PMChoe Sang-Un
Seoul: In an surprise move that could help ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, North Korea has announced it will release six South Koreans it has been holding in detention, according to South Korean officials.
The Red Cross of North Korea told its South Korean counterpart that the six would be returned to the South on Friday at the border village of Panmunjom, the South Korean Unification Ministry said in a statement.
It was unclear who the detainees were. The ministry said that they were South Korean men ages 27 to 67, but that it was unclear how long they had been in the North or how they had got there.
A century after the Revolution, Mexico could make it harder to expel foreigners
Article 33 of the Mexican Constitution permits the president to discretionally expel anyone deemed non grata, but a recent proposal before the Senate could soften the law.
After twin storms hit Mexico simultaneously last month, TV talk show host Laura Bozzo hitched a ride with rescue crews, helicoptering into an impoverished village in Guerrero state – ostensibly to lend a helping hand. But when allegations surfaced that Ms. Bozzo staged a made-for-TV spectacle – preventing the state government helicopter she arrived in from distributing supplies to incommunicado settlements – some outraged citizens on social media called for a uniquely Mexican punishment for the Peruvian-born reporter: expulsion.
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