Chatter: Cairo shooting leaves Egypt more divided than ever

GlobalPost
           

                      

        *We take your privacy seriously, GlobalPost will not share your information with any other companies.

NEED TO KNOW

Terrorist attack or massacre? Definitions are controversial things in Egypt these days. Less than a week after the coup-that-wasn't-a-coup, competing Egyptian factions are debating what to call a shooting in Cairo that left more than 40 people dead.

There are two versions of events: the military's, which says that armed terrorists attempted to storm the army compound where ex-president Mohamed Morsi is thought to be detained; and the Muslim Brotherhood's, in which security forces shot at Morsi's supporters as they carried out a peaceful protest. The Brotherhood has urged Egyptians to rise up against "those trying to steal their revolution with tanks"; the military has, er, sent tanks. Whoever started it, the violence doesn't look like it's stopping.

WANT TO KNOW

History of a crash. With two passengers dead, dozens hospitalized and an airliner wrecked, investigators are trying to piece together what happened in the fateful moments before Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash-landed at San Francisco airport on Saturday. US aviation authorities say the plane was traveling far slower than it should have been as it approached the runway, and the pilot appeared to attempt to abort the landing seconds before hitting a sea wall. That pilot, by the way, had just 43 hours of experience flying the Boeing 777 in question. 

Human error, tragic mishap, or something else again? Investigators say it's "too early to rule anything out."

The Pope and the migrants. Pope Francis sailed today to the island of Lampedusa, an outcrop between Italy and Tunisia that has become anonymous with African migrants' desperate and sometimes fatal attempts to reach Europe. 

Francis lamented the "global indifference" to their plight, and urged the world to reawaken its conscience. He then said mass in memory of all the migrants lost at sea. It may not be a miracle, but as a first major papal visit, it was pretty powerful. 

The world's biggest. A UN report says Mexicans are the heaviest people on the planet, outweighing even Americans. About 70 percent of Mexican adults are overweight, and heart problems and diabetes are killing thousands more each year — and in a country where nearly half the people are poor and officials have just launched a national anti-hunger campaign.

GlobalPost investigates just how Mexico got so fat.

STRANGE BUT TRUE

Look Ma, no gorings! It's a good year for bulls and the people who run from them: no one was killed at Spain's annual Running of the Bulls. Nor trampled, nor impaled, not even a little bit.

Four people were injured, admittedly, but for one of the world's most dangerous festivals that's comparatively tame stuff. Whatever you're doing, bull runners, keep it up.

Will you support The World with a monthly donation?

There is no paywall on the story you just read because a community of dedicated listeners and readers have contributed to keep the global news you rely on free and accessible for all. Will you join the 226 donors who have supported The World so far? From now until Dec. 31, your gift will help us unlock a $67,000 match. Donate today to double your impact!