Chatter: Mohamed Morsi, the spy?

NEED TO KNOW

Mohamed Morsi the spy. Egypt's army is detaining the deposed president on suspicion of conspiring with Hamas during the 2011 revolution, according to a judiciary order. In the first official justification for why the military continues to hold Morsi, more than three weeks after it removed him from power, he is accused of colluding with the Palestinian militants to carry out "anti-state attacks" on police stations and jails. Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood has called the charges "ridiculous."

Morsi's supporters are expected to take to the streets again today, where they'll be met by those among their opponents who have heeded the army's call for counter-protests. General Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, the shades-wearing head of the armed forces, has urged Egyptians to rally against "terrorism" — a move the Brotherhood has taken as a threat. Egyptians warn: "There are bloody days ahead."

WANT TO KNOW

A Spanish tragedy. The government has declared three days of national mourning for the 80 people now confirmed to have died in Spain's worst rail disaster in decades. As grieving relatives and condoling dignitaries descend on Santiago de Compostela, the historic city is in shock: "It's like the worst film you can imagine," one resident told GlobalPost.

And every film needs its villain. In this case it looks set to be the train's driver, who is currently under police guard in hospital amid reports that he slammed the train round a curve at more than double the legal speed. Francisco Jose Garzon Amo had even reportedly boasted in the past about speeding at more than 120 miles per hour. A judge has placed him under formal investigation.

George Zimmerman "got away with murder." Protesters have been saying it for weeks, but it might not reassure them to learn that one of his jurors thinks so too.

One member of the six-woman panel has told interviewers that "in our hearts we felt [Zimmermann] was guilty" of murdering Trayvon Martin, the unarmed teenager he shot dead in what he argued was self-defense. But according to Florida's notoriously broad defense laws, "Juror B29" says, there was no way they could convict him. "George Zimmerman got away with murder," she said, "but you can't get away from God." 

Royal flush. It's been a big week for monarchs. And for every royalist who bought a "Prince George" commemorative teacup, there's at least as many republicans calling for the world's remaining monarchies to ditch their blue-blooded baggage.

Yet the world's kings, queens, emperors, emirs, grand dukes, princes and sultans have some thoroughly hard-edged modern statistics on their side, suggesting a global shout of "vive la republique" might be premature. GlobalPost investigates whether monarchies are really the world's richest, happiest and most democratic states.

STRANGE BUT TRUE

What do you get when you cross a donkey with a zebra? Only a zonkey, the sweetest, stripiest little horse hybrid there is. The newest addition to the herd is Ippo, a foal born to a rare breed of donkey and her zebra paramour in an Italian animal reserve.

And before anyone grumbles about science messing with things it shouldn't, rest assured that Ippo was born out of love: papa zebra — a former circus performer — was so smitten with the elegant donkey next door that he clambered over the fence into her stall before keepers could do anything to stop him. It's just like Lady and the Tramp, only with slightly less spaghetti.