Great Weekend Reads

Transparency International ranked the world's most corrupt countries, invitro-fertilization is gaining some political momentum in Costa Rica, and in Egypt, things are getting a little weird.

No matter how you cut it, it's been a big week for the world. Here's a sampling of the most important stories from GlobalPost and a look at some of the news you may have missed.

Things are getting weird in Egypt
An odd alliance between pro-democracy activists and Mubarak loyalists is raising eyebrows. Who is playing who?

The most corrupt countries in 2012 (PHOTOS)
Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index ranks nations based on how corrupt they're perceived to be.

In Costa Rica, viva la in vitro?
In deeply Catholic Costa Rica, in-vitro fertilization is banned, but a court could soon overturn that.

North Korea: Kim Jong Il's sushi chef dishes out
Kenji Fukimoto correctly predicted the Kim dynasty chain of succession. Now he says we should expect a rocket launch. 

The global state of AIDS/HIV (INFOGRAPHIC)
A visual description of the current state of AIDS and HIV worldwide. 

From Russia with love: Russian iTunes users get porn by accident
Russians received unexpected pornography when they tried to download foreign movies.

PlanetPic: Crowded planet
Photos: 17 pictures of 2012's craziest crowds.

Sarin gas: The deadly chemical weapon Syria might be ready to use
What you should know about sarin gas, the chemical weapon believed to be in the Syrian regime's possession.

Groundtruth: Reporting from the Great North
Video: As the Arctic continues to melt at an unprecedented rate, GlobalPost grabs foul weather gear and heads north.

Would Latin America accept Assad?
Analysis: Latin America has a history of being a popular paradise for disgraced foreign despots. Will Syria's Bashar al-Assad be next?