Egypt satirist

Cairo, Jan 1 (Reuters): An Egyptian satirist who made fun of President Mohamed Mursi on television has been accused of undermining his standing and will be investigated by prosecutors, a judicial source said today.

Youssef rose to fame with a satirical online programme that was compared with Jon Stewart’s Daily Show.

He has mocked Mursi’s repeated use of the word “love” in his speeches by starting one of his programmes with a love song, holding a red pillow with the President’s face printed on it.

Ivory Coast

Abidjan (Reuters): Sixty people were crushed to death in a stampede outside a stadium in Ivory Coast’s main city of Abidjan after a New Year’s Eve fireworks display, the government said.

Gay marriage

Beirut (AP): Syrian troops and rebels fought on Tuesday in suburbs of Damascus as well as near Aleppo’s airport, stopping all flights in and out of the city.

Apple theft

Paris (AP): Armed thieves used the New Year’s Eve fete to rob the flagship Apple store in Paris. The French press reported that up to $1.3 million in goods were stolen at the store.