Egyptian marionette maker strings together memories; Babchenko details faked death; Greer says rape is merely 'bad sex'; more in world news

Egypt

Stringing together memories

In a tiny Cairo workshop, Mohamed Fawzi Bakkar designs and builds marionettes from scratch, hoping to revive a traditional art. The 32-year-old spends hours or even days designing puppets inspired by Egyptian life — farmers, street vendors, butchers and the occasional celebrity. He devotes special care to the faces, hoping to make them unique and realistic, and then he puts on shows. Puppet shows were traditionally performed for adults and children alike, often as nightly entertainment during Ramadan. The art form has deep roots in Egypt, going back centuries. Bakkar laments there are only two puppet venues now in Cairo and only a couple dozen marionette artists. "We all dream of having an academy in Egypt ... and to have a theater in every city," he said. "I really dream of having my own theater."

Ukraine

Makeup, pig's blood to fake death

To mimic gore, they used makeup and pig's blood. They shot bullet holes in his sweatshirt, and taught him how to fall as if truly shot. And to top off Arkady Babchenko's staged murder, they even took him to the "freezing as hell" morgue. The journalist revealed Thursday how Ukrainian security services faked his Tuesday murder to thwart a contract hit allegedly arranged by Russia and organized by Boris German, who was arrested. Officials said a man contracted by German for the hit informed authorities. One of Russia's best-known war reporters and a vehement Kremlin critic, Babchenko fled Russia in early 2017. Russia denounced Ukraine for the ruse and allegations. The incident caused real shock in Ukraine, where other journalists have been killed. It also brought widespread criticism from press freedom groups, which said authorities haven't shown proof of a plot or that Russia was involved. The deception, a group said, could be politically motivated — discrediting journalists and Ukraine.

Wales

To Greer, rape is merely 'bad sex'

The Australian author and academic Germaine Greer, one of the most contrarian voices on feminism, dismissed rape as a violent crime and called for a lower penalty. Critics said she had crossed the line, harming women and other survivors of sexual assault. The 79-year-old author of the 1970 second-wave feminism bestseller The Female Eunuch spoke Wednesday at the Hay Festival of Literature and Arts. Many in the audience walked out, visibly upset. She said the criminal justice system is in need of an overhaul because arguments over consent hobble convictions, and in order to get justice, lower the penalty. "Most rapes don't involve any injury whatsoever," she said. Rape, she added, should be viewed as a "lazy, careless and insensitive" act. "Instead of thinking of rape as a spectacularly violent crime — and some rapes are — think about it as nonconsensual, that is, bad sex," Greer said. She added the penalty should be 200 hours of community service, or possible an "r" tattoo. In England, the maximum sentence can be life in prison. Criminal justice and human rights experts denounced her statements.

Elsewhere

Pope denounces Catholic 'culture of abuse, cover-up': Pope Francis became the first pope to publicly denounce a "culture of abuse and cover-up" in the Catholic Church, saying Thursday he was ashamed that neither he nor Chile's Catholic leaders truly listened to victims as the scandal spiraled. "Never again," Francis said in a pastoral letter to the Chilean faithful before spending another weekend listening to victims of Chile's most notorious predator priest. The letter was issued on the same day the Vatican said its top abuse investigators were returning to Chile on a pastoral mission. "The 'never again' to the culture of abuse and the system of cover-up that allows it to perpetuate requires us to work together to generate a culture of care," in the way we relate to one another, power and money, Francis said.

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Denmark bans burqa, niqab: Denmark joined Austria, France and Belgium in deciding banning garments that cover the face. The government said the law is not aimed at any religions and does not ban headscarves, turbans or Jewish skull caps. However, the law that carries stiff fines and a possible jail sentence is known as the "Burqa Ban" and is seen as being directed at Muslim women's burqas and niqabs. Few in Denmark wear full-face veils. If it does focus on them, it could amount to illegal discrimination. — tbt* wires