COMEDY LEGEND JERRY LEWIS DIES AT 91
Hollywood comedian Jerry Lewis, who died Sunday aged 91, perfected a goofy brand of slapstick that endeared him to millions over the course of a career spanning six decades. One of the most popular American entertainers of the 1950s and ‘60s, Lewis made his name as the clown behind such quirky comedies as but also won acclaim as a writer, actor and philanthropist. The comedy legend, who at the peak of his popularity was among the world’s biggest movie draws, died at his home in Las Vegas early Sunday morning. “I can sadly confirm that today the world lost one of the most significant human beings,” said his publicist Nancy Kane. “Jerry died peacefully at home of natural causes surrounded by family and friends.”
SAUDI MECCA HOTEL EVACUATED AFTER FIRE
RIYADH: A hotel in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca, where two million Muslims will perform the annual hajj pilgrimage, was evacuated Monday after a fire broke out, the civil defense service said. Civil defense spokesman Nayef al-Sharif said no casualties were reported in the fire, which was sparked by a faulty air conditioning unit on the eighth floor of a hotel in the Azaziyah district of Mecca. All 600 residents, most of whom had come from Turkey and Yemen for the hajj pilgrimage, were evacuated and have since returned to the hotel, Sharif said.
TURKEY MUST NOT ‘MISUSE’ INTERPOL IN WRITER’S CASE – MERKEL
BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday warned Turkey not to “misuse” Interpol to pursue its critics after a Spanish court ordered the conditional release of a Turkish-German writer wanted by Ankara. Dogan Akhanli, who writes about Turkey’s human rights record, was arrested Saturday while on holiday in Granada on an Interpol red notice, similar to an international arrest warrant, from Ankara. “That’s not on,” said Merkel about the latest case of a German citizen being pursued by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government, adding that countries “must not misuse international organizations such as Interpol.” Cologne-based Akhanli, who has previously been jailed in Turkey before being granted political asylum and citizenship in Germany, was released by the Spanish court on condition he stay in Madrid while authorities await the formal extradition request from Turkey.