The world in brief

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Bringing the Gospel is bringing God’s

power to pluck up and break down evil and violence, to destroy and overthrow the

barriers and selfishness, intolerance and hatred, so as to build a new world.” Pope Francis, during his visit to Brazil, on the need for the faithful, especially young Catholics, to shake up the status quo and reach the faithful on the margins of society Article, 1ACannes thief nabs $53 million in jewels

PARIS - A staggering $53 million worth of diamonds and other jewels was stolen Sunday from the Carlton Intercontinental Hotel in Cannes, in one of Europe’s biggest jewelry heists in recent years, police said. One expert noted the crime follows recent jail escapes by members of the notorious “Pink Panther” jewel thief gang.

The hotel in the sweltering French Riviera was hosting a temporary jewelry exhibit over the summer from the prestigious Leviev diamond house, which is owned by Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev.

A police spokesman said the theft took place around noon, but he could not confirm local media reports that the robber was a single gunman who stuffed a suitcase with the gems before making a swift exit.

“It’s a huge theft. Anytime you talk about a heist with many millions of dollars it turns heads and feeds the imagination,” said Jonathan Sazonoff, U.S. editor for the Museum Security Network website.

He said the likelihood of recovering the stolen diamonds and jewels is slim, because the thieves can easily sell them.

Afghan president plans Pakistan visit

KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghanistan’s president will make his first visit to Pakistan in more than a year in an effort to mend strained relations between the two countries and in the hopes that he can enlist the support of the new Pakistani government to help end the nearly 12-year Afghan war, an official said Sunday.

The two nations have had tense ties for years, and Afghanistan has accused Pakistan in the past of supporting the Taliban in the movement’s fight against the Afghan government. But the election two months ago of a new prime minister in Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, has raised hopes in Kabul that Islamabad will be more open to helping start peace talks with the Taliban than the previous government.

Pakistan is seen as a key player in the Afghan peace process, and the U.S. has been trying to enlist its support to help coax the Taliban into peace talks. Islamabad has ties to the Taliban that date back to the 1990s, and many of the group’s leaders are believed to be detained or living on Pakistani territory.

Italian bus hurtles into ravine, killing 37

ROME - A tour bus filled with Italians returning home after an excursion plunged off a highway into a ravine in southern Italy on Sunday night after it had smashed into several cars that were slowed by heavy traffic, killing at least 37 people, police and rescuers said.

Flashing signs near Avellino, outside Naples, had warned of slowed traffic ahead along a stretch of the A116 autostrada, a major highway crossing southern Italy, before the crash, said highway police and officials, speaking on state radio this morning. They said the bus driver, for reasons not yet determined, appeared to have lost control of his vehicle.

Hours after the crash, firefighters said they had extracted 37 bodies.

State radio said 11 people were hospitalized with injuries, two of them in critical condition.

Reports said as many as 49 people had been aboard the bus when it ripped through a guardrail, then plunged 100 feet off the highway and into a ravine near a wooded area.

State radio quoted Avellino police as saying the bus driver was among the dead.

South Korea pledges aid for North Korea

SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea announced more than $7 million worth of humanitarian aid for North Korea on Sunday, a conciliatory gesture that coincided with a call by the South for “one last round” of make-or-break talks on restarting a jointly operated industrial complex.

The majority of the aid - almost $6 million - will be provided by the South Korean government and shipped through UNICEF, the U.N. children’s agency, which provides vaccines, medicine and nutritional supplements for malnourished children and pregnant women in the North.

Five private humanitarian aid groups from South Korea will provide the remainder. They will also send medicine and food for young children.

Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae, the South’s top policymaker on the North, said the aid shipments were not linked to political issues between the two Koreas.

Front Section, Pages 4 on 07/29/2013

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