World/Nation Briefs July 27, 2013
From North Korea to U.S., divide lasts 60 years
PANMUNJOM, North Korea - Some Americans call it the "Forgotten War," a 1950s conflict fought in a far-off country and so painful that even survivors have tried to erase their memories of it.
The North Koreans, however, have not forgotten. Sixty years after the end of the Korean War, the country is marking the milestone anniversary with a massive celebration today for a holiday it calls "Victory Day" - even though the two sides only signed a truce, and have yet to negotiate a peace treaty.
Signs and banners reading "Victory" line the streets of Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. The events are expected to culminate with a huge military parade and fireworks, one of the biggest extravaganzas in this impoverished country since leader Kim Jong Un took power in late 2011.
Here at the border in Panmunjom, the war never ended. Both sides of the Demilitarized Zone are heavily guarded, making it the world's most fortified border, and dividing countless families with sisters and brothers, fathers and mothers, on the other side. The North Koreans consider the presence of 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea a continued occupation.
Pope observes Via Crucis ritual on Rio beach
RIO DE JANEIRO - Pope Francis presided over one of the most solemn rites of the Catholic Church on Friday, a procession re-enacting Christ's crucifixion that received a Broadway-like treatment befitting its improbable location, Rio's hedonistic Copacabana beach.
Copacabana, which hosts Carnival and Rolling Stones concerts when bikini-clad beauties aren't sunbathing on its white sands, lived up to its reputation by staging a wildly theatrical, and very Latin telling of the Way of the Cross, complete with huge stage sets, complex lighting, a full orchestra and a cast of hundreds acting out a modern version of the biblical story.
The procession is one of the mainstay events of World Youth Day, designed to remind young Catholics about the root of their faith that Christ died to forgive their sins.
Francis tried to drive that home in remarks to the crowd, huddled in jackets on a chilly but finally rain-free night, telling them Jesus bears all the suffering of the world: of the families whose children fall prey to the "false paradise" of drugs, of the hungry "in a world where tons of food are thrown out each day," of those who are persecuted for their religion, their beliefs "or simply for the color of their skin."
Millions rally in Egypt to support military leaders
CAIRO - Called out by the army, the largest crowds in 2 1/2 years of upheaval filled Egypt's streets Friday, while ousted President Mohammed Morsi was formally placed under investigation on a host of allegations including murder and conspiracy with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Morsi's supporters also showed no signs of backing down, though they turned out in vastly smaller numbers. The demonstrations in Cairo were mostly peaceful into the evening. But by late Friday night in Cairo, police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of Morsi supporters near a sit-in they held for weeks, setting off clashes that lasted into early Saturday morning - in a possible sign of a new intolerance for marches that block city streets. A field hospital doctor said seven protesters were killed and hundreds injured.
Lincoln Memorial splattered with green paint
WASHINGTON - Someone splattered green paint on the Lincoln Memorial early Friday, but the statue of the 16th president was reopened by nightfall after the paint was washed away.
The apparent vandalism was discovered around 1:30 a.m. Friday on the statue, the pedestal and the floor, U.S. Park Police said. No words, letters or symbols were visible in the paint.
The marble Lincoln statute had green paint on its shin, coattail, chair and base, as well as paint on the floor of the memorial building.
Capt. Steven Booker said the paint spill "appears intentional based off of the splatter." Police were reviewing security camera footage to try to identify possible suspects, he said.
No suspects had been identified by Friday afternoon.
- The Associated Press