A Brazilian couple's two-year-old love affair began with a twist. The guy, a thief, mugged the woman and took her mobile phone. Then she stole his heart when he saw her picture on the gadget and was smitten by her beauty.

Emanuela and the phone-jacker's video interview about their bizarre romantic beginning went viral on Twitter in July, before the microblogging site was renamed X. The video showed her beside the man who said he was sorry for stealing her phone.

The guy called his victim through her number on the phone and, at their meeting, Emanuela was also charmed by him, so she forgave him and they hooked up.

American nurse Alix Dorsainvil had a more serious encounter with criminal gangs in Haiti, where she works for the non-profit El Roi Haiti.

On 27 July, the day the United States ordered its non-emergency government personnel to leave the Caribbean country due to its deteriorated security situation, Dorsainvil and her daughter were abducted.

The kidnappers were forced to release the two hostages 13 days later due to pressure from Haitians who demonstrated for the mother and daughter's release.

Dorsainvil recently issued a public statement addressed to her abductors through YouTube. In the video, the nurse, who is married to a Haitian, said she holds no grudge against her kidnappers.

She also repeated her promise to the gangsters during their captivity that her "clinic doors are always open to you or anyone in need when you're sick or wounded," CNN reported.

The kindness of Dorsainvil toward her tormentors is commendable. It was borne by her love for Haitians and the poor country which she started serving as a volunteer when she was still a student.