VOA News for 27 June 2013 - 20130627

Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text VOA NEWS Thursday June 27th, 2013 From Washington, this is VOA news. President Obama has arrived at stop number one of an African tour. Gay rights supporters are celebrating over two rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court. I'm Ira Mellman reporting from Washington. U.S. President Barack Obama is in Senegal, the first stop of an African trip, promoting trade, investment and food security. The White House calls Senegal an emerging democracy and a partner with the United States on institution-building in Africa. From Senegal, Mr. Obama plans to head to South Africa and visit Robben Island, the prison where former President Nelson Mandela spent nearly two decades. In Pretoria, Mandela has now spent 18 full nights in a hospital, surpassing the time he spent hospitalized in December. The nation on Wednesday held its collective breath amid word that the anti-apartheid icon remains in critical condition and that the Mandela family held an emergency meeting on Tuesday. With more, here is VOA's Anita Powell in Johannesburg. On Sunday, the former president slid into critical condition after spending more than two weeks in a hospital for a lung infection. South African President Jacob Zuma refused to give many details on what that meant, saying critical means critical. Mr. Zuma on Wednesday said Mr. Mandela remains in critical condition. Mr. Mandela is a life-long Methodist says Presiding Bishop Ziphozihle Siwa of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. "We will continue to pray for him, but most importantly, may this time of his illness be a moment where we revisit his ideal of a better world and commit ourselves to be the agents of that better world, as he had given himself to that." Anita Powell, VOA news, Johannesburg. Stay on top of this story by checking in with [a website] a web browser at voanews.com. Here in the United States, gay rights supporters celebrating two U.S. Supreme Court rulings that validate same sex marriage. In a five to four decision Wednesday, the court struck down the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as only being between a man and a woman. The court ruled that the government cannot bar same-sex couples from getting the same tax, health and pension benefits as heterosexual couples. But the decision does not automatically make gay marriage legal across the country. Same-sex marriage is legal in 12 states and the District of Columbia. In another five to four decision, the court ruled that backers of a California law banning gay marriage cannot appeal the lower court decision that struck down that measure. President Obama said the Supreme Court "has righted a wrong and set our country is better off for it." Opponents of gay marriage say they will continue the debate, insisting that marriage can only be between a man and a woman. Chinese state media say 27 people were killed during rioting in the ethnically-mixed western region of Xinjiang, the worst violence in that area in four years. The official Xinhua news agency said the riot began early Wednesday when "knife-wielding mobs" attacked police stations, a local government building, and a construction site in the Lukqun township of Shanshan County. The report said the rioters stabbed people and set fire to police cars, killing nine security personnel and eight civilians before police opened fire and killed 10 assailants. It said police also captured three rioters and are searching for an unknown number of others. A U.S. company boss held hostage by his Chinese workers for nearly a week says an agreement has been reached to pay them and he expects to leave his Beijing plant later Thursday. Chip Starnes told the Associated Press early Thursday morning that a deal had been reached between him and the dozens of workers who had demanded generous severance packages even though they weren't being laid off. Some workers had said that when they saw equipment being packed up and itemized for shipping to India last week, they feared the whole plan was moving. Some said they were owed unpaid salary. Starnes, a co-owner of Florida-based Specialty Medical Supplies, said he had been forced to give in to their demands. He summed up the past several day as "humiliating, embarrassing, saddened." During his time as hostage, he spoke with reporters through a barred window of the plant where he was being held. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Israeli and Palestinian leaders are both committed to reviving peace talks, but he acknowledged that progress on the long-stalled negotiations would be difficult. Kerry told reporters in Kuwait Wednesday he does want to set deadlines for the peace process, but the progress must occur long before the United Nations General Assembly meets in September. I'm Ira Mellman, VOA news.