• published: 13 Jul 2013
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Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text VOA NEWS Saturday July 13th, 2013 From Washington, this is VOA news. At least three killed in a Mogadishu bomb blast. The Obama administration says Egyptian authorities should release President Mohamed Morsi. I'm Vincent Bruce reporting from Washington. At least three people were reported killed after a blast by a suicide bomber in the Somalia capital of Mogadishu. Witnesses say the bomber detonated the explosives, destroying a group of roadside shops, near a convoy of African Union troops, killing himself, the civilians and narrowly missing the AU convoy. Rebels from the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group claimed responsibility. In Kirkuk, Iraq, a bomb blast went off in a cafe, killing at least 18 and wounding another 26 late Friday. It's not known if the attack was by a suicide bomber and no one has claimed responsibility. The Obama administration Friday called on Egyptian authorities to release deposed President Mohamed Morsi from detention. At a press conference Friday, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki would not say the United States no longer considers Morsi to be Egypt's ruler. She said that senior U.S. officials are already meeting with interim President Adli Mansour. "Moving forward within inclusive process is what we would like to see and while, yes off course, recognize that Morsi was, President Morsi was democratically elected, the question, this is more I've said before as have many other officials, it's about more than what happens at the ballot box." Psaki said the United States is still evaluating events in Egypt to determine whether President Morsi's ouster was a coup--an important legal distinction that would affect more than $1-billion of U.S. assistance to Egypt. More details at voanews.com. Tens of thousands of supporters of ousted Egyptian President Morsi rallied in Cairo on Friday, keeping up what they say will be their non-stop demand for his reinstatement. The White House says it continues to work to address concerns U.S. lawmakers have about President Barack Obama's decision announced in June to send lethal aid to Syrian rebel forces. VOA senior White House correspondent Dan Robinson has a report. Worries in Congress about President Obama's plan to send lethal aid, reportedly small arms and ammunition, to the Free Syrian Army emerged in reports by The Washington Post and other media. The White House announced the aid decision in June after the U.S. determined that the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons on a small scale against the opposition on several occasions last year. Press secretary Jay Carney declined to discuss specifics regarding aid shipments or timelines, but appeared to provide some indication of the message the administration is likely communicating to Capitol Hill. "We have with our allies and partners worked to strengthen the elements of the Syrian opposition that have, in our view, the best interests of the Syrian people in mind." Dan Robinson, VOA news, the White House. At least seven people are believed dead in France after a train carrying hundreds of passengers derailed at a station south of Paris. The train veered off track Friday and crashed into the platform at Bretigny-sur-Orge station, about 20 kilometers south of the French capital. It had been traveling from Paris to the city of Limoges. Dozens of people were reported injured in the crash, which caused some of the train's cars to topple over. An investigation into the cause of the accident is under way. Pakistani teen activist Malala Yousufzai has celebrated her 16th birthday by pledging her support for the U.N. secretary-general's initiative to get all children, especially girls, into school by 2015. Yousufzai was shot in the head on her way home from school by Taliban gunmen nine months ago. She was targeted because she spoke out for the right of girls to go to school in Pakistan. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is resigning from the federal government to head the University of California system. Napolitano announced in a statement Friday that she is being nominated as the university system's next personnel. Former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden met Friday with human rights activists and Russian lawyers at a Moscow airport. The deputy director of Human Rights Watch in Moscow, Tanya Lokshina, was among those who met with Snowden. She says that Snowden now wants asylum from Russia. "He said that he would immediately ask for asylum here in Russia. He would file his official claim." Later, the secret disclosing group WikiLeaks posted a statement from Snowden, saying he wanted to stay in Russia until he could safely go to Latin America. And two Boeing Dreamliner airplanes have run into difficulty in England. One got caught fire. That was an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787. Another had technical trouble, Thompson Airways. I'm Vincent Bruce, VOA news, reporting from Washington.