VOA News for 26 May 2013 - 20130526

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• published: 26 May 2013
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Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text VOA NEWS May 26th, 2013 From Washington, this is VOA news. The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah says his group is in Syria. Three arrests in connection with the murder of a British soldier in London. I'm Vincent Bruce reporting from Washington. The chief of Lebanon's Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, Saturday said Hezbollah was fighting in Syria to protect Lebanon from the threat of radical Islamists. It was the first time Nasrallah has publicly confirmed Hezbollah's fighting presence in Syria. Nasrallah in a speech Saturday said his group will not stand by while the neighboring government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is attacked. Syrian National Coalition member Adib Shishakli described Nasrallah's statement as a declaration of war. "Obviously, Nasrallah's statement today is a total declaration of war against Syria and the Syrian people, and it also shows that the regime in Syria is collapsing in the need of any outside help and inside interference from his friends." During Nasrallah's speech, Syrian troops and fighters from Lebanon-based Hezbollah were carrying out the heaviest barrage of gunfire yet in a week-long battle to take the strategic town of Qusair from rebel fighters. Thirty-six African countries have formally condemned the use of cluster bombs and urged all of Africa to join a global ban on the deadly weapons. Delegates at a conference in Lome, Togo, say they are gravely concerned about the ongoing use of cluster munitions and the mounting number of victims, including women and children. British police arrested three new suspects Saturday in connection with Wednesday's murder of a British soldier in London. Scotland Yard issued a statement saying three men in their 20S were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. Two of the men were arrested at a residential address in southeast London and one on a London street. British soldier Lee Rigby, who had served a tour of duty in Afghanistan, was killed in broad daylight Wednesday near the Royal Artillery Barracks in the Woolwich area of southeast London. Video footage shows a suspected murderer wielding a knife, shouting threats and "God is Great" in Arabic. More on these stories at voanews.com. A man wielding a knife or box cutter has stabbed a French soldier in the neck near Paris. Police union spokesman Christophe Crepin released a description of the suspect to the public Saturday. He described the suspect as tall, athletic and said police think he was wearing a white tunic and sneakers. The stabbing raises concerns of copycat strikes following Wednesday's slaying of the British soldier on a London street in broad daylight. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Saturday called on Nigerian authorities to ensure their security forces not trample on human rights during the government's fight against Boko Haram militants. While in Ethiopia for a summit commemorating the African Union's 50th anniversary, Kerry said U.S. and Nigerian officials have spoken directly about the importance of Nigerian troops maintaining high standards in their respect for civilians' human rights. A female suicide bomber blew herself up in southern Russia's Dagestan Saturday, wounding at least 18 people, including children and several police officers. Police say the bomber detonated her explosives in the central square of Makhachkala, Dagestan's capital. At least two of the wounded are in critical condition. The woman was identified as 25-year-old Madina Alieva, a widow of two slain Islamists. Earlier Saturday, at a ceremony marking 50 years to the day since the establishment of the Organization of African Unity, AU Chairman, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn honored the bloc's founders with a call to continue to carry out their vision. "This historic day marks not only a great leap forward in the Pan-African quest for freedom, independence and unity but also the beginning of our collective endeavor for the realization of Africa's social and economic emancipation." Russian police arrested at least 30 gay rights activists and their opponents in the capital, Moscow, Saturday, enforcing the city's ban on gay rights demonstrations. The arrests coincided with the first-ever gay rights rally in neighboring Ukraine. A vintage Apple computer has sold for more than $670,000 at an auction in Germany. Bob Luther, author of the book, "The First Apple," calls the computer a rare collectible. "Well, the Apple 1--there were only 200 built and they came out of the garage of Steve Jobs." The Apple-1 computer sold Saturday was assembled by Apple founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976. For the latest news around the clock, visit us at voanews.com. I'm Vincent Bruce.