VOA News for 31 July 2013 - 20130731
Channel: ListenAndReadAlong
Date: 31/07/2013

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VOA NEWS  Wednesday July 31st, 2013
From Washington, this is VOA news.  Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to continue.  Calls growing for dissolution of Tunisia's government.  I'm Ray Kouguell reporting from Washington.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have agreed to meet again within the next two weeks, hoping that it will help lead to a final peace deal sometime next year.
VOA's Mark Snowiss reports.
Kerry, speaking alongside Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and lead Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, said this week's discussions were "positive and constructive" and he was convinced the two sides could make peace.
"The parties have agreed here today that all of the final status issues, all of the core issues, and all other issues, are all on the table for negotiation.  And they are on the table with one simple goal: a view to ending the conflict, ending the claims."
The two days of negotiations in Washington were the final direct peace talks in nearly three years.
Mark Snowiss, VOA news, Washington.
Two senior U.S. senators say they have been asked by President Obama to travel to Egypt next week as the country battles a political crisis.
Senator Lindsey Graham says he and fellow Republican Senator John McCain have to go to Egypt once the trip's logistics are worked out.
Egypt's crisis triggered questions about continuation of the $1.5-billion in annual U.S. military and economic aid to Egypt.
Last week, the Obama administration said it will not declare the recent overthrow of Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi a coup.  That's allowing the U.S. to continue providing the financial aid.
A U.S. military court-martial found an army private, Bradley Manning, charged with leaking U.S. secrets to WikiLeaks, not guilty of aiding the enemy through indirect means.
A charge could have carried a life prison sentence.
But the court in Fort Mead, Maryland, did convict Manning of several lesser charges, including theft of public property, espionage and computer fraud.
The penalty for these crimes could add up to more than 100 years in prison.
Manning faced a total of 21 criminal charges in connection with his release of more than 700,000 U.S. documents to the anti-secrecy WikiLeaks site.
A hospital official says the death toll from a series of bombings in the northern Nigerian city of Kano is now up to 24.  It doubled.
The blasts occurred late Monday near a bar in the predominantly Christian area of the city.
Tunisia's largest labor union joined growing calls Tuesday for the Islamist-dominated government to be dissolved.
Lisa Bryant has details.
The powerful Tunisian General Labor Union joined a growing course of demands for the dissolution of the Islamist-dominated government even as protests widened against a spate of recent killings.
So far, the moderate Islamist Ennahda party has rejected demands to step down.  But in a televised address on Monday, Tunisian Prime Minister Ali Laarayedh said long-due legislative elections would be held on December 17th.
The date is highly symbolic.  It coincides with the three-year anniversary of the death of a vegetable seller in central Tunisia that kicked off the country's revolution and the wider so-called "Arab Spring."
Lisa Bryant for VOA news, Paris.
Partial results from Mali's presidential election show that front-runner and former Prime Minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita is leading and may win an outright victory.
Mali's minister of territorial administration announced Tuesday that he is comfortably ahead with one-third of the votes tallied, and if it's maintained, there will be no need for runoff next month.
President Obama is proposing a compromise to help break a deadlock with opposition Republicans over his economic plans.
White House correspondent Kent Klein has more.
The president went to the southern city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Tuesday to announce his latest proposed "grand bargain" on the U.S. economy.
He said "serious people" in both parties should accept this deal.
"I'm willing to work with Republicans on reforming our corporate tax code, as long as we use the money from transitioning to a simpler tax system for a significant investment in creating middle class jobs.  That's the deal."
Republican lawmakers, such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, said Mr. Obama's initiative is nothing new and makes no concessions to Republican demands.
Kent Klein, VOA news, the White House.
A New York state appeals court upheld a ruling that strikes down New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposed ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks.
I'm Ray Kouguell, VOA news.  More at voanews.com.