From Washington, this is B.O.A. 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 I. Remelmond reporting from Washington. U.S. President Barack Obama is in Senegal. The first stop on 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 the institution building in Africa. From Senegal, Mr. Obama plans to head to South Africa and visit Robin Ivan. The prison were a 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-apartite icon remains in critical condition and that the Mandela family held an emergency meeting on Tuesday. With more, here is V.O.A.'s Anita Powell in Johannesburg. On Sunday, the former president slid into critical condition after spending more than two weeks in the 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 lifelong Methodist, says presiding bishop Zepozye Scewa of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. We will continue to pray for him, but most importantly, made this time of his illness, the moment where we will revisit his ideal of a better world and commit ourselves to be the agent of that better world as he had given himself to that. Anita Powell, V.O.A. News, Johannesburg. Stay on top of this story by checking in with our web site, our web browser at vioenews.com. Here in the United States, gay rights supporters celebrating two US Supreme Court rulings that validate same-sex marriage. At 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 a 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 a lower court decision that struck down that measure. President Obama said the Supreme Court has write it wrong and said 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. Efficial Chen Wainu's agency said the riot began early Wednesday when night-wielding mobs attacked police station, a local government building and a construction site in the Lukun township of Shan Shan County. Reports at the rioters stabbed people and said fired police cars killing nine security personnel and eight civilians before police opened fire and killed Tana Salons. Said police also have should three rioters and are searching for a 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 as Beijing plant later Thursday. Chip Starns told the Associated Press to 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 plant was moving. The bombs said they were owed unpaid salary. Starns, a co-owner, a Florida-based specialty medical supplies, said he had been forced to give in to their demands. He summed up the past several days as humiliating and barricading satan. During his time as hostage, he spoke with reporters through a barred window of the plant where he was being held. US Secretary of State John Kerry says his rally in Palestinian leaders are both committed to reviving peace talks, but he acknowledge that progress on the long-solved negotiations would be difficult. Kerry told reporters in Kuwait Wednesday he does not want to set deadlines for the peace process, but that progress must occur long before the United Nations General Assembly meets in September. I'm I Ramel M.O.A. News.