In brief: Kerry visits 20 years after Somalia debacle

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Two decades after dead American soldiers were dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, John Kerry on Tuesday became the first secretary of state to set foot in Somalia, a symbolic visit to show support for the African nation’s fledgling government and the United States’ readiness to move past a dark chapter in its history.

But as Kerry vowed to deepen America’s partnership with a new cadre of Somali leaders, the fact that he never left the airport underscored just how dangerous and unstable Somalia remains after a quarter-century of civil war.

Before returning to Kenya, the top U.S. diplomat met with Somalia’s president and prime minister and several regional chiefs and civil society groups. It was enough time, he said, to see the resiliency of a people determined to reclaim their future from the terrorists and militias that plunged Somalia into what had seemed an endless cycle of conflict. He promised American help along the path of recovery.

“More than 20 years ago, the United States was forced to pull back from your country,” Kerry said, invoking the “Black Hawk Down” debacle when 18 servicemen died after Somali militiamen shot down two U.S. helicopters and a subsequent rescue mission failed. “Now we are returning.”

60 bodies recovered in Nepal valley

KATHMANDU, Nepal – Emergency workers have recovered the bodies of 60 people – including nine foreigners – who were killed when Nepal’s earthquake triggered a mudslide that buried a village in the scenic Langtang Valley popular with tourists.

Residents of the village, also called Langtang, said Tuesday that as many as 200 people could have been killed by tons of earth and mud unleashed in the devastating April 25 quake.

The Langtang Valley, about 35 miles north of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, is now about a two-day hike from the nearest town because the landslide has blocked nearby roads.

Ferry service to Cuba approved

HAVANA – The Obama administration approved the first ferry service in decades between the United States and Cuba on Tuesday, potentially opening a new path for the hundreds of thousands of people and hundreds of millions of dollars in goods that travel between Florida and Havana each year.

Baja Ferries, which operates passenger service in Mexico, said it received a license from the U.S. Treasury Department. Robert Muse, a lawyer for Baja Ferries, said he believed other ferry service petitions had also been approved.