Michelle Obama to visit southern Africa

Michelle Obama will visit South Africa and Botswana during the weeklong trip that starts Monday.Michelle Obama's first stop will be in Pretoria to meet South African President Jacob Zuma The first lady will highlight the benefits of education and wellness to youth She will also visit Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was detained for almost 27 years
(CNN) -- First lady Michelle Obama's official trip to southern Africa this week will focus on youth leadership and education and will include meetings with key figures in the anti-apartheid struggle.
Obama will make stops in South Africa and Botswana during the weeklong visit that starts Monday.
She will highlight the benefits of education and wellness and urge youth in the continent to be part of the national dialogue, according to the White House.
"The trip is a continuation of Mrs. Obama's work to engage young people, especially girls and young women, at home and abroad," the White House said.
The first lady's first stop will be in Pretoria, where she will meet with South African President Jacob Zuma.
Before heading to Johannesburg and Cape Town, she will take a tour of an apartheid museum with Nelson Mandela's wife, Graca Machel.
She will also visit Robben Island, where Mandela was held for the majority of the 27 years he was in detention for fighting apartheid.
The schedule released by the White House did not mention a meeting with the 92-year-old former president.
The latter part of the trip includes a meeting with Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu and a visit to Soweto and the site of the 2010 World Cup.
Her visit to neighboring Botswana will include a tribute to girls overcoming hurdles to success.
In addition to visits with top leaders, she will also attend a series of public events, meet embassy officials and take part in community service projects in both countries.
After a safari, she will depart from the Botswana capital of Gaborone on Sunday.
Her visit marks the second to sub-Saharan Africa by a member of the Obama family since the president took office more than two years ago.
President Barack Obama went to Ghana in 2009. The first lady made similar trips to Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, India, Mexico and the United Kingdom. She will be accompanied by her mother, Marian Robinson, and two daughters, Sasha and Malia.
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Yemen: 17 al Qaeda terrorists killed

 Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is facing calls to step down.NEW: Seven Yemeni soldiers, 17 Islamic militants killed in two days of fightingNEW: "Death toll among security forces will rise in next 48 hours," medic in Aden saysFighting began in Abyan province on Saturday, official saysThere have been repeated calls for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down
(CNN) -- Ongoing clashes have left seven Yemeni soldiers and 17 Islamic militants dead in the past two days in the southern province of Abyan, a senior security official said Monday.
At least eight soldiers were wounded in the clashes, three of them in serious condition, said the official, who is not authorized to speak to the media and requested his name not be used. The fighting is mainly concentrated in the cities of Zinjibar and Jaar, the official said.
State-run Yemen TV reported that at least 17 al Qaeda militants have been killed in the fighting.
Qasim Bin Hadi, the head of security in Zinjibar in Abyan, said that city has turned into a ghost town and that clashes between government forces and al Qaeda militants have been nonstop since Saturday.
"Bodies of dead people are everywhere in the streets," Bin Hadi said.
Militants seized control of Zinjibar several weeks ago, local residents said.
Airstrikes targeting militant hideouts in Zinjibar and Jaar were behind many of the deaths reported Sunday, said the security official who requested anonymity.
Medics at the Republican hospital in Aden, where injured soldiers are being taken for treatment, said at least 29 soldiers were admitted at the hospital since Saturday night, all having come from Abyan.
"Most of those admitted to the hospital were injured, but the death toll among security forces will rise over the next 48 hours," said one medic, who asked not to be named, as he is concerned for his safety.
On Sunday, more than 100 influential religious and tribal leaders said President Ali Abdullah Saleh was not able to lead the country and should step down.
"Saleh was injured seriously during the assassination attempt on his life. We call on Saleh to hand over powers to his vice president Abdu Rabu Mansoor Hadi, to save the country from further clashes and bloodshed," said the statement, which was circulated to the media.
Saleh and other senior officials were injured in a June 3 attack on the mosque at the presidential palace. Saleh is being treated in Saudi Arabia. Officials loyal to him have said he will return when he has recovered.
Among those signing the statement was Sheikh Abdul Majid al-Zindani, Yemen's most prominent cleric. The United States considers al-Zindani a terrorist, accused in 2004 of supplying weapons to al Qaeda. But he wields considerable influence in Yemen.
The influential signatories are the latest in a growing number of powerful voices seeking Saleh's ouster and demanding a transitional government be formed as quickly as possible.
Unrest has consumed Yemen for months as protesters have demanded an end to Saleh's rule.
In recent weeks, government troops have battled both anti-government tribal forces and Islamic militants, including al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom and journalist Hakim Almasmari contributed to this report.
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