Новости за 01.11.2017

Officials of the U.S. central bank decided to keep the key U.S. interest rates steady at a relatively low 1-1.25 percent level Wednesday.   In a statement, Federal Reserve officials left open the possibility of raising rates in December because of a "strong" labor market and “solid” economic activity. During the recession, the Fed cut the interest rate to historic lows in an effort to boost economic activity. Lower borrowing costs help to stimulate investment, but officials say the recovering economy no longer needs so much help. Читать дальше...

South Sudan President Salva Kiir flew to Khartoum on Wednesday for a two-day summit with his Sudanese counterpart, Omar al-Bashir, to talk about economic issues in the once-rebel-controlled former Unity State. The minister in the office of the president, Mayik Ayi Deng, who oversees Kiir's activities, told reporters at Juba International Airport upon the president's departure to Khartoum Tuesday morning that Kiir was happy to accept Bashir's invitation and hoped to settle unresolved issues with Sudan this week. Читать дальше...

An Uzbek national is accused of using a rented truck to mow down pedestrians on a bike path Tuesday in New York City, killing at least eight and injuring 12, in what Police Commissioner James O'Neill called "the worst terror attack in New York City since Sept. 11, 2001." According to NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller, the suspect, Sayfullo Saipov, left handwritten notes pledging his support for the Islamic State group. It's not uncommon following mass-casualty... Читать дальше...

Flint was drowning in empty bottles after a toxic water scandal became the latest crisis to hit the Michigan town — this week it fought back with a project that transforms its plastic waste into a hip new line of clothes. "Flint Fit" is a fashion brand born from the crisis as residents of the Michigan town this week rolled out plans to stitch empty bottles into everything from raincoats to swimwear. The impoverished community of 100,000, once a thriving manufacturing behemoth, drew national attention... Читать дальше...

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that Tehran and Moscow must step up cooperation to isolate the United States and help stabilize the Middle East, state TV reported. Iran and Russia are the main allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while the United States, Turkey and most Arab states support rebel groups fighting to overthrow him. Putin met Iranian political leaders in an effort to nurture a warming relationship strengthened... Читать дальше...

Thousands of people forced from their homes by violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo have returned to their villages after months in hiding to find houses burned, health centers looted and nothing to eat, aid workers said on Wednesday. Fighting between government forces and local militia has recently subsided in Congo's central Kasai region although violence rages on in other parts of the vast Central African country. About half of the 1.5 million people displaced in Kasai since last year have returned home... Читать дальше...

Puerto Rico, still reeling from Hurricane Maria, is asking the Trump administration and U.S. lawmakers for help in staving off a Medicaid crisis that has put a quarter of the island's residents at risk of losing medical care. The territory, which has grappled for years with shortfalls in funding of its Medicaid health care program, is on track to run out of money to pay doctors and hospitals by early next year, leaving as many as 900,000 low-income Puerto Ricans without care. Puerto Rico Governor... Читать дальше...

European leaders have been offering their condolences and support in the wake of the terror attack in New York, which killed eight people. The suspect, shot and wounded by police, has been named as Sayfullo Saipov, who had lived in the U.S. since arriving from Uzbekistan in 2010. The attacker used a rented truck to ram cyclists on a bicycle path in Manhattan. Such scenes of carnage are sadly familiar in many European cities.   Britain’s Prime Minister, Theresa May, wrote on Twitter she was “Appalled by this cowardly attack... Читать дальше...

Uzbeks condemned Tuesday's terror attack in New York City, saying it does not represent who they are.  But there also was a warning that more attacks could follow from fundamentalists who have been radicalized by repression at home or have been unable to assimilate after moving to the United States. "We deplore what happened in New York," said Norkhoja Sodiqov of the Vatandosh Uzbek-American Federation in New York. "This act of terror does not represent who we are as Uzbeks. We are peace-loving... Читать дальше...

The terror attack in New York on Tuesday afternoon quickly became a political issue after President Donald Trump blamed a visa program that he said had allowed the suspect, Sayfullo Saipov, into the country and called the U.S. justice system "a joke" for moving too slowly. Trump said he wanted to work with Congress to abolish the immigration lottery under which Saipov entered the United States. Those remarks drew criticism from Democrats, who said the president was rushing to politicize a tragedy... Читать дальше...

Ecuador's ruling Country Alliance party, founded by former president Rafael Correa over a decade ago, has removed President Lenin Moreno as its head, citing "repeated failures" in leadership, as a schism between the former allies deepens. The Country Alliance party, which has been divided by the two politicians, late on Tuesday announced that Correa ally Ricardo Patino, a former foreign minister, would replace Moreno as party leader. "The head of the national Country Alliance party has unanimously... Читать дальше...

South Sudan's media regulator has suspended all press associations in the country while they register for licenses to operate, journalists said, a move that raised concern about a possible crackdown on independent media. The directive, handed to South Sudan's three associations this week and seen by Reuters on Wednesday, gave them seven days until Nov. 7 to obtain operations licenses or face permanent closure. "We have applied, but we do not know whether our application will be accepted or not," said Mary Ajith... Читать дальше...

The United States voted Wednesday against ending its nearly 60-year-old economic embargo on Cuba at the U.N. General Assembly. The shift back to a “no” vote, came a year after Washington abstained for the first time under former President Barack Obama’s administration, which was working to normalize ties with Havana at the time. Obama’s efforts included making an historic trip to the island nation and reopening an embassy there. “No doubt there will be some here who do not understand how we can take such opposite positions... Читать дальше...

The young police officer who confronted and shot the truck attacker who killed eight people on a New York City bike path on Tuesday was being hailed as a hero for quick action that ended the carnage. Officer Ryan Nash, 28, was at Stuyvesant High School in lower Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon with his partner John Hasiotis responding to a call that a student was threatening to kill himself when people told them of the pandemonium a short distance away. The officers ran from the school and Nash spotted the suspect... Читать дальше...

European leaders have been offering their condolences and support in the wake of the terror attack in New York, which killed eight people. The suspect – who was shot and wounded by police – has been named by local media as Sayfullo Saipov, who had reportedly lived in the U.S. since arriving from Uzbekistan in 2010. There have been several similar attacks on so-called soft targets in Europe. Henry Ridgwell reports from London.

President Donald Trump wants to abolish the U.S. diversity lottery, which he said was responsible for giving a visa to the 29-year-old Uzbek citizen suspected in Tuesday's attack in downtown Manhattan. The diversity lottery grants visas to people from countries that have low levels of immigration to the United States. Not only is the president calling on Congress to do away with it, but he is also calling for a whole new immigration system: merit-based as opposed to family-based. What is the difference in these two systems? Читать дальше...

Shaka Ssali discusses Kenya’s re-run election and President Uhuru Kenyatta’s win with Vincent Makori, VOA’s Managing Editor and Anchor of Africa 54, Lucy Amina Chaves, Inspiring Hope Group, Co-Founder of Kenyan NGO and with Wanjiku Hansen, Kenyan Film Producer.

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Hundreds of heavily-armed Ethiopian troops have crossed into Somalia, reportedly to assist a Somali government offensive against al-Shabab militants. Residents in the border town of Dolow, in Somalia's Gedo region, say they saw at least 30 vehicles carrying Ethiopian troops crossing into Somalia late Tuesday. Witnesses who spoke to VOA Somali on condition of anonymity estimated that 1,000 Ethiopian soldiers entered Somalia. One resident said the troops were riding military vehicles and pickup trucks mounted with machine guns. Читать дальше...

Two collisions involving U.S. Navy destroyers and commercial vessels in the western Pacific earlier this year were “avoidable” and happened due to lax standards and poor preparation, according to the Navy’s top officer. In a report made public on Wednesday, the Navy concluded that “numerous failures” on the part of leadership and the crews contributed to the deadly events. They included failing to plan for safety as well as failures in adhering to sound navigation practice and executing basic watch procedures. Читать дальше...

A look at the best news photos from around the world.

China and South Korea's agreement this week to set aside differences over a U.S. missile defense system, in order to normalize relations after a year-long feud, likely could boost economic ties and stability in northeast Asia. Beijing restricted South Korean business on the mainland and Chinese tourism to the peninsula after Seoul announced in July 2016 that it would allow the United States to deploy the THAAD system to defend against North Korean missile threats. Worried the system could be used to monitor Chinese military activity... Читать дальше...

Authorities in New York Wednesday questioned the driver of a rented pickup truck who mowed down people on a busy bike path Tuesday, attempting to learn his motive for the deadliest terrorist incident in the city since the September 11, 2001 attacks. Meanwhile, city officials and residents have vowed the attack will not intimidate New Yorkers. VOA's Jeff Custer reports from Washington

Burundian political refugees say they would not feel safe going back home, despite appeals from leaders of Burundi and other central African countries to leave their camps and repatriate. Refugees who spoke to VOA say they fear government persecution if they return to Burundi, where President Pierre Nkurunziza remains in power after defying both domestic and international opposition to pursue a third term in 2015. Political unrest and violence triggered by the president's decision prompted more... Читать дальше...

VOA visits the Mahama Refugee Camp in Rwanda where over 80,000 Burundians are living.