Новости за 13.12.2017

South Sudanese residents of Kapoeta state say they found a way to earn money to feed their families: selling gold. Gold mining is illegal in South Sudan, but locals say it is worth the risk of getting arrested, or buried. They say they might sell as much as 30 grams of gold in a week in a country where six million people are going hungry each day. Gold is found in Kapoeta state’s Ngauro, Namurunyang, Kauto and Napotpot villages, all dozens of kilometers outside Kapoeta town. A 20-year-old man... Читать дальше...

The Bangladeshi man accused of attempting a suicide bombing in a busy New York City commuter hub will remain in federal custody while he awaits trial on charges that include supporting a foreign terrorist organization, a judge ruled on Wednesday. Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old supporter of the Islamic State militant group, appeared by video for a brief hearing from his bed in Bellevue Hospital, where he was recovering from injuries he suffered when his homemade bomb ignited but failed to detonate on Monday. Читать дальше...

An already tense relationship between the United States and Turkey appears to be under more strain after a top Trump administration official accused Turkey of spreading what he called extreme Islamist ideology around the world. President Donald Trump's national security adviser, General H.R. McMaster, said Tuesday that Turkey had joined Qatar as a prime source of funding that contributes to the spread of extremist ideology. "We're seeing great involvement by Turkey from everywhere from western... Читать дальше...

President Donald Trump says if Congress sends him a tax bill by Christmas, Americans will start seeing lower taxes and bigger paychecks starting in February. Trump spoke Wednesday in the White House as House and Senate negotiators appear to be very close to agreement on a single tax reform bill that can pass both houses and that the president would sign. "We're very, very close to a historic legislative victory," Trump declared, sitting next to key House and Senate lawmakers who crafted the tax accord over the last several days. Читать дальше...

Republican lawmakers in Congress reached broad agreement Wednesday on major U.S. tax cuts before heading to the White House to work out final details with President Donald Trump. "We're very, very close to a historic legislative victory," Trump declared as he sat next to key House and Senate lawmakers who crafted the tax accord over the last several days. "This bill is vital to the American people. It's a massive tax cut for the middle class." The legislation would cut taxes by $1.5 trillion over the next decade... Читать дальше...

The U.S. Central Bank raised its key interest rate slightly Wednesday, but left the level low enough to continue stimulating economic growth. The Federal Reserve pushed up rates a quarter of a percent to a range between 1.25 and 1.5 percent.  The increase leaves the benchmark rate below historic averages.    The Fed slashed rates nearly to zero during the recession in a bid to boost the economy and fight unemployment by making it cheaper to borrow the money needed to build factories, buy equipment, and hire people. Читать дальше...

The U.S. central bank raised its key interest rate slightly Wednesday, but left the level low enough to continue stimulating economic growth. The Federal Reserve pushed up rates a quarter of a percent to a range between 1.25 and 1.5 percent. The increase leaves the benchmark rate below historic averages.       The Fed slashed rates nearly to zero during the recession in a bid to boost the economy and fight unemployment by making it cheaper to borrow the money needed to build factories, buy equipment and hire people. Читать дальше...

Four Drown Fleeing Militia Attack in DR Congo

Democrat Doug Jones' victory in Alabama's special Senate election sent shock waves Wednesday across Capitol Hill, buoying and emboldening Democrats while forcing Republicans to grapple with a soon-to-be slimmer Senate majority that will make enacting U.S. President Donald Trump's agenda all the more difficult in 2018, an election year. "Things are looking good for us," said a jubilant Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat. "It was a great night for the country," Pennsylvania Democratic Senator Bob Casey told VOA. Читать дальше...

Former Vice President Joe Biden sought to console the daughter of ailing U.S. Senator John McCain after she began crying while discussing her father's battle with brain cancer on ABC's The View.  Meghan McCain, a panelist on the program, told Biden on Wednesday she hadn't been able to get through his new memoir, Promise Me, Dad, which centers on the 2015 death of his son, Beau, from an aggressive tumor called glioblastoma. Doctors diagnosed John McCain, an Arizona Republican, with the same type of tumor this past summer. Читать дальше...

Pressure to expedite creation of special court comes amid concerns that Kyiv is backsliding on promised reforms

The White House said Wednesday the U.S. government needs a major overhaul of information technology systems and should take steps to better protect data and accelerate efforts to use cloud-based technology. "Difficulties in agency prioritization of resources in support of IT modernization, ability to procure services quickly, and technical issues have resulted in an unwieldy and out-of-date federal IT infrastructure," the White House said in a report. The report outlined a timeline over the next... Читать дальше...

U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein told lawmakers Wednesday he has no reason to dismiss Robert Mueller, who is leading the special counsel investigation into whether Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. Rosenstein testified before the House Judiciary Committee one day after the release of hundreds of text messages between two FBI officials on Mueller's team of investigators revealed anti-Trump views, prompting some to question the non-partisan nature of the law enforcement agency. Читать дальше...

Robert Mueller, the special counsel leading the investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election, received a strong vote of confidence Wednesday from the Justice Department official who appointed him and oversees his work. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller in May after President Donald Trump fired then-FBI director James Comey, dismissed Republican criticism that the special counsel's team has become compromised by anti-Trump partisans. "We'll ensure that... Читать дальше...

An independent U.N. human rights investigator said on Wednesday that he had information about an inmate being tortured at the U.S. Guantanamo Bay detention facility, despite Washington banning "enhanced interrogation techniques" almost 10 years ago. The U.S. Department of Defense denied the allegation, saying there was no credible evidence to support it. Nils Melzer, the U.N. special rapporteur on torture, said he had information that Ammar al-Baluchi - accused of being a co-conspirator in the 9/11 attacks on the United States ... Читать дальше...

Eleven members of a militia in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been sentenced to life in prison for the gang rape of dozens of children, and for murder.  Human rights groups have hailed the verdict as a landmark decision in a country where sexual violence is frequent and perpetrators most often go unpunished.  “For too long those who commit rape in the Congo have thought they were invincible,” said a statement released by the NGO, Physicians For Human Rights. “Slowly, there are signs... Читать дальше...

Eleven Congolese militia fighters were jailed for life on Wednesday for raping dozens of girls as young as 18 months during ceremonies meant to give the men supernatural powers, rights groups observing the trial said. Human rights campaigners hailed the court's verdict as a landmark decision in a country where they say rape by armed groups is commonplace and often unpunished. The fighters from Djeshi ya Yesu — the Army of Jesus — militia were accused of raping at least 37 girls near the village... Читать дальше...

On this Straight Talk Africa host Shaka Ssali is joined by Muzi Ncube, Organizing Secretary in the U.S. A. of the Movement for Democratic Change ( MDC is the main opposition party in Zimbabwe ahead of the 2018 election) and by Nii Akuetteh, African Policy Analyst and Activist as they discuss the political realities in Zimbabwe and explore the road ahead.

Join veteran journalist Shaka Ssali on Straight Talk Africa every Wednesday as he and his guests discuss topics of special interest to Africans, including politics, economic development, press freedom, health, social issues and conflict resolution.

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

Uganda's ruling party, the National Resistance Movement, has proposed scrapping the age-75 limit for presidential candidates and extending the length of a presidential term from five to seven years.   The proposal, which would require a constitutional amendment, has the backing of President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled Uganda for over 30 years. The moves would benefit Museveni, for whom the parliament scrapped term limits in 2005. The Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee approved the... Читать дальше...

The performer danced with reckless abandon, her head bent forward, moving rhythmically left to right with the drum beat, her long, black, untied hair creating an arc in the air as it flew back and forth. Another woman, probably a relative or a friend, tried to throw a scarf over her head, but gave up after it kept falling off. The scene could have caused an uproar in another part of Pakistan, a conservative country where women in public are expected to be subdued and not draw attention to themselves, but not here. Читать дальше...

The International Commission of Jurists is calling for Zimbabwe’s new government to ensure free and fair elections next year.  It is not the only the rights group making that appeal. Following a weeklong visit to Zimbabwe, the International Commission of Jurists – led by its Secretary General Saman Zia-Zarifi - said soldiers who helped President Emmerson Mnangagwa come to power last month must return to their barracks.   The army has been policing Harare and other cities, and has set up checkpoints along major roads. Читать дальше...

The United Nations asks for more than a billion dollars to provide humanitarian assistance to millions of South Sudanese next year; a South Sudanese activist fears traveling back to Juba and being targeted; and people in Kapoeta State earn a living mining for gold.