TRANSLATION PRACTICE_NEWS-STORIES

Translate into Russian. Pay attention to "newspaper words". David Cameron reaffirms UK aid pledge at United Nations David Cameron has reaffirmed his commitment to increase Britain's aid spending, despite opposition from within his own party. The prime minister underlined the pledge in New York, while attending the United Nations General Assembly. Israeli parliament dissolves ahead of early election Israel's parliament has voted to dissolve itself and to hold an early general election on 22 January. The unanimous vote followed a debate lasting more than eight hours. Last week PM Benjamin Netanyahu said he was bringing forward elections due in a year's time because parliament could not agree on a new budget. EU imposes new sanctions on Iran Foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg "significantly broadened EU restrictive measures", focusing on Iranian banks, trade and gas exports, officials said. The ministers reiterated their "serious and deepening concerns" over Iran's nuclear activities and their commitment to "work for a diplomatic solution". They suspect Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, something it denies. Analysts say the unilateral sanctions announced by the US and EU, as well as those imposed by the UN Security Council, have done significant damage to the Islamic Republic's economy. Earlier this month, riots broke out when Iran's currency, the rial, plunged to new lows against the dollar, according to local currency exchange websites, having lost 80% of its value since the start of the year. EU member states have announced a new package of sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear programme. 9/11 Guantanamo hearings resume after five months Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others accused over the 9/11 attacks have appeared at a US military tribunal for the first time in five months. The week-long pre-trial hearing at Guantanamo Bay will largely focus on issues of secrecy. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is accused of masterminding the attacks while the others are implicated for providing support for the co-ordinated hijacking. In May, a chaotic hearing in the case lasted 13 hours. Twitter blocks neo-Nazi account to users in Germany Twitter has blocked access to a neo-Nazi account at the request of the German government. The tweets will no longer be visible to users in Germany although the rest of the world will be able to view them. It is the first time the social networking site has implemented its local censorship policy, which came into force in January. That policy allows it to block content in specific countries if tweets violate local laws. Jordan sets date for early parliamentary elections Jordan's electoral commission has announced that early parliamentary elections will be held on 23 January. The commission revealed its decision a day after voter registration ended. Earlier this month, King Abdullah dissolved the House of Representatives half-way through its term and appointed a new caretaker prime minister. The Muslim Brotherhood's political wing, the Islamic Action Front, has threatened to boycott the polls unless the electoral system is changed. As many as 15,000 people took to the streets of the capital, Amman, 11 days ago to show their support for the IAF's demand. It was the biggest opposition protest seen in the kingdom since the start of the Arab Spring.