From Washington,this is VOA News.

An outside review panel is recommending that the Obama administration make wide-ranging changes to the government's surveillance programs.

White House officials say the president and his national security team will study the document and decide which recommendations should be implemented.

The report calls for limits on the collection of American telephone and Internet metadata, as well as reforms to the National Security Agency (NSA).

Public disclosure of the NSA spying programs this year by exiled former NSA contractor Edward Snowden sparked an outcry over the government's intelligence programs.

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir says he is willing to hold talks with the former vice president he accuses of leading a coup attempt against him.

The United Nations estimates four days of fighting in South Sudan have killed up to 500 people and violence spread beyond the capital Juba.

VOA's Gabe Joselow reports.

South Sudanese officials say government soldiers clashed Wednesday at two military barracks near the town of Bor, the capital of Jonglei state.

A spokesman for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS),Joe Contreras, told VOA civilians have been displaced by the violence.

“The situation is said to be quite tense, heavy fighting apparently broke out there in the wee hours of this morning and we’ve had hundreds of civilians streaming into the UNMISS compound.”

Contreras said clashes have also been reported in the capital of Eastern Equatoria state.

Gabe Joselow VOA News,NAIROBI.

The United Nations says an estimated two million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the Central African Republic , where political instability led to deadly clashes forcing thousands of people to flee from their homes.

VOA correspondent Idrisse Fall is in the capital, Bangui. He says the people there are in dire straits.

"No mattress. No food. No nothing. No water. No electricity. Nothing. No latrine. No toilet. It is very, very - I can not describe what I saw there."

The U.N. says about one million people do not have enough food. Earlier this week, the U.N. refugee agency said violence in Bangui had forced more than 200,000 people to flee their homes.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov says the country's new bailout deal with Russia will allow Ukraine to revitalize its economy and avoid collapse, but pro-European Union demonstraters continue to enter the squares and streets in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities.

Ukrain's President Yanukovych held talks with Moscow , which Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to reduce the price of natural gas exports to Ukraine by a third and lend it $15 billion.

Egypt's top prosecutor filed new charges against ousted president Mohamed Morsi, including international conspiracy and terrorist plots. If convicted on these or other charges for which he is already on trial, Mr Morsi could face the death penalty.

VOA's Elizabeth Arrott is now reporting from Cairo.

Mr Morsi is charged with sharing state secrets with foreign organizations, sponsoring terrorism and conducting military-style training aimed at undermining Egypt's stability.

He is charged along with 35 other Islamists, including top members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Media reports about the foreign connection ranged from the Palestinian group Hamas to Iran and others, but there has been no immediate official clarification.  Mr Morsi's lawyer says he has not seen the specific charges.

Mr Morsi is already on trial for inciting violence during protests against his presidency last year. He was ousted by the military in July, after nationwide public demonstrations.

Elizabeth Arrott VOA News,Cairo.

The U.S. central bank also called on the Federal Reserve to start trimming back its direct support of the American economy.

For more than a year, the Federal Reserve has been buying $85 billion of securities a month in an effort to keep interest rates low and boost job growth. But with the U.S economy advancing steadily, Fed policy makers Wednesday said they would cut the asset purchases to $75 billion a month, starting in January.

The U.S. space agency NASA has postponed the scheduled launch of a private cargo supply ship because the crew at the International Space Station needs time to repair a faulty pump.

Astronauts are scheduled to work outside the space station to pass three days through December 25.

Get more news at geilien.cn.