英国新闻听力 39（在线收听）

BBC News with Julie Chandler.

Senior advisors to the American President-elect Barack Obama say the economic stimulus package under preparation should be much bigger than earlier expected. His aides have indicated a likely sum of several hundred billion dollars. It comes as Barack Obama prepares to formally announce his economic team. Sebastian Usher reports.

The comments from Barack Obama’s economic team are aimed at getting the message across that the new administration will hit the ground running when it takes over in January, and that its economic stimulus plan may have to be as big as the recent 700-billion-dollar financial bailout. The two-year stimulus plan will be aimed at saving or creating some two and a half million jobs. During the election campaign, Mr. Obama said it would cost 175 billion dollars. But on Sunday, senior Democrat Senator Charles Schumer said that between 500 and 700 billion dollars might now be needed. A Mr. Obama’s top economics advisor, David Axelrod, said it would have to be large enough to cope with the huge problem America is facing.

A court in Israel has convicted eight people of involvement in neo-Nazi attacks. The defendants were found guilty of desecrating synagogues and carrying out a string of attacks. Paul Wood reports from Jerusalem.

Shock and revulsion swept Israel when the activities of the gang, who called themselves, Patrol-36, were first revealed, they carried out attacks on religious Jews, the homeless and drug addicts. When the Israeli police raided their homes, they found Nazi uniforms and portraits of Adolf Hitler whose birthday the gang were planning to celebrate. All were descendants of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, many thousands of whom, while Israeli, do not consider themselves fully Jewish. However, one of the eight defendants was the grandson of Holocaust survivors.

Voting has been extended in Venezuela to allow tens of thousands of people who have been queuing up for hours to cast their votes in regional elections. Voters are choosing 22 state governors and more than 300 mayors. The poll is being seen as a critical test for President Hugo Chavez who last year lost a referendum that would have allowed him to seek re-election indefinitely. Opposition leaders have expressed concern that the extension could lead to possible vote fraud, but Mr. Chavez dismissed their claims.

In Venezuela, it is impossible for there to be any fraud, impossible. Our electoral system is shielded, from all points of view, previous audit, like no other country in the world.

The American pop star Michael Jackson has reached an out-of-court settlement with the Bahraini prince who had been suing him for seven million dollars. Sheikh Abdulla Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa claimed that Michael Jackson had reneged on a deal to record songs that he’d written, write an autobiography and produce/ a stage show.

World News from the BBC.

The presidents of Georgia and Poland have accused Russian troops of firing near a convoy carrying them close to the breakaway Republic of South Ossetia. No one was hurt. The Georgian leader Mikhael Saakashvili told a news conference that it had clearly been a Russian provocation.

They clearly, I mean clearly, it was intended as a provocation. Certainly I would never intend to put the life of president of Poland in danger. That was none of my, none of my intentions. But the reality is that, you know, you are dealing with unpredictable people.

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has denied the accusation.

Asia-Pacific leaders have offered what they call quick and decisive action to reverse the global slowdown. The final declaration of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) said the current meltdown was one of the most serious economic challenges ever. The APEC summit held in Peru was the last for the out-going American President George Bush.

The President of Guinea-Bissau Joao Bernardo Vieira has condemned an armed attack on his home on Sunday, saying that no one had the right to steal power by means of the gun. Mr. Vieira was unhurt in the attack by mutinous soldiers who fought their way inside the building in a three-hour gun battle. In a televised news conference, Mr. Vieira said the objective had been to liquidate him, but he assured people that the capital Bissau was now calm and the situation was under control.

The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said he will call presidential and parliamentary elections if he fails to make progress in reconciliation talks with the rival Hamas Movement this year. Mr. Abbas’ term expires on the 9th of January. But he'd previously indicated he would remain in office for another year until the term of the Hamas-led parliament ended. Hamas opposes any extension of Mr. Abbas’ term and says he has no legal or constitutional right to call early parliamentary elections.

BBC News.

hit the gound running: to immediately work very hard and successfully at a new activity.

If elected, they promise to hit the ground running in their first few weeks of office.