英国新闻听力 76（在线收听）

BBC News with Sandy Walsh.

Heavy fighting is going on into the night in the Gaza Strip with the report said Israeli troops have made a new incursion into the south of the territory. Security sources in Gaza said about 40 Israeli tanks were moving towards the town of Khan Younis and the Rafah border crossing into Egypt.

Lyse Doucet reports.

The night is freezing cold, and for the residents of Gaza it is dark and dangerous. The besieged sleeve of land along the Mediterranean has virtually no electricity. And from our vantage point here close to the border, we can see and hear of the attacks on Gaza are intensifying. There's the constant clatter of helicopter gunships and the roar of Israeli war planes across the skies, and from the ground, the unrelenting thud of explosions. And an Israeli military spokesman said Israel forces had dealt Hamas some very major blows. But he said we will have to hit again and this could take time. But Israel knows the diplomatic clock is also ticking. Envoys from Russia and across Europe are arriving in the region, including the French President Nicolas Sarkozy. He's said that the start of the ground war has underlined the urgent need for a ceasefire, but for the moment for Israel it's its military campaign that's of greater urgency. And yet despite nine days of Israeli attacks against Gaza from the air, the sea, and now on the ground, militant groups have still been able to fire rockets into southern Israel. Today, more than 40 landed in towns and villages across the south.

Medical officials say more than 500 Palestinians have been killed since the assault began. The senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat has warned Israel of the consequences of its assault on the Gaza Strip. Mr. Erakat said the violence was destroying the peace process.

The Israelis believe that they can achieve peace and security through such military bombardment, and attacks and incursions, this will only enlarge the cycle of violence counter-violence and strengthen extremists."

Earlier, the only two Arab countries that have peace treaties with Israel, Egypt and Jordan, both condemned its actions.

The Governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, has withdrawn as president-elected Barack Obama's nominee for Commerce Secretary. Mr. Obama said he had accepted Mr. Richardson's decision with deep regret. Kim Ghattas reports from Washington.

It's the first hurdle for Barack Obama as he puts together his administration. Mr. Richardson denies any wrongdoing and both he and Mr. Obama said that in the middle of the economic crisis, the decision to withdraw had been made to avoid delays in filling this crucial economic post. A federal grand jury in New Mexico is investigating whether a financial firm improperly won more than $1.4 million in work for the state shortly after making contributions to Mr. Richardson's campaign.

BBC News.

Reports from Pakistan say five policemen and two civilians have been killed in a bomb blast in the northwestern town of Dera Ismail Khan near the Afghan border. Local government officials said the attack happened outside a college where parliamentary troops had been stationed.

Iraqi security officials say a suicide bomber has killed at least 35 Shiite pilgrims and wounded many others in an attack to shrine in Baghdad. The explosion took place in Kadhimiya , a mainly Shiite part of the Iraqi capital. From Baghdad, Caroline Wyatt reports.

Iraqi police say a female suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt close to a checkpoint where pilgrims were gathering to march outside of the shrine of Imam al-Kadhim, one of the holiest places in Shiite Islam. The Iraqi police say a number of Iranian pilgrims were also among the casualties. The attack came as Shiites prepared to mark Ashura, one of the most important holy days in their calendar.

At least four people were killed and many more injured in a series of earthquakes and aftershocks that struck the Indonesian province of West Papua. Some buildings in the provincial capital Manokwari were destroyed and power lines cut. The trembles were felt in Japan and Australia.

The Russia's state gas company Gazprom has called on the European Union to monitor the gas supplies flowing to the EU through Ukraine. A spokesman for Gazprom said independent monitor should be let in because Ukraine was not allowing Russian staff to monitor the gas flows. Russia has again accused Ukraine of stealing gas intended for EU customers. Russia has cut gas supplies to Ukraine on Thursday after a dispute over prices and unpaid bills.

The Tamil Tiger in Sri Lanka said it had inflicted heavy casualties on government troops, attempting to capture remaining rebel strongholds in the north of the country. The rebel said more than 40 government soldiers had been killed on the main road leading from the region of Kilinochchi eastwards toward Mullaitivu.

BBC News.