英国新闻听力 98（在线收听）

The Movement for Democratic Change in Zimbabwe says it'll join a national unity government with the Zanu-PF Party of President Robert Mugabe. The new administration is to be formed by February 13th, ending ten months of political paralysis. The MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, said significant concessions had been made by Zanu-PF which, for its part, said the country would now be able to focus on reconstruction. The leader of Zimbabwe's third biggest party Arthur Mutambara said he welcomed the agreement.

"This is an agreement that is not satisfactory, but it is the best short-time answer to extricate our country from its worst situation. We are saying the agenda of this government is to prepare for free and fair elections. This government is a transitional authority to recover the economy, to heal the nation, to do a new constitution, and resolve the humanitarian crisis. Then we'll go through free and fair election/, get a winner and set up a proper government in our country."

Mr. Mutambara described the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe as the thir great challenge facing the new administration. He said that addressing the food situation and worsening cholera outbreak could be among the main tasks. Earlier, the World Health Organization estimated that the number of cholera cases had passed 60, 000, a level it previously described as the worst case scenario.

Security has been tightened across Iraq in advance of Saturday's provincial elections in which up to 15 million people are expected to vote. During the campaign, at least eight out of the more than 14,000 candidates were killed. Our correspondent Jim Muir reports from Baghdad.

The threat from insurgents related to al-Qaeda is believed to be high. Thousands of security forces will be out trying to protect polling stations from suicide bombers or other attacks. But despite the intimidation, many Sunni voters who boycotted the last provincial elections in 2005 say they will vote this time. If they pass off relatively peacefully, these elections will set the stage for general polls at the end of the year.

President Obama has described the deepening economic crisis as a disaster for American families. He was speaking after the latest figures showed US Gross Domestic Product was shrinking at its fastest rate in almost 30 years. In the last quarter of last year, GDP fell at an annual rate of 3.8%. Mr. Obama said the statistics were further proof that his multi-billion-dollar stimulus package needed to be passed as a matter of urgency.

"I'm pleased that the House has acted with the urgency necessary in passing this plan. I hope we can strengthen it further in the Senate. What we can't do is drag our feet or delay much longer. The American people expect us to act, and that's exactly what I intend to do as President of the United States."

World News from the BBC.

The highest ranking US intelligence officer ever to be jailed for spying against his country has been charged with selling secrets to Russia from his prison cell. Harold Nicholson, who's serving a 23-year sentence, appeared in court with his son on Thursday, and pleaded not guilty. Richard Lister reports from Washington.

Harold Nicholson was sent to prison in 1997 after admitting that he'd sold the identities of CIA agents that he'd helped to train as well as the name of the agency's station chief in Moscow. But federal prosecutors say that wasn't the end of his career as a spy. He's now facing charges that while in jail, he used his son Nathaniel to contact his Russian handlers and sell more information. He and his son have both pleaded not guilty to espionage and money laundering. The Russian embassy in Washington has refused to comment.

Russia has signed a partnership agreement with Cuba in a move to rebuild a once close relationship that was strained by the breakup of the Soviet Union. President Dmitry Medvedev told the visiting Cuban leader Raul Castro that they were taking their relationship to a new strategic level. Cuba will get loans and food aid, and the two sides agreed on closer economic cooperation.

A bishop who denied the full extent of the Nazi Holocaust has apologized to the Pope. The Bishop Richard Williamson said he was sorry for the distress and problems he'd caused. In a letter to the Vatican, he said / his remarks had been imprudent, although he didn't retract them.

And it's emerged that a woman who gave birth to eight babies in the United States earlier this week already has six young children. Doctors at a hospital near the city of Los Angeles say the woman who's not to be named had already had fertility treatment when she came to them 12 weeks into her pregnancy. A BBC correspondent says questions have been asked about why a mother of six would be given fertility treatment.