英国新闻听力 联合国提议伊拉克选举新日期（在线收听）

In Washington, top administration officials have been giving more details of President Obama’s new Afghan strategy. The Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee the new approach which means sending 30,000 extra troops, didn’t involve what he called "open-ended nation building". The Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen have also been addressing the committee. Kim Ghattas reports.

The three senior US officials were grilled by the high-profile committee members. Robert Gates, the defense secretary insisted that decisions would be made based on the conditions on the ground. He said that July, 2011 would be the beginning of a transitional responsibility to Afghan forces. Hillary Clinton also said that Washington had not locked itself into leaving. A failed state in Afghanistan, she added, would be a direct high level threat to the security of the United States.

A Taliban commander in Afghanistan has told the BBC that they are ready for any surge in American troop numbers. The commander, based in Wardak province, said President Obama’s strategy meant more American soldiers would die.

"Obama is sending more troops to Afghanistan, and that means more Americans will die. With just a handful of resources, we can cause an even more casualties and deaths. If they increased again, we'll increase the casualties too. And we are ready for it.”

Earlier the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal had said he wants to convince the Taliban that they can’t win.

The Nigerian cabinet has rejected calls for President Umaru Yar’Adua to resign on grounds of ill health. The country’s Information Minister Dora Akunyili said there was no basis to consider a resignation and that all aspects of government were functioning. About 50 senior Nigerian politicians had issued a statement saying the president’s illness left a dangerous vacuum with no one in charge of the affairs of state. Mary Harper has more.

The wording of the statement is blunt into the point. The president’s illness, it says, has created a dangerous situation whereby no one is in charge of the affairs of state. It talks about a vacuum of leadership, whereby ministers are engaged in fighting and routinely flout the orders of the president. Many of the people who’ve signed the statement are prominent figures in Nigeria. Their words reflect the general mood in the country where there’s real concern that the president’s recurring health problems have frequently rendered him incapable of doing his job.

The United Nations has predicted a fragile recovery from the global economic crisis led by Asian nations. In its annual report entitled World Economic Situation and Prospects, the UN said stimulus packages deployed by many countries have played a part in reversing the downturn but it warned that if the packages were withdrawn too soon, any recovery would come to an abrupt halt.

The American golf star Tiger Woods has issued a statement apologizing for what he’s called his transgressions. On his website, Woods says he was dismayed by the extent of the tabloid scrutiny after he crashed his car near his home on Friday. Andy Gallagher has more.

The statement from Tiger Woods offers an apology to his family and states that he regrets those transgressions with all of my heart. The player goes on to say that he hasn’t been true to his values and behavior his family deserves. The statement on the golfer’s personal website comes after an article in a tabloid magazine alleging that Tiger Woods had an affair with a cocktail waitress in California. In the early hours of Friday morning, the golfer crashed his car into a fire hydrant and a tree outside his home in Florida. The 33-year-old hasn’t been seen since. He offered an apology to his fans and has pledged to be a better husband and father.

The United Nations has proposed February the 27th as the new date for Iraqi parliamentary elections, nearly a month later than a deadline set by the constitution. The Iraqi President Jalal Talibani called on members of Parliament to approve a law to govern the polls to avoid further delays. Our BBC correspondent in Baghdad says even the February date is regarded by some as too optimistic.

Colombia has accused Venezuela of imposing an illegal blockade amid escalating tensions between the South American neighbors. President Alvaro Uribe compared Venezuela’s trade restrictions to Washington’s trade embargo in Cuba. Venezuela had earlier accused Colombia of planning an attack similar to its rate on rebel bases in Ecuador last year.

A leading Roman Catholic cardinal has said homosexuals and transsexuals will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan from Mexico who has recently retired as an advisor to the Vatican quoted from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans. He called homosexuality an insult to God, but said discrimination against gay and transsexual people was not justified.

在华盛顿，政府高级官员披露了关于奥巴马总统阿富汗新策略的更多细节。国防部长罗伯特·盖茨告知参议院军事委员会，新策略意味着向阿

富汗增军三万人，但是不包括他所说的“无止境的国民建设”在内。国务卿希拉里和参谋长联席委员会主席马伦也已向该委员会发表讲话。Kim

Ghattas报道。

这三名美国高级官员受到委员会高层委员的质问。国防部长罗伯特·盖茨坚称决定应该基于战场上的实际情况。他说，2011年7月将开始把责任

过渡给阿富汗安全力量。希拉里·克林顿也表示，华盛顿没有确定一定会离开。她补充说，失败的阿富汗将直接使美国安全所受的威胁升高。

阿富汗一名塔利班指挥官告诉BBC，他们已经准备好迎接美国增派的任何数量的军队。驻守Wardak省的这位指挥官称，奥巴马总统的策略意味着更多的美国士兵将丧命。

“奥巴马向阿富汗派遣了更多军队，这意味着将有更多美国士兵死亡。我们可以利用少量资源造成更多的伤亡。如果他们再次增兵，我们将造成美军更多伤亡。我们已经做好了准备。”

此前，美国和北约军队驻阿富汗指挥官Stanley McChrystal将军表示，他向塔利班分子保证，他们一定不会获胜。

尼日利亚内阁拒绝了要求总统亚拉杜瓦因健康状况不佳而辞职的呼声。尼日利亚信息部长Dora Akunyili表示，总统没有任何需要辞职的理由，政府一切方面运作正常。曾有50多名尼日利亚高级政治家发表声明称总统生病导致危险的空缺状况，无人执掌国事。Mary Harper报道更详细信息。

声明的措辞一针见血。声明称，总统生病导致一种危险的形势，无人负责国家事务。声明提到了领导的空缺，部长们一直互相争斗，忽视总统的命令。在声明上签字的都是尼日利亚的显赫人物。他们的言论反映了尼日利亚的普遍情绪。人们担心总统反复无常的健康状况使他难以胜任自己的工作。

联合国预测，在亚洲国家的带领下，全球经济已经从危机中出现微弱复苏。在名为《联合国世界经济形势与展望》的报告中，联合国表示，许多国家采取的刺激经济方案对逆转经济衰退起到一定的作用。但是报告警告称，如果各国过快将刺激方案撤出，经济复苏将迅速停止。

美国高尔夫球手老虎·伍兹发表声明为他所说的“犯罪行为”道歉。在其网站上，伍兹表示，自周五在家附近发生撞车事件以来，小报一直对其进行严密监视，这使他不知所措。Andy Gallagher报道。

老虎·伍兹在声明中向其家人道歉，并表示对这些犯罪行为感到非常遗憾。这位高尔夫球手还说，他没有遵守自己的价值观，自己的行为也辜负了家人的期望。伍兹在个人网站发表声明之前，一家小报刊登了一篇文章，声称伍兹与加利福尼亚一名鸡尾酒女侍者有暧昧关系。周五凌晨，老虎·伍兹驾车在佛罗里达家外撞上消防栓，随后撞上大树。这位33岁的高尔夫球手从那时起再也没有露面。他向自己的球迷道歉，并承诺做一个更好的丈夫和父亲。

联合国提议2月27日为伊拉克议会选举的新日期，比宪法规定的最后期限推迟了接近一个月。伊拉克总统塔拉巴尼呼吁议会成员尽快通过选举法律，避免进一步延期。我们的BBC驻巴格达记者称，有人认为，即使是新设立的2月27日也过于乐观。

哥伦比亚指控委内瑞拉非法封锁。现在，这一对南美邻国之间的紧张关系升级。哥伦比亚总统乌里韦将委内瑞拉的贸易限制类比为华盛顿对古巴的贸易禁令。委内瑞拉此前曾指控哥伦比亚计划实施一次袭击，类似其去年对厄瓜多尔实施的袭击水平。

罗马天主教堂红衣主教称，同性恋和变性者永远不能进入天堂。红衣主教Javier Lozano Barragan来自墨西哥，最近已经退休，成为梵蒂冈顾问。他引用了圣保罗给罗马的一封信中的原话。他表示同性恋是对上帝的侮辱。但是他说，对同性恋和变性人的歧视也是不合理的。