Washington  - US president-elect Barack Obama on Saturday named his top scientific advisors, including a climate expert, a Nobel prize winning cancer researcher and a researcher involved in mapping the human genome.

The team will be led by John Holdren as assistant to the president for science and technology and the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Bangkok  - Thailand's king gave his approval to the country's new cabinet Saturday, despite criticism that several cabinet members in charge of economic issues lack experience.

Abhisit Vejjajiva, the new prime minister, told television stations his government was "good enough and committed enough" to restore an economy that has been rocked not only by the global economic crisis, but also months of local political turmoil culminating in the closure of Bangkok's two airports, from November 25 to December 3.

Washington  - The growing size of a planned fiscal stimulus package to revive the sagging US economy is worrying some conservative legislators and even its chief proponent: President- elect Barack Obama.

Some Democratic legislators have proposed a spending package of as much as 1 trillion dollars, complete with aid for states, retailers and money for new infrastructure and renewable energy projects.

Prague  - The Czech parliament's lower house Friday struck down direct fees for medical care, an unpopular public finance reform of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek's government designed to curb waste in healthcare.

The leftist opposition, helped by several government lawmakers and independents, voted 97-92 to strike down the fees that were introduced in January. Four lawmakers abstained.

Washington  - President-elect Barack Obama is expected to name retired Navy admiral Dennis Blair as his top official for overseeing US intelligences agencies.

Blair, 61, served as chief of US Pacific Command from 1999 to 2002 before retiring and holding positions on company boards and heading a Pentagon-funded think tank. Pacific Command manages all US military operations in the Asia-Pacific region.

Brussels  - K