NPR 2012-01-29

 In the race for the Republican presidential nomination 1, Mitt 2 Romney is campaigning in Florida's Panhandle today. NPR's Greg Allen reports the former Massachusetts governor made a pitch to the many veterans who live in the area.

 
Pensacola is home to a naval 3 air station and England Air Force Base. Romney recognized the many veterans in the crowd and took aim at President Obama for proposing to cut the Pentagon budget. Since World War II, Romney said, the US has had the military capacity to fight two wars at once.
 
"This president has changed that. What he announced with his military policy just a week ago was he's gonna reduce our military capability 4 so we can't do that any more, and as part of that he's reducing our troops by 100,000."
 
Polls in Florida show Romney with a solid lead over Newt Gingrich. Even so, the Romney campaign has released a new TV ad, slamming Gingrich for his ethics 5 violations 6 15 years ago, when he was House speaker. Greg Allen, NPR News, Panama City, Florida.
 
Gingrich is also campaigning in Florida today. Ron Raul is in Maine, and Rick Santorum holds a fundraiser in Washington DC.
 
California air regulators have approved a new plan to limit auto 7 emissions 8 and mandate 9 the sale of electric or zero-emission cars. NPR's Richard Gonzales reports.
 
The California Air Resources Board unanimously approved new rules requiring 15% or one in seven new cars and small trucks sold in California to run on clean technologies by 2025. That would include vehicles powered by batteries, hydrogen fuel cells or other means of achieving zero-emissions. The goal is to reduce smog by 34% and greenhouse gas emissions by 75% in that period. Automakers are generally supportive of the new standards in the hope of establishing a national standard for limiting emissions. But auto dealers 10 say the new rules will drive up the cost of a car or truck, and that is not clear that consumers will buy clean air cars. Richard Gonzales, NPR News.
 
Violence in Syria is rising sharply as the government continues its crackdown on unarmed protesters. NPR's Kelly McEvers reports Arab League observers have decided 11 to halt their mission.
 
The deputy secretary-general of the Arab League has announced it will cease its mission, and observers will remain in their hotel in Syria's capital Damascus until further notice. Arab League observers were in Syria to monitor whether the country was complying with a peace plan. At least 80 people have been killed in the past three days alone. The deaths mainly come in the flashpoint cities of Homes, Hama and Idlib as Syrian security forces launch attacks on anti-government protesters. But the deaths also have been the result of gun fights between pro- and anti-government forces. The UN Security Council is considering a calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to eventually transition from power. But Russia has so far indicated it does not support such a measure. Kelly McEvers, NPR News, Beirut.
 
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Germany is floating a proposal that Greece temporarily give up its right to make its own tax and spending decisions as a condition of more bailouts. A German government official who would not talk for attribution told reporters a eurozone budget commissioner 12 should have brought authority to make sure that Greece will take the steps necessary to repay its debt as scheduled. The European Union Commission quickly rejected that idea, saying that such decisions should remain the responsibility of the Greek government, which is accountable to its citizens.
 
The Netherlands may soon become the third European country to ban the burka. France and Belgium already outlaws 13 them. Teri Schultz reports that restrictions 14 on Islamic dress are politically popular.
 
The Dutch cabinet has moved in an anti-burka bill to its parliament for approval. That means the Netherlands may soon impose fines for wearing full-face coverings in public, although it's estimated only a few hundred women at most cover themselves completely in the burka. The current conservative government was elected on a platform that included passing the ban. France and Belgium both criminalized wearing the Islamic outfit 15 last year. The infamously 16 anti-Islam Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders, who's been put on trial for inflaming 17 religious hatred 18, tweeted that the movement of the bill is fantastic news. For NPR News, I'm Teri Schultz in Brussels.
 
St. Louis is throwing a party today for veterans of the Iraq War. Since the remaining troops left the country last month, there hasn't been a big welcome home parade. Two friends in St. Louis decided to change that. They met with the mayor, launched a Facebook page and raised 35,000 dollars in donations to pay for entertainment and a parade. Thousands are expected to attend.