NPR 2012-07-30

 Mitt Romney delivered a foreign policy address in Jerusalem today. He is still ** directly criticising President Obama. NPR's Allison Keyes reports the Republican Presidential candidate stressed that all options should be on the table to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons. 

After meeting with Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Romney visited the Western Wall before his speech that repeatedly highlighted the need for the United States to stand by Israel and against the attempts by Iran to gain nuclear weapons capability 1. 
No options should be excluded. We recognise Israel's right to defend itself and that is right for America to stand with you.
But earlier Sunday, Romney pulled back from a senior aide's comment, but the candidate would expect Israel's decision if it decided 2 to take action on its own to stop Iran from achieving nuclear weapons capabilities 3. On Monday, Romney is set to attend the expensive fundraiser for a crowd consisting most of Americans living in Israel. Allison Keyes, NPR News. 
 
 
During the speech, Romney also referred to Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. He told CNN that reopened to the idea of moving the US citizen from Tel Aviv into Jerusalem. Current US policy states resolving the status of Jerusalem. She is a part of file negations between Israelis and Palestinians. 
 
 
Government forces in Syria are pressing their attacks in rebel-held areas in Aleppo. The BBC's Ian Pannell is just outside the city. He said the reports more than 30 people have been killed. 
Government is trying everything it can and thrown all the weapons it has at Aleppo City. It's the economic heart of Syria whoever controls it will have an important asset on their side and therefore this really is a fight to the death by both sides. So there has been heavy shelling by artillery 4 shells landing in neighbourhoods around the city. There have been fierce clashes between government troops. Thousands of enforcements have been sent to Aleppo by President Bashar al-Assad. There are clashes between them and the rebel Free Syrian army. The BBC's Ian Pannell. 
 
 
At the Summer Olympics in London, an American woman won gold medal in skeet shooting today. NPR's Mike Pesca reports. 
Kim Rhode began as an Olympic shooter in the double trap as a 17-year-old. Then they eliminated her discipline and she had to set her shotgun sights on skeet shooting.  With a gold medal winning performance today, Rhode becomes the first American to medal if five consecutive 5 Olympic games. The Men's Basketball Team opened its defensive 6 gold with a 98:71 for laying off France. Kevin Durant led all scorers with 22. The Women's Road Racing 7 cycling came down to a furious sprint 8 as Marianne Vos of the Netherlands and Armitstead as the best finisher in the world. She outdid Lizzie Armitstead of Great Britain. The silver for Armitstead was the host nation's first medal of these games. Mike Pesca, NPR News London.
 
 
This is NPR News from Washington.
 
 
Thousands of demonstrators circled a parliament in Tokyo today to protest the resumption of nuclear power in Japan. All nuclear reactors 9 were shut down for safety checks after the earthquake and tsunami 10 last year that caused meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Two reactors have since resumed operations. The protestors say the nuclear power is too dangerous, officials say nuclear power is needed to maintain the Japanese lent standard of living. 
 
 
Mali's interim 11 prime minister says he will not resign despite sharp criticism from political parties accusing him of being incompetent 12 and **. From the capital, Bamako, NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton reports on the former NASA astrophysicist. 
Assessing his first 100 days in office in troubled Mali, a defriant Cheick Modibo Diarra says he is going nowhere. Ignoring calls for him today, the Malian prime minister has admitted  he will form the new national unity 13 government. In line with a regional road map, the West African bloc 14 has ordered Mali's leaders to main a more inclusive cabinet to deal with the mounting crisis after a crippling rebellion in the north and a ** in the capital. Diarra's critics say he has no clear plan how to win back the north, where extremist al-Qaeda linked Islamists controlled controlled  territory the size of Texas. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Bamako.
 
 
An unmanned Russian spacecraft docked at the International Space Station today. This was a second attempt for a  new docking system that malfunctioned 15 last week. NASA said it needed to warm up so it's able to perform properly this time.