NPR 2008-07-28

A man brandishing 1 a shotgun walked into a church in Knoxville,  Tennessee during a youth performance this morning and opened fire. One person was killed and eight others were wounded. All of the victims were adults. The gunman was tackled and subdued 2 by church members and is now in custody 3. He has reportedly been charged with one count of first-degree murder. Church member Steve Drevick says the sanctuary 4 was fairly crowded during the shooting. “We have plenty of eyewitnesses 5. We perhaps have some, you know, camera footages since the play was going on and so forth 6. Like I said, the suspect is in custody. So, right now, we're just praying for everyone, everyone at the hospital.” Several of the injured are in critical condition. Some church members say the man who was killed was an usher 7 who confronted the gunman and tried to shield people from the shots.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is defending his just-ended overseas trip, saying it will help him be a more effective leader if he is elected. His GOP rival John McCain has said the trip was a slight to American voters. NPR’s Allison Keyes reports.

In his first appearance since returning from a trip that included stops in Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama received two standing 8 ovations 9 from journalists of color attending the Unity 10 Convention in Chicago. He says he doesn't understand why some critics characterized the trip as audacious. “I was puzzled by this notion that somehow what we were doing was in any way different from what Senator McCain or a lot of presidential candidates have done in the past.” Obama was asked whether as president, he would offer an apology to native Americans for the way they've been treated in this country. “I have to confess that I'm more concerned about delivering a better life and creating a better relationship with the native American peoples than anything else.” McCain’s campaign declined an invitation to appear, citing scheduling conflicts. Allison Keyes, NPR News, Chicago.

Israeli troops today shot and killed a top Hamas militant 11 in the West Bank, prompting a pledge of revenge from Hamas in Gaza. Israel and Hamas have been observing a ceasefire in Gaza, but Israel says the truce 12 does not apply to the West Bank. Linda Gradstein has the story from Jerusalem.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said Israeli troops in the West Bank town of Hebron clashed with a group of gunmen, killing 13 one Palestinian. Military sources said the man killed was responsible for making the explosives for a suicide bombing in February in southern Israel that killed one Israeli. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert praised the soldiers involved and called it “a successful operation”. In a statement, the Hamas Movement in Gaza said the gunmen clashed with the Israeli soldiers for 12 hours before Israel fired a shell at his house. Hamas also vowed 14 to avenge 15 the killing. Israeli analysts 16 said the killing in Hebron could shake the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Since the ceasefire, rocket fire on southern Israel has almost completely stopped. For NPR News, I'm Linda Gradstein in Jerusalem.

This is NPR News from Washington.

Two bombs exploded within a matter of minutes in a crowded square in Istanbul today, killing 15 people and injuring more than 100 others. The city's governor says the blasts were the work of terrorist. Police say the first explosion was not very strong and was apparently 17 designed to draw curiosity-seekers to the scene.

The Olympic Village in Beijing officially opened to athletes today, but some have decided 18 to wait and move into the village as close to the Games’ August, 8th start date as possible to avoid the air pollution in the Chinese capital. NPR's Anthony Kuhn has more from Beijing.

Chinese sports stars, including Houston Rockets center Yao Ming and champion hurdler Liu Xiang, joined the Communist Party officials for the village’s official opening. The village includes a library, clinics, shopping centers, restaurants and lodgings 19 for 17,000 athletes. The Chinese delegation 20 was the first to move into the village today. Despite Beijing ordering half the cars off its roads this week, thick smog and haze 21 hung over Beijing today and visibility was poor. Beijing environmental officials blame the muggy 22 weather and say that instrument readings show the air is cleaner than it looks. They say they're confident that air quality will be acceptable by game time. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Beijing.

Carlos Sastre of Spain has won this year's Tour de France. He is the third straight cyclist from his country to capture the sport’s top prize.

Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre did not report to Packers’ training camp today, easing tensions in a standoff with the team over his apparent desire to rescind 23 his retirement 24 and play again in the NFL. Favre has reportedly said he would consider a trade to any team.