Romney campaign in Israel well-received
JERUSALEM, July 29 (UPI) -- U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, in Israel Sunday, reportedly told the prime minister he would back retaliatory action against Iran.
The former Massachusetts governor met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the pair have a "close personal friendship" that began in the 1970s when they worked together in Boston, Haaretz reported.
While Romney didn't make any public statements about Iran's march toward creating nuclear weapons, Netanyahu told a news conference about past discussions with Romney.
"You said the greatest danger facing the world is of the ayatollah regime possessing a nuclear capability," Netanyahu said. "Mitt, I couldn't agree with you more."
The prime minister added, "We have to be honest and say that all the sanctions and diplomacy so far have not set back the Iranian program by one iota."
Romney's senior security advisor Dan Senor told reporters the Republican presidential hopeful needed more intelligence information only the president would have access to, but had formed a preliminary position on policy on Iran, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"The governor believes that at this point the only thing that could focus and force the minds of the Iranian leadership on ending their nuclear weapons, their path to a nuclear weapons capability, is the belief that the alternative is far worse," Senor said.
Assange's mother pleads for Ecuador asylum
QUITO, Ecuador, July 29 (UPI) -- The mother of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said she has traveled to Ecuador to plead with authorities to grant her son asylum in the country.
Assange is holed up inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and had applied for political asylum on June 19.
He had been arrested in Britain in 2010 for suspicion of sexual molestation and rape in Sweden, though he denies the allegations. His bail conditions require him to say at the home of a friend outside of London, though he broke the conditions by going to the embassy, CNN reported.
His mother, Christine Assange, told Ecuadorian news Web site El Ciudadano she's afraid Swedish authorities will hand her son over to the United States where he could be prosecuted for releasing more than 250,000 confidential U.S. documents.
"Surely, the (Ecuadorian) president and his staff will make the best decision," Christine Assange said. She said she planned to meet with officials Monday.
Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa said the case is under review, acknowledging the United States uses capital punishment for political crimes.
"We have to see whether everything that's being done in the case of Julian Assange is compatible with ... the constitution and our view of human rights, political rights and due process," he said.
Bloodied Syria pumps up conspiracy claims
DAMASCUS, Syria, July 29 (UPI) -- Iran's foreign minister Sunday warned of "severe consequences" for Syrians and foreign countries allegedly behind Syria's bloody unrest.
After meeting with his Syrian counterpart Walid Moallem in Tehran, Minister Ali Akbar Salehi told a news conference Iran stood by the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad, CNN reported.
"We call upon the people of the region to be fully aware and not to move in the wrong direction because there will be severe consequences that will go beyond the borders of the region to the outside world," the Iranian minister said.
Moallem reiterated his government's conspiracy allegations first alleged when political violence began last year in March.
"I can tell you that we are facing a global war against Syria, and as a proud Syrian I can tell you that it is a great honor to be part of a great country that is facing a ferocious attack by certain countries," Moallem said.
He spoke as Syrian soldiers stepped up a tank and artillery bombardment of the northern rebel-held city of Aleppo, BikyaMasr.com reported.
The opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said seven people had been killed in the city Sunday and six others died in violence elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Pope Benedict XVI issued a statement calling for "an end to all violence and bloodshed" in Syria and said other countries should ensure "no effort be spared in the quest for peace, through dialogue and reconciliation, for the proper political settlement of the conflict," Vatican Radio reported.
Bus overturns in Pakistan, killing 3
TOBA TEK SINGH, Pakistan, July 29 (UPI) -- A bus overturned in Pakistan Sunday, killing three people and injuring 18 others, police said.
The bus swerved attempting to avoid an oncoming motorcycle at the Kamalia Bypass in Toba Tek Singh, but overturned instead, Geo News reported.
The bus collided with the motorcycle, killing the male rider and his daughter. One passenger on the bus -- a 10-year-old boy also died in the crash, authorities said. Police said nine of the 18 injured are listed in critical condition.
Police were searching for the driver of the bus, who fled the scene.
The bus was traveling from Multan to Faisalabad, Geo News reported.
