week. they have accused iran and hezbollah for the bombing. and ehud barack is asking the world to speed up efforts on stopping the nuclear progress before it bombs israel. and to iran now. oh, that is some olympic excitement taking over the city today as the golden torch makes a victory lap past landmarks there, and thousands of people have lined the streets looking for a glimpse and many are calling it a once in a lifetime opportunity. >> it is lovely to see everybody here. it is just brilliant. brilliant. >> we wanted to see the torch, because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and we wanted to get here earlier and show our support. >> reporter: was it worth it? >> very much so. we enjoyed it. the atmosphere and the fun, and people and everything, great. >> this is so awesome, i love it. i love london, yes! >> we are having such a great time and getting up super early to see the torch. >> and what was it like to see all of the other people coming out to support it? >> it is so exciting and we are so excited for the whole world to come together and compete in all of the sports. >> all right. green hair and all exciting, and here is a look at the part of the route that the torchbeares s have been carrying the flame from camden to westminster and passed st. paul's cathedral and shakespeare's globe theater and later it will pass through trafalgar square, and then in an hour past the prime minister's residence at 10 downing street, and then later, a big ben and then a royal welcome at buckingham palace. of course, you can see the route there to buckingham palace. of course, tomorrow, the torch is going to be taken to the olympic stadium for the opening ceremony and we are live along the route with the crowd in the route with the crowd in every moment. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com but first, mitt romney does some control damage with his remarks of the london olympics setting off a firestorm. he is overseas as part of the campaign, and today, he met with british top officials like david cameron there, and it is the question of whether london is ready for the olympics is creating the buzz. a short time ago romney had high praise for the london organizers. >> i applaud the work of the organizing committee to bringing the olympic experience right into the heart of london the look out of the backside of 10 down street and see a venue having been constructed, knowing that athletes will be carrying out their come petition almost the backyard of the prime minister is really quite an accomplishment on the part of those who wanted to make sure that the olympics was not something held far off where the people could not enjoy it, but instead, the olympics would be held right in london, itself. >> jim acosta is covering the fallout over romney's remarks from london. >> there was no olympic swimming pool in sight, but mitt romney was making waves in london with comments me made about the city's preparations for the olympic games in an interview with nbc, romney talked about some of the problems that romney has encountered in preparing for the games and calling the problems in his words disconcerting and not sure how the games would turn out here, but the prime minister in the country took issue with the comments and talking to reporters earlier this morning at an olympic venue and he said that london would do just fine hold iing the games. >> we are holding an olympic games in one of the most busiest and bustling cities anywhere in the world, and of course, it is easier if you hold an olympic games in the middle of nowhere. >> the prime minister came out and talked to romney and the reporters where he walked back the earlier remarks. >> my experience as an olympic organizers is that there are always a few small things that end up not going quite right in the first day or so and they get ironed out and when the games, themselves, take over and the organizing mistakes of the committee and i made a few, and all of those are overwhelm bed the many things that the athletes carry out to capture the spirit of the games. >> earlier the british officials did praise romney for the handling of the 2002 salt lake city games, and romney does plan to attend at least one athletic event and hopefully some of the swimming competitions, but he is not in london for much longer, because after that, he is off to israel and poland to complete the overseas tour. jim acosta, cnn, london. >>. all right. let's take to the streets of london and becky an dderson is parliament square, and beck di ki, people in london reacting to romney's comments or are they? and they are watching the torch make the final round around those historic sites. >> it is going to be said that they are more interested in where the torch is. it is passing through london's most iconic landmarks in the 69th day of a 70-day torch relay. the organizers here in london promise it is a truly national event, and that torch after it arrived from athens 69 days ago and police all over the place and real security here and apologies for that siren, and in the uk, it is something like 13 miles and millions of people have seen it winding through the country. people all over from parliament square here, and then it leaves here to buckingham palace where prince harry and the duke and the duchess of cambridge will be seeing it swapped by charity workers who are the torchbearers, and 173 of them. and so back to romney and the comments, i have done a fair ly unsophisticated straw poll on the streets today, and people have basically said they don't know who mitt romney is. now, he is sure to raise his public profile while he is here, and he is also doing some fund-raising while he is here at a private event at a hole the down the road here tonight, so as far as the comments are concerned, they are certainly not making the front pages of the press here. people who know more about who he is after he leaves i think, and people will cover the story, but we speak today here on parliament square, it is all about the torch. >> it is indeed about the torch and the opening ceremonies tomorrow, and then already before opening ceremonies, i imagine a lot of discussion about the doping allegations and how at least nine athletes already are now finding themselves in deep water. >> yes. let's get this absolutely right. the iaaef has banned nine athletes. it has been looking at them over the last two years. it is unclear whether they were athletes who would be competing at the london 2012 games, but today, there is certainly has been an athlete who is a greek hoy jumper a-- high jumper who banned after testing positive to banned substances. the story is unclear, but certainly nine athletes who in the past have been olympians and we are not sure whether they were all ready to be competing here in london, but certainly the greeks have lost another member of the team, and they will be disappointed after losing a triple jumper yesterday who was deemed to have tweeted some fairly offensive remarks, and she was also dropped from the team. so that the doping allegations and some tweeting allegations out there as well. so that there is always that white noise, isn't there, around the olympics and we hope that the doping allegations don't get any worse. >> all right. becky anderson, thank you so much for keeping us posted in london. appreciate that. in the meantime, all about the games and no denying that michael phelps is one of the top u.s. athletes of all time, and his fans will watch to see if he increases the medal total including 14 golds. of course sh, his temate ryan o locte is trying to outperform him. >> and i am try nog overthink it and last time i will do this or that, but there are going to be a lot of emotional things throughout the week and i am trying to save as much emotional energy for those times. you will see a lot of amazing races, and this is the olympics and the biggest of the big and the show. it is like the super bowl of swimming. it's fastest people, and the fastest swimmers in the world will be here and ready to swim. >> the super bowl of all sports as some olympic events have already begun and there has already been at least one embarrassment. the north korean women's soccer team walked off of the field yesterday when the flag of south korea was mistakingly flashed on the big screen in their match of colombia, and the two countries have become strained and the organizers issued a hasty apology and eventually the north koreans returned to beat the colombians 2-0. athletes from kenya are perennial olympic favorites in many of the running events. runners from just kenya's riff valley alone have won more medals in the last 50 years than any other country in the middle and the long distances. cnn's david mckenzie went to find out their secret. >> reporter: first on the list, altitude. we are heading into 8,000 feet. those sorts of heights help peak running performance, but mountains are everywhere, so what makes etan, the home of champions? well, first the runners. etan is home to about 1,000 athletes. hundreds meet six days a week on the rural road. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: jusrun until you throw up he says. no coaches are necessary. they thrive on teamwork and competition. but so many, running is in the blood here. at this high school, it seems to be. a couple of decades ago st. patrick's former students became cham champions, and the problem is that they have had so many world class athletes here, they have run out of space. >> now, this particular photograph here, this was the kenyan team taken with the president at statehouse nairobi. >> reporter: and this man has coached champions at st. patrick's for decades. >> from one school, we had ten represe representatives in the seoul olympics. >> reporter: he says that genetic theories of dominance are rubbish. >> nobody has come up with conclusive evidence that there is a natural advantage here, so a lot has to do with the a, identification of talent, the lifestyle of the people when they are young. >> reporter: so they put the photos in the dining hall to motivate future champions which brings us to another point. the diet here is high in carbohydrates and low in fat, and really they feel that the secret weapon is this, it is a simple maize and water. it is a staple here. they eat it in the evening and running legend says it is so popular and effective that one coach in europe shipped this all of the way to his runners to improve their times. more often than not, the runners now come in the other direction. this world class athlete who now runs for the netherlands says that the conditions are perfect here. >> you cannot find any other place in the world like this. it is everything. you need to be here to feel it for yourself. but the atmosphere, it motivates you. the power has to come from your feet. >> reporter: elite athletes, including the entire english middle team come to her high r performance center. many improve their times, but they come here for just a couple of weeks and brother con says they need a lifetime. >> and now that we have champions here, the kids see the cham champions training here, and it is a motivator, because they are role models for the kids growing up. >> reporter: he says that the mind is as important as physical talent. so he picked out moses mcconnell for his will to succeed. >> i came to realize that even a person does not have the knowledge, but you can learn well and you can be a success in your life. even if you didn't go to school again, but you can run. and you can earn your life through your athletics. >> reporter: this can be a ticket to education and recognition and a potential for better life. so what ultimately makes the kenyans the best? perhaps it is the magic of these mountains. dan mckenzie, cnn, iten. rebels are ready to go to blows with troops in syria's biggest city aleppo and already heavy shelling just outside of the city. syria's largest city is bracing for an explosive showdown between the rebel fighters and the government troops. [ speaking foreign language ] this was the scene in aleppo after a shell exploded in a neighborhood. chaos filled the streets and people ran for cover. activists say that at least 91 people have been killed across syria today. 19 in aleppo alone. meanwhile, there are more calls for syria's president to step down. former british prime minister tony blair appearing on cnn's "piers morgan tonight." >> this is an inevitable process of his going. in other words, it is not that we are suddenly going to lose interest or lose the appetite and that is why it is right to discuss a whole set of things like corridors of safety, and corridors that enable the opposition to operate. you know, in order to make absolutely sure that assad and those around him realize it is a matter of time. it's, it is when and not if. >> let's talk more about the fighting in aleppo, and specifically for, that we are joined by hala gorani of cnn international who has been to aleppo several times. what is different is that it is calm based on the conversations that you know there and what are they anticipating? >> well, i spoke to the sources in aleppo, and what they are saying is that in the fighting of the streets of aleppo, it is calmer, and there are deaths to report and almost 30 according to the sources we have have died across the country. the biggest question is the assault we are expect big the syrian army on the rebel positions. will it happen tomorrow and saturday as some people are expecting? will the rebels retreat, and in other words delaying the battle for alepaleppo? but as auz tlways, the civiliane caught in the middle and hunkered down in their homes hoping that the fighting will not come to them. >> so the regime will not want to retreat from aleppo, because it is too vital for the country and especially the economic picture? >> well, it is the most populous city, and the most important city from the economic situation, and the most important question going forward is that the rebels using the hit-and-run tactics and we saw them in the middling of aleppo and held streets for a little bit and then ran back out, and they are the rebels underfunded and underarmed comepared to the syrianarmy. it is a war of attrition, but we are all waiting to see what will happen tomorrow and saturday and certainly aleppo residents themselves are bracing for a big battle. >> you hear the former prime minister of great britain tony blair also chiming in with the chorus of bashar al assad this regime must end. houf, where is the u.n. on this lately? >> well, in france and the uk and other western powers as you know have introduced security council sanctions against syria if it does not comply with the kofi annan plan, and france this time with regards to aleppo has said to the security council, you need to do something, because this is another possible massacre, and another possible bloodbath and you need the security council resolutions to go through, and the expectation though, fredricka, is that they will not. china and russia are giving no indication. >> they are digging in their heels. okay. thank you, hala gorani, appreciate it. by all indications she was a quiet and stay-at-home mom, and now she is charged with murder. it is the biggest political scandal to hit china in decades. ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to your doctor. trick question. i love everything about this country! including prilosec otc. you know one pill each morning treats your frequent heartburn so you can enjoy all this great land of ours has to offer like demolition derbies. and drive thru weddings. so if you're one of those people who gets heartburn and then treats day after day, block the acid with prilosec otc and don't get heartburn in the first place. [ male announcer ] one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. welcome back to the newsroom international where we take you around the world in 60 minutes. our next story is filled with scandal, murder and intrigue. it is also shaking china's communist party to the core. our eunice yoon is in beijing and this all started when a prominent politician was murder and tell us about him and his wife and how the murder charges came about. >> well, this prominent politician is man named bo xilai and he was a charismatic man and seen by many here as a man for political greatness in china. he and his wife were seen as a power couple, but the downfall is when the police chief fled to the u.s. kouns lat becauconsula fallout he was having with the death of a british businessman who was found dead in november in a city that bo had governed. many thought that neil heywood had died because of excessive drinking, but later bo's wife gu kailai has been arrested with potential con nnection to this. she was charged with murder and the xinhua news agency reports that she and a long-time friend had a falling out over economic issues and authorities say that she and the house aide had poisoned heywood because of her concern that he could become a threat to the son's safety. there is no trial date yet that has been set, but this is a case that's going to have ripple effects around china's politics. fredricka. >> okay. no trial date has been set, but then you have to wonder if indeed there ever is a trial, would she get a fair trial with this so highly publicized and in large part the chinese don't believe that scandals are something that should make news, but in this case, this one has in a big way. >> yes, it has and since bo's dismissal and the downfall and really the family has all but disappeared from the public view. they have not had their chance to tell their side of the story, and there is really one interesting development in this particular case. the wife gu kailai is prosecuted in a city that is 600 miles east of chungchang and we don't know why the court case was held there, but a trusted family source told us that the family wasn't even told that she was in the province until last week, and they also pointed out that her legal counsel was not chosen by the family, but was appointed by the government. fredricka. >> all right. fascinating story, and really is and eunice yoon, thank you so much from beijing. it is london like londoners have never seen before and how the olympics are drastically changing the everyday lives of people there. and who is telling people to quit whining? you'll never know because the lyric is in her ear. 100% invisible. you can't see it, and it's the only device that works round the clock with zero daily hassle. no batteries to change. no taking off and putting on everyday. sound good? call 1-800-511-5080 now. this is the lyric. it's teeny. lyric fits comfortably at the sweet spot right next to your ear drum to minimize background noise and deliver truly natural sound quality. in fact. 95% of users prefer lyric sound quality to their old hearing aid. now the miller twin with lyric can hear and do most everything her sister does 24/7. an invisible hearing aid is wonderful. finding one with zero daily hassle - too good to pass up. call 1-800-511-5080 right now and ask about your risk free 30 day trial. get a lyric in your life. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. 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