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Colorado shooting suspect charged; may face death
Centennial, July 31
The former graduate student accused of opening fire at a midnight screening of the new "Batman" film in Colorado, killing 12 persons, was charged on Monday with 24 counts of first-degree murder, making him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
The family of a victim of the mass shooting at the Century 16 movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado, walk past a cross adorned with photographs of the victims . — AFP

Syria rebels overrun Aleppo police stations, kill 40 cops
Aleppo (Syria), July 31
Syrian rebels today attacked key military targets and overran two police stations in Aleppo, killing 40 officers, a watchdog said, as the pivotal battle for the commercial capital raged today.

Colorado shooting suspect charged; may face death

Centennial, July 31
The former graduate student accused of opening fire at a midnight screening of the new "Batman" film in Colorado, killing 12 persons, was charged on Monday with 24 counts of first-degree murder, making him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

James Holmes, who was arrested behind a suburban Denver multiplex minutes after the July 20 shooting at a packed showing of "The Dark Knight Rises", also faces 116 counts of attempted murder in one of the worst outbursts of US gun violence in recent years. As many as 58 persons were wounded in the attack, some of whom remain in critical condition.

Prosecutors have said a decision could be months away on whether to seek the death penalty against Holmes (24) who made his second court appearance on Monday. Colorado has three men on its death row and but has not executed a condemned inmate since 1997.

Arapahoe County District Attorney Carol Chambers' office charged Holmes with two counts for each victim - one for carrying out the crime "after deliberation" and the second for "malice manifesting extreme indifference to human life".

Holmes, who authorities say styled himself after Batman's comic-book nemesis "The Joker", appeared in court clad in jail garb, his hair still dyed bright orange but with the colour fading to pink in places.

He sat impassively at a table with two defence lawyers through the 45-minute hearing but seemed more alert than during his initial court appearance a week ago, when he looked dazed and groggy.

The former neuroscience student spoke only once, quietly answering "Yes" in response to a question from Arapahoe County District Judge William Sylvester. He mostly kept his gaze lowered and did not look at a courtroom gallery packed with

members of the media and victims' family members.

The judge set a pre-trial hearing for September 27, tentatively scheduling a preliminary hearing for the week of November 13.

The police says Holmes entered Theatre 9 at the Century 16 multiplex in the Denver suburb of Aurora wearing tactical body armour and a gas mask and tossed smoke bombs before spraying moviegoers with bullets from three guns.

Authorities who rushed to his apartment following the movie house massacre said they found it wired with enough explosives to bring down the three-storey building, and spent several days dismantling the booby traps. Holmes was also charged on Monday with possessing an explosive device.— Reuters

Syria rebels overrun Aleppo police stations, kill 40 cops

Aleppo (Syria), July 31
Syrian rebels today attacked key military targets and overran two police stations in Aleppo, killing 40 officers, a watchdog said, as the pivotal battle for the commercial capital raged today.

Clashes between the rebels and loyalists of President Bashar al-Assad were also reported in the capital Damascus, the eastern city of Deir Ezzor and Daraa in the south, cradle of the more than 16-month uprising.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Aleppo was on Tuesday rocked by the fiercest fighting of a military offensive on rebels in the city, which came after the government had warned of a looming "mother of all battles."

Rebels used rocket-propelled grenades in pre-dawn attacks on a military court, an air force intelligence headquarters and a branch of the ruling Baath Party in Aleppo, said the Observatory's Rami Abdel Rahman.

Later, "hundreds of rebels attacked the police stations in Salhin and Bab al-Nayrab (neighbourhoods) and at least 40 policemen were killed during the fighting, which lasted for hours," said Abdel Rahman.

The police chief was among those killed at the Salhin station in the south of the city, while three vehicles were destroyed, he added.

The attacks came as the UN observer mission said government forces were using helicopters, tanks and artillery to fight the rebels, while appealing for both sides to protect civilians in the city of 2.7 million people. — AFP

Pak, US sign MoU for NATO supplies to Afghanistan

Islamabad, July 31
Pakistan and the US today signed an intensely negotiated agreement on transporting key supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan through Pakistani soil that will also see the release of $1.1 billion American aid.

The MoU states arms and ammunition for foreign troops in Afghanistan cannot be transported through Pakistan and that all cargo will be scanned in the port city of Karachi and at the border crossing points of Chaman and Torkham. — PTI

84.36 million voters in Pakistan, EC releases list
Afzal Khan in Islamabad

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday released new computerised lists of 84.365 million voters, a major step towards the holding of the next parliamentary polls.

Speaking to mediapersons here, Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim said there are 47.773 million male voters and 36.591 million female voters in the new rolls. The ECP was working in collaboration with the National Database Regulatory Authority (Nadra) for this purpose.

He said if the people wanted a change, the ECP would do its best so that no objections could be raised over its role during the elections.

Ebrahim said no one would be able to vote without a computerised national identity card, adding that, the minimum voting age was 18 years.

"Our utmost endeavour is to make the next election free, fair and transparent," he said.

He appealed to the media, civil society and political parties to assist the Election Commission in removing mistakes from the electoral lists.

The new lists have been displayed at district offices of the Election Commission and voters can verify their names and make corrections if they find mistakes, he said.

Bomb scare at US Embassy in Norway

Oslo, July 31
A wide section of the Norwegian capital's downtown area was evacuated on Tuesday and special forces were deployed after a suspected bomb - later found to be a training device - was found attached to a US Embassy vehicle.

The fake bomb was inadvertently left on the car and triggered a security alert when it tried to go through a routine check, the Oslo police said in a statement.

The police cordoned off an area 500 m around the Embassy. They also evacuated buildings, shut underground rail lines and brought in armed special forces. — Reuters