Saturday, July 21, 2012
Vatican: Pope's butler moved to house arrest
The Pope's butler has been released from custody and moved to house arrest.The Vatican said that Paolo Gabriele will remain under house arrest pending a decision on whether he should stand trial for leaking confidential papers to the media.
He was charged in May after a series of leaks exposed alleged corruption and internal conflicts at the Holy See.
Mr Gabriele's lawyer Carlo Fusco said his client had operated on his own in an "act of love" toward the Pope.
The so-called "Vatileaks" scandal saw an Italian investigative journalist publish hundreds of secret documents detailing fraud scandals, nepotism and cronyism within the Holy See.
'Acted alone'
Italian media reported in May that a stash of confidential documents had been found in the apartment Mr Gabriele shares with his wife and three children inside the Vatican. Read More
Japan probes under-reporting of Fukushima radiation dosage
(Reuters) - Japan's health ministry said it would investigate reports that workers at the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant were urged by a subcontractor to place lead around radiation detection devices in order to stay under a safety threshold for exposure.The Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported on Saturday that an executive from Build-Up, a subcontractor to plant owner Tokyo Electric Power, told workers to cover the devices called dosimeters when working in high-radiation areas.
Dosimeters can be worn as badges or carried as devices around the size of a smart phone to detect radiation.
Nine workers wore the lead plates around the devices once after the executive's plea, Public broadcaster NHK said, citing the subcontractor's president.
Japanese law has set an annual radiation exposure safety threshold of 50 millisieverts for nuclear plant workers during normal operations.
But a massive earthquake and tsunami that crippled the Fukushima plant in March 2011 led to a breach of containment structures that released radiation, keeping large areas around the plant off limits more than a year later. Read More
4.6 Magnitude Earthquake FLORES REGION, INDONESIA - 21st July 2012
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake has struck the FLORES REGION, INDONESIA at a depth of 33.4 km (20.8 miles), the quake hit at 16:01:04 UTC Saturday 21st July 2012The epicenter was 118 km (73 miles) ENE of Sukutukang, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Syria rebels seize north Iraq crossing: Iraq governor
BAGHDAD — Syrian rebels took control of the main crossing between Iraq and Syria along the two countries' northern border on Saturday, the governor of the Iraqi province of Nineveh told AFP."Iraqi officials from the crossing called me and they said that at 5:00 pm (1400 GMT), some gunmen took control of the Yaribiyah crossing and they were informed that the crossing is now in the hands of the Free Syrian Army," Atheel al-Nujaifi said, referring to the Rabiyah crossing by its Syrian name.
He said that because the official working hours of the crossing ended at 4:00 pm, Iraqi officials had already closed their side of the border when it was taken over by Syrian rebels.
"But starting tomorrow, only Iraqis will be allowed to enter from Syria to Iraq," he said. "We don't know the nature of the side that we are dealing with and until then, we have to wait and see and we will only give permission to Iraqis to cross the border from Syria to Iraq."
Iraqi border guards First Lieutenant Mohammed Khalaf al-Shammari, stationed on the Iraqi side of the crossing, told AFP that rebels "raised the flag of the Free Syrian Army and tore up pictures of (President) Bashar al-Assad."
Shammari said that there was little movement on the Syrian side of the border. Read More
'Serious concerns' for boy missing in Banff Bay, Scotland
Police have said they have 'serious concerns' for the safety of a 16-year-old boy thought to have been swept out to sea in Banff Bay, Aberdeenshire.The unnamed teenager entered the waters off the River Deveron, near Banff Bay, with two others in the early hours of the morning before encountering difficulties.
His two friends made it back to the riverbank and alerted the coastguard.
'At around 2.30am today emergency services responded to a report of three people in the water having difficulties, near the mouth of the River Deveron at Banff Bridge,' Grampian police said.
'Two of these people managed to make their way to the shore but the third person appeared to have been swept out to sea.
'A search and rescue operation was launched involving HM Coastguard, RNLI lifeboat, an RAF search and rescue helicopter and Grampian police.'
The force added: 'The search is currently ongoing but the missing 16-year-old has not been found. Clearly there are now serious concerns for his safety.'
Aberdeen coastguard watch manager Steve Quinn said the area in question was relatively 'benign'.
'It's not a very big area, Banff Bay is quite enclosed by Macduff on one side and Banff on the other,' he said. Read More
Great White Fight: Fishermen Fend Off Shark
Two spear fishermen have managed to fend off a great white shark when it confronted them off Western Australia.Nathan Podmore and his friend Dave Richards were 50 metres from their boat when the Great White started circling them, near Geraldton, north of Perth.
Luckily they managed to scare if off after prodding it in the gills with their spears.
In amateur footage of the incident posted on YouTube, Mr Podmore describes how he gave the shark a "good whack" to fight it off.
"It came straight at us, it looked like a torpedo, it was massive," he said.
Last week, a surfer killed by a great white near Wedge Island, just south of where the fishermen’s close encounter happened. Read More
Michaela McAreavey Murder: Fresh Probe Launched
A judicial inquiry has been launched into the murder of Michaela McAreavey, who was killed while on honeymoon in Mauritius.Mauritian prime minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam has announced a new team of detectives would look at the case in an attempt to unearth fresh evidence in the case.
Mr Ramgoolam gave the assurances during a meeting with the Irish ambassador to Mauritius, Brendan McMahon, in Port Louis.
Meanwhile, Ireland's deputy Prime Minister, Eamon Gilmore, thanked the Mauritian authorities for their co-operation.
"I want to thank Prime Minister Ramgoolam for this response and for the co-operation which we are receiving from the Mauritian authorities," he said.
"The Irish Government will continue to meet its full consular responsibilities to Michaela, her husband John and their families, as it does to all Irish citizens."
Mrs McAreavey, 27, a former beauty queen and school teacher from County Tyrone, was killed in her room at the Legends Hotel in January 2011. Read More
Defector: Syria Ready To Use Chemical Weapons
A senior Syrian military defector has said President Bashar al Assad's forces are set to use chemical weapons to "perpetrate a sea of blood".General Mustafa Sheikh, who fled the army in January, said regime forces wanted to "burn the country".
"The regime has started moving its chemical stockpile and redistributing it to prepare for its use," he said in an interview with the Reuters news agency.
"They are moving it from warehouses to new locations. They want to burn the country. The regime cannot fall without perpetrating a sea of blood."
Syria has denied any plans to use chemical weapons. Read More
Denver Massacre: Police To Enter Suspect's Flat
Police are preparing to move into the booby-trapped apartment of the man suspected of shooting dead 12 people at a Denver cinema.Former medical student John Holmes has been identified as the masked gunman who burst into a midnight screening of the latest Batman movie and opened fire after first discharging a tear gas grenade.
After the shooting, police went to his apartment but found it filled with trip wires and chemicals, leading to the evacuation of five buildings nearby.
Cassidee Carlson of Aurora police, said security authorities from the local police and FBI, along with bomb disposal experts and firefighters, were now ready to begin what could be a lenghty process of gaining access to the building.
"First and foremost we need to render the area safe," she said. "The most immediate threat is the booby trap, the trip wire we have been talking about over the last day.
She said dealing with this might require a controlled detonation and could possibly cause a small fire.
"Once that trip wire is dealt with, they'll move on to disposal," she added.
"There are incideniary devices inside, including some aerial shells, approximately 30 of those, they'll be removed and placed into sandtrucks and taken to a disposal site. Read More
5.3 Magnitude Earthquake BANDA SEA - 21st July 2012
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake has struck BANDA SEA at a depth of 240 km (149.1 miles), the quake hit at 12:46:30 UTC Saturday 21st July 2012The epicenter was 212 km (131 miles) SSE of Saparua, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Sadly, Nation Knows Exactly How Colorado Shooting's Aftermath Will Play Out
While admitting they "absolutely hate" the fact they have this knowledge, the nation's 300 million citizens told reporters they can pinpoint down to the hour when the first candlelight vigil will be held, roughly how many people will attend, how many times the county sheriff will address the media in the coming weeks, and when the town-wide memorial service will be held.
Additionally, sources nationwide took no pleasure in confirming that some sort of video recording, written material, or disturbing photographs made by the shooter will be surfacing in about an hour or two.
"I hate to say it, but we as Americans are basically experts at this kind of thing by now,” said 45-year-old market analyst Jared Gerson, adding that the number of media images of Aurora, CO citizens crying and looking shocked is “pretty much right in line with where it usually is at this point." "The calls not to politicize the tragedy should be starting in an hour, but by 1:30 p.m. tomorrow the issue will have been politicized. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if the shooter’s high school classmate is interviewed within 45 minutes."
"It's like clockwork," said Gerson, who sighed, shook his head, and walked away. more
Thoughts: It would be impossible to tell if it were on any other website other than The Onion's, but this is a piece of satire. So successful a piece of satire is it that every single word rings absolutely true, and we're left to wonder at America's sheep-like tendency to follow a set of patterns that fulfills our emotional addictions without actually achieving anything.
The Information Skills for the 24/7 News Cycle Age: An Analysis of the Reporting of #theatershooting
I think the best description of the news-commentary-begets-more-news cycle I have heard came from Jon Stewart on the daily show. I looked (lightly) for the specific clip, but could not find it. If I do, I will be sure to link to it. Essentially:
--News Channel Reports factual data
--During the commentary/analysis period, the data is interpreted to draw a more meaningful/slanted conclusion to the benefit of the station, political bias, commentator, ratings, etc.
--During the next NEWS period, the conclusion is reported as breaking news about the original story citing experts, sources, etc.
This is one of the examples that we use in #digcit to discuss PLN bias and the need to be more savvy about news in the modern era than ever before. more
4.2 Magnitude Earthquake OFF THE COAST OF CHIAPAS, MEXICO - 21st July 2012
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake has struck OFF THE COAST OF CHIAPAS, MEXICO at a depth of 32.9 km (20.4 miles), the quake hit at 11:39:00 UTC Saturday 21st July 2012The epicenter was 138 km (85 miles) WSW of Puerto Madero, Mexico
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Nine-year-old snatched from ganglands for tumour surgery, Mexico
A nine-year-old Mexican boy has been plucked from the depths of a gang-infested neighbourhood by heavily armed agents to be treated for a severe tumour growing from his neck.'Jose', as he is identified by authorities, has suffered from an abnormally large tumour from the side of his neck since his birth.
His parents say the tumour had grown so large that it affects his eyesight and fear it could move into his heart.
But with no money or medial care, Jose had very limited options. It wasn't until he was spotted near an orphanage by members of a Baptist church that authorities planned to snatch the young boy and his parents from one of the deadliest cities in the world - Ciudad Juarez.
Pastor of First Baptist Church of Rio Rancho, Si Budagher, said the church family felt compelled to help the boy after spotting his good will.
"He just came up to us and offered to carry groceries," she said. "The Lord put him in front of us." Read More
Teenager from Surrey Dies After Boat Propeller Fall
A 14-year-old boy has died after he fell from a boat and was hit by its propeller.The youngster was on a rigid inflatable boat (rib) with two other teenagers and a male adult when the incident happened off The Needles landmark off the Isle of Wight on Friday afternoon.
The teenager from Surrey, who has not been named, fell into the water and it is believed he was then hit by the propeller.
He was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital on the mainland, where he later died from his injuries, Hampshire Police said.
Another boy aged 14 was also injured by the propeller and he suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries, a coastguard spokeswoman said.
He is being treated at St Mary's Hospital in Newport on the island.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, which happened at about 4.50pm. Read More
Denver shooting raises gun law questions
July 21 - Colorado shooting unlikely to spur changes in gun laws after gunman opens fire and kills 12 in a midnight premiere of 'Batman' film in Denver. Sarah Charlton reports
Syrian forces fight back after rebel surge into capital
(Reuters) - Syrian government forces pounded rebels in Damascus overnight, battling to reverse opposition gains in the aftermath of the assassination of President Bashar al-Assad's security chiefs.Army helicopters and tanks aimed rockets, machineguns and mortars at pockets of rebel fighters who have infiltrated the capital this week in an operation they call "Damascus Volcano".
Lightly-armed fighters have been moving through the streets on foot and attacking security installations and roadblocks.
But the heart of the city was quiet by 0400 GMT on Saturday, residents told Reuters.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group which monitors the violence in the country, said 240 people had been killed across Syria on Friday, including 43 soldiers.
The Observatory's combined death toll over the past 48 hours stands at 550, making it the bloodiest two days of the 16-month-old uprising against Assad. Read More
Japan probes under-reporting of Fukushima radiation dosage
(Reuters) - Japan's health ministry said it would investigate reports that workers at the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant were urged by a subcontractor to place lead around radiation detection devices in order to stay under a safety threshold for exposure.The Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported on Saturday that an executive from Build-Up, a subcontractor to plant owner Tokyo Electric Power, told workers to cover the devices called dosimeters when working in high-radiation areas.
Dosimeters can be worn as badges or carried as devices around the size of a smart phone to detect radiation.
Nine workers wore the lead plates around the devices once after the executive's plea, Public broadcaster NHK said, citing the subcontractor's president.
Japanese law has set an annual radiation exposure safety threshold of 50 millisieverts for nuclear plant workers during normal operations. Read More
Lake search for Iowa girls finds nothing; authorities now calling case an abduction
Evansdale, Iowa (CNN) -- A week after two young cousins went missing near a lake in Iowa, their disappearance is now being called an abduction, authorities said Friday.
A search of a 25-acre lake in the area where the girls were last seen turned up nothing, Black Hawk County Sheriff's Deputy Rick Abben told reporters.
"Those girls are not in that lake," Abben said. "Obviously, within a week if they were lost they would have been found by now. Since we can't find them (and) they're not in the lake, we're calling it an abduction."
Lyric Cook, 10, and her cousin Elizabeth Collins, 8, were last seen by their grandmother on July 13 when they left on a bike ride. Read More
Japan's nuclear fight intensifies
(CNN) -- The 1960s were a time of social revolution. Student, civil rights activists and anti-war protesters rose up against governments around the world, and Japan was no exception.Hundreds of thousands took to the streets to denounce the security treaty Japan signed with the U.S. in 1960. The rallies, which turned violent at times, were the country's last significant protests -- until now.
The recent anti-nuclear protests are gathering momentum, and a society once willing to accept the government line is starting to ask questions of its leaders.
Tens of thousands of people now protest outside the prime minister's residence every Friday with one simple message -- abandon atomic power. Read More
Brunei helicopter crash kills 12
(CNN) -- A Brunei air force helicopter crashed, killing 12 military officials returning back from training, authorities in the southeast Asian nation said Saturday.The crash occurred Friday, a military statement said.
Authorities searched for the victims after the crash and found two survivors, who were rushed to a hospital.
All personnel involved are accounted for, the military said.
The crash occurred in the area of Kuala Belait, in a western part of the nation. Brunei is a sultanate on Borneo island.
Relatives and officers from the defense ministry held prayers for the victims.
Officials did not provide information on what caused the crash. Source
Summer Wallzs 'beat her 15-year-old son with frying skillet, tied him up with duct tape and pushed him down the stairs as punishment'
A couple have been charged for beating the woman's 15-year-old son with a skillet, punching him in the head and binding with duct tape as punishment, according to Cincinnati Police.Summer Wallzs has been charged with felonious assault and unlawful restraint in the alleged attack at her Riverside, Ohio, home on July 11, according to Hamilton County Municipal Court records.
The 34-year-old is suspected of striking her son with the skillet and binding him with tape, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Her husband, 38-year-old Charles Kraft, is suspected of punching the boy and causing him to fall down 13 steps.
Wallzs was jailed and is being held on a $1,000 bond. She will be prohibited from contacting her son if she is released, according to the newspaper.
Kraft was not in custody and court records showed a warrant for him on charges of unlawful restraint and domestic violence.
Court records did not list attorneys for them. Read More
Andrew Scott Killed by the Police after raiding WRONG apartment
The death of a man shot inside his home, by a sheriff's deputy who went to the wrong apartment looking for a criminal suspect, has sparked protests this week over police procedures in the central Florida city of Leesburg.Andrew 'Drew' Scott, 26, a pizza delivery driver, was shot dead at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday when deputies knocked on his apartment door without identifying themselves as law enforcement officers.
Scott opened his door holding a gun, according to Lake County Sheriff spokesman Lieutenant John Herrell.
The Lake County Sheriff has no policy requiring deputies to announce themselves, Herrell told Reuters.
Prominent Orlando lawyer Mark Nejame, who has been hired by Scott's family, told Reuters on Friday that lack of policy puts gun-owning homeowners like Scott in a life-threatening dilemma.
'If they go to the door and it's a criminal, fine. But if it turns out in the game of Russian roulette that it's a law enforcement officer, you're dead,' Nejame said. Read More
Benjamin Price, 3, died in 100 degree heat after being left in car 'by day care workers'
A three-year-old boy has died after he was forgotten by his day care workers inside a hot van following a field trip, family and police in Texas report.The child identified as Benjamin Price was found unconscious outside Little T's Tiny Tot Daycare in Dallas just before 5:15pm on Friday where temperatures reached 105 degrees.
He was transported to Baylor Hospital during attempts to resuscitate him using CPR but pronounced dead at the hospital.
According to Benjamin's God mother Kawanea Hines, workers said the boy had fallen asleep in the van following their day's outing.
He was only discovered missing when his grandmother arrived to pick him up at the end of the day, but he couldn't be found.
'There was no place you wouldn't know he was there. He made his presence known wherever he was. So for them to not know Benjamin was there, I just don't see how,' Ms Hines told NBC DFW.
Police responding left two of the daycare's white vehicles taped off in the facility's parking lot. Read More
2002 AM31 Asteroid nearly a mile wide will sail past Earth this Sunday
An asteroid nearly a mile wide will hurtle past Earth on Sunday July 22.The asteroid is estimated to be 2,000 to 4,500ft wide, and qualifies as a 'near Earth object'.
NEA (near-Earth asteroid) 2002 AM31 is described as 'the size of a city block'.
Astronomers say not to panic - it will pass through space 14 times further from Earth than the Moon.
The space rock will be tracked live by cameras on Earth and in space.
Astronomy magazine's Bob Berman says, ‘Near Earth objects are no longer treasures only for the paranoid, or for those who secretly and strangely are rooting for an early apocalypse.
'The entire astronomical community has reversed its thinking about them over the past few decades. Instead of living on an ‘island Earth’ with little or no connection with other celestial objects, we now feel that collisions with comets or asteroids change the evolution of our biosphere, and maybe even seeded our world with the amino acids that started life long ago.
'In other words, these are important entities. Not to mention, there’s always that exciting little hint of danger.’ Read More
Assassin: Captured on 'mission to murder', the man suspected of blasting Russian banker six times, dumping gun and then heading home on the Tube
Calmly strolling through a busy Tube station, the man in the leather jacket could be on his way home from work, or heading out for a drink with friends.In fact, police believe he is on a mission to murder. He is the main suspect in a hunt for the gunman who blasted a Russian banker six times outside his luxury flat.
German Gorbuntsov, 46, was sprayed with bullets outside his Docklands apartment by a hooded hitman in a botched assassination which left him disabled.
Scotland Yard revealed yesterday that they were pursuing significant new leads after releasing footage of the suspect in the shooting.
CCTV images show the man casually dressed, wearing a black jacket with its collar pulled up and blue jeans, coolly walking through Canary Wharf station and mingling with dozens of commuters on their way home on a Tuesday evening.
Just moments earlier, Mr Gorbuntsov, an exiled financier who was in hiding in London, was gunned down on his doorstep after stepping out of a taxi which dropped him off at his exclusive apartment block at 7.20pm on March 20.
The 46-year-old was shot six times with a specially modified 9mm Russian semi-automatic pistol rarely seen in Britain, which has been described by weapons experts as a ‘professional assassin’s weapon’. Read More
Robert Dunson hacked lawyer wife to death with Samurai sword after she discovered his secret love child and demanded a divorce
A former bookmaker was today jailed for life for murdering his wife with a Samurai sword after she discovered his secret love child.Crazed Robert Dunson, 54, hacked his wife Jean, 47, to death with a knife in one hand and a sword in the other as she slept in her bed.
She tried to fight him off but he sank the blades into her chest, back and throat ten times at their home in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, last May.
The drunken explosion came after she demanded a divorce having discovered his 14-year-old son he had kept hidden from her after an affair with his ex-wife.
Dunson was today jailed at Reading Crown Court and ordered to serve a minimum of 17 years. Read More
Teenager 'Critical' After Boat Propeller Fall
A teenage boy is critically ill in hospital after falling from a boat and being hit by a propeller.The youngster was on a rigid inflatable boat (rib) with two other teenagers and a male adult when the incident happened off The Needles landmark on the Isle of Wight on Friday afternoon.
The teenager, whose age is unknown, fell into the water and it is believed he was then hit by the propeller, the coastguard said.
He was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital on the mainland, where he is being treated for life-threatening injuries.
Another boy aged 14 was also injured by the propeller and he suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries, a coastguard spokeswoman said.
He is being treated at St Mary's Hospital in Newport on the island.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, which happened at about 4.50pm.
Luckily, the coastguard rescue helicopter was already airborne on exercise and was quickly on the scene along with the Yarmouth RNLI lifeboat. Read More
4.0 Magnitude Earthquake HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION - 21st July 2012
A magnitude 4.0 earthquake has struck HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION at a depth of 216.9 km (134.8 miles), the quake hit at 07:32:44 UTC Saturday 21st July 2012The epicenter was 109 km (67 miles) North of Otrada, Russia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
4.7 Magnitude Earthquake KURIL ISLANDS - 21st July 2012
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake has struck the KURIL ISLANDS at a depth of 30.7 km (19.1 miles), the quake hit at 07:20:01 UTC Saturday 21st July 2012The epicenter was 160 km (99 miles) South of Severo-Kuril'sk, Kuril Islands, Russia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
4.1 Magnitude Earthquake ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE - 21st July 2012
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake has struck ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE at a depth of 95 km (58.9 miles), the quake hit at 06:50:57 UTC Saturday 21st July 2012The epicenter was 56 km (34.7 miles) Northwest of Calama, Chile
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
4.7 Magnitude Earthquake MARIANA ISLANDS REGION - 21st July 2012
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake has struck the MARIANA ISLANDS REGION at a depth of 35 km (21.7 miles), the quake hit at 06:37:21 UTC Saturday 21st July 2012The epicenter was 182 km (113 miles) East of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
5.8 Magnitude Earthquake VANUATU REGION - 21st July 2012
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake has struck the VANUATU REGION at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the quake hit at 06:11:57 UTC Saturday 21st July 2012The epicenter was 291 km (180 miles) NNW of Ceva-i-Ra, Fiji
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
5.2 Magnitude Earthquake OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA - 21st July 2012
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake has struck OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA at a depth of 0.6 km (0 miles), the quake hit at 06:04:21 UTC Saturday 21st July 2012The epicenter was 81 km (50 miles) West from Petrolia, California
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
James Eagan Holmes: Police to detonate explosives at Colorado suspect's home
(Reuters) - Police probing a Colorado shooting rampage prepared on Saturday to send in a robot to detonate what they called a sophisticated booby-trap in the apartment of a man accused of killing 12 people at a screening of the new "Batman" film.James Eagan Holmes, 24, is accused of storming into a theater in a suburban Denver multiplex just after midnight on Friday clad head-to-toe in black body armor and a gas mask and tossing smoke bombs into the audience before shooting seemingly at random.
The graduate student, who authorities said had dyed his hair red and called himself "The Joker" in a reference to Batman's comic-book nemesis, was taken into custody outside the theater minutes after the attack.
Police later found a set of explosives at his home following his arrest after the shooting at a showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora and have been unable to enter.
The massacre stunned Aurora and much of the nation, evoking memories of the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, 17 miles (27 km) from Aurora, where two students opened fire and killed 12 students and a teacher. Read More
4.5 Magnitude Earthquake OFF THE COAST OF CHIAPAS, MEXICO - 21st July 2012
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake has struck OFF THE COAST OF CHIAPAS, MEXICO at a depth of 37.9 km (23.6 miles), the quake hit at 06:00:38 UTC Saturday 21st July 2012The epicenter was 122 km (75 miles) WSW of Puerto Madero, Mexico
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Furious IMF official attacks its 'tainted' leadership
A senior International Monetary Fund (IMF) economist has quit the organisation and launched a blistering attack on its record and present leadership.In his resignation letter, Peter Doyle accused the IMF of suppressing warnings that the global economic system was heading for a crash in the years preceding the 2008 financial crisis.
Mr Doyle, who worked at the IMF for 20 years and was a senior adviser to the Fund's European Department, added that he was now "ashamed to have had any association with the Fund at all".
The Fund did voice some misgivings about growing imbalances in the global economy ahead of the 2008 banking crisis that set off a synchronised international slump. But, according to Mr Doyle, who left the organisation in June, its bureaucracy also gagged analysts who wanted to sound the alarm more loudly.
"The substantial difficulties were identified well in advance but were suppressed here" he said.
"The consequences include suffering (and risk of worse to come) for many including Greece". Read More
