20/07/2012 BBC News at Ten

A gunman kills 12 people after opening fire at a cinema in the

American state of Colorado. The shooting took place at a showing of

the new Batman film. The gunman set off a gas canister before opening

fire. Dozens are wounded, the youngest a four-month-old baby. Eye

witnesses describe a scene of horror. It was scary. A young girl

with bullet wounds in her leg and blood all over her. I don't ever

want to see something like that again.

The suspected gunman, a 24-year-old postgraduate student, is now in

police custody. The US President adds his voice to the expressions

of condolence. We may never understand what leads anybody to

terrorise their fellow human beings like this. Such violence, such evil

is senseless. It is beyond reason. More details are emerging tonight

about the suspected gunman and what took place inside the cinema. We'll

bring you the latest. Also tonight:

Government troops in Syria try to regain the upper hand, launching an

all out offensive in the capital, Damascus.

A moment of theatre, as the Olympic torch arrives in London. There's

just a week to go now until the opening ceremony.

And Bradley Wiggins says you can bet your house he will be the first

And coming up in Sportsday, American Brandt Snedeker is ten

under, and tops the leaderboard on Good evening.

America is tonight once again looking for answers after a lone

gunman walked into a packed cinema in the state of Colorado and opened

fire. 12 people have been killed, 59 injured, including young

children. The suspect, a 24-year- old postgraduate student, is now in

police custody and so far there is no known motive. The cinema is in

the town of Aurora, just a few miles away from Columbine, scene of

an infamous mass shooting by two students back in 1999. Alastair

Leithhead reports from Aurora. It was after midnight, but like

thousands of theatres across America, this suburban cinema was

sold out for the first showing of the new Batman Blockbuster. Oh, my

God! The horror of it was captured on people's mobile phones. Half-an-

hour into the film, a man dressed in black wearing a gas mask and

bullet-proof jacket let off a smoke canister and then opened fire. He

used an assault rifle, shotgun and pistol. At first, people thought it

was a stunt linked to the movie. Some died in their seats. Dozens

were injured as they tried to flee. We were in the fifth row from the

shooter. People were scrambling left and right. My children got out

first. Me and my wife got on our hands and knees. The people in the

higher seating, they were sitting ducks. It was scary. A young girl

with bullet wounds in her leg and blood all over her. I don't ever

want to see something like that again. At first, I was so scared I

did not know what to do, we just ducked down. You did not know what

to do because you were not sure where he was. Children were among

the dozens shot. Some suffered terrible injuries. They were taken

to six different hospitals. The police were there within two

minutes. They arrested a 24-year- old man at the back of the Cinema.

They carefully searched his car for weapons and explosives. He was

James Holmes, a medical student. Police say he acted alone. They

still do not know why he did it. He told police his apartment was

booby-trapped. It was. Trip wires and explosives were found. Nearby

buildings were evacuated. apartment is booby-trapped with

various incendiary and chemical devices and apparent trip wires, so

we have an active and difficult scene there. It may be resolved in

hours or days. We simply do not know how we're going to handle that.

A picture is starting to emerge of James Holmes. The 24-year-old from

San Diego had dropped out of medical school. Police said he had

nothing but a speeding ticket on his criminal record. No connection

to the military, but he came well prepared to kill. For people here,

the shooting was horribly familiar. Columbine High School, the scene of

a mass killing 13 years ago, is just 20 miles down the road, and

now another community has been struck by a senseless act of

violence. And in an election year, it will reopen the debate into gun

controls, of which there are few in Colorado. Even as we learn how this

happened and who is responsible, we may never understand what leads

anybody to terrorise their fellow human beings like this. Such

violence, such evil is senseless. As the police carefully tried to

search his apartment, they are still so many questions about what

motivated a young man to create such carnage. -- there are so many

questions. Let's go live to Alastair in Aurora.

More details are emerging about the gunman. Yes. It is the scale of it

that is amazing. 71 people were shot, 12 of them killed and still

at least five in critical condition in hospital. This was done with

guns that were bought legally. He went into shops, bought the guns,

an assault rifle, shotgun and powerful pistols, and he used them

and was able to kill that many people. It will raise questions

about gun controls in this state and in America. The election is

only a few months away and so this is something that will very much

step into the realms of politics. People like their guns, but as we

know from Columbine just down the road, the guns are still available

and a shooting has happened once again. These are some of the issues

people will be looking at closely in the aftermath of this shooting.

In Syria, a 4th top aide to President Assad has died after

being injured in a bombing on Wednesday. It is another blow to

the regime but there are reports the government is trying to regain

the initiative, launching an all- out offensive against rebel-held

areas in the capital. In the last 48 hours the UN says tens of

thousands of refugees have crossed into neighbouring countries. From

the Turkish-Syrian border, Wyre Davies reports.

As much as the Syrian government might like to protest it is still

completely in charge of its capital, pictures from Damascus today

suggest otherwise. There is fighting in several parts of the

city and many people have been killed. Anti-government protesters

take to the streets and the mosques. Rebel leaders insist that Bashar

Al-Assad's days are numbered. TRANSLATION: The Free Syrian Army

congratulates the Syrian people at the beginning of the month of

Ramadan and we hope this month will bring certain victory. It is not

all going the way of the rebels. The government has been carrying

out what it calls the cleansing of the streets of the domestic -- a

Damascus suburb, now freed from rebel fighters, terrorists as the

regime calls them. The Free Syrian Army triumphantly claimed to have

captured several border crossings. This one is reported to be

controlled by over 100 rebels. Beyond this Turkish border and a

couple of kilometres of no-man's land lies a pretty sizable part of

Syria where nobody really knows who is in control. Government troops

have been withdrawn from the periphery to deal with the crisis

in Damascus, meaning the rebels have taken charge in some areas.

But Assad's troops have fired back with long-range missiles, causing

civilian casualties and forcing many people to flee. Crossing the

border this evening, this family specifically said that shells and

heavy artillery had been targeted on their town.

TRANSLATION: I saw one father who had lost five members of his family.

That is why we got out. It is too dangerous. Tonight, the UN extended

its observer mission for a final 30 days. Perhaps the last chance to

co-operate for a leader who is slowly losing control of his

capital and his country. Jeremy Bowen is here. It is the end

of a dramatic week in Syria and the balance of power suddenly seems

less certain. What is your assessment of where things stand?

The worst week for President Assad since the uprising started. His

brother-in-law and three senior advisers were killed, assassinated

in that big bomb in Damascus a couple of days ago. Plus there has

been fighting in Damascus and, as we have been hearing, border posts

have been taken over. So that is very serious. But in harsh words

from his was an advert -- there have been harsh words from Western

adversaries and Arab enemies. But that does not make a difference

while there is no enforcement process. In a sense, it takes heat

of President Assad in the short term. Longer term, the absence of a

diplomatic process is something which, if anything, will speed up

arms supplies coming from countries to the rebels. The Saudis in

particular have so that is one thing they will be doing. I think

in our reporting of this, we need to give an important health warning,

and that is that people like myself, I am here, not there. The Syrians

are not letting us in in the way that we would like at the moment.

When you are in a place where fighting is going on, like Damascus,

or Aleppo, where they are also reports of fighting, you can use

your eyes and ears to make judgments of just how big it is. Is

it just one area, more areas, the extent of it. From here, that is

impossible. So we try to calibrate the best reports. The details are

sketchy but one consistent messages coming out, and that is that the

rebels are on the up and the regime is not.

With just a week to go until the opening ceremony of London 2012,

the Olympic flame has arrived in the capital, nearing the end of its

journey around the UK. It made a dramatic entrance just a couple of

hours ago, via a Royal Navy helicopter, flying in over Tower

Bridge, before a marine commando abseiled down to deliver it

securely to the Tower of London. But with the threat of strike

action at Heathrow, and with the army called in to patch up

shortcomings in security, just how ready is London to host the

Olympics? David Bond reports. After more than two months in this

country, the Olympic flame is getting used to dramatic entrances.

Perhaps this was the most spectacular yet. Ad sales into the

Tower of London from a Royal Navy helicopter. A team of Marines gave

it safe passage into the have -- into London for the start of its

seven-day journey around the capital. It is a huge moment for

the city and this is the first time since 1948 there we have been the

Official custodian of the Olympic flame. It is now going to be

guarded very safely in the Tower, by the Yeoman warders. It will then

go out across the city for what we think will be an enormous torch

relay procession. The arrival of the torch marks another big moment

in the countdown to next week's opening ceremony. London has had a

pretty smooth ride over the last seven years, but for organisers,

the last week has been the most challenging time they have faced.

So, with just seven days to go, how is London shaping up? The first

priority for any successful host is to deliver the venues. On the

Olympic Park, everything is pretty much ready to go, with final

touches being made. But elsewhere, the temporary facilities, like the

triathlon venue in Hyde Park, they are working around the clock to be

ready. We have always known that keeping the Transport network

moving during the Games would be difficult. 2000 more athletes

arrive today, and so far Heathrow Airport has coped. But the Olympic

lanes do not come into full force until next Wednesday, and no one is

quite sure how the capital will cope with the changing daily

demands of the Games. Of course, the biggest problem in recent days

has come from security. Today, a reminder of what is at stake. The

17-year-old man tried to snatch the Olympic flame as it made its way

through Kent. He was later arrested. Despite putting a further 1200

troops on standby to plug the gap left by G4S, there are still

questions over the plans for the new security. Today, the IOC

president arrived in London and gave this verdict. The Government

compensated for the shortfall that was possibly going to happen, so we

feel reassured for that and I have all assurances from the Government

that security will be in place. Organisers must wish that they

could lock up some of their recent problems in the tower with the

flame, where it will spend the night before the last leg of the

relay. But with less than a week to go, there are certain to be a few

more bumps in the road before the As we have heard, security has

become a major issue in the build- up to the Games. Tonight, police in

Glasgow and Manchester have said they will take on extra rolls to

secure the football stadiums there. But the Home Secretary has insisted

that the Olympics will be safe and are on course. Our special

correspondent has been looking at the measures put in place to

safeguard London 2012. This report contains flash photography.

A week to go, and the police presence around the site is strong

and visible. These are officers from a limpet command at. They have

been here since before the stadium was built. 24 hours a day, if they

patrol the Olympic perimeter. are here to reassure the public. If

an incident is here, it will be this vehicle that response. If

anything is out of place, we will deal with it and escalate it if

necessary. They work alongside G4S. Any problems? No. In the coming

days, these G4S workers will be bolstered by 3500 soldiers, but it

is the police who are in charge. Despite the problems there have

been this week with G4S, the police say their operation is unchanged.

The message seems to be that the troops are very useful at coming

here and plugging gaps, but overall, the security operation is untouched

and on track. Today was about settling nerves. After a week of

bad headlines, the Home Secretary Theresa May went to the Olympic

Park control room to refocus attention on the games themselves.

People will be able to come to these Olympics and enjoy them for

the great sporting event they are, and feel safe. At an East End

warehouse, the latest members of that security team were setting up

home. Camp beds and cooking for soldiers. Some just back from

Afghanistan or summoned from leave it. My reaction was, OK, because I

understand that, I am in the military. My wife was not too happy.

I was already on my summer leave it. My children live in Scotland. So

mum stood in. The police in Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow

have a greater role because of G4S. Here in London, security has come

under scrutiny, but the emphasis today - a week to go, and we are

prepared. For coming up: and finally, news to

shake up the Kremlin. The British government's hospitality Fund has

stopped buying Russian vodka. world of journalism pays tribute to

Sir Alastair Burnet, who has died aged 84.

President Hu Jintao steps down in China later this year, handing over

to his successor a country which boasts enviable economic growth

rates, but also a growing inequality gap and social problems

caused by, amongst other things, the 230 million migrant labourers

working hundreds of miles away from their homes. In the second of his

special reports from China, our world affairs editor John Simpson

reports on those who have seen little if any benefit in the last

ten years of China's economic good times.

For all its achievements, china's leadership has failed in two

respects. The country's huge inequalities have got worse, and

the rule of law is far too weak. A fortnight ago, this place its in

South Beijing was a thriving suburb. Then, without warning, the

bulldozers arrived. There will be little compensation and no legal

redress. This person's lifelong home was here. He had a good job

and support to the Government. Now he has lost everything. He believes

it is all down to a corrupt property deal.

TRANSLATION: No one has shown us a single legal document showing that

they had the mission to demolish this area. All I want is a legal

process. That is all these people want, to. They have come to a

government office in Beijing to complain about wrongs done to them

or their families by officialdom. Sometimes they get attacked or even

kidnapped for coming here. This woman from Henan reported an

illegal and grabbed by local officials. She was beaten up and

her property was burnt. But China's leaders have been clever and have

delegated authority for lots of things, including law enforcement,

to local authorities. That way, the national government avoids the

blame for things that go wrong. So these people come from all over the

country, asking the Government for justice. These are the details of

the cases. The mere act of giving these papers to us makes us --

makes them feel they have achieved something in a society where action

is extremely difficult. Out in the countryside, this is Hunan province

in southern China, things have scarcely improved at all over the

last ten years. The government has done away with some of taxes, but

it is still hard to make a decent living here. So there has been a

big exodus to the towns. The village of Guangan is typical. Out

of a population of 1700, around half have left to work elsewhere.

The only people who live here now are the old and very young. If

Jiang is 69. Her granddaughter is ninth. She used to work -- she used

to look after her granddaughter. Now it is the other way round. Her

parents are off in a nearby town, 11 hours away by bus. They can only

come back home to see her once a year.

TRANSLATION: She misses them very much. 400 miles away, her mother

has come home after a long day at the factory. Her father is having

trouble finding work. In the tiny room they went, we show them how

pictures of their daughter. TRANSLATION: We have to do this to

get the money for a better life. China's years of economic success

have come at a vast human cost, and many people here feel that they

can't trust the system to protect them.

There has been fresh economic turmoil in Spain today, despite the

Eurozone's finance ministers approving a loan to prop up the

country's banks. There is still concern that a larger bail-out of

the whole country could be needed. Live now to like your correspondent.

How bad was today? Very bad, and it was another vivid reminder of the

fact that that banking bail-out targeted the financial sector in

Spain and has not had the desired effect of convincing investors that

Spain is now a safe place to put money. The problems keep mounting

for their country. The Government today said the recession was

expected to last longer than initially forecast and that the

nominal rates at which Spain could borrow money on the international

markets have spiked. They are at their highest ever level, well

above 7%, which is unsustainable in the long term. What does this mean?

Well, I have spoken to several senior aide European officials who

have said they hope to contain the crisis within Spain, but today the

Italian Prime Minister said the contagion was spreading to Italy,

which is a worrying development. Cyclist Bradley Wiggins has said

people can safely bet their house on him not losing his lead in the

Tour de France and becoming the first Briton ever to win the race.

It comes to an end in Paris on Sunday, but going into the weekend,

Wiggins has a lead of more than two minutes over his nearest rivals.

France may be a place of beauty. It is also the backdrop for savagery,

in the shape of the world's toughest endurance race. The Tour

de France is now winding towards its conclusion. Its result, barring

crashes or illness, we know. The man in yellow, Bradley Wiggins,

should now remain clad in the colour of victory all the way to

Paris on Sunday. The French public were wary at first, but have now

acclaimed Bradley Wiggins as "le gentleman". Today, after five hours

and 215 kilometres, a British bonus - Bradley Wiggins' team-mate Mark

Cavendish, making it the other sprinters look like they were

carrying their shopping. His next and in effect final step to the

throne will be here in Chartres. 400 years ago in that cathedral,

they ground one of the kings of France. Tomorrow, across that

finish line, history may repeat itself. If Bradley Wiggins cements

his first place here, he will be unchallenged in Paris. You don't

want to jinx him, but if he does it, it will be the greatest achievement

by a British sports person ever. That is a big claim, but I don't

think you can overstate how hard it is to win the Tour de France.

was here at the Herne Hill velodrome in south London that

Wiggins burnished his talent and showed his desire, when he first

turned up, he announced himself with a simple request - I want to

race, please, sir. But even those who have known him all his life

left shaking their heads. Looking at him, not in how wildest dreams

did we ever think that this day would come. It is incredible to me.

It has not all been an utter surprise. Wiggins has appeared in

the last Olympics, where he has collected six medals, three golds.

Now, a week before the London Olympics begin, there is the

prospect of the greatest British sporting triumph of the year. Some

argue it would be among the greatest ever.

The journalist and broadcaster Sir Alastair Burnet, best known for

presenting ITN's News at Ten, has died at the age of 84. He became a

household name, presented the main ITV evening news bulletin, and also

commentated on major events including the moon landings.

The Prime Minister weighed in to defend the Chancellor today. As a

broadcaster, he had authority and once edited the Economist. And he

had warmth on screen and off. Reviewers liked him and trusted him.

He gave me a job and he was my inspiration and my mentor. He was

the greatest news broadcaster this country has ever produced. In many

ways, he set the standard. He has never been equalled. He spoke in

beautifully modulated tones. Uniquely, he had a grasp of every

conceivable detail you might want in the world of politics and

economics, but also a total her passion for the things that plain

folk care about - football. A quiet day for the Prime Minister at

Chequers. He started as a political reporter, but could turn his hand

to anything. He was a serious news man, with an added touch of wit.

This was his commentary on the first moon landing. There it is,

the Old Moon, the one the cow jumped over, the One That lovers

Make Love To. From now on, it will be rather different. He was first

choice to cover the big events for ITV. The first result could begin

within the next ten minutes. The polls suggest that Labour is in

with a shout. For a time in the 1970s, he was at the BBC. Back at

ITV, he proved an enthusiastic royalist. If there is any heart

that has not been won over today, it can kindly surrender now.

sniffed flowers with the Queen Mother. The satirical puppet show

Spitting Image had fun at his expense. How Margaret is -- how

marvellous it is to see your marvellous nurse at the microphone.