Nation, world briefs 8/4/15

Holmes jury keeps execution as option

CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- Jurors on Monday moved a step closer toward sentencing James Holmes to death for his Colorado movie theater attack, taking less than three hours to reject arguments the former neuroscience student's mental illness means he should not die. The decision clears the way for a final attempt from both sides to sway the jury, with testimony from victims about their suffering and more appeals for mercy for the man convicted of murdering 12 people and trying to kill 70 more during the 2012 assault at a Batman movie. Holmes, his reactions dulled by anti-psychotic drugs, appeared emotionless as Judge Carlos Samour Jr. read the decisions.

Man shot to death outside courthouse

CANTON, Miss. -- A man got out of his pickup, walked up to the defendant in a drug-dealing case and fatally shot him in the chest, then set down his gun and surrendered as deputies confronted him outside a Mississippi courthouse Monday morning, law-enforcement officials said. Police and other officials said they weren't sure why the suspect -- 24-year-old William B. Wells, a former Canton firefighter with no history of trouble -- shot Kendrick Armond Brown. Brown was in a small courtyard outside the Madison County Courthouse with his lawyer when he was shot, District Attorney Michael Guest said. Brown, 37, faced charges of selling cocaine and was a habitual offender who had been sentenced to prison time on past drug counts, according to an indictment. He was expected to reject a plea offer on his latest charges Monday and was not a witness or a suspect in other criminal cases, Guest said.

459 civilians died in U.S.-led strikes

BAGHDAD -- U.S.-led airstrikes targeting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria likely have killed at least 459 civilians over the past year, a report by an independent monitoring group said Monday. The report by Airwars, a project aimed at tracking the international airstrikes targeting the extremists, said it believed 57 specific strikes killed civilians and caused 48 suspected "friendly fire" deaths. It said the strikes have killed more than 15,000 Islamic State militants. While Airwars noted the difficulty of verifying information in territory held by the IS group, which has kidnapped and killed journalists and activists, other groups have reported similar casualties from the U.S.-led airstrikes.

Ahmadinejad seeks political comeback

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has launched a political campaign before February's parliamentary elections in what could prove a challenge to the moderates behind a nuclear agreement reached last month. Few expect a rerun of Ahmadinejad's surprise victory in the 2005 elections, which began an eight-year presidency marked by confrontation with the West, incendiary rhetoric toward Israel and refusal to compromise on the nuclear program. Many former allies turned on Ahmadinejad, and two of his former vice presidents have been jailed for corruption. But the populist is believed to command support in the countryside and could be seen by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a counterbalance to reformers who have tried to reverse Ahmadinejad's confrontational legacy since the election of President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate, two years ago.

-- From wire reports