Cinema tragedy halts presidential campaign

WASHINGTON (AP):The deadly shooting at a movie theatre in Colorado has briefly silenced the presidential campaign, prompting both President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney to cut short their schedules and pull advertising in the state out of respect for the victims and their families.

Obama said yesterday in his weekly radio and Internet address that he hopes everyone takes time this weekend "for prayer and reflection - for the victims of this terrible tragedy, for the people who knew them and loved them, for those who are still struggling to recover."

The president said Americans should also think about "all the victims of the less-publicised acts of violence that plague our communities on a daily basis. Let us keep all these Americans in our prayers".

Obama and Romney used campaign appearances last Friday to focus attention on the need for national unity in the aftermath of the shootings in Aurora, which killed 12 people and wounded dozens of others.

Their campaign teams rescheduled show appearances planned for today, essentially providing a break in what has been an increasingly testy campaign.

The rampage injected a new tone into the campaign after Obama and Romney had clashed repeatedly over the economy, Medicare and tax returns.

Obama was set to start his second day of events in Florida when the shootings occurred, prompting his team to address the violence at a previously scheduled rally and scrapping an event in suburban Orlando.

Obama told supporters in Fort Myers that the shootings served as a "reminder that life is very fragile".

Romney echoed Obama's call for unity, saying at a previously scheduled event that he joined with the president and first lady in offering condolences for those "whose lives were shattered in a few moments, a few moments of evil in Colorado".

- AP