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Alabama executes man for the 2001 beating death of a woman, resuming lethal injections after review

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:41 GMT

ATMORE, Ala. (AP) — Alabama executed a man on Friday for the 2001 beating death of a woman as the state resumed lethal injections after two failed executions prompted the state to conduct an internal review. James Barber, 64, was pronounced dead at 1:56 a.m. after receiving a lethal injection at a south Alabama prison. Barber was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2001 beating death of 75-year-old Dorothy Epps. Prosecutors said Barber, a handyman, confessed to killing Epps with a claw hammer and fleeing with her purse. Jurors voted 11-1 to recommend a death sentence, which a judge imposed.Before he was put to death, Barber told his family he loved them and apologized to Epps’ family.“I want to tell the Epps’ family I love them. I’m sorry for what happened,” Barber said. “No words would fit how I feel.”Barber said he wanted to tell the governor “and the people in this room that I forgive you for what you are about to do.”It was the first execution ...

Spain’s conservatives put trust in Feijóo, the boring guy who wins every election by a landslide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:41 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the conservative politician who polls suggest is poised to become Spain’s next prime minister, likes to recall that at heart, he is just a mild-mannered “village boy” from the country’s rural northwest. A humble, forthright, even boring guy, as he likes to describe himself. The conservative Popular Party candidate for Sunday’s general election is mostly unknown outside Spain, but he has been the country’s most solid regional leader so far this century and has never lost an election. Feijóo was a political steamroller during the 13 years in which he governed Spain’s northwestern Galicia region, the homeland of 20th-century dictator Francisco Franco and of former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who ran Spain from 2011-2018 as PP’s leader.Feijóo took power as Galicia’s regional president in 2009 and accumulated four absolute majorities until 2022, when he resigned to head for Madrid with the mission to save his party f...

2 men killed in New Zealand shooting were co-workers of gunman, who had violent past

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:41 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The two men who were killed at a New Zealand construction site were in their 40s and had worked alongside the gunman before he went on his rampage, police said Friday. Court records also detailed the gunman’s violent past. New Zealanders were still in shock at Thursday’s shooting, which closed part of downtown hours before the opening game of the Women’s World Cup soccer tournament, which was held under increased security.The gunman stormed the high-rise building in the early morning, opening fire on terrified workers before dying after a police shootout. An officer who was shot and wounded remained hospitalized in stable condition Friday. Three civilians also remained hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries, while two more had been released from hospital, authorities said.Police told The Associated Press they had yet to formally identify the gunman but were not disputing reports it was Matu Reid, 24, who was serving a home detention sentence b...

‘Lioness’ on the loose? More experts join police in second-day search for elusive animal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:41 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Experts on animal tracks joined the hunt Friday for an elusive and potentially dangerous animal — suspected to be a lioness — spotted on the edge of Berlin as the search stretched into a second day, authorities said.Police used helicopters, drones and infrared cameras to search for the animal, with a vet and hunters also part of the effort. They were first alerted to the animal in Kleinmachnow, just outside Berlin’s city limits, around midnight on Wednesday when people reported what appeared to be a big cat chasing a wild boar.The informants also provided a video. Based on that and a subsequent sighting of their own, the police concluded that the animal was apparently a lioness. But it proved elusive in the flat, wooded area on the boundary between Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg.Kleinmachnow Mayor Michael Grubert told local public broadcaster rbb late Thursday that authorities would try to comb the forest on Friday with “professional animal track...

Muslim-majority nations express outrage and plan street protests over Quran desecration in Sweden

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:41 GMT

BAGHDAD (AP) — Muslim-majority nations expressed outrage Friday at the desecration of a copy of the Quran in Sweden. Some prepared for street demonstrations following midday prayers to show their anger. In Iran, Iraq and Lebanon, protesters planned demonstrations after Swedish police permitted a protest Thursday in which an Iraqi Christian living in Stockholm kicked and stood on a Quran, Islam’s holy book, outside of the Iraqi Embassy. Hours before that, demonstrators in Baghdad broke into the Swedish Embassy and lit a fire to show their anger at his threats to burn the book.Iraqi Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani has ordered the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador from Iraq and the withdrawal of the Iraqi charge d’affaires from Sweden. But that may not be enough to calm those angered, and another protest in Baghdad is planned for Friday afternoon.In neighboring Iran, demonstrators also planned to take to the streets. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has written a ...

European official: EU likely to keep missile sanctions on Iran

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:41 GMT

A European official on Tuesday said he expected no difficulty persuading EU nations to maintain ballistic missile sanctions on Iran that are due to expire in October.The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said he sees a window of opportunity by the end of 2023 to try to negotiate a de-escalatory nuclear deal with Iran."We may have a small window of opportunity to try to resume discussions with them on (a) return to the JCPOA or at least to an agreement of de-escalation … before the end of the year," the official told reporters in Washington.The JCPOA, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, is a defunct 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and major powers under which Tehran agreed to restrain its nuclear program in return for relief from U.S., EU and U.N. sanctions.In June, sources told Reuters that European diplomats had informed Iran they planned to retain EU ballistic missile sanctions set to expire in October under the nuclear deal, a step they said could provoke...

Navigating the Film Industry with an Entrepreneurial  Spirit: The Journey of James Roberts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:41 GMT

In the realm of cinema, serendipity often brings forth hidden gems, and James Roberts is a quintessential diamond in the rough. A modern-day entrepreneur with a penchant for storytelling, Roberts is the epitome of a reinvented spirit. This former corporate lawyer hung up his suit and tie to document projects across the globe, creating heartwarming tales on film.Imagine this: A young, ambitious Roberts is knee-deep in legal jargon and paperwork. A seemingly innocuous conversation with a fellow lawyer leads to an epiphany. Roberts suddenly realizes that his insatiable wanderlust and innate creativity have been gathering dust. So, what does he do? He dives headfirst into the fascinating world of films and documentaries. Just like that, the shackles of corporate drudgery are shattered!Roberts’ work is focused on fame, wealth, and contemporary culture. Through his lens, we have the privilege of witnessing the enchanting tapestry of human existence. One such fascinating weave is his...

Russia batters Ukraine’s grain infrastructure for 4th night

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:41 GMT

KYIV — Russia unleashed a barrage of Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea at the Odesa region for the fourth night in a row, targeting port and grain infrastructure, after Moscow withdrew from a U.N.-brokered deal that allowed Ukraine to continue exporting food to the world.“Two rockets hit the granaries of one of the agricultural enterprises in Odesa,” Oleg Kiper, head of the Odesa regional military administration, said in a statement Friday morning. “While rescuers were struggling to extinguish the fire, another missile hit the same enterprise, damaging agricultural and rescue equipment.” Two employees were injured in the strikes, he added, and 100 tons of peas and 20 tons of barley were destroyed.Over a million tons of grain are in storage awaiting transport to Africa and Asia at Ukrainian ports, which Russia has targeted nightly since pulling out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative on July 18, leading to concerns about global food prices, particularly in foo...

‘Lioness’ on the loose? More experts sought in second-day search for elusive animal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:41 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Authorities hoped Friday to have an expert on animal tracks join the hunt for an elusive and potentially dangerous animal — suspected to be a lioness — spotted on the edge of Berlin as the search stretched into a second day.Police used helicopters, drones and infrared cameras to search for the animal, with a vet and hunters also part of the effort. They were first alerted to the animal in Kleinmachnow, just outside Berlin’s city limits, around midnight on Wednesday when people reported what appeared to be a big cat chasing a wild boar.The informants also provided a video. Based on that and a subsequent sighting of their own, the police concluded that the animal was apparently a lioness. But it proved elusive in the flat, wooded area on the boundary between Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg.Kleinmachnow Mayor Michael Grubert told local public broadcaster rbb late Thursday that authorities would try to comb the forest with “professional animal track s...

Thousands march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to protest Israeli government’s judicial overhaul plan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:41 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Thousands of Israelis joined a march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Friday in the latest protest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vow to push through a controversial overhaul of the judiciary system. Hundreds of protesters became thousands as Israelis joined the 70-kilometer (roughly 45-mile) march throughout the day in a demonstration against one of Israel’s most far-right governments in history.The demonstrators planned to camp overnight at Shoresh, about 18 kilometers (11 miles) from Jerusalem, before making their way to Israel’s parliament on Saturday, the Jewish holy day of Shabbat.The march comes a day after Netanyahu vowed to press ahead with the plan, defying demonstrators, growing defections by military reservists and appeals from U.S. President Joe Biden to put the plan on hold.Ronen Rosenblatt, 58, a high-tech worker who’d joined the march following months of frustration with Netanyahu’s government, described the event as jovi...