
Ukraine war: Sea drone attack reported on Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk
Russia says it repelled a seaborne drone attack by Ukraine off Novorossiysk, a major hub for exports.
2023-08-04 12:46

The Parkland school shooting will be reenacted with live gunfire in civil lawsuit against former school resource officer
At least 140 live rounds of bullets will be fired inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Friday in a reenactment of the 2018 mass shooting -- part of a civil lawsuit against a former sheriff's deputy who remained outside during the massacre.
2023-08-04 12:45

Trump's surreal arraignment day in Washington augurs ominous days ahead
As former President Donald Trump left Washington after answering charges of trying to subvert democracy, it felt like all the previous trauma and divisions of his eight-year journey into the nation's psyche were just the start.
2023-08-04 12:27

Florida executes man for 1988 murder of nurse who was sexually assaulted, killed with hammer, set on fire
A Florida man who recently dropped all legal appeals was executed Thursday for the 1988 murder of a woman who was sexually assaulted, killed with a hammer, and then set on fire in her own bed. James Phillip Barnes, 61, was pronounced dead at 6.13pm following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison in Starke. Lying on a gurney, Barnes appeared to already have his eyes shut when the curtain was opened for witnesses. He didn't respond when prison officials asked if he had a final statement, and he remained motionless except for breathing for about 10 minutes until that stopped. A doctor then pronounced him dead. The 61-year-old inmate was sentenced to death for the murder of nurse Patricia “Patsy” Miller. It was the fifth execution in Florida this year. One of the victim's siblings, Andrew Miller, witnessed the execution and said he came to remember his sister. “I did not come here to watch someone die. I came here to honor our sister, Patricia Miller,” he told reporters afterward. “No one should live in fear within the safety of their own home. No woman, no child, no animal should have that fear. We did.” Barnes was serving a life sentence for the 1997 strangulation of his wife, 44-year-old Linda Barnes, when he wrote letters in 2005 to a state prosecutor claiming responsibility for killing Miller years earlier at her condominium in Melbourne on Florida’s east coast. Barnes represented himself in court hearings where he offered no defense, pleaded guilty to killing Miller and did not attempt to seek a life sentence rather than the death penalty. Miller, who was 41 when Barnes killed her on April 20, 1988, had some previous unspecified negative interactions with him, according to a jailhouse interview he gave German film director Werner Herzog. “There were several events that happened (with Miller). I felt terribly humiliated, that’s all I can say,” Barnes said in the interview. When he pleaded guilty, Barnes told the judge that after breaking into Miller’s unit, “I raped her twice. I tried to strangle her to death. I hit her head with a hammer and killed her and I set her bed on fire,” according to court records. There was also DNA evidence linking Barnes to Miller’s killing. After pleading guilty, Barnes was sentenced to death on 13 December 2007. He also pleaded guilty to sexual battery, arson, and burglary with an assault and battery. Barnes killed his wife in 1997 after she discovered that he was dealing drugs. Her body was found stuffed in a closet after she was strangled, court records show. Barnes has claimed to have killed at least two other people but has never been charged in those cases. Barnes had been in and out of prison since his teenage years, including time served for convictions for grand theft, forgery, burglary and trafficking in stolen property. In the Miller case, state lawyers appointed to represent Barnes filed initial appeals, including one that led to mental competency evaluations. Two doctors found that Barnes had symptoms of personality disorder with “borderline antisocial and sociopathic features.” However, they pronounced him competent to understand his legal situation and plead guilty, and his convictions and death sentence were upheld. After DeSantis signed the inmate’s death warrant in June, a Brevard County judge granted Barnes’ motion to drop all appeals involving mitigating evidence such as his mental condition and said “that he wanted to accept responsibility for his actions and to proceed to execution (his death) without any delay,” court records show. Though unusual, condemned inmates sometimes don’t pursue every legal avenue to avoid execution. The Death Penalty Information Center reports that about 150 such inmates have been put to death since the US Supreme Court reaffirmed the death penalty as constitutional in 1976. The Florida Supreme Court accepted the Brevard County ruling, noting that no other motion seeking a stay of execution for Barnes had been filed in state or federal court. In the Herzog interview, Barnes said he had converted to Islam in prison and wanted to clear his conscience about the Miller case during the holy month of Ramadan. “They say I’m remorseless. I’m not. There are no more questions on this case. And I’m going to be executed,” Barnes said. Read More Grieving families confront Pittsburgh synagogue shooter at death penalty sentencing Singapore executes third prisoner in just 8 days. What explains this fresh wave of death sentences? Robert Bowers killed 11 in a Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. A jury ruled that he deserves death
2023-08-04 11:58

'Fox & Friends' host Ainsley Earhardt cuts Steve Doocy off for justifying Donald Trump's felony charges: 'It's really about the double standards'
Steve Doocy explained the charges against Donald Trump but was cut off by Ainsley Earhardt, who pointed out why people are angry over the indictment
2023-08-04 11:58

Oil Coasts to Sixth Weekly Gain After Saudis, Russia Extend Cuts
Oil headed for a sixth straight weekly gain, the longest winning streak in more than a year, after
2023-08-04 11:56

Japan issues rare warning over fake X account
The account on the platform formerly known as Twitter impersonated Japan's top currency diplomat.
2023-08-04 11:54

'We are not imperial': Justice Kagan says Supreme Court still subject to checks and balances
Justice Elena Kagan declined Thursday to outright answer the question of whether Congress could impose an ethics code on the Supreme Court, but she did allow that it could do "various things" to regulate the high court.
2023-08-04 11:20

Hyundai fire risk warning as 91,000 vehicles recalled
The recall is the latest in a series of fire-related recalls of Hyundai and Kia models in recent years.
2023-08-04 11:20

Biden calls for immediate release of Nigerien President Bazoum
President Joe Biden on Thursday called for the immediate release of Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum in a written statement commemorating Niger's Independence Day, saying the US "stands with the people of Niger" as the country faces a "grave challenge to its democracy."
2023-08-04 10:48

Jokowi’s EV Ambition Takes A Step Forward With Cathode Factory
President Joko Widodo’s ambition of building out Indonesia’s electric-vehicle supply chain is seeing another step forward with plans
2023-08-04 10:46

Rare China Vow on Market Support Puts Beijing’s Toolkit in Focus
An unusual display of China’s commitment to rejuvenating its capital markets has sparked newfound hopes among traders in
2023-08-04 10:22