Court to review use of execution drug

Court to review use of execution drug

WASHINGTON

The Supreme Court is stepping into the issue of lethal-injection executions for the first time since 2008 in an appeal filed by death-row inmates in Oklahoma.

The justices agreed Friday to review whether the sedative midazolam can be used in executions because of concerns that it does not produce a deep, comalike unconsciousness and ensure that a prisoner does not experience intense and needless pain when other drugs are injected to kill him. The order came eight days after the court refused to halt the execution of an Oklahoma man that employed the same combination of drugs.

Rebels reject deal

DONETSK, Ukraine

Pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine rejected a previously signed peace deal Friday and launched a new multipronged offensive against Ukrainian government troops, upending recent European attempts to mediate an end to the fighting.

The main separatist leader in the rebellious Donetsk region vowed to push Ukrainian soldiers out of the area and said insurgents would not take part in any more cease-fire talks.

Rival Yemen rallies

SANAA, Yemen

Yemen faced a dangerous power vacuum Friday as supporters and opponents of Houthi rebels who have seized control of the capital took to the streets.

Rival rallies took place in Sanaa a day after the stunning resignation of President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi and his Cabinet.

The U.S.-backed president stepped down after Houthi rebels, who seized the capital in September, surrounded the presidential palace and residence this week after two days of clashes in Sanaa. A power-sharing deal between the government and the Houthis fell apart a day after it was agreed upon.

E-cigarette warning

Electronic cigarettes, the hip alternative to smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes, may pose a fire hazard when they are put in checked luggage on planes.

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a warning to commercial airlines, suggesting that they require passengers to put e-cigarettes in carry-on bags only.

Combined dispatches