Benjamin Ritchie, 45, had been on Indiana’s death row since 2002, when he was convicted of killing Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney during a chase on foot.

Benjamin Ritchie, 45, had been on Indiana’s death row since 2002, when he was convicted of killing Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney during a chase on foot.

Ritchie was executed at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, according to Indiana Department of Correction officials.

IDOC said in a statement that the process started shortly after midnight and Ritchie was pronounced dead at 12:46 a.m.

Ritchie’s last meal was from the Olive Garden and he expressed love, support and peace for his friends and family, according to the statement.

Under state law, he was allowed five witnesses at his execution, which included his attorney Steve Schutte, who told reporters he had a limited view of the process.

“I couldn’t see his face. He was lying flat by that time,” Schutte said. “He sat up, twitched, laid back down.”

The process was carried out hours after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take the case, exhausting all of Ritchie’s legal options to fight the death sentence.

Dozens of people, both anti-death penalty advocates and supporters of Toney, stood outside the prison until early Tuesday.

Indiana resumed executions in December after a year’s long hiatus due to a scarcity of lethal injection drugs nationwide.

Prison officials provided photos of the execution chamber before Joseph Corcoran’s execution, showing a space that looks like an operating room with a gurney, fluorescent lighting and an adjacent viewing room.

They’ve since offered few other details.

Among the 27 states with death penalty laws, Indiana is one of two that bars media witnesses.

The other, Wyoming, has conducted one execution in the last half-century.

The Associated Press and other media organisations filed a federal lawsuit in Indiana seeking media access, but a federal judge denied a preliminary injunction last week that would have allowed journalists to witness Ritchie’s execution and future ones.

The judge found that barring the news media doesn’t violate the First Amendment nor does it single out the news media for unequal treatment.

The execution in Indiana is among 12 scheduled in eight states this year.

Ritchie’s execution and two others in Texas and Tennessee will be carried out this week.

Ritchie was 20 when he and others stole a van in Beech Grove, near Indianapolis.

He then fired at Toney during a foot chase, killing him.

At the time Ritchie was on probation from a 1998 burglary conviction.

Toney, 31, had worked at the Beech Grove Police Department for two years.

The married father of two was the first officer of the small department to be killed by gunfire in the line of duty. (AP/NAN)

Member states of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday adopted a new pandemic treaty aimed at avoiding the panic and disarray seen during the COVID-19 crisis.

The agreement was accepted without a formal vote on the second day of the members’ annual World Health Assembly in Geneva.

As the conference chair asked whether there were any objections, silence followed, prompting him to declare the treaty adopted by consensus.

The treaty outlines measures for coordinated procurement of protective equipment during future pandemics, enhanced monitoring of diseases in both animals and humans.

There should also be the transfer of medical technology to ensure that medicines and vaccines can be produced in low-income countries.

However, several contentious details remain unresolved and are set to be negotiated separately over the next year as part of an annex to the treaty.

These include a new mechanism to accelerate vaccine production and ensure equitable distribution to poorer nations. (dpa/NAN)

From Francis Sadhere, Delta

It was a celebration of infrastructure and loyalty recently as residents of Okpe Community in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State marched through the streets of Kokori in a colorful procession to express appreciation to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for the successful completion of the long-abandoned Okpe Street construction project.

The jubilant crowd—comprising elders, women and youths from the six polling units of the community—converged at the private residence of the Director General of the Delta State Orientation and Communications Bureau, Dr. Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, who was instrumental in initiating and overseeing the project.Addressing the crowd, Dr. Oghenesivbe expressed gratitude for the show of appreciation, describing the visit as a heartwarming birthday gift, as it coincided with his birth anniversary.“I am very happy today, being my birth anniversary, that you deemed it necessary to appreciate our working governor, my leader and boss, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, for a job well done,” Oghenesivbe said. “I will convey your appreciation to His Excellency and also present your gift to him.”He revealed that the project, along with that of Agbonmiyeri Street, was initiated during the administration of former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in 2022, after his personal appeal.Governor Oborevwori, he said, ensured prompt release of funds and tasked the Ministry of Works (Rural), led by Commissioner Charles Aniagwu, to ensure quality execution.Oghenesivbe lauded both Governor Oborevwori and his predecessor for prioritizing infrastructural development in the state, urging eligible voters across Delta to rally behind the duo of Oborevwori and President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.The joyous celebration also featured singing, dancing, and the presentation of a giant 4×6 glassed photo of Governor Oborevwori to Dr. Oghenesivbe, who received it on the governor’s behalf.Councillor representing Ward 12, Hon. Oghoghorie Vwede described the road’s completion as a long-awaited breakthrough.He praised Oghenesivbe for his relentless efforts in ensuring the project’s realization and reaffirmed the community’s commitment to political support in upcoming elections.“Okpe Street had been neglected for centuries, but today we are celebrating its transformation. We are proud of Dr. Oghenesivbe, a true son of the soil, and we are ready to reciprocate this gesture by voting en masse for Tinubu and Oborevwori in 2027,” Vwede said.With over 4,000 registered voters, Okpe Community has now publicly pledged its allegiance to the ongoing leadership in the state and the nation, turning a completed road project into a political statement of loyalty and gratitude.