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A state judge in Texas has issued a last-minute decision to pause the execution of Robert Roberson, a man convicted in a controversial case of shaken baby syndrome.

Roberson is believed to be the first person ever sentenced to death in the United States for an alleged killing linked to the syndrome.

But on Thursday, with only hours to go until the sentence was carried out, Travis County Civil District Court Judge Jessica Mangrum issued a temporary restraining order halting the execution.

Roberson was convicted of murder in 2003 for the death of his two-year-old daughter Nikki Curtis a year earlier.

But he has strongly maintained his innocence. Experts have also cast doubt on the evidence used to convict him, and the last-minute order has brought relief to those who believed the execution would represent a miscarriage of justice.

“He’s an innocent man, and we’re very close to killing him for something he did not do,” Brian Wharton, the lead detective who investigated Curtis’s death. He has since become a vocal proponent for commuting Roberson’s sentence.

At the heart of the case was the prosecutors’ accusation that the infant Curtis died from shaken baby syndrome, a phrase used to describe head trauma stemming from the abuse of children younger than five.

Critics, however, have dismissed shaken baby syndrome as an unproven diagnosis, based on outdated science and studies of doubtful accuracy.

In January 2002, Roberson brought his daughter to an emergency room, where scans showed internal brain trauma. Curtis had been sick with a fever in the days prior, and Roberson said she had fallen out of her bed.

Some medical experts have suggested she likely died due to complications from pneumonia rather than abuse by Roberson, as prosecutors alleged.

His case has brought national attention to Texas, where a group including conservative lawmakers, criminal justice reform advocates and medical officials have cast doubt on Roberson’s guilt.

Roberson’s lawyers also argued that authorities misconstrued symptoms of their client’s autism as a lack of emotion after Curtis’s death.

Prosecutors had highlighted Roberson’s seemingly stoic nature as evidence of his guilt. But since his conviction, Roberson has been diagnosed with autism, which can affect the way people express themselves.

“Texas plans to execute Robert Roberson next Thursday — despite a conviction based on junk science. Even former detectives on his case believe Roberson is innocent,” the state branch of the American Civil Liberties Union said in a social media post last week.

Tell Gov. Abbott to stop this evening’s execution of Robert Roberson.

Roberson was convicted on junk science. The lead detective now says he should be free. Top GOP lawmakers want the execution halted.

The governor can halt this. Let Abbott know: https://t.co/TSP8F7YxRy

— ACLU of Texas (@ACLUTx) October 17, 2024

Thursday’s execution, however, was halted after a committee in the Republican-controlled state House of Representatives petitioned for a restraining order, in an effort to buy more time.

A number of lawmakers in the Texas House chamber — both Republicans and Democrats — had lobbied for the case to get another look.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles had nonetheless rejected Roberson’s bid for clemency on Wednesday, and the US Supreme Court denied a request for a stay on the execution earlier on Thursday.

Robertson was scheduled to die on Thursday by lethal injection at a state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas.

The use of lethal injection as a form of execution continues to be controversial in the US and has resulted in numerous “botched” efforts that critics say caused needless suffering for the condemned.

A 2023 Gallup poll found that people in the US continue to support the death penalty for those convicted of murder by a margin of 53 to 44 percent. However, 50 percent of respondents said that the death penalty was applied unfairly, while 47 percent said it was applied fairly.

The United States has filed charges against an Indian government employee it says was involved in a failed plot to kill an American citizen, who is a prominent advocate for Sikh separatism, in New York.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Thursday that it filed “murder-for-hire and money laundering charges” against Vikash Yadav.

Another suspect in the case, Nikhil Gupta, was extradited to the US earlier this year to face charges while Yadav remains at large, according to US authorities.

“The defendant [Yadav], an Indian government employee, allegedly conspired with a criminal associate and attempted to assassinate a US citizen on American soil for exercising their First Amendment rights,” Christopher Wray, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), said in a statement.

“The FBI will not tolerate acts of violence or other efforts to retaliate against those residing in the US for exercising their constitutionally protected rights.”

The Indian government did not immediately comment on the allegations on Thursday.

It has previously rejected accusations that a government agent was involved in the murder plot as “unwarranted” and “unsubstantiated”, according to media reports.

The case revolves around an alleged scheme to kill Sikh American activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

Pannun, the legal adviser for the group Sikhs for Justice, is a vocal member of a Sikh campaign for a sovereign state in India’s Punjab region, known as the Khalistan movement.

India views Sikh separatism as a threat to its sovereignty. Over the past few years, the country has been increasingly vocal in demanding that allied countries with sizable Sikh populations — notably Canada, the US and the United Kingdom — do more to crack down on the movement.

Sikhs for Justice is banned in India, and Pannun — a vocal critic of Indian government policies — has been accused (PDF) by New Delhi of being “involved in terrorism”.

But Sikh community leaders have accused India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist, of trying to stifle dissent, both in India and abroad.

In the hours before Thursday’s charges were announced, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), a nonprofit, called on Washington to take “urgent action” to address a campaign of “transnational repression”.

“In the United States, Sikh Americans and other diaspora communities continue to face the threat of transnational repression,” the group said in a statement.

“Whether it be surveillance, intimidation, or targeted violence, foreign governments have sought to stifle free speech and political dissent within our borders. This is unacceptable in a country that stands for freedom and human rights.”

‘Freedom of expression’

In a statement on Thursday evening, Sikhs for Justice — Pannun’s group — said the new US indictment demonstrated Washington’s “commitment … to protect the life, liberty and freedom of expression of the US Citizen at home and abroad”.

The organisation promised to continue to advocate for Khalistan, including by organising non-binding votes in the Sikh diaspora on the question of a sovereign state in Punjab.

“Despite India’s use of violence against pro Khalistan Sikhs, [Sikhs for Justice] is committed to democratically resolve the dispute over the sovereignty of Indian occupied Punjab through the means of Referendum,” the statement said.

The US State Department said earlier this week that an Indian committee of inquiry, tasked with investigating the foiled murder plot, had travelled to Washington, DC, to discuss the case and receive an update from American officials.

“India has informed the United States they are continuing their efforts to investigate other linkages of the former government employee and will determine follow-up steps, as necessary,” the department said on Tuesday.

The new charges in the US case come just days after the Canadian government said it had uncovered “clear and compelling evidence” that Indian government agents were involved in activities that threatened public safety in Canada.

“This includes clandestine information-gathering techniques, coercive behaviour targeting South Asian Canadians, and involvement in over a dozen threatening and violent acts, including murder,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday.

India-Canada relations have been tense since September 2023, when Trudeau said Canada had credible evidence to link Indian government agents to the assassination of a Canadian Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, earlier that year.

Nijjar, who served as president of a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, where he was killed, also advocated for Khalistan and had been dubbed a “terrorist” by New Delhi.

India has rejected the allegations it was involved in Nijjar’s killing, accusing Trudeau of harbouring a vendetta against the country.

“There is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, as the two countries announced they were expelling their respective diplomats amid the worsening row.

The ministry also said it “reserves the right to take further steps” against Canada.

He told reporters there that he was happy to answer questions more extensively outside the press conference room, and did so after both qualifying and the race.

On Thursday, speaking while surrounded by reporters at a table outside the Red Bull hospitality, he indicated that he would continue with this approach.

Asked whether he still did not want to speak in the FIA press conferences, he said: “I will speak.”

But when asked how the media would get “proper” answers from him, he said: “This table works well.”

The Dutchman described the dispute as “silly”.

And when asked whether he would talk to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem about the issue, Verstappen said: “I am always open for a chat. But from my side it is not that I am the one who has to reach out. I just live my life. I just continue, nothing changes.

“This particular scenario, yes, it’s very unnecessary. Of course I know you can’t generally swear but it’s more about when you insult someone.

“Then you hear comments, like: ‘Yeah but you don’t want kids seeing that.’ But when I was five years old, I never watched a press conference in my life anyway. And at school you hear way worse things than that. Because you grow up with kids and you’re a bit of a rebel, so you always say bad stuff. That’s just how life is.

“They want you to set an example. Yeah, sure. I don’t think they should make such a big deal about it.”

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton said the dispute in Singapore was “not a good look”.

And Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell, who is a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, said the F1 drivers were likely to make a collective statement on the issue next week.

“Between the drivers a lot have spoken regarding swearing,” Russell said.

“It does seem a little bit silly that it has come to this. We have yet to speak to the FIA but we hope to do so (at the next race) in Mexico. But collectively we’re all on the same page.

“Next week we will probably formally put something towards you guys to read from the drivers as a united whole.

“We don’t want to be taking away the heat of the moment emotions that drivers show during a race. It is down to maybe the broadcaster to choose whether they want to broadcast that.

“For the drivers, it is very challenging when you have a microphone, you’re talking with your team, you’re in the middle of battle.

“But if it’s an environment like this maybe we have a duty to be conscious of our words. Next week we have a letter or something to share with everyone.”

On a normal day a visitor might pass Igbo-Ora with little more than a double take, wondering why so many pairs of residents wear matching clothes.

But this weekend left nobody doubting what makes the town in southwest Nigeria special.

With fanfare, pageantry, talent shows and even a royal visit, hundreds of people gathered in the self-proclaimed “twins capital of the world” to celebrate its unusually high rate of multiple births.

“There’s hardly a family here in Igbo-Ora that doesn’t have a twin,” said visiting Yoruba king Oba Kehinde Gbadewole Olugbenle, himself a twin.

Yoruba culture reveres twins and their first names are traditionally fixed – Taiwo meaning “one who tastes the world” for the eldest child, and Kehinde meaning “one who came after” for the second born.

The town stands out even in the wider Yorubaland region, which boasts an above-average incidence of non-identical twins, according to population experts.

The global average birth rate for twins is around 12 per 1,000 births – but in Igbo-Ora, it is thought to be closer to 50 per 1,000, according to scientific studies and hospital records.

Explanations for the abundance differ.

Many residents put it down to diet, especially okra leaf or ilasa soup with yam and amala (cassava flour).

Fertility experts – and several residents – are sceptical, saying there is no proven link between diet and the high twin rate.

Scientists are looking into genetic factors, and how the twins’ special cultural status might make them more likely to find partners and have children.

Whatever the reason, everyone in the town agrees the abundance of twins is a blessing – even more so this year as Nigeria grapples with its worst economic crisis in a generation.

Suliat Mobolaji gave birth to twins eight months ago and said the family had been showered with gifts ever since.

“It’s changed my life,” the 30-year-old said, clutching a son in each arm.

“You can’t give birth to twins and remain down on your luck,” she beamed.

Taiwo Ojewale, a research assistant specialising in Yoruba culture at the University of Ibadan, said celebrating twins was “rooted in traditional religious belief”.

Twins are seen as a gift from the supreme god Olodumare, he explained, and Igbo-Ora’s oral history describes them as a reward following a series of disasters that befell the community.

The town erupted with joy as the event began on Saturday. At the festival ground, staff rolled out a red carpet for scores of twins both young and old.

They paraded in immaculate matching outfits – from glamorous sunglasses and patterned adire fabric to a pair of toddlers sporting purple dresses and identical handbags.

Dozens more twins watched from the stands or milled side by side around town.

The festival’s organisers – themselves twins – say they eventually want to attempt a world record for the largest gathering of twins on the planet.

Biden and Harris say Sinwar’s death, which is yet to be confirmed by Hamas, brings the Gaza war closer to an end.

United States President Joe Biden has congratulated Israel on its announcement of killing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, calling it “a relief” for Israel and a step towards ending the Gaza war.

Biden also said on Thursday that the claimed assassination of Sinwar, which Hamas has not confirmed, was an opportunity for a “political settlement” to the conflict.

“This is a good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world,” Biden said in a statement after Israeli officials announced they had killed Sinwar and confirmed identity.

“Today…proves once again that no terrorists anywhere in the world can escape justice, no matter how long it takes,” he said.

Biden added that the US helped Israeli forces “locate and track” Sinwar, along with more of Hamas’ leaders.

Sinwar became the head the group’s political bureau after his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran in July in an attack widely blamed on Israel.

“Sinwar was a critical figure operationally, militarily and politically for Hamas,” said US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, referring to his claimed killing as an “opportunity”.

“He had in fact consolidated control of both the political and military wing under his singular leadership in recent weeks and months and so this is a very significant event.”

Sinwar, who spent two decades in Israeli prison, had been a top target for Israel since the October 7 attack, which Israel says he masterminded.

US says ‘opportunity for a day after’

US officials said Sinwar’s death removed an obstacle to ending the Gaza war, in which Israeli forces have killed over 42,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians.

“There is now the opportunity for a ‘day after’ in Gaza without Hamas in power, and for a political settlement that provides a zbetter future for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” said Biden.

Sullivan, aboard Air Force One with Biden, added, “Sinwar was more interested in causing mayhem and chaos and death than in actually trying to a achieve a ceasefire and hostage deal.”

Hamas has repeatedly said that it supports a ceasefire deal that would see an end to the war and the release of Israeli captives in Gaza as well as Palestinian prisoners. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue fighting until “total victory.”

Biden spoke with Netanyahu later on Thursday.

“The US president commended the [Israeli military] for its excellent operation,” the Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement. “Both leaders agreed that there is an opportunity to advance the release of the hostages and that they would work together to achieve this objective.”

Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, addressing the press during a campaign stop in Wisconsin, also said Sinwar’s death means “it is time for the day after to begin.”

However, the US administration’s optimism for ending the war stood in stark contrast with Netanyahu’s assertion that Israel’s “mission” in Gaza was not yet complete.

“There’s this continuous delusion on the part of the United States that this incredible violence, this horrific death and destruction will suddenly open the way for paradise in the Middle East,”  Al Jazeera’s senior political correspondent Marwan Bishara said.

He predicted that “with the killing of Sinwar, the war will continue to expand and deepen and become even more violent.”