Associated Press

Thousands Of Zoo Animals Killed In Europe Yearly

Thousands of animals are euthanized in European zoos each year for a variety of reasons.

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Marius, a male giraffe, lies dead before being dissected, after he was put down at Copenhagen Zoo on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014. Copenhagen Zoo turned down offers from other zoos and 500,000 euros ($680,000) from a private individual to save the life of a healthy giraffe before killing and slaughtering it Sunday to follow inbreeding recommendations made by a European association. The 2-year-old male giraffe, named Marius, was put down using a bolt pistol and its meat will be fed to carnivores at the zoo, spokesman Tobias Stenbaek Bro said. Visitors, including children, were invited to watch while the giraffe was dissected. (AP Photo/POLFOTO, Peter Hove Olesen) DENMARK OUT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — People around the world were stunned when Copenhagen Zoo killed a healthy 2-year-old giraffe named Marius, butchered its carcass in front of a crowd that included children and then fed it to lions. But Marius' fate isn't unique — thousands of animals are euthanized in European zoos each year for a variety of reasons. Zoo managers

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Judge: Va. Same-Sex Marriage Ban Unconstitutional

In a federal court ruling echoing decisions reached elsewhere in the U.S., Virginia on Thursday became the first state in the South to overturn a voter-approved prohibition of same-sex marriage.

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Virginia Attorney General-elect Mark Herring smiles during a news conference at the Capitol in Richmond, Va. A federal judge ruled Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014 that Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, making it the first state in the South to have its voter-approved prohibition overturned. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — In a federal court ruling echoing decisions reached elsewhere in the U.S., Virginia on Thursday became the first state in the South to overturn a voter-approved prohibition of same-sex marriage. U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen issued a stay of her order while it is appealed, meaning that gay couples in Virginia still

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Ancient Baby DNA Suggests Tie To Native Americans

This undated photo provided by researcher Sarah L. Anzick shows a nearly-complete projectile point, top, a mid-stage point made of translucent quartz and an end-beveled rod of bone from a Clovis-era burial site found in 1968 in western Montana. Scientists have recovered and analyzed the DNA of an infant who died more than 12,000 years […]

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This undated photo provided by researcher Sarah L. Anzick shows a nearly-complete projectile point, top, a mid-stage point made of translucent quartz and an end-beveled rod of bone from a Clovis-era burial site found in 1968 in western Montana. Scientists have recovered and analyzed the DNA of an infant who died more than 12,000 years ago and was buried at the site where these artifacts were found. By comparing the boy’s genome to those of present-day people, the research showed that many of today’s Native Americans are direct descendants of the population the boy belonged to, and that he is closely related to all indigenous American populations, especially in Central and South America, the researchers said. The DNA analysis was reported online Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014 in the journal Nature. (AP Photo/Sarah L. Anzick)

NEW YORK (AP) — The DNA of a baby boy who was buried in Montana 12,600 years ago has been recovered, and it provides new indications of the ancient roots of today's American Indians and other native peoples of the Americas. It's the oldest genome ever recovered from the New World. Artifacts found with the body show the boy was part of the Clovis

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Ex-New Orleans Mayor Convicted Of Taking Bribes

Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin leaves federal court with his wife Seletha, left, after his conviction in New Orleans, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014. Nagin was convicted Wednesday on charges that he accepted bribes, free trips and other gratuities from contractors in exchange for helping them secure millions of dollars in city work while he […]

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Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin leaves federal court with his wife Seletha, left, after his conviction in New Orleans, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014. Nagin was convicted Wednesday on charges that he accepted bribes, free trips and other gratuities from contractors in exchange for helping them secure millions of dollars in city work while he was in office, including right after Hurricane Katrina. The federal jury found Nagin guilty of 20 of 21 counts against him. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, best remembered for his impassioned pleas for help after the levees broke during Hurricane Katrina, was convicted Wednesday of accepting bribes in exchange for helping businessmen secure millions of dollars in city work, including after the devastating storm. The federal jury found Nagin

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Ky. Gay Marriage Ruling Looks To Precedents

Map shows states with laws allowing same-sex marriage. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that Kentucky must recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, pointing not only to recent decisions that have struck down bans in other states but also to older rulings on a person’s right to marry. The state’s ban […]

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Map shows states with laws allowing same-sex marriage.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that Kentucky must recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, pointing not only to recent decisions that have struck down bans in other states but also to older rulings on a person's right to marry. The state's ban treated "gay and lesbian persons differently in a way that demeans

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Company Blocked From Selling Execution Drug To Mo.

The execution room at the Oregon State Penitentiary, in Salem, Ore.(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked an Oklahoma pharmacy from providing an execution drug to the Missouri Department of Corrections for an upcoming lethal injection. The temporary restraining order was issued late Wednesday, after a federal lawsuit […]

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execution room

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked an Oklahoma pharmacy from providing an execution drug to the Missouri Department of Corrections for an upcoming lethal injection. The temporary restraining order was issued late Wednesday, after a federal lawsuit was filed in Tulsa by Missouri death row inmate Michael Taylor. His

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US, SKorea Warn NKorea Against Aggression

John Kerry and his South Korean counterpart warned North Korea against any aggression from the North over returning to denuclearization talks and improved ties with the South.

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, and South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, right, speak during their meeting Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014, in Seoul, South Korea. Kerry is visiting South Korea, China, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates on a seven-day trip. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci, Pool)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his South Korean counterpart warned North Korea on Thursday against any possible aggression amid mixed signals from the North over returning to denuclearization talks and improved ties with the South. Kerry, meanwhile, urged U.S. allies South Korea and Japan to repair deep

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