Midday Roundup: Afghan terrorist executes AP photographer

Assassinated in Afghanistan. A veteran Associated Press photographer was killed and an AP reporter was wounded on Friday when an Afghan policeman opened fire on them while they were sitting in their car in eastern Afghanistan. Anja Niedringhaus, 48, an internationally acclaimed German photographer, was killed instantly, according to an AP Television News freelancer who witnessed the shooting. The two were traveling Friday in a convoy of election workers delivering ballots. The convoy was protected by Afghan security forces. As they were sitting in the car waiting for the convoy to move, a unit commander named Naqibullah walked up to the car, yelled “Allahu Akbar”—God is great—and opened fire on them in the back seat with his AK-47. He then surrendered to the other officers, who arrested him. Here is a selection of Niedringhaus’ photographs:

Shooting details. Portraits of the victims of Wednesday’s mass shooting at Fort Hood are emerging as details about the shooting become more clear. Ivan Lopez may have had a verbal altercation with others on the base immediately before he went on a shooting rampage and then killed himself.

A thousand words. Former President George W. Bush has found an outlet for the passion he previously channeled into business and politics. Now an avid painter, this weekend Bush will open an exhibit of his portraits of world leaders. The collection goes on display Saturday at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas. It includes paintings of 24 world leaders, including Vladimir Putin, Tony Blair, and the Dalai Lama.

Crime and punishment. An Indian court on Friday sentenced to death three men who raped a photojournalist in Mumbai last year. The three men are convicted serial rapists who used an abandoned textile mill to attack multiple women. A fourth defendant was sentenced to life in prison. This is the first time an Indian judge has authorized the death penalty for a case with a living victim, prosecutors said. Indian officials increased penalties for sex crimes and pledged to move rape trials faster through the country’s notoriously slow justice system after a 23-year-old medical student died after being gang raped on a bus in the capital. Judge Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi said the offense was diabolical in nature and the punishment would send a strong message to society.

Lethal dose. Texas executed a serial killer Thursday in the middle of a debate over the humaneness of the state’s lethal injection drugs. Texas officials refused to disclose where they bought the drugs, citing concerns that the drug makers could face threats and harassment. Lawyers for Tommy Lynn Sells, 49, said they needed to know the name of the company so they could verify the quality of the lethal cocktail. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene, letting stand a federal appeals court ruling that allowed the execution to proceed.

Late night news. David Letterman announced on Thursday night’s episode of The Late Show his plans to retire sometime next year. The veteran host started the show on CBS more than 20 years ago. His announcement comes as younger nighttime talk show hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel—on NBC and ABC, respectively—are making massive gains in ratings and drawing top stars to their shows.