Bulgaria government resigns amid growing protests

Bulgaria's government resigned on Wednesday after violent nationwide protests against high electricity prices, joining a long list of European administrations felled by austerity after Europe's debt crisis erupted in late 2009. Many Bulgarians are deeply unhappy over high energy costs, power monopolies, low living standards and corruption in the European Union's poorest country and protesters clashed again with police late on Tuesday. Tens of thousands of Bulgarians have rallied in cities across the country since Sunday in protests which have turned violent, chanting "Mafia" and "Resign". Prime Minister Boiko Borisov had tried to calm protests by sacking his finance minister, pledging to cut power prices and punishing foreign-owned companies - risking a diplomatic row with EU partner the Czech Republic - but the measures failed to defuse discontent. "I will not participate in a government under which police are beating people," Borisov said as he announced his resignation on Wednesday. Parliament is expected to accept the resignation later in the day. Borisov, a former bodyguard to communist dictator Todor Zhivkov, can now try to form a new government, using his rightist GERB party's strong position in parliament. If he fails an election scheduled for July may be brought forward. GERB's popularity had held up well until late last year because austerity measures were relatively mild compared with many other European countries, with salaries and pensions frozen rather than cut. In the last opinion poll, taken before protests grew last weekend, the opposition Socialists were nearly tied with GERB. Many Bulgarians are feeling frustrated with unemployment hitting a 10-month high of 11.9 percent and the average salary stuck at 800 levs ($550) a month. Frustrations boiled over when heating bills rose during the winter. Bulgaria raised the costs of electricity - politically sensitive since bills eat a huge part of modest incomes - by 13 percent last July, but the real impact was not felt until households started using electrical power for heat in winter. "The resignation is the only responsible move," said Kantcho Stoychev, an analyst with pollster Gallup International. "It also gives Borisov some legitimacy to stay in political life in the future, despite the violent police actions last night." Borisov has said the electricity distribution license of central Europe's largest listed company, Czech-based CEZ will be revoked, setting Bulgarian on a collision course with the Czech Republic, which owns 70 percent of the company. The Czech government has already stepped into a row between the company and Albania, which revoked the company's license last month. Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas said Bulgaria's move was highly politicized and asked for an explanation. Since the onset of the debt crisis in 2009, more than of the EU countries have elected new governments.

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Canadian tourist's body found in hotel water tank

Police say the body of a woman found wedged in a water tank on the roof of a downtown hotel is that of a missing Canadian guest. Investigators used body markings to identify 21-year-old Elisa Lam, police spokeswoman Officer Diana Figueroa said late Tuesday. A maintenance worker at the Cecil Hotel found the body earlier in the day after guests complained of low water pressure. Lam, of Vancouver, British Columbia, traveled to California alone on Jan. 27 and was last seen by workers at the Cecil on Jan. 31. Investigators were trying to determine whether there was foul play in the woman's death or "a very, very strange accident" occurred, police spokeswoman Officer Sara Faden said. "The location of the water tanks is very small and configured in a very tight way so it's a little more difficult to get the body out," Faden said. The body was discovered at about 10 a.m., but officials spent much of the day struggling to remove it from the water tank. The hotel is located in downtown Los Angeles, which has long struggled against the creeping destitution of nearby Skid Row, where drug addiction and homelessness is rampant. At the time of Lam's disappearance, police said it appeared suspicious. Lam was traveling to Santa Cruz, about 350 miles north of Los Angeles, and officials said she tended to use public transportation. She had been in touch with her family daily until she disappeared. A call to the hotel seeking comment was not immediately returned.

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Georgia execution halted at the last minute

The execution of a Georgia man who killed a fellow prisoner in 1990 was halted Tuesday at the last minute so courts could consider claims that he's mentally disabled and other issues. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted its stay of execution as 52-year-old Warren Lee Hill was being prepared for lethal injection. In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the appeals court said further review is needed of recent affidavits by doctors who changed their minds about Hill's mental capacity. "In other words, all of the experts — both the State's and the petitioner's — now appear to be in agreement that Hill is in fact mentally retarded," judges in the majority wrote in their order. The state court of appeals also issued a stay to allow more time to consider a challenge related to the state's lethal injection procedure. Earlier in the day, the state parole board, the Supreme Court of Georgia and the U.S. Supreme Court had all declined to stop the execution. "We are greatly relieved that the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has stayed the execution of Warren Hill, a person with mental retardation. All the doctors who have examined Mr. Hill are unanimous in their diagnosis of mental retardation," defense attorney Brian Kammer said in an email. A spokeswoman for the state attorney general declined comment. Hill was sentenced to die for the 1990 beating death of fellow inmate Joseph Handspike. Authorities say he used a board studded with nails to bludgeon Handspike while he slept and other prisoners pleaded with Hill to stop. At the time Hill was already serving a life sentence for murder in the 1986 slaying of his girlfriend, Myra Wright, who had been shot 11 times. Hill has received support from various activists and from former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn. "Georgia should not violate its own prohibition against executing individuals with serious diminished capacity," President Carter said in a statement. Hill was originally set to be executed in July, but the state delayed his execution when it changed its execution procedure from a three-drug combination to a one-drug method. The state Supreme Court then further delayed the execution after Hill's lawyers filed a challenge saying corrections officials violated administrative procedure when they made the change. The state's high court earlier this month denied that challenge, and Hill's execution was reset for Tuesday. Hill's lawyers argue that he is mentally disabled and therefore shouldn't be executed. The state maintains that the defense failed to meet its burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Hill is mentally disabled. Death penalty defendants in Georgia have to prove they are mentally disabled beyond a reasonable doubt to avoid execution, the strictest standard in the country. Hill's lawyers have said the high standard for proving mental disability is problematic because psychiatric diagnoses are subject to a degree of uncertainty that is virtually impossible to overcome. But Georgia's strict standard has repeatedly been upheld by state and federal courts. Georgia passed a law in 1988 prohibiting the execution of mentally disabled death row inmates, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2002 that the execution of mentally disabled offenders is unconstitutional. Hill's lawyers last week released new sworn statements from the three doctors who examined Hill in 2000 and testified before the court that he was not mentally disabled. The doctors wrote in their new statements that they were rushed in their evaluation at the time, they have acquired additional experience and that there have been scientific developments in the intervening 12 years. All three reviewed facts and documents in the case and wrote that they now believe that Hill is mentally disabled. The state questioned the credibility of the doctors' statements. These doctors met with Hill and reviewed extensive documentation in the case in 2000, but they haven't seen him since and didn't have significant new information in front of them during their recent review, the state argued. Therefore, it is not credible that they are able to refute the testimony they were so adamant about in 2000, the state argued. The state has cited expert testimony and IQ tests that concluded Hill was not mentally disabled. Before trial, Hill's family members described him as "the leader of the family" and "a father figure," the state notes. He was not in special education classes and served in the Navy, where he received promotions, the state said. The defense has referenced a state court judge's assessment that Hill was mentally disabled and a test that showed his IQ to be about 70. The defense also cited expert testimony that it is not unusual for someone who is mildly mentally disabled to be able to function at a satisfactory level in an environment as structured as the military. With the new statements from the three doctors last week, all doctors who examined him now agree that Hill is mentally disabled, Hill's defense argued.

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Detective in court: Pistorius a flight risk

A detective has testified that Oscar Pistorius is a flight risk and shouldn't be granted bail. Hilton Botha also said in the star athlete's bail hearing Wednesday that Pistorius illegally possessed .38-caliber ammunition in a safe in his bedroom. Pistorius is charged with premeditated murder for the Valentine's Day shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp with a 9 mm pistol. The policeman testified that Pistorius did not have a license for a .38-caliber weapon and consequently possession of that ammunition was illegal. Pistorius argued in a court affidavit Tuesday that the shooting was accidental and he thought the model was an intruder in his home. The detective says all Pistorius would say after the shooting was "he thought it was a burglar."

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NBA trade deadline buzz: Clippers end Kevin Garnett trade talks – for now

For now, the Los Angeles Clippers have terminated talks with the Boston Celtics on a Kevin Garnett for Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan trade, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Celtics have been eager to continue the conversation on the deal, but league sources said the talks will remain dormant unless Clippers star Chris Paul pushes the issue with management. Several prominent executives and coaches with championship contenders told Yahoo! Sports they believe the Clippers would become more dangerous with Garnett. Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro is a proponent of the deal, too, sources said. The Celtics won't consider moving Garnett to the Clippers for any other combination of players, and won't revisit the talks unless Bledsoe and Jordan are in the package, sources said. Boston hasn't approached Garnett to waive his no-trade clause without an agreement in place, but there's strong belief he would ultimately agree to it. What's more, Boston could simply trade Paul Pierce and leave Garnett with even less desire to finish his career with a young, rebuilding roster. [Watch: Possible movers at NBA trade deadline] Boston is balancing the parallel considerations of finding a way to add to its core for a playoff run, or disassembling its aging veterans to start the process of rebuilding again. If the Celtics trade Garnett before the deadline, they would move Pierce, too, sources said. For the Celtics, the chance to get Bledsoe and Jordan could be a prelude to trying to package Pierce in a possible deal to the Atlanta Hawks for Josh Smith, sources said. The Hawks also have discussed sending Pierce onto a third team in some previous conversations around the league. The Nets are trying to make a deal for Smith, too, and have offered Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, and either a future first-round pick or the draft rights to Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic, sources said. Despite intentions to keep free-agent guard J.J. Redick this summer, it's unlikely the Orlando Magic will be his highest bidder come July 1. J.J. Redick will be a free agent at the end of the season. (USA Today Sports)The Magic are willing to re-sign Redick to a deal near the mid-level exception of $5 million per year, but sources say Redick's agent, Arn Tellem, will likely start the bidding at four years, $40 million for Redick on the free-agent market. Redick won't get that kind of a deal, but teams with interest in the guard tell Yahoo! Sports they could be willing to pay him in the range of $7 million annually. Redick has great value for contending teams who understand how far he grew under former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. His ability to make shots comes at a premium in the NBA. [Also: Kobe Bryant would have been a Piston if not for Jerry Buss] Indiana, Milwaukee, Chicago and Minnesota have expressed interest in trading for Redick, but teams have been reluctant to give up a first-round pick and a good young player for a player who could turn into a rental for the rest of the season. The Philadelphia 76ers could be a real possibility for Redick in free agency, sources told Yahoo! Sports. Redick has a strong relationship with coach Doug Collins, the father of his close friend and Duke assistant coach, Chris Collins. The Minnesota Timberwolves were turned down on an offer of Brandon Roy and a first-round pick to Denver for center Timofey Mozgov, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Denver is combing the market further for offers on Mozgov. He will be a restricted free agent this summer, and the emergence of Kosta Koufos could make it hard for Denver to match an offer sheet for Mozgov. The Timberwolves are trying to include Roy's contract into offers, selling the non-guaranteed value of his 2013-14 year as an appealing factor. Roy is rehabilitating his knees, and neither the Wolves, nor Roy, truly expect he'll be able to play again in the NBA, sources said. Timberwolves GM David Kahn has been interested in negotiating a buyout with Roy, presumably as a way to show owner Glen Taylor he can get some money back on a failed free-agent signing. A buyout could possibly come after the trade deadline, if Minnesota is unable to use Roy's contract to balance out the money of a trade. Teams who'd consider including Roy in a deal understand that he's unlikely to ever play again, sources said. Minnesota has offered multiple first-round picks for established wing players in the league, sources said. Behind a glut of power forwards, the Houston Rockets are showing a willingness to move rookie Terrence Jones for a first-round draft pick, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Rockets selected Jones out of Kentucky with the 18th pick in June and he's shuttled between the Development League and Houston most of the season. Jones has played minimal minutes in 11 games for the Rockets. The San Antonio Spurs will likely move forward DeJuan Blair close to the deadline, ultimately accepting the best final offer for him, sources said. Blair has wanted a trade for more than a year, and clearly will not re-sign with the Spurs as a free agent this summer. The Spurs had tried to canvass the market for a first-round pick, but have relented on that demand. The Spurs could get a second-round pick, or perhaps a player on an expiring deal in return. …The Charlotte Bobcats are offering guard Gerald Henderson to teams for a first-round pick. …Several teams are inquiring about Washington Wizards guard Jordan Crawford.

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