Lawmakers in the US state of Virginia have voted to abolish use of the death penalty as a criminal punishment. On Friday the state’s House of Delegates followed its Senate in voting to end the practice, paving the way for Governor Ralph Northam to sign the repeal into law. The decision means Virginia will become the first southern US state to abolish capital punishment. The move comes at a time of renewed debate across the US about executions. Former President Donald Trump resumed them on a federal level last year after a 17-year hiatus. Some 13 people were put to death in a matter of months – including six executions carried out after the election despite a flurry of legal challenges.(BBC)…[+]