31.   Defense lawyers hope to persuade a federal judge Tuesday to halt the execution of a convicted killer and find out why key evidence briefly vanished.

32.   Defense lawyers are planning to petition the Supreme Court to halt the execution on the ground that prison officials failed to comply with certain execution rules.

33.   Echegaray also wrote a letter appealing to President Joseph Estrada to halt his execution temporarily and order a review of his case.

34.   France and China signed multi-billion-dollar trade deals Wednesday despite angry protests by human rights groups pressing Beijing to free political prisoners and halt executions.

35.   Fox did not request a clemency hearing and filed no emergency appeals to try to halt his execution.

36.   France and China finalized multi-billion-dollar trade deals Wednesday despite angry protests by human rights groups pressing Beijing to free political prisoners and halt executions.

37.   Germany asks International Court of Justice to try to halt the execution of a German man in Arizona.

38.   Glendening had been under pressure to halt executions until he receives a study that is due to be completed in September by a researcher at the University of Maryland.

39.   Groups such as Amnesty International, the Association for Retarded Citizens, Human Rights Watch and the European Union urged the governor to halt the execution.

40.   He has also won praise for halting executions in Illinois over concerns that innocent people were being sent to death row.