Man executed in Alabama over 2001 killing

It was the first execution carried out in Alabama this year after the state halted executions last autumn.

James Barber killed an elderly woman with a claw hammer (Alabama Department of Corrections via AP)

A man has been executed in Alabama for beating a woman to death in 2001 as the US state resumed lethal injections following a pause to review procedures.

James Barber, 64, was pronounced dead at 1.56am local time (7.56am Irish time) after receiving a lethal injection at a south Alabama prison.