A man who has spent the past ten years in prison for stabbing his friend in the back and paralyzing him will be surgically paralyzed himself in accordance with a ruling reportedly handed down by a Saudi Arabian court.

A 25-year-old Tehranian who blinded his girlfriend's husband by throwing acid in his face has been sentencing to having acid drizzled over his face and eyes. Apparently they're seeking "forensic scientists" to carry out the punishment now. [Daily Mail]

A death row inmate, when given the choice between execution by lethal injection or firing squad, wants the latter. He is one of four condemned prisoners in Utah who have asked for the option. State politicians fear a spectacle.

Evangelicals have gone all martial arts and want to inject a decent quantity of violence into the otherwise sedate process of praying and stuff, report the New York Times (via plaid-pants-wearing writer Ross Schneiderman). [NYT]