Amanda Knox Murder Case Coming to a Close
PERUGIA, Italy —The final arguments in the drawn out Amanda Knox case took place this week. In 2009, Knox and her then-boyfriend were convicted for the murder of her British housemate Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy. Despite the lack of DNA evidence linking her to the crime, Knox was unable to win in the court of public opinion due to the Italian media's attacks on her character before the trial even began. When Knox was arrested, she was denied a translator during questioning and was told that she did not need a lawyer. Knox and her lawyers are hoping to overturn her conviction, made in 2009. For the past four years, Knox has been housed in an Italian prison while awaiting her appeals trail. If the original conviction is not overturned, Knox will spend 26 years in jail. One of Knox's lawyers has stated that the only option for the jury in this case is to clear her of guilt.
Tainted Cantaloupes Kill 15 People
ATLANTA, Ga. —On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 15 people have now died after consuming contaminated cantaloupes, according to CNN.com. The cantaloupes in question were from Jensen Farms in Granada, Colorado. The farm has issued a recall on the cantaloupes branded under the Rocky Ford name. CDC officials have reported that the cantaloupes, which contain the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, have caused 84 illnesses in 19 states so far. Most of those who have become ill as a result of eating the tainted cantaloupe are over 60 years of age. Those with weak immune systems and women who are pregnant are at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill should they consume cantaloupe containing the bacteria. Consumers are cautioned that the illness can develop slowly with symptoms showing a few days after consumption. The CDC has stated that this is the "deadliest food-borne illness outbreak in the United States since 1998."
Hundreds Arrested During ‘Occupy Wall Street' Protests
NEW YORK —For the past two weeks, protesters have swarmed New York's Financial District for the "Occupy Wall Street" protests according to CNN.com. "Occupy Wall Street" is a movement that was started on Twitter and is inspired by the protests that took place in Arab nations this past spring. Since the protests began in September, some 700 people have been arrested as a direct result of participating in the event. Many of these arrests came after the protesters took to the Brooklyn Bridge and blocked the roadway. According to the New York Police Department, officers asked protesters to move out of the roadway and on to the sidewalk. When some did not comply, arrests and tickets were issued. Traffic from Manhattan to Brooklyn was shut down for a few hours while police worked on clearing protesters out of the roadway. "Occupy Wall Street" has no one subject or figure that is the focus of the protest and has resulted in demonstrations against police brutality, union busting and "social inequities resulting from the financial system."
Residents of Sirte Forced to Flee
SIRTE, Libya —The battle for Libya continues in Sirte, the birthplace of Muammar Gaddafi, according to the BBC News website. Loyalists and the National Transitional Council (NTC) forces have been fighting heavily in Sirte, one of two cities that have not been taken over by the NTC. As of Oct. 2, residents of Sirte have been fleeing the city in vehicles piled high with belongings. According to some residents, the city has little food and no water or electricity. Aside from the shelling between Gaddafi loyalists and NTC forces, residents have also had to contend with NATO air strikes on the city. An International Red Cross team was allowed to pass through the front lines of the skirmish in order to deliver medical supplies to the local hospital. IRC workers noted that the hospital is quickly running out of oxygen and fuel due to the large flow of patients coming in on a daily basis.
Yemeni Government Accidentally Kills Own Soldiers
YEMEN —CNN.com reported that a Yemeni government airstrike accidentally targeted and killed 29 of its own soldiers on Saturday, Oct. 1. The incident happened on Saturday night in the southern Abyan province. Yemeni soldiers have been fighting Islamic militants in that area for some time according to an unnamed Yemeni security official. The official was not authorized to speak to the media about the issue but he said, "The attack was an accident." The state television network, Saba News Agency, has been reporting that the attack did not happen. At the time of the accidental airstrike, the soldiers were using a school in the area surrounding Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan, as a launch pad to make strikes at the Islamic militants they have been fighting since May. That month, Abyan was declared an Islamic emirate by the militants.
