Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito Have Guilty Verdict Reinstated
In 2009 Amanda Knox and her boyfriend of the time Raffaele Sollecito were sentenced to 28 and a half years and 25 years in jail respectively for the murder of Meredith Kercher in 2007. In 2011 the Italian courts overruled this sentence after the pair appealed against their verdicts, and they were freed after just 4 years in jail. This decision came about after doubts were raised regarding DNA evidence and the procedures used to process it. Last year however a retrial of the case was ordered, and last Thursday the Italian government ordered a reinstatement of Knox and Sollecito’s original guilty verdict. Knox is currently in the US, and extradition proceedings to bring her back to Italy may soon begin.
Political Turmoil in Ukraine
Over the past few months, Ukraine has been in a state of political unrest due to anti-government protests regarding President Viktor Yanukoyoh’s decision to back away from an EU trade and political deal last year. Protestors are calling for the President to step down, while police continue to violently break up their demonstrations. Hundreds of thousands of protestors have been taking to the streets, and very recently 3 protestors were killed in a clash with riot police. The protestors managed to occupy several government buildings. The EU is continuing to encourage democratic change within the region, however Russia considers Ukraine to be an important political ally. The protest continues.
James Ward Beats Sam Querrey in Tennis’ Davis Cup
Last week in an amazing upset, the world ranked 175 James Ward beat Sam Querrey, ranked 45, in a 5 set battle. Querrey was representing America, who have always had great success in the David Cup. The UK team that Ward was representing have now won 2 out of the 5 matches against the American team. The UK now only has to win 1 more match to kick the Americans out of the competition – good luck to them!
Man Washes Up After 16 Months At Sea
A man claiming to be called Jose Ivan last week washed ashore in the Marshall islands in a 24 foot propellerless boat. The man is said to be emaciated after surviving for 16 months on raw fish, birds and turtles. He said that he drank turtle blood when he had nothing else to drink. He claims to have set off from Mexico in September 2012 with a companion who had died at sea several months ago. He floated for over 8000 miles across the Pacific ocean and is currently being looked after by the local council while he recovers from his ordeal.
Boulder Landslide Narrowly Misses House
One the Saturday of last week a landslide caused several huge boulders to dislodge, one of which completely destroyed a barn and the other stopped only a few feet short of a neighbouring farmhouse. Incredibly, a similar incident had occurred many years previously, and the larger boulder pictured has been there for many years. Luckily nobody was injured during this incident.
Photo Credits: news.ca; theguardian.com; telegraph.co.uk