The week at a glance...Europe
Europe
Perugia, Italy
Knox appeals: Italian lawyers called Amanda Knox a “she-devil” and a Nazi in court this week as the American college student fought to overturn her conviction in the 2007 murder of her British roommate, Meredith Kercher. Head prosecutor Giuliano Mignini—who was convicted last year of abuse of office and dereliction of duty in connection with an unrelated case he prosecuted—compared Knox to Nazi propagandist Josef Goebbels. Defense lawyers countered by saying that because there was no reliable physical evidence tying Knox to the murder, prosecutors had concocted a false persona of Knox as a diabolical sex fiend when she was actually an ordinary American student studying abroad. A forensics review in July found that the DNA evidence used to convict Knox and her Italian boyfriend had been contaminated. A verdict in the appeal is expected next week.
Almoçageme, Portugal
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
American fugitive caught: An American killer on the run for more than 40 years was arrested this week in Portugal. George Wright, 68, escaped in 1970 from a New Jersey prison, where he was serving time for killing a gas station owner during a robbery. After his escape, he and several other members of the Black Liberation Army, a black-power group, hijacked a plane and flew to Algeria, where they claimed asylum and joined Black Panther leader Eldridge Cleaver. The other hijackers were eventually arrested in France, but Wright remained at large until this week, when a U.S. fugitive task force matched his prints to a card in Portugal’s ID registry. Wright was found living in a lovely coastal village with his Portuguese wife and two adult children.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - December 22, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - the long and short of it, trigger finger, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 hilariously spirited cartoons about the spirit of Christmas
Cartoons Artists take on excuses, pardons, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Inside the house of Assad
The Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
By The Week UK Published
-
The news at a glance...International
feature International
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The bottom line
feature Youthful startup founders; High salaries for anesthesiologists; The myth of too much homework; More mothers stay a home; Audiences are down, but box office revenue rises
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The week at a glance...Americas
feature Americas
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The news at a glance...United States
feature United States
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The news at a glance
feature Comcast defends planned TWC merger; Toyota recalls 6.39 million vehicles; Takeda faces $6 billion in damages; American updates loyalty program; Regulators hike leverage ratio
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The bottom line
feature The rising cost of graduate degrees; NSA surveillance affects tech profits; A glass ceiling for female chefs?; Bonding to a brand name; Generous Wall Street bonuses
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The news at a glance
feature GM chief faces Congress; FBI targets high-frequency trading; Yellen confirms continued low rates; BofA settles mortgage claims for $9.3B; Apple and Samsung duke it out
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The week at a glance...International
feature International
By The Week Staff Last updated