View across the Outer Harbour of Stornoway

Saturday 5 December 2009

Saturday 5 December

Overcast and cold today, although 8C isn't all that desperately cold. Just the windchill in combination with the high relative humidity.

Three news items jumping out at me today: the life sentence handed down to Amanda Knox for her part in the killing of British student Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy, two years ago. It is a weird case, and I'll refer to the BBC report for details. It worries me that a verdict can be based so strongly on assertions that the suspect had the character traits of a murderer and behaved like a "she-devil". Obviously, I don't have access to the fine details of the case.

The Russian city of Perm, 900 miles east of Moscow, is mourning the death of 109 party goers. They died as a result of a fire in the Lame Horse nightclub, which appears to have been started by fireworks. A 1 minute videoclip shows the dancefloor being engulfed in smoke within seconds of the ceiling catching fire. Russia's president states the fire was a criminal act.

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