Victory Claimed by Both Candidates in Romania

This article can be found here.

December 6, 2009

President Traian Basescu is in familiar territory. It was only five years ago when Basecsu was in a highly contested election which he barely won. The results of this year's election were even closer. While some polls proclaimed Mircea Geoana the victor with 51 percent of the popular vote, but Basascu claims that the results were skewed by the media. As a result, both candidates have publicly proclaimed themselves president. More than an election about the poor economic conditions for this agriculturally based nation, the campaign revolved mostly around the scandals involved with both parties. For one, a video of Basescu was released where he is shown slapping a 10-year-old boy. Once again, the president claimed media manipulation. There still appears to be some stigma attached to Geoana's Socialist Party, as one Basescu supporter decries the alleged victory of a "red". What the video does add to the election outcome is the increased visibility of the aggressive nature of the president. The results will be officially released on Monday, December 7, 2009, and when they do, at least half the voting population will be left in disappointment.

Italian Jury Convicts U.S. Student of Murder

This article can be found here.

December 4, 2009

One year ago, American student Amanda Knox was arrested for her alleged involvement in the murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher, with the help of her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito. It was believed that Knox and Kercher were fighting when it eventually escalated into the Sollecito wielding a knife and cutting Kercher's throat, while a third party, Rudy Guede, held her back. Prosecutors revealed Knox and Sollecito's attempt to cover up the murder by making it look like a robbery. The trial, like the article itself, failed to offer much description of the supposed happenings of that night, but there was apparently plenty of evidence for indictment. The jury deliberated for six hours and ultimately found the pair guilty of sexual assault and murder, giving Knox 26 years and Sollecito 25 years. The third offender, Rudy Guede, is already serving his 30 years, as yet another collaborator in the murder. The trial was held in a small Italian city, to counter the heavy amount of attention the case was getting that would possibly skew the jury's decision. Attached to charges of murder and sexual assault was unlawful possession of a weapon (the knife) and defamation, since Knox had accused her boss of doing the murder after being questioned by the police. Rachel Donadio ends the article by citing that most sentences in Italy are reduced after two tries of appeals; giving the idea that the sentences which may seem heavy now, will probably be much milder after the routine appeals are made.