Prosecutors seek life sentence for Knox
PERUGIA, Italy, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A prosecutor in the appeal trial of U.S. student Amanda Knox and her ex-boyfriend told an Italian court they should receive life prison sentences.
"They were young but they killed for no reason," said prosecutor Manuela Comodi. "For this they should be given the maximum sentence, which luckily is not the death sentence in Italy."
The Italian news agency ANSA said prosecutor Giuliano Mignini argued Knox would likely flee Italy if the court did not uphold a guilty verdict in the murder of British student Meredith Kercher, Knox's former roommate, which would mean any appeal or retrial would have to be heard in Knox's absence.
The appeal trial is in the second step of a three-tier appeals process in Italy.
"As a result, even if this is the second of a three-step legal process in Italy, it is up to you to ensure justice," Mignini said in rebuttals after closing arguments.
Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito appealed their respective 26- and 25-year prison sentences in the death of exchange student Kercher, who was found partially nude with her throat slashed in 2007. Prosecutors have asked that their sentences be increased to life in prison. A man from Ivory Coast was convicted separately.
In Knox's appeal Thursday, lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova said the media has "crucified" and "impaled" his client.
Dalla Vedova told the court Knox spent more than 1,000 days in prison because of "evidence that cannot stand up to other hypotheses," The Guardian reported.
"The only possible verdict is to acquit Amanda Knox," Dalla Vedova said, arguing "very serious mistakes" were made at her 2009 trial.
"Be respectful of the pain caused by the death of Meredith Kercher. But don't make the mistake of keeping two innocent people in jail," he said. "Pain is not a legal argument."
Dalla Vedova cited the "uncertainty" of DNA evidence in the prosecution's case that court-appointed experts later found unreliable.
Prosecutors say Knox, Sollecito and Rudy Guede, an immigrant from Ivory Coast, killed Kercher during a drug-fueled sex game, while lawyers for Knox and Sollecito suggest Guede was the sole killer.
Three arrested in British riot deaths
BIRMINGHAM, England, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Three men have been arrested in Birmingham, England, in connection with the deaths of three men killed when they were hit by a car during rioting, officials said.
The victims were killed Aug. 10 as they tried to protect their shops in the Winson Green area of Birmingham from looters, The Daily Telegraph reported.
The three suspects -- ages 20, 25 and 30 -- were arrested at a flat in Birmingham just before 3 p.m. Friday, West Midlands Police said.
The three men killed were identified as Haroon Jahan, 21, and brothers Shazad Ali, 30, and Abdul Musavir, 31. They were pronounced dead in a hospital after being struck by a car, the Telegraph said.
Jahan's father had pleaded for calm in the days after his son's death in hopes of preventing more violence and rioting.
Eleven others have been arrested in connection with the killings of the three men, the Telegraph said.
China celebrates National Day
BEIJING, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Almost 120,000 people crowded Beijing's Tiananmen Square Saturday for a flag-raising ceremony for China's National Day.
"We love our country," said Zhu Langlang, a freshman from Beijing Union University. "We hope China will grow stronger and our countrymen will lead even better lives."
Hundreds of schoolchildren took part in activities celebrating China Saturday morning, Xinhua, China's state news agency, reported.
More than 700 students in the city of Tongliao in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region put together a jigsaw puzzle that created a 49-by-33 foot national flag.
"It's a unique way to celebrate National Day and I don't mind getting up early on the holiday," said Wang Juntong, a fourth grader at Horqin Experimental Primary School.
Students from the coastal city of Xiamen celebrated National Day by visiting a cemetery for heroes.
"It's important to learn history and remember the heroes who died for our country," said Xu Jingyi, a fourth-year student from Xiamen's Minli Primary School.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1911 revolution led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen that overthrew the Qing Dynasty, which ruled from 1644 to 1911.
"I was born in 1949, the same year that New China was founded," said a tourist in Tiananmen Square. "The country has changed greatly over the years and we should cherish our happy lives."
Powerful typhoon hits Philippines
MANILA, Philippines, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A powerful typhoon hit Saturday in the same region of the Philippines where Typhoon Nesat killed at least 52 people this week, officials said.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration said Typhoon Quiel, packing winds up to 121 mph and heavy rainfall, hit before noon, Bernama reported.
Quiel was expected to go through five provinces on Luzon Island along nearly the same path as Nesat, which struck Tuesday and wrought damage in 31 provinces.
CNN reported authorities said Saturday at least one person was killed in a landslide.
Xinhua reported Benito Ramos, executive director of the Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said more than 30 people were still missing from Typhoon Nesat and 61 were injured.
He said more than 1.3 million people in low-lying areas were affected.
On Saturday, residents in low-lying and mountainous areas were warned of possible flash floods and landslides.
