ROME — Italy’s top court on Friday annulled the conviction of American Amanda Knox for the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher and, in a surprise verdict, fully acquitted her of the charge.
The brutal stabbing, alleged sex games and multiple trials provided fodder for tabloids on both sides of the Atlantic and inspired books and films.
The Court of Cassation threw out the second guilty verdict to have been passed on Ms. Knox and her Italian former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, 31, for the murder, saying there was insufficient evidence to convict either of them.
Ms. Kercher was found stabbed to death in a house she shared with Ms. Knox in the medieval hill town of Perugia in 2007.
Nigeria primes for vote
ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigerians are braced for trouble as they vote today in presidential and parliamentary elections following a fractious campaign dominated by a slowing economy and a war against Islamist militants.
Former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari, a 72-year-old northern Muslim who has lost three previous elections, is trying to end the reign of the People’s Democratic Party, which has governed Nigeria since the end of army rule in 1999. Standing in his way is President Goodluck Jonathan, a 57-year-old Christian from the oil-rich Niger River delta in the southeast who defeated him four years ago.
Nigeria already is contending with a plunge in the price of oil, its largest export, a weakening currency and attacks by the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, that Human Rights Watch says have killed at least 1,000 civilians this year.
Iran nuke talks progress
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The United States and Iran forged ahead Friday in a bid to settle disagreements on Iran’s nuclear program, as diplomats from other countries involved in the negotiations made tentative plans to come to Lausanne ahead of a Tuesday deadline for a deal.
Secretary of State John Kerry and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz met throughout the day with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran’s atomic energy agency. Any agreement would outline the general “framework” of a deal, leaving many details to be worked out by the time an interim agreement expires at the end of June.
Final push against Ebola
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — Sierra Leone’s 6 million people were told to stay home for three days beginning Friday, except for religious services, as the West African nation attempted a final push to rid itself of Ebola.
Ebola has infected nearly 12,000 people in Sierra Leone, more than in any other country, and it has resorted to some of the most stringent measures to stop the disease. More than 10,000 people are believed to have died in the yearlong outbreak, mostly in West Africa.
Also in the world …
A campaign to train about 5,000 Syrian opposition forces annually for three years to fight hardline Islamic State militants, which was due to start this month, has been delayed by Washington, Turkey said on Friday. … The Czech Republic, the last European Union member still to allow unrestricted smoking in restaurants, is preparing to outlaw the practice, Health Minister Svatopluk Nemecek said.