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(Continued from page 31)
Kerry decries 'disturbing trend' of governments trampling aspirations of the people
• MUNICH (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday decried what he calls a "disturbing trend" of governments in central and eastern Europe -- including in Ukraine -- trampling on the aspirations of ordinary people.
• "The aspirations of citizens are once again being trampled beneath corrupt, oligarchic interests -- interests that use money to stifle political opposition and dissent, to buy politicians and media outlets, and to weaken judicial independence and the rights of non-governmental organizations."
• Speaking at an international security conference at which the crisis in Ukraine was a prominent topic, Kerry said, "We see a disturbing trend in too many parts of Central and Eastern Europe, and the Balkans."
• Kerry said the crisis in Ukraine is about ordinary people fighting for the right to associate with the European Union. And he said Ukrainians have decided their futures don't have to lie with one country -- an allusion to Russia.
• "Nowhere is the fight for a democratic, European future more important today than in Ukraine. While there are unsavory elements in any chaotic situation, the vast majority of Ukrainians want to live freely in a safe, prosperous country," Kerry said.
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Differing perspectives fuel debate over Knox case, and whether she should be returned to Italy
• SEATTLE (AP) -- To some Americans, especially those in her hometown of Seattle, Amanda Knox seems a victim, unfairly hounded by a capricious legal system in Italy that convicted her this week in the death of a 21-year-old British woman.
• But in Europe, some see her as a privileged American who is getting away with murder, embroiled in a case that continues to make global headlines and reinforces a negative image of U.S. citizens behaving badly -- even criminally -- abroad without any punishment.
• As she remains free in the U.S., the perceptions will likely fuel not only the debate about who killed Meredith Kercher in 2007 and what role, if any, Knox played in her death, but complicate how the U.S. and Italian governments resolve whether she should be sent to Italy to face prison.
• "It's been a polarizing case, and that polarization will remain," said Anne (Continued on page 33)
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