Self-confessed "story junkie" Chris Paton began uncovering the details of a gruesome murder while looking into his family history about 10 years ago.

BBC: Solving a murder in the family

But lately Japan has a few well-publicized reasons to worry about its own young people: a 14-year-old Kobe boy's gruesome murder of a younger child, a 13-year-old Tochigi boy's fatal knifing of a teacher, an upsurge of teenage theft and prostitution, an epidemic of teen rudeness on trains and streets, an explosion of outlandish clothing, tattooing and body-piercing.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia

Neither Knox nor Sollecito was in court for the hearing, which opened with a summary of the gruesome murder, although Sollecito's father attended.

NPR: Knox Awaits Verdict From Italy's Highest Court

Eric Ntabazalila, regional spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority said he would seek a life sentence against the pair "considering how gruesome the murder was", reports the AFP news agency.

BBC: Africa