During the trials, Ms. Knox became a highly divisive figure, depicted as a cunning she-devil in Italy and a victim of a ham-handed Italian justice system in the U.S. Critics charged that the case was based mostly on circumstantial evidence.

WSJ: Italy's High Court Overturns Knox Acquittal

This cutting of red tape has delighted business - and doubtless those wanting a roof extension, too - but green groups and civic groups fear that the new system has handed power to a quango from politicians and people.

BBC: The La Rance tidal barrage near St Malo in Brittany

Besides, in the welfare bill passed last summer, when the national system of income support was handed over to the states, the states were explicitly allowed to contract out this programme to firms who could decide who was eligible and who was not.

ECONOMIST: Open the door, carefully, to private companies

"It was a sea of people, " said Rathburn, who hoped to buy a Nintendo Wii game system but went home empty-handed.

CNN: 'Black Friday virgin' gets first taste of holiday shopping ritual

Iraq has long had a date for when sanctions can start to be lifted: when it has handed over all its weapons of mass destruction and a monitoring system is in place to prevent them being rebuilt.

ECONOMIST: Settling with Saddam

In reality, it is difficult to see F1's minnows backing a system that would see them end the season empty-handed.

BBC: F1 boss plans scoring revolution

And third, whether many Republicans realize it or not, there is a strong conservative case to be made for fixing our immigration system by encouraging the free flow of labor and saving illegal immigrants from heavy-handed enforcement tactics.

CNN: Why Limbaugh is gushing over Marco Rubio