Three student athletes accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a black stripper at a university party were cleared of all remaining criminal charges today.
Some US media had portrayed the case as a symbol of racial and class tensions in the US South.
One of the students said their case showed American society had lost sight of one of the nation's most fundamental legal principles, the presumption of innocence.
East Timor's presidential election was heading for a run-off today between Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta and parliament's chief Francisco Guterres of the ruling Fretilin Party, adding to uncertainty.
The tally was based on 357,776 valid votes.
Guterres, who has bigger support in rural areas, had 29 per cent, while Ramos-Horta had 23 per cent, an election commission spokesman said.
