Black Watch: Today’s Top Stories

Black Watch: Today’s Top Stories

As the trial moves into what could be the final day of testimony before summations, the British press continues to keep its hand in the game with a couple of reports, both filed from New York. The Telegraph recycles Paul Waldie’s report on the dismissed juror, while James Bone of the Times takes serious note of former Times man John O’Sullivan’s testimony. Regurgitated from wire copy, Bone reports an even exchange between Sussman and O’Sullivan as to whether the Amiel birthday bash was more business than pleasure, whereas the consensus in the courtroom suggested a clear KO for Sussman. Otherwise, today’s coverage is more or less split between evidence of a death threat against Conrad Black (thereby justifying his use of a private plane as essential to his security), the O’Sullivan testimony, and the somnolent renderings of the inaptly named fraud expert Alan Funk.

Lord Black was right to spend on wife’s party, says ex-Thatcher aide [Times of London]Lord Black juror says evidence ‘is pretty shaky’ [Telegraph]Birthday party was business: columnist [Chicago Sun-Times]E-mail threat to show need for protection [Chicago Tribune]Court hears of e-mailed death threat [Globe and Mail]Black gets last chance to testify [Globe and Mail]Death threat by ‘prophet’ spurs laughter [Toronto Star]E-mail threatened to ‘harvest’ Black: defence [National Post]