Crucial forensic evidence which could convict American student Amanda Knox of the murder of her British flatmate Meredith Kercher is so scant that it cannot be relied on, a court in Italy has heard.

The judge in Italy who is hearing the case of the coed accused of murdering her roommate has apparently denied an independent study of the supposed DNA found on a knife in the room, which experts testifying in the case have already said is too scant and easily challenged.

The knife in question allegedly has a micro amount of DNA on it, but it was a kitchen knife that could have easily been kicked across the floor in the days after the murder.

Knox's parents are looking at this ruling as a good sign, as they believe that the "evidence" may already be considered too shaky by the judge.

They are also concerned that their daughter has been beaten and tortured during her stay in the Italian prison, which has of course been denied, but believe that when the case ends in November, their daughter will be exonerated and released.

A video report of the recent rulings in the Knox Case is below. In related news, UPI reports:

The University of Washington has imposed stricter rules for studying abroad as one of its students stands trial for murder in Italy, university officials say.

Under the new guidelines, department chairs must sign off on all foreign-study trips, students who go abroad must have cell phones and insurance and there is a ban on any money earmarked for study abroad being used to buy alcohol, SeattlePI.com reported.

Amanda Knox, who was studying in Perugia, Italy, is charged with killing a housemate, Meredith Kercher, who came from Britain.

In the weeks before Knox's arrest in 2007, eight students in a group of 17 from the University of Washington became sick with mosquito-born disease in Ghana, and another group of 13 students had to be evacuated from Greece to escape wildfires.

"There's a much more formal process now with administrators that are very aware, with lines of communication open and policies in place if something happens," said Taso Lagos, who teaches international communication and manages a program in Greece.

The university has one of the largest study-abroad programs in the United States, with around 2,000 students out of the country at some point every year.

Here are two videos of the Amanda Knox trial news: the first is from last month, the second is an update as of 2 days ago.