In Brief

* TRUMPED-UP CHARGES – Uganda’s detained opposition leader pleads innocent in a treason trial that his supporters say were trumped up to keep him from making a strong showing in next year’s presidential race.

* BITTER LAND DISPUTE – For over 20 000 years, clans of hunter-gatherers have survived in central Botswana’s stark, desert plains. Now, a handful are left, locked in a bitter dispute over their right to remain in what has been declared a wildlife reserve.* FULL RESPONSIBILITY – Democrats and Republicans are applauding President George W Bush for acknowledging mistakes in Iraq and taking responsibility, but critics say he still has not given Americans a realistic plan that will lead to the withdrawal of US forces.* WASHINGTON’S NIGHTMARE – Bolivia’s socialist presidential candidate Evo Morales, who has said he is Washington’s “nightmare,” is virtually assured election victory, a win that would solidify the continent’s shift toward the political left.* ACQUITTED – A German court acquits Ladislav Niznansky, 88, of murder charges stemming from his alleged role in Nazi massacres in Slovakia at the end of the World War II.* INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE – Turkey’s Cabinet meets to discuss the freedom-of-expression trial of renowned author Orhan Pamuk, a case that has sparked intense international pressure from European Union officials, who are demanding that the trial be dropped.* GAYS GET RIGHTS – Gay couples in Northern Ireland are the first to take advantage of legislation that gives them legal rights in civil partnerships.Nearly 700 couples throughout the United Kingdom have registered to formalise their partnerships.Scotland had its first ceremonies today, followed by England and Wales tomorrow.* HOSTAGE RELEASED – Germany welcomes the release of the country’s first hostage in Iraq, but several questions about the three-week kidnapping and release remain unanswered.* SWORN IN – Warlords, former communists, women’s rights activists and technocrats to be sworn as members of the first Afghan parliament in more than 30 years, amid hopes of national reconciliation after decades of bloodshed.-Nampa-AP-AFP-Sapa-ReutersNow, a handful are left, locked in a bitter dispute over their right to remain in what has been declared a wildlife reserve.* FULL RESPONSIBILITY – Democrats and Republicans are applauding President George W Bush for acknowledging mistakes in Iraq and taking responsibility, but critics say he still has not given Americans a realistic plan that will lead to the withdrawal of US forces. * WASHINGTON’S NIGHTMARE – Bolivia’s socialist presidential candidate Evo Morales, who has said he is Washington’s “nightmare,” is virtually assured election victory, a win that would solidify the continent’s shift toward the political left. * ACQUITTED – A German court acquits Ladislav Niznansky, 88, of murder charges stemming from his alleged role in Nazi massacres in Slovakia at the end of the World War II. * INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE – Turkey’s Cabinet meets to discuss the freedom-of-expression trial of renowned author Orhan Pamuk, a case that has sparked intense international pressure from European Union officials, who are demanding that the trial be dropped.* GAYS GET RIGHTS – Gay couples in Northern Ireland are the first to take advantage of legislation that gives them legal rights in civil partnerships.Nearly 700 couples throughout the United Kingdom have registered to formalise their partnerships.Scotland had its first ceremonies today, followed by England and Wales tomorrow. * HOSTAGE RELEASED – Germany welcomes the release of the country’s first hostage in Iraq, but several questions about the three-week kidnapping and release remain unanswered. * SWORN IN – Warlords, former communists, women’s rights activists and technocrats to be sworn as members of the first Afghan parliament in more than 30 years, amid hopes of national reconciliation after decades of bloodshed.-Nampa-AP-AFP-Sapa-Reuters