Beijing issues landslide warning as record rainfall batters northern China
Beijing has issued a geological disaster alert for most of the city after intense rainfall triggered fears of landslides and flash floods. Nearby Baod...
A Ugandan magistrates' court charged detained opposition politician Kizza Besigye with treason on Friday, rejecting his lawyer's pleas that he be transferred to hospital to help him recover from ill health stemming from a hunger strike.
The 68-year-old opponent and critic of longtime President Yoweri Museveni appeared in court in the capital Kampala on Friday looking frail and in a wheelchair. He was briefly hospitalised at the weekend and a government minister this week said his health condition was alarming.
His lawyers say he was "kidnapped" in Kenya's capital Nairobi with his aide Obed Lutale in November and returned to Uganda, where they were charged with offences including illegal weapons possession and treachery in a military court.
His wife said on February 12 that he had begun a hunger strike over his detention. His lawyer said on Friday he had now ended it because his case had been transferred to a civilian court following a Supreme Court ruling on January 31 that trying civilians in military courts was unconstitutional.
The magistrates' court issued new charges, of treason and the concealment of treason - what it said were efforts to overthrow the government - but declined to allow Besigye to enter a plea because the offences can only be tried by a higher court.
He did not respond to the earlier charges as he viewed them as illegal.
His continued incarceration has elicited anger among Ugandans and sparked some protests. The 56-member-state Commonwealth has called for his release.
Critics of Museveni, who took power in 1986, say Besigye's detention is the latest example of hardening authoritarianism ahead of an election next year in which the president is expected to stand again.
Officials deny accusations of human rights violations and say those detained are afforded due process through the courts.
Erias Lukwago, one of Besigye's lawyers, urged chief magistrate Esther Nyadoi on Friday to order prison authorities to take Besigye to a hospital for specialised medical care. Nyadoi said her court did not have the authority to grant such a request.
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Beijing has issued a geological disaster alert for most of the city after intense rainfall triggered fears of landslides and flash floods. Nearby Baoding saw more than a year's worth of rain fall in just eight hours, displacing thousands and breaking historical records.
Australia has signed a long-term defence treaty with Britain to deepen cooperation on the AUKUS nuclear submarine initiative over the next 50 years, the government announced on Saturday.
Pakistani FM Ishaq Dar said that Pakistan and the United States are 'very close' to finalising a trade agreement, suggesting the deal could be reached within days. However, U.S. officials made no mention of a specific timeline following Dar’s meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
At a United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday, the United States called on China to stop supporting Russia’s military efforts in Ukraine, accusing Beijing of enabling Moscow’s aggression through the export of dual-use goods.
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