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Alleged coup plotters in Nigeria plead not guilty to treason and terrorism

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Six people accused of plotting to overthrow Nigerian President Bola Tinubu were arraigned in court on Wednesday on charges of treason and terrorism.

All six pleaded not guilty to all 13 charges, which were announced on Tuesday. The suspects have been in the custody of the secret police for months.

The six included a retired major general and a serving police inspector. A seventh suspect, former Bayelsa state Gov. Timipre Sylva, is accused of helping to conceal the plot and is still at large.

The court adjourned the case until April 27, when it will hear bail applications.

In the charge sheet, authorities said the suspects “conspired with one another to levy war against the state to overawe the president of the Federal Republic.”

The Nigerian government first said it had foiled a coup attempt in January, when it announced that several military officers would stand trial.

The coup would have ended nearly three decades of democratic rule in Africa’s most populous country, which returned to democracy in 1999.

What to know about opposition in Albania to a Trump family-linked resort development

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A coastal development project in Albania linked to Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is facing growing opposition from environmental advocates and has triggered daily protests in the capital, Tirana. To the deafening sound of drums, horns and whistles, thousands of demonstrators late Saturday chanted “Rama Leave!” — referring to longtime Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama. The rally drew participation from Albanian migrant communities abroad as the protests dubbed the “flamingo revolution” continue to gain momentum. The government says the development on the Adriatic coast would be transformational for the former communist nation as it seeks to enter the high-end tourism market and pushes for European Union membership. But the venture, spanning an abandoned island and a nearby stretch of seafront on Albania’s southern coast, has drawn opposition from environmental campaigners and critics of Rama's government.
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