A trial of more than 80 people accused of plotting...

A trial of more than 80 people accused of plotting a coup in the impoverished Central African Republic in May 2001 opened in the capital Bangui.
With high-profile defendants such as a former military ruler and an ex-defence minister, the trial has turned into a battle between leading human rights lawyers and the government's hand-picked, flamboyant chief prosecutor.
The defendants are charged with trying to undermine state security and could face the death penalty if found guilty.
The government says former leader Andre Kolingba, currently in Uganda, tried to overthrow President Ange Felix Patasse in May, sparking weeks of fighting in which 59 people died.
Kolingba, who seized power in a coup in 1981 and ruled until ousted in 1993 elections won by Patasse, will be tried in absentia but former defence minister Jean-Jacques Demafouth and several military figures will face the court.
The Central African capital Bangui has not seen a trial on this scale since self-styled emperor Jean-Bedel Bokassa was brought before a court in 1987 after years of brutal dictatorship to face charges including cannibalism and infanticide.