World IN BRIEF : PAKISTAN : Bhutto Declares Her Innocence

Ousted Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto pleaded not guilty to a charge of misconduct and accused her successors of wrongdoing. “I am innocent,” Bhutto declared before a special court trying her on one of seven corruption charges. In the case before the court, Bhutto is accused of approving the sale of 487 acres of federal land outside the capital of Islamabad for a luxury hotel-resort. The land was sold to a cousin of Bhutto’s at far below market value, prosecutors say. She has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, claiming the charges are designed to force her out of politics.