221 Missing, 8 Dead in Sierra Leone Boat Accident

Taylor accused of giving model 'blood diamond'

(NEWSER) - Supermodels aren't often called as witnesses at war crimes tribunals, and Liberian strongman Charles Taylor's lawyers want to keep it that way. They're seeking to block Naomi Campbell from being subpoenaed to appear at Taylor's trial to testify about a "blood diamond" she allegedly received from the warlord at a dinner in South Africa in 1997, ABC News reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Former Liberian President Charles Taylor defended displaying human skulls along roadways in his country to scare people into obeying soldiers' orders, reports the Times of London. “Skulls were used as symbols of death,” he told the judges at his trial at the Hague. “Enemy soldiers had been killed and their skulls were used. We did not think that symbol was anything wrong." More»

Amidst global downturn, African designers poised to rise

(NEWSER) - The recession is taking a toll on demand for haute couture, but African designers are betting the youthfulness of their industry will trump the economy at the first pan-African fashion week. “We’re growing,” says a designer from Sierra Leone who trained in New York and Paris. "The excitement of youth is what African fashion really has to offer the industry right now." The event brings 50 designers from 20 countries together in Johannesburg, Reuters reports. More»

Six recovered, 59 missing as flash floods combine with downed power lines

(NEWSER) - Rescuers now fear that 65 miners trapped in a northern Tanzanian mine shaft have drowned, reports Reuters, with six bodies recovered and 59 workers missing. Volunteers raced to the remote gemstone mine near Mount Kilimanjaro yesterday when flash floods swept through the area, but the torrential weather also brought down electricity poles, crippling rescue efforts. In the eight affected pits, 35 people were found alive. More»

Former President of Liberia accused of atrocities in Sierra Leone

(NEWSER) - Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, didn't show up for the opening of his war-crimes trial in The Hague today, the BBC reports. He is accused of fostering a long bloody civil war in Sierra Leone marked by crimes against humanity, terrorism, rape and the use of child soldiers. The trial is the first of an African former head of state. More»