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LIBERIA'S former president Charles Taylor denied that he had ever eaten human flesh or ordered his fighters to do so as he answered allegations of cannibalism at his war crimes trial. "It is sickening. You must be sick to believe it,'' the one-time warlord testified in the Special Court for Sierra Leone, sitting in The Hague. "It makes you feel like throwing up.'' Mr Taylor, 61, said he could not dispute that there were cannibals in certain parts of Liberia, but claims that he was among them were "total nonsense''. A witness had testified at the trial that he ate...

BANGKOK, Thailand - A Russian dubbed the "Merchant of Death" for allegedly supplying weapons to Africa's bloody conflicts over power and diamonds was arrested Thursday in Thailand on suspicion of conspiring to smuggle guns to Colombia's leftist rebels. Viktor Bout, 41, whose dealings reportedly inspired a 2005 movie about the illicit arms trade, was arrested at U.S. request in his hotel room in Bangkok, said police Lt. Gen. Pongpat Chayapan. Bout had eluded arrest for years and was finally seized after a four-month sting organized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. In New York, federal authorities unsealed a criminal complaint...

The Russian parliament and media refer to him merely as a “Russian businessman.” But to much of the rest of the world, Viktor Bout is known as the “Merchant of Death,” the most notorious member of the dark fraternity of global weapons traffickers who arm terrorist organizations, as well as the tyrannical regimes and brutal warlords and militias responsible for horrendous genocidal slaughters over the past two decades. Since his March 2008 arrest in Bangkok, Thailand, in an elaborate U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration sting, Viktor Bout has been in Bangkok’s Klong Prem Special Prison awaiting trial. The U.S. Department of...

"Chuckie" Taylor, the son of former Liberian President Charles Taylor has been sentenced by a US court to 97 years in prison for torture.

Taylor 'had billions' in US banks Liberia's ex-President Charles Taylor had transactions of about $5bn in two US bank accounts during his presidency, his prosecutor has told the BBC. Mr Taylor is being tried by a UN-backed war crimes court for backing rebels in Sierra Leone while in office. He denies trading arms for diamonds and challenged the international community when he stood down in 2003 to trace and seize any monies they alleged he had. If any was found he would "turn them over to the Liberian people". During Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war, which officially ended in...

John Armor is a student of history. He knows where the country has been and where he would like to take it in the future. As a Republican candidate for the 11th Congressional District, Armor has the chance to make an impact. Armor is running against Asheville City Councilman Carl Mumpower and former Henderson County Republican Party Chairman Spence Campbell in the Republican primary. Raised in the Baltimore area, Armor attended Yale University, where he earned degrees in political science and English. He took a job at an advertising agency shortly after graduation but wanted a new challenge. He enrolled...

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -- Grim tales of cannibalism highlighting the brutality of West Africa's civil wars emerged in testimony Thursday at the war crimes trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor. Joseph "Zigzag" Marzah, who described himself as Taylor's chief of operations and head of the death squad before Taylor became president, said African peacekeepers and even United Nations personnel were killed and eaten on the battlefield by Taylor's militiamen. Prosecutors described Marzah as a key witness with inside knowledge of the former Liberian president's operations in Liberia and neighboring Sierra Leone, where he is accused of responsibility for the...

Video footage of mutilated victims of Sierra Leone rebels has been shown at the war crimes trial of Liberia's former President Charles Taylor. Mr Taylor - who is accused of trading weapons for diamonds - showed no emotion as the first witness, an expert on "blood diamonds", gave evidence. The delayed trial has resumed at The Hague after a six-month delay. Mr Taylor is the first African former head of state to face an international war crimes court and faces 11 charges. He denies responsibility for atrocities committed by rebels during the civil war in neighbouring Sierra Leone. Video of...

You’d think that what happens in western Carolina, in the 11th Congressional District, isn’t very important to the powers-that-be in Washington. That’s usually so. But not now. And two extraordinary events that have occurred a year and a half before the 2008 election for that seat, prove the point. Some of you are aware of the TV ads now being run by AFSCME that paint freshman Congressman Heath Shuler, NC 11th, as a good guy. The ad sponsor’s full name is American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. This union is committed to steady expansion of government at all...

That title is not a misprint. This is about the 2008 election in the 11th District of North Carolina. First, the big picture now. The Democrats have taken control in the House, contrary to my prediction (I was nearly alone in that). The Democrats have gained in the Senate, but pending results yet to come after midnight EST, it looks like the Republicans will hold a vary narrow margin in the Senate. In my own District, NC 11th, 16-year incumbent Republican, Charles Taylor, has been defeated by Heath Shuler, a neophyte Democrat who billed himself as “a conservative” and a...

After opponent's no-show, Shuler walks out of House debate TIM WHITMIRE Associated Press ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Frustrated by Rep. Charles Taylor's failure to show up in person, Democratic challenger Heath Shuler walked out of a debate Friday afternoon that was the only face-to-face meeting scheduled between the two candidates during their fiercely contested campaign. Taylor called into the debate on WWNC-AM from a radio station in Hendersonville, about 30 miles south of Asheville, which radio host Matt Mittan said violated rules agreed to beforehand by both campaigns. After both candidates offered an opening statement, Shuler said, "It's unfortunate Mr. Taylor...

BREVARD, N.C. - Amid hopeful talk of the future, Rep. Charles Taylor (news, bio, voting record) and Russia's ambassador to the United States welcomed 20 Russian college students to western North Carolina to study business. The young Russians, participating in a yearlong program at area colleges that is partially funded with federal money, sang a karaoke version of the Beatles' "Let It Be" and a Russian folk song last month. They even pulled Taylor and Ambassador Yuri Ushakov into an impromptu dance. "It offers as much to United States students as it does to Russian students," said the Republican lawmaker,...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - In the mountains of western North Carolina, former NFL quarterback Heath Shuler talks about illegal immigration and the Iraq war as he tries to oust Republican Rep. Charles Taylor in one of the more competitive House races. Thousands of miles away, in San Diego, Jason Woodmansee fears a crucial issue is being overlooked. "From an objective, quantitative viewpoint, Shuler was a terrible NFL quarterback," Woodmansee writes on his blog, http://www.StopShuler.com. "He completely failed at the one thing he was trained to do out of college, and yet was paid millions of dollars. The last thing we need...

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor has said he is unhappy with "draconian" conditions in the Dutch prison where he is awaiting trial. Mr Taylor's lawyer made the complaint during his first appearance before a special UN-backed war crimes tribunal. Mr Taylor faces 11 war crimes charges after allegedly backing rebels in the decade-long Sierra Leone civil war. He was arrested in Nigeria this year and detained in Sierra Leone before being moved to The Hague for security. Attorney Karim Asad Ahmad Khan described The Hague jail regime as "far more draconian... than operates in Freetown", the capital of Sierra Leone....

Excerpt - THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Former Liberian President Charles Taylor arrived in the Netherlands on Tuesday for a war crimes trial on charges accusing him in the death, rape or mutilation of hundreds of thousands of people in West Africa. An airport official said Taylor's U.N.-chartered plane landed after a direct flight from Sierra Leone, where he had been in detention since March 29. Two police vans and five motorcycle outriders were waiting on the tarmac at a small commercial airport south of The Hague. ~ snip ~

I haven’t written my regular column for a long time, but my excuse is rock solid. I’ve been too busy to write Three absolutely extraordinary things happened in the last week – well, stretch that – a week and a half. One I’ll save for another column, because it deserves its own space and details need to be filled in. The others are election night on 2 May, and 4 - 8 May, which was spent in Bermuda. Start, of course, with politics. Going into the Republican primary against eight-term incumbent, Charles Taylor, I knew my own campaign was limited....

Lawmaker's Flight 93 stance may be last straw By Robin Acton TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, May 7, 2006 ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Western North Carolina voters have supported U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor for 16 years, despite loan scandals at his bank, his acceptance of questionable campaign donations and his financial ties to Russia. In Pennsylvania, Taylor is know as the congressman who for two years blocked federal funding for a memorial to those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in Somerset County. And that position hasn't gone over very well with some in his 11th Congressional...

Former University of Tennessee and NFL quarterback Heath Shuler won a congressional Democratic primary Tuesday in North Carolina. Shuler notched 77 percent to beat Michael Morgan, with 62 percent of votes tallied. He'll face Republican incumbent Charles Taylor, representing the 11th District, who handled opponent John Armor by taking 81 percent of the votes tallied. Shuler is expected to give Taylor, a veteran representative criticized for his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, a strong run on the general ballot. Taylor, however, has survived a number of Democratic challenges during his 16-year tenure. "This is the year," Shuler said Tuesday...

This is the Fifth and Final - for now - Report on the Campaign for the 11th District in NC. The eight-term Congressman, Charles Taylor, has defeated me for the nomination of the Republican Party. However, Mr. Taylor's career as a Member of Congress is now over. That paradoxical conclusion is not a matter of my opinion. It is based on observations of lifelong residents in western Carolina who've been active in politics most of their adult lives. Consider the parameters of this race: Charles Taylor is a long term incumbent who worked his way up the ladder to a...

Dear Chancellor John Bardo, I have a bone to pick with you. So does the US Constitution. And so do those who believe that universities should be open communities, allowing a diverse views to be expressed – in academic language. My public declaration of my candidacy for Congress from the 11th District here in Western Carolina was on 3 March. I’d contacted the Director of the Fine and Performing Arts Center at your university, Western Carolina, about using that Center for my first press conference. I offered to pay full rate for the use of the facilities. I had several...

Taylor 'looked like whipped dog' as justice caught up By Hans Nichols in Freetown, Sierra Leone (Filed: 02/04/2006) Slumped and sombre, Charles Taylor uttered not a single word as he sat in the United Nations helicopter that spirited him from Liberia, where he once ruled, to neighbouring Sierra Leone, where he is accused of committing war crimes. "He looked like a whipped dog. A look of total defeat," said a UN official, one of 16 passengers on the flight that brought Taylor to the tribunal he has eluded for three years. Charles Taylor in Freetown "You look at someone that...

Every Member of Congress, and every candidate for Congress, is required to file Reports with the House Ethics Committee on their financial holdings and transactions. Apparently, few people take a serious look at these after they are filed. The Reports filed by incumbent 11th District Representative, Charles Taylor, for the last seven years (the ones available on-line) show five errors in excess of $1 million each, plus one unexplained item for about $20 million. These Reports are filed with the Clerk of the House but they “will be reviewed by the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct [the House Ethics...

ALARM - Charles Taylor arrived to Monrovia and transferred in a helicopter MONROVIA - former bast president Charles Taylor, expelled Wednesday of Nigeria, arrived at the Roberts airport of Monrovia on board an apparatus of the Nigerian presidency and was immediately led in a helicopter of the United Nations, noted a correspondent of AFP.

Taylor Taken to Liberia to Face Charges By BASHIR ADIGUN, Associated Press Writer Former Liberian President Charles Taylor, who vanished in Nigeria after authorities reluctantly agreed to transfer him to a war crimes tribunal, was arrested trying to cross the border into Cameroon, Nigerian police said Wednesday. He then was flown back to Liberia. Taylor was captured Tuesday night by security forces in the far northeastern border town of Gamboru, in Borno State, nearly 600 miles from the villa in southern Calabar from which he reportedly disappeared Monday night, Information Minister Frank Nweke said in a statement. President Olusegun Obasanjo,...

AP News Alert ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) -- Nigerian police say they have arrested Liberian warlord Charles Taylor.

Wanted tyrant of Liberia vanishes from Nigerian haven By David Blair, Africa Correspondent and Katharine Houreld in Lagos (Filed: 29/03/2006) The Nigerian government was accused of allowing Charles Taylor, Africa's most notorious fallen tyrant, to escape justice after he vanished from his grace-and-favour residence yesterday. Taylor, 58, the former Liberian dictator, had been living in the city of Calabar despite being the subject of an Interpol arrest warrant and an indictment on 17 counts of war crimes. Charles Taylor took refuge in Nigeria when he was deposed The Baptist lay preacher, who devastated Liberia and led a brutal rebel army...

ABUJA, Nigeria — Former Liberian President Charles Taylor disappeared from his Nigerian haven, days after his hosts agreed to transfer him to a war crimes tribunal for the murder, rape and maiming of more than a half-million Africans, officials said today. The announcement of Taylor's disappearance came the day before Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo was to meet with President Bush at the White House. That visit was supposed to occur on a high note after Obasanjo resolved two issues of concern to his U.S. allies — Monday's release of kidnapped American oil workers and last week's deal to hand over...

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday agreed to surrender the exiled former Liberian president and war crimes suspect Charles Taylor to the government of his homeland. Taylor is accused of masterminding a policy of murder, torture, pillage and rape in Liberia and its neighbour Sierra Leone, where international prosecutors have lodged a 17-count indictment alleging crimes against humanity. In August 2003, in a bid to bring an end to 14 years of civil war in Liberia, Obasanjo invited him to step down as president, leave his besieged capital Monrovia and accept political asylum in Nigeria. But the Nigerian leader...

Folks, Two of my campaign appearances since the 1st Report are unique and deserve mention here. One was with a group of left-wing Democrats, who refer to themselves as "progressives." The invited me to see if I would dare join them, for two hours of pointed questions. I accepted, and the comments posted on the Internet as a result made it clear that they intend to see me defeated, come November. But they also included comments that I am "honest" and a "man of obvious integrity." When even your political opponents speak of you that way, that is a very...

An Open Letter to the Press in Western Carolina From: John Armor, Candidate for Congress, 11th District Date: 16 March 2006 re: certain comments by Deborah Potter on behalf of Congressman Charles Taylor Ladies and Gentlemen, Below is an exact and complete copy of an e-mail that Charles Taylor's Press Secretary, Deborah Potter, sent to Don Yelton, a friend of mine. (For those who don't know me, I'm a lawyer and author who lives in Macon County, and I'm running against Taylor in the Republican primary.) The Potter e-mail refers to me as "Armor and his bunch of left-wing radicals...

The US is stepping up its anti-terrorist efforts in west Africa amid continuing controversy over alleged links between al-Qaeda and the smuggling of Sierra Leonean diamonds through Liberia. Washington has begun looking more closely at terrorist financing in a region where the US military is increasingly active in efforts to disrupt terrorist networks, according to government officials and a leading Congressman. A US Congressional panel on the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks concluded this month there was "no persuasive evidence" that al-Qaeda funded itself through trafficking in diamonds from African states experiencing civil wars. But a US government official covering...

WASHINGTON - New evidence is emerging that the top Democrat on the Senate committee currently investigating Jack Abramoff got political money arranged by the lobbyist back in 2002 shortly after the lawmaker took action favorable to Abramoff's tribal clients. A lawyer for the Louisiana Coushatta Indians told The Associated Press that Abramoff instructed the tribe to send $5,000 to Sen. Byron Dorgan (news, bio, voting record)'s political group just three weeks after the North Dakota Democrat urged fellow senators to fund a tribal school program Abramoff's clients wanted to use.The check was one of about five dozen the Coushattas listed...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 /U.S. Newswire/ -- On October 11, 2005 Liberia will elect a new President. On the surface this election would appear to be of little consequence to the everyday life of Americans, but according to Alex St-James, an authority on Liberian politics and Chief US Policy Advisor for the US Africa FED Group, "The Liberian Elections on October 11, 2005 may be one of the most important elections of our lifetime."Charles Taylor, former President of Liberia has harbored, funded and facilitated terrorist activity since 1998 according to Al White, a senior investigator for the Pentagon. In the years...

Angry Sierra Leoneans jeer Sankoh's body August 02, 2003, 09:27 PM Hundreds of angry Sierra Leoneans turned out in the capital Freetown today to jeer the body of former rebel leader Foday Sankoh, a man reviled for launching one of Africa's most horrific wars. "Take his body to hell or give it to us, the crowd, to burn his body to ashes," shouted Dowu Johnson, a woman in the crowd. The former warlord, who had been indicted for war crimes by a UN-backed court investigating atrocities during the West African nation's decade-long civil war, died in hospital on Tuesday. His...

After weeks of cajoling from high-ranking Democrats — including former President Bill Clinton — former football star Heath Shuler announced Monday that he would challenge Rep. Charles Taylor (R-N.C.) next year.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Former National Football League quarterback Heath Shuler plans to run for the U.S. Congress. Shuler, a Democrat, said in a statement Monday that he has filed papers with the Federal Election Commission that clear the way for him to run next year in the 11th Congressional District for the U.S. House of Representatives seat held by Republican Charles Taylor. Shuler didn't name Taylor in a press release that emphasized pocketbook issues.

House Democrats said Tuesday that they would run newspaper advertisements this week criticizing the ethics of six House Republicans, including Representative Randy Cunningham of California, who is under investigation by a grand jury looking into his ties with a military contractor.... Mr. Wade paid $1,675,000 for the house and sold it nearly a year later for $975,000, for a loss of $700,000 in one of the hottest housing markets. Mr. Cunningham said he "showed poor judgment" in selling his house to a friend who did business with the government. Moreover, he said, "I showed poor judgment in not listing the...

Bloody past is catching up with Liberian despot By David Blair in Calabar (Filed: 02/07/2005) After impoverishing his country, killing thousands and stealing a fortune, Africa's most notorious fallen tyrant is facing a rising clamour for him to face justice. Charles Taylor, the deposed president of Liberia, benefits from asylum in Nigeria despite being the subject of an Interpol arrest warrant and an indictment on 17 counts of war crimes. Charles Taylor: Africa's most prominent fugitive A life steeped in bloodshed has not prevented Taylor from enjoying Nigeria's official hospitality and a grace-and-favour residence in a government lodge in the...

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone - At a time when the United States has thousands of forces hunting Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq, international investigators say the United States is ignoring another terrorist outlaw — former Liberian President Charles Taylor, who's hiding in plain sight in West Africa. This is a place most Americans and their government haven't paid much attention to. It is war-torn, remote and desperately poor. But that might be about to change. War crimes investigators have uncovered evidence that al-Qaida terrorists — before and after 9/11 — were using West Africa as...

Al-Qaïda and Taylor destabilize West Africa New York (the United Nations) - terrorist organization Al-Qaïda is active in West Africa and supports in particular activities of destabilization of the area to which the bast former president Charles Taylor delivers itself, affirmed Tuesday of the members of the special Court for Sierra Leone. The principal target of these activities of destabilization is Guinea where an attempted murder of president Lansana Conte already took place last January, in which Charles Taylor was implied, Al White affirmed, principal investigator of the Court, at the time of a press conference to the head...

Colorado District 3: state Rep. Ken Salazar will defeat Greg Walcher, whose past support for transferring water from Western Slope to Denver is an Achilles Heel in this drought-plagued district. Dem. Pickup. Illinois District 8: Congressman Phil Crane has been caught napping, and the collapse of the Illinois G.O.P. will combine to elect Melissa Bean. Dem. Pickup. Kansas Distrcit 3: In a minor surprise, conservative Kris Kobach will very narrowly defeat Congressman Dennis Moore. A recount is possible. Rep. Pickup. Louisiana District 7: There will be a runoff between Lafayette surgeon Charles Boustany and Lake Charles state Senator Willie Mount,...

A recent poll conducted by the Asheville Center for Social Research at the University of North Carolina at Asheville shows that Charles Taylor, the Republican incumbent who has been beleaguered by a corruption and fraud scandal involving a local bank, is in a dead heat with his Democratic challenger, Patsy Keever. Though both candidates have been running campaigns that have ignored policy details, the Keever campaign has recently run several ads leveling specific criticisms against Taylor. Keever herself has also travelled widely throughout the district to speak with residents in unplanned, informal forums. No face-to-face debate has taken place between...

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) - A series of witnesses place six top al-Qaida fugitives in Africa buying up diamonds in the run-up to the Sept. 11 attacks, according to a confidential report by UN-backed prosecutors obtained by The Associated Press. The first-person accounts detailed by the prosecutors add to long-standing claims that al-Qaida laundered millions of dollars in terror funds through African diamonds before launching its deadliest offensive. Al-Qaida figures, including some already wanted in pre-Sept. 11 attacks on U.S. targets, dealt directly with then-president Charles Taylor and other leaders and warlords in the West African country of Liberia from 1999...

Special Court Registrar, Robin Vincent has said that though a prepared cell awaits the arrival of former Liberian President, Charles Taylor to Freetown, the Court will not allow Taylor into its detention facility until it is proven that he was not brought in through illegitimate means. Speaking to journalists at UNMIL's Headquarters in Monrovia at the end of his two days visit to that country, Vincent said they have no plans to snatch Taylor from his hiding in Calabar, Nigeria. He however stressed that a Red Alert has been issued by Interpol to get Taylor and he encouraged the Nigerian...

W. Post reporter says Liberia's Taylor protected Al Qaeda, Hezbollah activities Washington Post Reporter Douglas Farah told the House Africa Subcommittee April 2 that two of the world's most violent terrorist networks -- al Qaeda and Hezbollah -- "have an interest in the regional diamond trade [in West Africa] that extends at least back to the mid-1990s." The illicit trade in what are called "blood diamonds" -- because they are used to purchase arms that fuel conflicts -- came naturally to West Africa, where instability and weak governments have long attracted criminals and terrorists, Farah told Subcommittee Chairman Ed Royce...

Taylor is accused of diverting Liberian funds from exile The United Nations Security Council has passed a unanimous resolution to freeze the assets of the exiled Liberian leader, Charles Taylor. It calls on all UN member states to locate and freeze funds owned or controlled by either Mr Taylor, or his wife or son. Mr Taylor resigned and fled to Nigeria last year after the Liberian capital Monrovia was surrounded by rebels. He faces war crimes charges at the UN-backed tribunal in Sierra Leone. His former residences in Liberia have been searched by investigators from the tribunal. Global assets...

The United States Friday introduced a U.N. Security Council resolution that would freeze the assets of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, his family members and close associates. Mr. Taylor is reported to have taken millions of dollars in government funds when he left Liberia for exile in Nigeria last year. The decision to sponsor the Security Council resolution came in response to a recommendation several months ago by a U.N. panel of experts, and reflects United States concern about the degree of influence Mr. Taylor may still have in Liberia. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said the asset freeze would...

International police organisation Interpol says it has issued a notice for the arrest of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, indicted for war crimes in Sierra Leone. Interpol, based in Lyon, France, said the notice - which is not an arrest warrant but can be used by national police to make a provisional arrest - was issued at the request of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Mr Taylor has gone into exile in Nigeria. As with all its "red notices", a photograph of Mr Taylor appeared on Interpol's web site, accompanied by the caption: Taylor, Charles Ghankay. Born on 28...

Early last week, the nation woke up to the shocking and embarrassing news that the United States of America's Congress, in the course of approving a presidential bill sent to it, had appended a clause placing a ransom of $2 million on former Liberian President Charles Taylor. Bounty hunters are expected to be motivated by that handsome ransom to apprehend and deliver Mr. Taylor to the International War Crimes Tribunal in Sierra Leone to answer to charges of crimes against humanity following his role in the Sierra Leonean Civil War. The feeling of shock, anger and outrage by Nigerians at...

Abuja The [Nigerian] presidency yesterday said it will regard as violation of territorial integrity of the nation any attempt by the United States government to sponsor a kidnap attempt on the person of former Liberian President Charles Taylor. The reaction by presidential spokesperson, Mrs. Oluremi Oyo, followed a $2 million offer by the United States as ransom for any person who delivers the former Liberian president to face trial by the United Nation's War Crimes Tribunal. Taylor is currently on exile in Calabar, Cross River State of Nigeria following resolution reached towards ensuring peace in Liberia. Oyo noted that Nigeria...