Taylor Never Gave His Rebels Orders to Kill, Said Witness3/10/2010 7:00:36 AM +00:00
A witness defending Charles Taylor today said he never heard of the former Liberian president giving orders to his own rebel forces to kill, rape, loot or burn people's houses, as alleged by prosecutors.

Taking Government to the People - an Eyewitness Account of State's South Eastern Experience3/9/2010 8:48:43 AM +00:00
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, along with members of her Cabinet, set out on Saturday, February 27, 2010, for a week-long visit to southeastern Liberia, an area which, like most parts of the country, is slowly recovering from its share of the 14-year civil conflict.

President Sirleaf Ends South Eastern Tour3/8/2010 1:23:52 PM +00:00
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf returned to the Liberian capital, Monrovia, on Saturday, March 6, following a weeklong visit to the southeastern counties of Maryland, River Gee and Grand Gedeh. The President also made stops in Nimba and Bong Counties.

Koina Salone Ex-Refugees' Houses Looted in Monrovia3/8/2010 10:42:36 AM +00:00
Efforts by the governments of Sierra Leone and Liberia, the UNHCR and LRRRC towards the integration of former Sierra Leonean refugees who opted for a second home in Liberia have been dealt a serious blow by enemies of development.

Witness Says, Taylor Wanted Power To Empower Citizens3/5/2010 7:20:37 AM +00:00
Charles Taylor wanted power to empower the Liberian people to develop their country, a defense witness told Special Court for Sierra Leone judges today.

Police Officer Indicted for Stealing3/4/2010 3:10:22 PM +00:00
Dennis W. Keleko, an officer of the Liberia National Police has been indicted for stealing a mini purse containing many valuables.

Sirleaf Second Terms Gets Backing in Southeast3/4/2010 3:10:20 PM +00:00
Tens of thousands of citizens in the southeastern counties of Maryland, River Gee and Grand Gedeh have pledged overwhelming support for the second term bid of incumbent President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, describing her as "the only messiah" to lead Liberia for now.

"Pres. Sirleaf Did Not Order Euro- ICC Contracts Aborted"3/4/2010 3:10:18 PM +00:00
A clarification has been made on a Front Page Story published on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Vol. 1 No. 15 of the New Dawn Newspaper, captioned; "Ellen Orders Euro Logging, ICC Contract aborted". Browsing through the story one would understand that the letter which the publisher refers to has been misinterpreted.

Calm Returns to Violence-Torn County3/4/2010 3:10:17 PM +00:00
Latest report reaching the Informer Newspaper indicates that calm has returned to Lofa County following violence clashes last Friday which according to information resulted in the killing of five persons.

River Gee Gets First Immigration Office As Ellen Breaks Ground for Sports Complex3/4/2010 3:10:16 PM +00:00
For the first time in its history, Liberia's newest, county, River Gee, now has a new immigration office.

Man 25 Indicted for Raping Seven Years Girl3/4/2010 3:10:14 PM +00:00
A 25 year-old Timothy Sumo has been indicted for allegedly raping a 7-year old girl in the Peace Island Community in Congo Town.

Peace Keepers are Not Bias, Says Mission Boss3/4/2010 3:10:12 PM +00:00
The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General Madame Magrethe Ellen Loj has denied claims that Bangladeshi Contingent assigned in Lofa County were impartial during the riot that killed four persons leaving several wounded.

Citizens Undergo Peace Building Training3/4/2010 3:10:11 PM +00:00
The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) in collaboration with the Liberia Peace Building Office has launched a major peace building training workshop in Monrovia. The intensive training program which was launched Monday at the Cape Hotel in Mamba Point is expected to last up to Friday, March 5, 2010. The training is sponsored by ACCORD.

Firestone Launches Radio Station 89.5 FM3/4/2010 3:10:09 PM +00:00
The Management of Firestone Liberia has officially opened its Radio station "Voice of Firestone Liberia." The official ceremony took place on Friday, February 26, 2010, on the compound of the Administration Building in Harbel, Margibi County. The new radio station was launched in a bid to disseminate unfolding events and developments within the concession area of the company and its surrounding communities.

Witness Says Taylor Did Not Join 1999 Rebel Attack on Freetown3/4/2010 10:50:17 AM +00:00
Neither Charles Taylor nor his security forces supported or participated in the Sierra Leonean rebel attack on the country's capital Freetown in 1999, the Special Court for Sierra Leone heard today as Mr. Taylor's first defense witness ended his testimony.

President Sirleaf Meets Market Women and Other Groups3/3/2010 8:49:49 PM +00:00
In continuation of a southeastern marathon, President Ellen Johnson has been holding side consultations with the leadership of various social, ethnic, religious as well as professional associations everywhere she goes.

Witness Claims Prosecutors Misrepresented His Statement3/3/2010 7:27:13 AM +00:00
Charles Taylor's defense witness, Mr. Yanks Smythe has said that certain aspects of his  written statement were misrepresented as prosecutors today pointed out inconsistencies in his written statement to defense lawyers and his oral testimony in court.

President Sirleaf's South-Eastern Tour Kicks-Off3/2/2010 5:11:18 PM +00:00
The President of the newly established William V. S. Tubman University in Harper, Maryland County, Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Russell, was on Saturday, February 27, inducted into office at a well-attended convocation ceremony attended by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and other senior Government officials.

Witness says, "Nobody Is Lying"3/2/2010 7:58:01 AM +00:00
A defense witness for Charles Taylor has dismissed prosecution assertions that his testimony is contradicting that of the former Liberian president, telling the court that neither him, nor Mr. Taylor, is lying to the judges.

Bar's Law and Order Conference Ends in Lawlessness3/1/2010 7:20:11 PM +00:00
Several lawyers and judges who left Monrovia last weekend to attend their annual conference in Voinjama, Lofa County, under the theme: "law and order', found themselves caught in lawlessness with the conference cancelled.

Lofa Explodes - Religious and Tribal Tensions Burst in Flames and Death3/1/2010 7:20:10 PM +00:00
Mobs of rival ethnic and religious gangs last week roamed the streets of Voinjama, Lofa County, killing, burning and looting as hundreds fled in scenes reminiscent of the war.

UNMIL's 'Bias' - Lofa Citizens Want Replacement3/1/2010 7:20:09 PM +00:00
Lofa County political and social leaders have accused the Muslim Bangladeshi, Jordanian and Pakistani contingents of UNMIL stationed in Voinjama of backing Muslim gangs by protecting Islamic symbols while churches and other Christian symbols were destroyed.

Insults Result to One Burnt Alive, One Shot in the Head3/1/2010 7:20:08 PM +00:00
An angry mob Saturday burnt to death a uniformed police officer believed to be a member of the Police Support Unit (PSU), after the officer shot one Preston Davis dead on the Capitol Bye-Pass.

Voinjama Exodus - Many Cross into Guinea Again3/1/2010 7:20:07 PM +00:00
Hundreds of residents of this hilly town, Voinjama, with their earthly belongings on their heads in scenes reminiscent of the war, streamed out as uncontrolled gangs reined havoc into surrounding villages.

President Sirleaf Expresses Grave Concern Over Situation in Lofa-Calls On Citizens to Remain Calm3/1/2010 11:37:32 AM +00:00
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf notes with grave concern and regret the development in Kornia and Voinjama of Lofa County that led to the few deaths and the destruction of religious edifices and private property.

Defense Witness Says Taylor Never Used Child Soldiers3/1/2010 9:12:34 AM +00:00
Charles Taylor's first defense witness said that prosecution witnesses lied when they testified that the former Liberian president recruited and used children for combat purposes in Liberia.

UPDATE 1-Curfew in north Liberia after religious clashes2/27/2010 12:06:16 PM +00:00
MONROVIA, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Liberia's government has imposed a curfew in the northern county of Lofa after religious clashes killed four there on Friday.

Curfew in north Liberia after religious clashes2/27/2010 11:19:40 AM +00:00
MONROVIA, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Liberia's government has imposed a curfew in the northern county of Lofa after religious clashes killed two people there on Friday.

President Sirleaf Dedicates Mango Town Market, Improving Working Conditions for Women in Area2/26/2010 9:12:38 PM +00:00
Speaking at the program, the Liberian leader described the construction of the market as the fulfillment of a promise to provide better working conditions for women of the area. The President explained that the market was constructed with funds raised through voluntary contributions from friends and other well-wishers who want to identify with programs being supported by the Liberian leader.

UN Blue Helmets Sent to Scene of Violence in North-West Region2/26/2010 9:12:04 PM +00:00
The United Nations Mission in Liberia has sent police and troops to help national authorities investigate an outbreak of violence in the country's north-west, where several people have reportedly been wounded in inter-communal clashes.

Witness Says Taylor Did Not Receive Diamonds From Rebels2/26/2010 7:34:56 AM +00:00
Former Liberian president Charles Taylor did not form or contribute to any plan to commit crimes in neighboring Sierra Leone, nor did he receive any diamonds from Sierra Leonean rebel forces as alleged by prosecutors, according to Mr. Taylor's first witness.

Witness Denies Taylor Planned to Destabilize Region2/25/2010 8:05:30 AM +00:00
Charles Taylor did not formulate a plan to destabilize West Africa, according to the former Liberian president's first witness who said he trained with Mr. Taylor's rebels in Libya in the 1980s.

More U.S. charges filed against "Merchant of Death"2/17/2010 8:54:15 PM +00:00
NEW YORK, Feb 17 (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors filed new charges against accused international arms dealer Viktor Bout and his U.S. associate on Wednesday, including money-laundering conspiracy and wire fraud.

Liberia on track for HIPC debt relief this year-IMF2/16/2010 1:32:22 PM +00:00
MONROVIA, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Liberia is on track to clear much of its remaining $1.7 billion in foreign debt under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative by the end of this year, an IMF official said on Tuesday.

Zambian firms bid to run Liberia utility-paper2/16/2010 8:32:00 AM +00:00
LUSAKA, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Zambian state utility Zesco and Copperbelt Energy Corp. (CEC), the sole distributor of power to the country's mines, have been shortlisted to manage the Liberia Electricity Corporation, a newspaper said on Tuesday.

INTERVIEW-Taylor's S.Leone verdict by year's end-prosecutor2/8/2010 9:11:59 PM +00:00
* Defense cutting back on witness list, prosecutor says

Engel's Elenilto wins 25-year Liberia mining deal1/28/2010 4:01:32 PM +00:00
JERUSALEM, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Israeli businessman Jacob Engel said on Thursday he was granted a 25-year licence for the mining of iron ore in Liberia.

Ecobank signs deal to help Bank of China customers1/27/2010 5:36:16 PM +00:00
ACCRA, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Ecobank Transnational Inc (ETI) has signed a agreement with the Bank of China to allow the establishment of a China desk in some of Ecobank's offices in Africa, ETI said in a statement on Wednesday.

INTERVIEW-U.N. debt expert to focus on vulture funds1/21/2010 5:17:44 PM +00:00
* UN expert: no justification for unethical vulture funds

SCENARIOS-Next steps on Guinea's road to polls1/19/2010 1:18:22 PM +00:00
DAKAR, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Veteran opposition politician Jean-Marie Dore has been appointed Prime Minister of Guinea to lead a transition government toward what would be the country's first elections since Moussa Dadis Camara's 2008 military coup.