Benghazi - Tehran has demanded the immediate release of a seven member delegation of the Iranian Red Crescent, who were kidnapped at gunpoint in Benghazi by a group of Islamic extremists.

Leidschendam - Former Liberian President Charles Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in prison Wednesday for war crimes he committed by arming and supporting murderous rebels in Sierra Leone in exchange for "blood diamonds."

A team of scientists from Flora and Fauna International, the Zoological Society of London and the Forestry Development Authority of Liberia captured film footage of a wild pygmy hippo in its natural habitat, the BBC reported recently.

Thousands of refugees are fleeing violence in the politically unstable Ivory Coast in West Africa. Charity ActionAid reported more than 22,000 refugees have already crossed the border into neighbouring Liberia.

Liberia is to carry out reform in its jury system with the aim of tackling corruption in the judiciary. Justice minister Christiana Tah said the move became necessary following complaints about judges who take bribes to decide cases.

France’s reputation for influence-peddling and widespread corruption in Africa is nobody’s secret, but Nicolas Sarkozy's reactions to the current electoral deadlock in the Ivory Coast indicate that France's shadowy African era may be coming to an end.

Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA Friday reportedly seized $9.9 million worth of heroin hidden in auto parts shipped from Iran. The West African country had recently reported Tehran to the U.N. over an illegal arms seizure.

Drug trafficking gangs in Latin America are buying cheap passenger and cargo airplanes to bring their illegal cargo to Africa as a “technical stop” required before transfer into Europe.

New York - People are the real wealth, reiterates the 20th anniversary edition of Human Development Report (HDR) 2010. It also comes up with three new measures for discussing poverty and inequality.

Voters in the small West African country of Liberia will go the the polls again in October 2011 if the current elections time table drawn up by the Liberian electoral commission is maintained.

Den Haag - British supermodel Naomi Campbell has testified in the trial of former Liberian president, Charles Taylor, who is on trial in The Hague on 11 charges of war crimes, including the use of child soldiers and sexual assault as a form of attack.

Amsterdam - British Supermodel Naomi Campbell will testify at the war crimes trial of Liberian President Charles Taylor. Campbell will tell the jury about a "blood diamond" that Taylor allegedly gave her in 1997.

British supermodel Naomi Campbell should be responsible enough to obey a court request to appear before the war crimes trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, Amnesty International legal adviser Christopher Hall says.

The question is did the former president of Liberia, Charles Taylor, give Supermodel Naomi Campbell an uncut diamond in 1997? Prosecutors in the Hague where Taylor is now on trial for war crimes, want to hear the answer.

On a cold, rainy day in downtown Toronto, supporters of Doctor Malachi Z. York demonstrated in front of the United States Consulate for seven hours in prison uniforms and a jail cell to emphasize their views that Dr. York must be released.

Guineans are coming forward with their stories of Sept. 28, the day the army brutalized protesters. Note: This story contains graphic content.

Despite readily available vaccines, death rate of sickle-cell anemia in African children remains to be a growing concern, researchers said Thursday.

In a demonstration on Labor Day, protesters in support of Dr. Malachi K. York's release created a controversial protest by dressing in inmate uniforms and sitting in a prison cell with a sign 'Freedom Not Torture.'

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emphasized that her seven-country tour of Africa was intended to promote unity and democracy, fight corruption, and boost US investments in African trade and agriculture.

On July 16, an eight-year-old girl was raped in Phoenix, Arizona. As the details of the case unfolded, it became clear that this was not an isolated case of violence and sexual assault.