Sierra Leone

Prosecutors at the UN-backed Sierra Leone court will start cross-examining Charles Taylor on Nov. 10, challenging the former Liberian president on his denials of weapons trading in exchange for "blood diamonds." Taylor, 61, has denied all 11 charges of instigating murder, rape, mutilation, sexual slavery and conscripting child soldiers during the intertwined wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone in which more than 250,000 people were killed. The first African ruler to stand trial for war crimes, Taylor will end his testimony on Nov. 10 after taking the stand in his own defense on July 14, arguing the case against him was full of lies and that he tried to broker peace in the region. (Reuters)