Four years on from a court victory which saw the Kalahari Bushmen win the right to live on their ancestral lands, the Botswana government has issued a statement flouting the ruling.
Survival International believes that …
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Botswana government rejects high-profile court ruling
Massive iron ore project brings mining tensions back to Sierra Leone
The London-based African Minerals firm claims its efforts to mine a whopping 11.7 billion tons of iron ore will bring $1.75 billion in foreign investment to Sierra Leone.
Nine years after the end of Sierra …
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Celebrities back Survival’s call to boycott Botswana diamonds
Gillian Anderson, Quentin Blake, Joanna Lumley, Sophie Okonedo, and Mark Rylance are amongst the celebrities who have pledged not to travel to Botswana or wear its diamonds until the Bushmen are allowed to live on …
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Rio Says India Diamond Project Is Biggest Global Find in Decade
Rio Tinto Group, the world’s third- largest mining company, said its Bunder project in India is the world’s biggest diamond discovery in the past 10 years. “It’s in a pre-feasibility study right now so a …
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Who really controls Africa’s ‘blood-diamond’ trade?
Corporate media coverage in early August of British model Naomi Campbell’s testimony at the Special War Crimes Court on Sierra Leone doesn’t provide a clue to the background of this trial against former Liberian President …
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Rio Tinto begins production from Indian diamond mine
Rio Tinto has began production of diamonds from its Bunder Diamond project at Chhatarpur district in Madhya Pradesh, India. The company has so far invested about 2.5 billion rupees and the mining lease had been …
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Outrage as Botswana Bushmen denied water rights – while Gem Diamonds is allowed access
A Botswana judge has ruled that Bushmen who returned to their lands in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve are not allowed to drill wells for water. The decision condemns them to having to walk up …
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Debswana to proceed with Jwaneng Tailings Project
Firestone Diamonds plc, the AIM-quoted diamond mining and exploration company, is responsible for financing, construction and operation of the plant. Firestone Diamonds plc is an international diamond mining and exploration company with operations in Botswana …
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Responsible Jewellery’s scope to include platinum
The London-based Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), a not-for-profit organization that certifies businesses within the diamond and gold jewelry supply chains, has expanded the scope of its certification system to include the platinum group metals. RJC, …
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Botswana army and police enter Bushman reserve
Trucks of soldiers and police entered the Central Kalahari Game Reserve last week, according to Survival International. Survival believes this is to intimidate the Bushmen, and perhaps even force them out, because:
1) Gem Diamonds …
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South African union declares wage dispute with De Beers
South Africa’s biggest union said it had declared a wage dispute with the world’s top diamond producer De Beers, and had asked an arbitration authority to mediate. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said in …
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Benchmarks report on De Beers
The South African Benchmarks Foundation has produced a report on the activities of De Beers in Botswana and on South Africa’s west coast. London-based Anglo American plc owns 45% of De Beers.
See http://www.bench-marks.org.za/ and …
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