Archive for July, 2009
Study Shows Most Brides Take Part in Engagement Ring Selection
Friday, July 24th, 2009Tracking an upward trend, wedding website The Knot recently surveyed 9,000 newlywed couples and found that 67 percent of the brides were involved in the selection and/or purchase of their engagement rings. The results reflect an increase of 5 percent from just a few years ago. The website also tracked shopping habits in cases where [...]
Kimberley Process Team Investigates Zimbabwe
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009In response to ongoing reports of government corruption and human rights abuses in Zimbabwe’s diamond fields, a Kimberley Process review team has recently visited the country to assess its diamond industry first-hand. After a week-long investigation, the review team has confirmed beliefs that Zimbabwe’s military and police were complicit in widespread violence and human rights [...]
Angola Attempts to Halt Diamond Smugglers From DRC
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is engaged in an ethnically-charged tribal war that has seen nearly six million people killed in the past 10 years. Poverty and disease are rampant, with little money available for medicine, education or infrastructure. Child abuse, rape and sexual assault are common. Yet, the country is incongruously rich in [...]
Zimbabwe Smuggling Incidents Continue
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009As Zimbabwe’s ongoing legitimacy in the Kimberley Process is questioned, the country continues to demonstrate a lack of control over its rampant diamond smuggling. The government, the military and many civilians of Zimbabwe are all simultaneously in the business of smuggling conflict diamonds into world markets.