Diamonds – Mining, Lab-Grown and Conflict/Blood – Page 50

OPINION: Zimbabwe: China’s Pains Over Zimbabwe’s Indigenisation Project – by Yun Sun (All Africa.com – April 26, 2016)

April 27, 2016

ZIMBABWE clamped down with the enforcement of its controversial indigenization law–requiring foreign companies with assets of more than $500,000 to transfer or sell 51 percent stake to indigenous Zimbabweans this month.

The deadline of April 1 had been set earlier in March in accordance with the controversial 2008 indigenization law requiring foreign companies to submit plans for such indigenization or face the risk of closure.

Zimbabwe is serious: According to the minister of youth and indigenization and economic empowerment, Patrick Zhuwao, the government is determined to implement the policy because it was elected in 2013 through “promised indigenisation and empowerment”.

Lack of money isn’t Attawapiskat’s problem – by Lorne Gunter (Calgary Sun – April 19, 2016)

April 21, 2016

http://www.calgarysun.com/

The mining company has also done over $350 million in business
with companies at Attawapiskat since 2006 to supply DeBeers with
helicopters, camp catering, fuel, dynamite and other supplies.
Many of those businesses are owned by the band.

Let’s be clear, what’s going on in the Northern Ontario First Nation of Attawapiskat is awful – the attempted suicides, the suicide pacts, the decrepit housing and foul water, the chronic unemployment, substance abuse and general despair.

But let’s be equally clear: a legion of government social workers flown in from down south, visits by consoling cabinet ministers, emergency Parliamentary debates and a few barge loads more of taxpayer dollars aren’t going to make an ounce of difference. Because the problem is neither lack of government nor lack of other people’s money.

Koh-i-noor: India says it should not claim priceless diamond from UK (BBC.com – April 19, 2016)

April 19, 2016

http://www.bbc.com/

The Indian government has told the Supreme Court that it should not try to reclaim the priceless Koh-i-noor diamond from Britain.

The gemstone came into British hands in the mid-19th Century, and forms part of the Crown Jewels on display at the Tower of London. Ownership of the famous gem is an emotional issue for many Indians, who believe it was stolen by the British. But the solicitor-general said it was “neither stolen nor forcibly taken”.

Ranjit Kumar said the 105-carat diamond had been “gifted” to the East India company by the former rulers of Punjab in 1849. The case is being heard by the Supreme Court after an Indian NGO filed a petition asking the court to direct the Indian government to bring back the diamond.

Mugabe looks to nationalize Zimbabwe’s diamond industry – by Enu Afolayan (Africa Middle East.com – April 19, 2016)

April 19, 2016

http://africa-me.com/

Zimbabwe’s longtime President, Robert Mugabe, has announced the state will seize all of the nation’s diamond mines.

Zimbabwe’s controversial President, Robert Mugabe, has announced a massive change to the country’s diamond mining industry, in that all assets will now be state owned. In a move that is a throwback to his socialist roots, Mugabe claims that foreign mining companies have profiteered for too long off one of the nation’s most valuable commodities and he will ensure that the nation now reaps the rewards from its diamonds.

Mugabe gave an interview in early March to the state broadcaster ZBC, during which he expressed his anger at what he sees as foreign companies plundering Zimbabwe for a precious, natural resource.

GET ENGAGED: How to propose with an engagement diamond as rock-solid as your ethical values – by Jenni Avins (Quartz – April 14, 2016)

April 14, 2016

http://qz.com/

Few purchases are as fraught as a diamond engagement ring. Frequently the most expensive accessory we ever buy, engagement rings carry the totemic weight of representing one’s love and commitment, and are meant to be timeless in their perfection as we gaze upon them forevermore.

And yet, although the sellers of those diamond rings can rhapsodize endlessly over a ring’s design and the cut, clarity, color, and carat size of the rock inside it, it’s rare that they disclose that diamond’s origins.

This despite the relatively common knowledge that diamonds have helped finance unspeakable violence in war-torn countries, lined the pockets of corrupt billionaires, and wreaked environmental havoc all over the world.

All that said, many of us still want diamonds.

Status quo for First Nations isn’t working – by Christina Blizzard (Toronto Sun – April 13, 2016)

April 14, 2016

http://www.torontosun.com/

TORONTO – I’m grateful former prime minister Jean Chretien mused this week that people in Attawapiskat should move.

Asked about the state of emergency over a spate of suicides in the beleaguered James Bay first nation, Chretien, who once served as what was then called Indian Affairs minister, said: “People have to move sometimes. It’s desirable to stay if they want to stay but it’s not always possible.”

That struck a chord with me because earlier this week, provincial Aboriginal Affairs Minister David Zimmer had waxed on about the terrible conditions in Attawapiskat — the despair, the isolation, the lack of economic opportunity. I asked Zimmer the obvious question: Is the community sustainable? He got quite huffy.

“These communities have lived in the remotes in Attawapiskat and other places in the far north for thousands of years,” he said.

World’s Once-Biggest Gem Field Idle as $13 Billion Said Gone – by Godfrey Marawanyika (Bloomberg News – April 13, 2016)

April 13, 2016

http://www.bloomberg.com/

At Zimbabwe’s biggest diamond field, cattle that strayed through a sagging fence graze unattended near idled dump trucks and conveyors as police stop and check visitors’ vehicles for clearance.

Security forces and state-owned Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Co. on Feb. 22 took over the deposits in Marange, the biggest source of diamonds by volume in 2013, according to industry analyst Paul Zimnisky.

The seizure came as President Robert Mugabe said that illicit trade in the stones has cost the economy, which has halved in size since 2000 as farm seizures slashed crop exports, more than $13 billion. The nation is the world’s biggest platinum producer after South Africa and also has chrome, gold and iron ore.

‘Shocked the world’: Suicide crisis at Attawapiskat reverberates in rare emergency debate – by John Ward (National Post – April 13, 2016)

April 13, 2016

http://news.nationalpost.com/

The Canadian Press – OTTAWA — The misery and neglect at the root of a suicide crisis on a remote northern First Nation has “shocked the world,” an NDP MP said Tuesday as the cascading tragedy in Attiwapiskat reverberated on the floor of the House of Commons.

No one can understand “how a country as rich as Canada can leave so many young children and young people behind,” said Charlie Angus, whose sprawling northern Ontario riding includes the deeply troubled and isolated aboriginal community.

“Will this minister commit to a total overhaul to ensure that every child in this country has the mental health supports that they need to have hope and a positive future?

De Beers’s diamond sales sparkle – by Allan Seccombe (Business Day – April 13, 2016)

April 13, 2016

http://www.bdlive.co.za/

DE BEERS, an Anglo American subsidiary, has notched up its third consecutive increase in rough diamond sales, with analysts forecasting a better-than-expected performance from what will be a major business in the Anglo stable.

Anglo has told the market it will focus on just 16 mines in diamonds, platinum, and copper, cutting its portfolio of 55 assets, as it strives to make inroads into about $13bn of debt, a number it wants to more than halve within four years.

De Beers, the world’s largest rough diamond producer by value, has undertaken a number of measures to correct a damaging market imbalance, with the cutting and polishing segment clogged with rough diamonds, a situation exacerbated by subdued diamond jewellery demand last year.

NIRB says no to Nunavut diamond project (Nunatsiaq News – April 7, 2016)

April 7, 2016

http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/

Project should be “modified or abandoned,” review board says

The Nunavut Impact Review Board has recommended a diamond exploration project in the Kivalliq region be revised or scrapped due to local social and environmental concerns.

“The project has the potential to result in unacceptable adverse ecosystemic and socio-economic impacts,” the NIRB said in a screening decision issued April 4.

On its proposed Kahuna Diamond Project, located about 54 kilometres northeast of Rankin Inlet and 35 km southwest of Chesterfield Inlet, Dunnedin Ventures Inc. planned to conduct year-round diamond exploration from March 2016 to March 2018.

BLOOD DIAMOND: India has to choose between saving its tigers or becoming one of the largest diamond producers – by Manu Balachandran and Madhura Karnik (Quartz India – March 30, 2016)

March 31, 2016

http://qz.com/

India has a tough choice to make. Will it be a Rs20,520 crore ($3 billion) diamond mining project or one of the world’s most beautiful wild beasts and nearly 1,000 hectares of pristine forest with other exotic flora and fauna?

For close to a decade, this question has riled decision-makers in the country as they have weighed the pros and cons of letting Rio Tinto, one of the world’s largest mining companies, look for diamonds under the Chhatarpur forests in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Now, India’s forest advisory committee—a statutory body in charge of environmental clearance—is deliberating the proposal to award the final clearance. Once the committee gives its final say, the environment ministry seldom rejects those recommendations.

[Canada] Another world class diamond discovery? – by Marc Davis (BNW News/Mineweb.com – March 28, 2016)

March 29, 2016

http://www.mineweb.com/

There have been no significant discoveries for a while.

Finding a multi-billion dollar diamond discovery is something that geologist Buddy Doyle dreams of every day. For well over a decade, it’s been his obsession.

But it would be foolish to dismiss him as a self-deluded wishful thinker. History bears testament to him being quite the opposite. Which is because he’s done it all before, unearthing a rich diamond deposit — that became the Diavik mine — in Canada’s far north, while still a relatively youthful up-and-comer. This is when he was exploration manager for Kennecott Canada Exploration Inc. — a subsidiary of the world’s biggest mining company, Rio Tinto plc.

Within weeks, we’ll know if Doyle can do it again. And he likes his odds, even though they’re still a long shot at best. Now in his 50s, he’s far shrewder and scientifically savvier than the first time around, he points out.

Diamond traders ‘in shock’ following Brussels attacks – by Editor (Mining.com – March 22, 2016)

March 22, 2016

http://www.mining.com/

As authorities locked down the Belgian capital after explosions rocked the Brussels airport and subway system early Tuesday, killing at least 34 people and injuring many more, the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) expressed its horror at events.

In an e-mailed statement, the WFDB sent its condolences to the families of the people killed in the bombings, wishing those injured a speedy recovery.

“It was with enormous shock that I heard about the bombings in Brussels,” said “As many thousands of members of the diamond industry around the world, I have passed through the departure halls of Brussels Zaventem airport scores of times as I left Belgium after meetings or business in Antwerp,” WFDB President Ernie Blom said.

People’s Democratic Party: Mugabe Must Step Down Over Missing $15 Billion Diamond Revenue – by Gibbs Dube (Voice of America Zimbabwe – March 17, 2016)

March 18, 2016

http://www.voazimbabwe.com/

WASHINGTON DC— The alleged looting of potential diamond revenue, estimated by President Robert Mugabe to be about $15 billion, has caused a stir in the country with opposition parties urging the 92 year old Zimbabwean leader to step down.

Opposition parties claim that Mr. Mugabe’s colleagues, some top state security officials and people linked to the ruling party should be held responsible for the suspected looting of the diamonds, which was once highlighted in 2012 by Partnership Africa Canada.

Partnership Canada alleged that at least $2 billion worth of diamonds were stolen from the country’s diamond fields and ended up in the pockets of President Mugabe’s ruling elite. The same allegations were once made by former Finance Minister Tendai Biti.

Then Mines Minister Obert Mpofu dismissed these allegations as wishful thinking.