ZIMBABWE DIAMONDS "STILL BLOODY"

Global Witness, the human rights watchdog, has warned that the Kimberley Process, the scheme that is meant to certify diamonds, could be funding political violence in Zimbabwe.
The Marange diamond fields are among the richest in the world.

They've been widely linked to human rights abuses and have reportedly been a source of revenue to win support for President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF party.
Now a report by Global Witness claims that by turning a blind eye to alleged abuses, the Kimberley Process has effectively condoned a system that has swapped military control of the diamond fields to the establishment of joint venture companies.
These companies allegedly break Zimbabwean law and reinforce a system of patronage which Global Witness claims "facilitates state looting".
An investigation into the joint venture companies revealed a lack of transparency and also the presence of dubious individuals who've been arrested in the past for diamond smuggling.