Andrew Gregory – THE HAGUE – Supermodel Naomi Campbell swapped texts with war lord Charles Taylor hours before his men gave her “blood diamonds”, a court heard yesterday. The supermodel’s embittered ex-agent Carole White claimed she received three or four updates, telling her when the precious stones were due. But under cross-examination, Ms White, 60, admitted she could not be sure who was texting Ms Campbell, 40. She was then accused of telling “a complete pack of lies” to smear Ms Campbell, whom she is suing for breach of contract. She was also forced to deny making up claims that... Continue Reading
By Russell Simons –I am not in and have never been in the diamond mining business, I am in the jewelry business. My involvement in the diamond business is to help bring greater support around education initiatives for Africans and is a non-profit, philanthropic initiative. I do not profit from my efforts around education for Africans. I do not make money from Africa. I make money for Africa. Below is the full response that Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Governing Board Co-President, Diamond Empowerment Fund and I did for an interview with the Atlanta Post. Can you explain how you came to... Continue Reading
By Novell Zwange – The recent story about Swaziland’s King Mswati III who reportedly threw the country’s Justice Minister into jail after he was caught in bed with the monarch’s 12th wife, makes some interesting reading. Former Miss Teen beauty contestant Mswati Nothando Dube was allegedly discovered in a tryst with the married man who is a friend of her husband’s last weekend. The 22-year-old royal and minister Ndumiso Mamba were said to be found at the lavish Royal Villas hotel in a town near Mbabane. Mr. Mamba was then taken to prison on the king’s orders, while Mswati is allegedly... Continue Reading
By Emeka Umejei (NIGERIA) – The 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa may have come and gone, but its impact on the economy and people of Nelson Mandela’s country will remain evergreen. This is especially the case with the South West Township (Soweto), a suburb of Johannesburg that stood out remarkably as a ghetto city during the Apartheid era in the country. In it, the World Cup has succeeded in giving boost to many budding entrepreneurs. On a visit to Soweto during the last FIFA World Cup recently held in South Africa, it became evident that transformation had... Continue Reading
By Kwapi V – There comes a turning point with every nation and civilization where the status quo has to be re-invented; for one society it was at the point when prisoner number 46664 was released from Robben Island and for another it was when a wall that stood between East Berlin and West Berlin was torn down; for a race it was that moment when a man said “I Have a Dream” and for a way of life it was when an openly gay man was elected into public office in the state of California. The precipice is that... Continue Reading
