Ben Farmer

5 days ago | yahoo.com | Ben Farmer

The ceasefire between India and Pakistan that the world was hoping for has arrived. Now will it hold? After four days of trading air strikes, missiles and drones, the adversaries agreed to halt their hostilities on Saturday afternoon. Donald Trump, the US president, praised their “common sense and great intelligence”, and David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, said the halt was “hugely welcome”. But the relief will be short-lived if the truce does not last.

6 days ago | telegraph.co.uk | Ben Farmer

In the hours immediately after the ceasefire was supposed to come into effect, there were unsettling reports of explosions in Srinagar and Jammu in Indian-administered Kashmir, followed by a blackout in the two cities. The cause of the explosions was not immediately known. There were also reports of continued shelling across the contested line of control.

6 days ago | finance.yahoo.com | Ben Farmer

Former Botswana president Mokgweetsi Masisi holding the largest ever diamond discovered in the country last year - MONIRUL BHUIYAN When Botswana last year unveiled the second-largest diamond ever excavated, the country’s now former president was quick to pose with the fist-sized gem. Mokgweetsi Masisi no doubt hoped some sparkle from the 2,492-carat stone would rub off on his beleaguered administration and the mining industry that keeps Botswana afloat.

6 days ago | telegraph.co.uk | Ben Farmer

Yet they are grown in a matter of days in laboratories, rather than formed over geological ages deep in the earth. As a result, they are a fraction of the price, allowing consumers to buy diamond jewellery for less, or get a much bigger stone for the same money. Advocates also argue they are more ethical, because they avoid the environmental and human rights issues that have at times haunted the mining industry.

1 week ago | aol.co.uk | Ben Farmer

A radical far-Left South African politician has accused Britain of trying to silence him by denying him a visa to speak at Cambridge University. Julius Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party who is renowned for his anti-West stance, had been due to speak at an Africa-themed university event on Saturday, but said he had been told his visa application had been unsuccessful.