Diamonds are symbols of wealth, elegance and love around the world. But in several African nations, they have been a means to power, a reason to terrorize millions of innocent civilians, and may have even helped finance some of the world’s most brutal terrorists. The human cost of the illicit global diamond trade is examined in the provocative documentary.

Because they are portable, easily concealed, and untraceable, diamonds lend themselves to smuggling and corruption. In several underdeveloped African nations, warlords have used diamonds to help finance wars, while the rest of the world has turned a blind eye. Rebel armies have forced tens of thousands of people to mine diamonds in brutal, dangerous conditions under the threat of death, their pay as paltry as a cup of rice per day. In Sierra Leone, rebels chopped off people’s hands, arms, feet, lips, and ears indiscriminately for years during a civil war financed in part by the trade of illicit diamonds.

BLOOD DIAMONDS looks to some of the world’s foremost experts for the facts of the history of the diamond trade, and goes to the heart of the matter, interviewing both the victims and perpetrators of diamond-fueled atrocities in countries like Sierra Leone. One such victim is Usman Conteh. Captured by rebels in Sierra Leone’s Kono district, Usman was forced to mine diamonds for rebels – diamonds the rebels then sold or traded for arms. After months in captivity, Usman escaped only to find rebels had murdered his family.

The documentary explores the factors that led to the violence, tells the vivid details of the suffering, and speaks with the organizations that eventually exposed the link between diamonds and several brutal African conflicts. BLOOD DIAMONDS also looks at the steps eventually taken by advocacy organizations and the diamond industry to combat the problem.

 The president of the poverty-ravaged African state of Gabon has been slammed for spending $123million on a lavish townhouse in Paris.

Ali-Ben Bongo Ondimba, 51, has bought a sprawling 48,000 sq ft mansion on an acre of land in the heart of the French capital.

The 14-bedroom property on the upmarket rue de l'Universite also includes a heated swimming pool, jacuzzi, seven parking spaces and a tennis court.

In Gabon – where the average income is just $17 a day – most families live in one-room shacks.

Although the west African state is one of the continent's more prosperous nations due to its oil reserves, most of the population still live in poverty.

Gabon's opposition website, Bongo Must Quit, said: 'The president has squandered tens of millions by claiming this new mansion will serve to reduce the hotel costs for Ali-Ben Bongo and his official delegations.

'This is public money that should have been used for housing projects at home, not on palaces in Paris.'

Opponents in Gabon have persistently accused the Bongo family of running the country as their private property.

Opposition leaders denounced his son's election last year as a fraud, saying that the poll had been fixed in order to ensure a dynastic succession.

French newspaper Le Canard Enchaine said the president 'had apparently inherited his interest in luxury property' from his father Omar Bongo, who was investigated for embezzling public funds before his death in 2009.

The paper said: 'President Bongo even made a gesture towards good governance and transparency when he bought his Paris home by announcing the purchase in his own country.

'He just omitted to reveal either the address or the price.'

 PARIS (AP)—Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o is so angry at criticism by former great Roger Milla that he is threatening to walk out on his teammates before the World Cup.

Milla, who thrilled fans with some dazzling goals and quirky celebrations in helping Cameroon reach the 1990 World Cup quarterfinals, claimed Eto’o “still hasn’t brought anything to our national team” when meeting reporters Friday.

Eto’o is Cameroon’s all-time leading scorer and has won the Champions League three times—twice with Barcelona and last week with Inter Milan.

“Is it worth me going to the World Cup? I still have a few days left to think, but I will see if it’s important for me to participate because I don’t need this (criticism) in my career,” Eto’o said on Canal Plus television late Friday. “It’s always just before the (major) tournaments that the old geezers wake up. What’s Milla done? He hasn’t won the World Cup, they played in the quarterfinals.”

Milla was 38 when he scored four goals in the 1990 World Cup, dancing around the corner flag after each one with a big grin in the days when goal celebrations were not commonplace.

Milla also scored in the 1994 World Cup—Cameroon’s consolation goal after getting thrashed 6-1 by Russia—to become the tournament’s oldest scorer.

Eto’o said he respects Milla as a player, but he was helped by having better players around him in 1990.

“They had one of the best teams with great players in every department. It’s not because they became famous at 40, that they can start talking,” Eto’o said. “You end up asking yourself: Are these my people? Are these really my people?”

Milla’s 28 goals in 102 games is well below Eto’o’s 44 in 94 games for Cameroon, and Eto’o is also the African Cup of Nations all-time leading scorer.

Milla’s modest club career took him to Monaco, Bastia, Saint-Etienne and Montpellier where he scored regularly but did not have the success Eto’o has enjoyed.

In a prolific time with Barcelona, Eto’o scored 108 league goals in 145 games and won the Spanish league title and was also La Liga’s top scorer.

Eto’o scored far fewer goals for Inter this season, but showed versatility by adapting his game to play in a more defensive, wide role out on the right under coach Jose Mourinho.

Inter also won the league title and the Italian Cup, with Eto’o performing well in the Champions League.

 A South African opera singer chosen by Nelson Mandela to perform at the World Cup opening ceremony has died from meningitis, his record label has said.

Siphiwo Ntshebe, 34, was admitted to hospital in Port Elizabeth last week and died on Tuesday, Epic Records said.

He was due to perform his new track Hope at the opening ceremony in Johannesburg on June 11.

Epic boss Nick Raphael said Ntshebe’s death was “a tragedy for all those who believe in the power of music”.

“He had a truly wondrous voice and his music was unique in its melodies and its messages of hope and compassion,” he added.

Epic said Hope was “a soaring track”, featuring “a special message of hope and compassion” written and spoken by Mr Mandela.

The track, and an album of the same name, were due to be released to coincide with the World Cup.

Epic said no final decision had been taken on whether the releases would go ahead but that Ntshebe’s family wanted his music “to be heard by as wide an audience as possible”.

Opening ceremony producer Lebo M said Ntshebe was “a true South Africa World Cup legacy, gone too soon”.

“May his spirit lead us to 11 June 2010. May his soul rest in peace and may Siphiwo’s spirit of hope centre us all,” he added.

The BBC’s Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg says Ntshebe was relatively unknown in South Africa – his appearance at the World Cup opening ceremony would have introduced him to a much wider audience in his home country.

Ntshebe, who studied at London’s Royal College of Music between 2004 and 2007, had performed throughout Europe.

Mr Mandela had previously praised the tenor as “a young South African with so much talent that has, despite challenges of the past, chosen to work hard at a better future”.

Just when the dust razed by the Tiko market fire disaster was settled and the tears on the cheeks of the victims was drying up and the traders still to get used to the new market situation, the Tiko council is up with their market tolls.

On re-introducing the old daily market sales ticket of FCFA 100 recently, the women around the St. Joseph Catholic Church area stood up like one woman and resisted the tax move with outright confronted with the tax collectors.

Quizzed as to why the confrontation, most of the women said the council has failed in its promises to come to the aid of the women. From the genesis of the crisis up to date, the women said, most of them loose huge property from either the fire or looters who came as helpers and the bail-out scheme proposed by the mayor is yet to reach them.

As for promises, the women said, the mayor, Richard Tita Fombon, assured them of western assistance and prayed on them to be patient. The mayor is also reported to have told the market women with certainty how foreign bodies were ready to dispatch aid to the fire victims.

Life had just resurfaced with the women in the food market as they were struggling to grapple with old and new debts to get started. The pressure from financial institutions for the women to reconcile their debts was still high on them when the council alighted with a scheme not to salvage the women but to drown them further. The council move, it is said, started like a joke as early one morning the market women were greeted by a team from the council which stormed the market site with daily tax tickets.

The surprise is reported to have been huge but the response from the women was spontaneous and collective. The women muscled with the tax collectors and though the atmosphere was noisy and unwelcoming, the women registered day one success and pushed the council workers back to their premises.

Victory for the women was short-lived as day two saw the women in front of a more robust and determined council. Though, the council succeeded in having its way, the casualties are said to have been high. Scars of bitterness and anger still linger on in the Tiko food market.

Today, the atmosphere between the market women and the council toll collectors is tensed and unhealthy. The situation has been further worsened by the absence of toilet facilities to carter for the natural urges of the traders. The nearby land lords have sealed their toilets and prevented the traders from using them.

“There is a big sanitary and hygiene problem in the food market which must be arrested fast”, a health expert commented.

As a food market, it defeats its purpose if the common sights of excreta and flowing urine persist as one jump from one stand to another or from one market table to another. Unbelievable but true is the accompanying swamp of flies that leads you along your market tour. Perhaps the commentator who described the Tiko food market as a potential health hazard zone is not wrong.