Month: April 2024

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Gaborone — Botswana’s diamond trade is on the rise despite industry uncertainty over efforts to sanction Russian stones. De Beers has relocated its auctions headquarters from Singapore to Botswana, while the secretariat of the Kimberley Process, a trade regime that certifies rough diamond exports to eliminate trade in conflict gems, also moved to the African nation.

De Beers, which has a long-standing sales agreement with Botswana, sells 10 percent of its diamonds through auctions.

De Beers’ Executive Vice President Paul Rowley said the relocation of its auctions office is part of an effort to streamline its business operations and facilitate the further development of Botswana’s diamond sector.

“The auction platform coming across, it will bring some additional customers and also auction sales will also enable us sell to small players and perhaps some Botswana nationals will be able to register and engage in that platform. That will be very exciting from that perspective,” he said.

The relocation comes as the diamond industry reels from effects of a traceability initiative introduced by the Group of Seven leading industrialized countries, or G7, in a bid to sanction Russian diamonds.

Under the arrangement, all diamonds entering G7 markets are routed through Antwerp, Belgium, to ascertain their origin.

The tracking system, however, has caused disruptions to the supply chain, according to Rowley.

“Obviously there have been the G7 issues in the past few months. We continue to work closely with the G7 and try to find a solution that works for the industry as well as for the G7. We obviously all support [Russian] sanctions; it’s absolutely understandable. What we are concerned about are the unintended consequences of perhaps having a single node, which we think is very inappropriate,” he said.

The relocation of De Beers’ auctions office coincides with the Kimberley Process secretariat commencing its operations in Botswana. 

The Kimberley Process is a global initiative by the diamond industry to eliminate trade in conflict gems.

In mid-May, the Kimberley Process will hold its intersessional meeting in Dubai, where the G7’s tracking system is expected to come under intense debate.

The G7 countries and Russia are all members of the Kimberley Process. 

World Diamond Council President Feriel Zerouki told VOA that the G7 traceability scheme needs to be reviewed.

“The WDC believes that mechanisms for assuring a diamond’s provenance should be efficient, effective and equitable. However, we don’t believe that the approach of a single Antwerp entry point meets this test. Antwerp is not the source of any diamonds, so it’s basically not the best place to certify where a diamond has originated from,” she said.

Botswana’s minister of minerals, Lefoko Moagi, meanwhile, hailed the establishment of the Kimberley Process secretariat in Gaborone.

“The Kimberley Process is an international and multi-stakeholder organization whereby we aim to increase ethical conduct in diamond trade and to prevent conflict diamonds from entering legitimate trade in rough diamonds. Therefore, this is very key for us; we will protect our diamonds with everything that we have,” said Moagi.

Botswana is the world’s second-largest producer of diamonds after Russia and is leading calls for the G7 traceability initiative to be revised.

Give us 5 minutes, and we’ll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

The University of Florida declared that it is “not a daycare,” in response to the arrests of anti-genocide campus protestors. Nine students were arrested Monday evening by the University of Florida Police Department and Florida Highway Patrol after students set up their encampment at the university’s plaza, last Wednesday, in an act of solidarity with Gazans and other student demonstrators across the U.S.

Charges against students varied from failure to obey a lawful command, resisting without violence, to trespassing after warning. One student was also charged with battery on a law enforcement officer after allegedly spitting on one. The Plaza of the Americas has a history of being used as a site of demonstrations and rallies that date back to the fight against segregation in the ‘70s. It has since been used to bring attention tofor other social justice issues, many times over, and functions as a “free speech zone,” per the university’s library site.

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“For many days, we have patiently told protesters — many of whom are outside agitators — that they were able to exercise their right to free speech and free assembly,” said Steve Orlando, a spokesperson for the University of Florida, in a statement. “For days UPD patiently and consistently reiterated the rules. Today, individuals who refused to comply were arrested after UPD gave multiple warnings and multiple opportunities to comply.”

The university’s Division of Student Life shared a list of prohibited items and activities, which includes: no sleeping, no amplified sound, no unmanned signs, no building structures—meaning chairs, tables, benches, etc. are not allowed—, no camping, no pillow, no tents, no sleeping bags, etc., according to a flier shared with TIME. Failure to abide by these stipulations could lead to a three-year trespass warning, meaning they are not allowed on University of Florida properties, and suspension from the school. Employees could face termination. 

“The arrests that happened yesterday [Monday] underscore how our organizing has become a political point for our governor and other elected officials to make an example out of our students who have the audacity to call for a permanent ceasefire,” Cameron Driggers, a freshman student organizer with the University of Florida Divest Coalition, tells TIME. “It’s just increasingly egregious that such a trivial and peaceful protest has been treated this way.”

Driggers says that interactions with police reached a high tension point on Monday, but adds that students have been confused by the ever-changing rules made by officers and the administration. “A lot of these things actually aren’t even in writing on the letter but [have] just kind of been added spontaneously by police officers. The communication with them has been vague and often contradictory. So on any given day, it’s a different set of rules that we need to abide by if we’re not to be violently arrested,” Driggers claims. He says that around 30-40 troopers came in to remove chairs from the encampment Monday evening. At least three students who were arrested were seated in chairs, per the Tampa Bay Times.

Still, students have remained firm in their actions. Driggers says that organizers have set up night and day shifts at the encampment. And during the day, regular programming includes interfaith prayers between Jewish and Muslim students and discussions about the history between Israel and Palestine. 

Driggers is the executive director of the Florida Youth Action Fund, which is currently working to gather funds to bail students who were arrested.

The protests are taking place as students balance end of term assignments and tests, with the last day of final exams set to take place on May 3. 

“I think that is another example that underscores how passionate people are about this issue,” Driggers says. “This is a movement of students who are marginalized and because of that fact many of us depend on financial aid, merit-based scholarships, to pay for their shelter, to access the U.S. healthcare, to get food all of which the university is holding over our heads to easily enforce compliance.”

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Eight years ago, the final Saturday before the Iowa caucuses brought forward all of the contradictions and chaos of then-reality star Donald Trump’s candidacy for the presidency. We stood in a chilly airplane hangar in Dubuque as the score from and Trump’s private 757 did a flyby. After an outdoor series of attacks against Sen. Ted Cruz—his chief rival at the time—and a 90-minute drive south, we were settling into the red-velvet theater seats of the Adler Theater in Davenport for a friendly Q&A sessions between Trump and his most unlikely of endorsers, then-Liberty University President Jerry Fallwell, Jr. In a nod to just how surreal the whole weekend had become, vendors had buckets of popcorn available, as if the first leg of the Republican presidential primary were on the level with a circus or county fair.

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That January day, we all thought we were watching a sideshow and not the main event. And when the thrice-married New York playboy who had years earlier proclaimed himself pro-choice was now promising to nominate judges who would overturn Roe v. Wade, there were plenty of people who didn’t believe him.

Trump spent the next four years proving those doubters wrong. As President, he pushed Congress to pass a 20-week abortion ban and appointed scores of anti-abortion judges, including three justices to the Supreme Court who made the end of Roe possible. For years now, many have assumed Trump supports finishing what he started, and restricting abortion access across the country.  

But that’s not where Trump’s position lies anymore. 

Flash forward to this month for the latest chapter of our collective struggle in understanding Trump and Trumpism, thanks to an exclusive interview between Trump and TIME’s Eric Cortallessa. The whole interview—and accompanying cover story—is worth the considered read, but one part cannot help but stand out. It’s an argument that seems to come from a different person than the man speaking on stage during that frigid weekend in western Iowa, but it’s what the undisputed leader of the Republican Party now says he believes: on abortion, Trump is now a nihilist.

Put simply: The current patchwork system in which every state’s abortion policy is different is exactly how things should remain in Trump’s mind. That state of affairs is bound to leave both supporters of reproductive rights unsatisfied as well as those who view terminating a pregnancy at any stage as tantamount to murder. In Trump 2.0’s America, red states gonna red state; blue states gonna blue.

TIME: The Life at Conception Act would grant full legal rights to embryos, included in their 2025 budget proposal. Is that your position?

Trump: I’m leaving everything up to the states. The states are going to be different. Some will say yes. Some will say no. Texas is different than Ohio.

TIME: Would you veto that bill?
Trump: I don’t have to do anything about vetoes, because we now have it back in the states.

Later in the interview, Eric pressed Trump on red states taking even more restrictive measures to prevent abortion access, like tracking pregnancies. Trump’s response was militantly laissez faire: “I think they might do that.” What about states prosecuting pregnant persons who defy an abortion ban? Trump said, “It’s irrelevant whether I’m comfortable or not. It’s totally irrelevant, because the states are going to make those decisions.”

Trump’s latest position is not all that dissimilar to how states have limits on gun rights or require car insurance. Trump and his advisers have decided that deep-red states should be free to enact a total ban on abortions if that is what they want, while allowing true-blue states to provide the procedure to their own whims. Basically, it’s a choose-your-own-future landscape that is defined by geography more than circumstance.

One area where Trump can’t completely cede taking a position to states is abortion medication, which is regulated on the federal level and accounts for roughly two-thirds of terminated pregnancies. Trump initially punted on the issue, promising Eric an answer in 14 days. More than two weeks later, Eric asked Trump again about that in a phone call, and he punted again. 

Perhaps Trump has always been this indifferent to this most hot-button of issues and only in pursuit of the drama. He seldom seemed to believe even his harshest rhetoric on reproductive rights. ​​As a candidate, he at one point supported punishing pregnant individuals who defy abortion bans, and then immediately backtracked, saying only going after the healthcare professionals who provide the procedure. Now, he’s suggesting that, under his watch, the federal government would get out of the abortion regime altogether. Yet Trump’s allies, many of whom belong to groups preparing to help staff his administration, are not on board with Trump’s new position, and are likely to push for an approach like Trump’s first term—nominating anti-abortion judges and instituting regulations that reduced access to the procedure. Notably, Eric couldn’t exactly pin down Trump on what he would do if a federal abortion ban reached his Oval Office desk.

TIME: So just to be clear, then: You won’t commit to vetoing the bill if there’s federal restrictions—federal abortion restrictions?

Trump: I won’t have to commit to it because it’ll never—number one, it’ll never happen. Number two, it’s about states’ rights. You don’t want to go back into the federal government. This was all about getting out of the federal government.

Eric’s whole interview is worth the read because it gives a tangible, in-Trump’s-own-words playbook of what a second term would mean for America and the world. But the sections about abortion rights in particular is illuminating because it shows just how little culpability Trump is willing to take for the new abortion patchwork his justices created, or how little he seems interested in either going back to an era when abortion rights were protected, or moving to implement a national ban.

Against that by-definition-uneven playing field, Trump is now seemingly content to lean back in his armchair and watch states divvy up which of them will be providers of abortion and which will be a dessert for the procedure. It’s a remarkably passive posture for someone who fancies himself the center of every circus tent.

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As hate crimes continue to surge locally and nationwide, Mayor Eric Adams announced Tuesday a new curriculum designed to teach public school students all about bias incidents in NYC and beyond. 

“Teaching About Hate Crimes and their Impact” is a series of hate-crime focused lessons that teach students in grades six to 12 about hate crimes, bias and their impact on individuals and communities. 

The city’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes (OPHC), along with the Department of Education (DOE), partnered with Facing History and Ourselves, an organization that fights hate and bias, to develop the new curriculum and provide training for teachers. 

“Our children are at a breaking point, and investing in programming that fosters a greater understanding of diversity and the importance of inclusion is an important way to dam one of the many rivers that feeds the sea of hate,” Adams said. “Despite the uptick in hate crimes we are seeing across the city and nation, whether it be against someone’s religion, culture, gender, sexual orientation, or anything else, we know that New York City is the greatest city in the world because of our extensive diversity.”

Hate crimes in NYC

According to governmental data, New York City saw 136 incidents of hate crimes between Jan. 1 and March 31 of this year, as well as 47 arrests in the same time period. Many of these crimes included assaults based on religion and ethnicity. 

Zeroing in on March, compared to March 2023, the total number of bias incidents investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force across the five boroughs increased by 27 incidents, according to police data. 

Last week, the NYPD said it is investigating two hate crimes in Manhattan, including one near Columbia University that involved a flag-burning and assault.

Antisemitic incidents across the city, meanwhile, have escalated since the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks upon Israel, and the resulting war with Hamas in Gaza.

Teaching about hate crimes in NYC is a mandate in public schools

The new education initiative includes five lessons that the city said will  “empower educators to enrich students’ understanding of diversity, sharpen critical thinking skills, and foster a culture of increased civic engagement, all of which are crucial skills for instilling social responsibility.”

Students will learn to identify motives and behaviors that cause hate crimes, examine the impacts of current hate crime trends on communities, and design initiatives that promote inclusion and collective action.

According to a press release, the city legislatively mandates the OPHC to produce a hate crime curriculum for schools. Facing History & Ourselves has trained DOE’s educators on the hate crime curriculum with more training opportunities forthcoming over the next year. 

“Hate has no home in our schools, and we are proud to partner with the OPHC in the fight against bigotry,” Schools Chancellor David Banks said. “We are educating our youth about the dangers of hate both to meet this challenging moment in our world and to build a brighter future for us all.”

Facing History and Ourselves will regularly reexamine these lessons with the OPHC to offer updates and keep them current, the city said. 

“With bigotry and hate on the rise across the globe, including right here in our own community, it is more important than ever that we give teachers and students the tools to discuss these difficult topics in a thoughtful way,” said Pam Haas, executive director of Facing History & Ourselves. 

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New Edition’s 2024 Las Vegas residency will continue until November.

Invision/AP

New Edition’s Las Vegas residency is still going strong through 2024, though only a few tour dates remain. Luckily, the iconic music group has added additional tour dates and there are a few different ways to buy New Edition tickets.

New Edition began their residency at the Encore Theater in Las Vegas in February, with their stay ultimately being extended through November. After their original six shows, New Edition added two more legs for this year for a total of 10 more concert dates. Performing on their 2024 concert tour are group members Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant, Johnny Gill, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe, who sing their classic hits like “Candy Girl,” “Cool It Now,” and “If It Isn’t Love.”

If you’re still looking for how to buy tickets to New Edition’s concerts, we’ve got you covered. Here’s our breakdown of the R&B group’s tour schedule, purchasing details, and ticket prices. You can also browse tickets and show specifics on StubHub and Vivid Seats at your leisure.

New Edition 2024 tour schedule

All six members of New Edition are returning for the remainder of the group’s Las Vegas residency, which kicks off on July 3. It features seven shows from July 3 to July 13 in Las Vegas, with the third leg picking back up for three additional concert dates in October and November.

The group is also appearing at the Cincinnati Music Festival in July.

All concert times are listed in local time zones.

Date	City	StubHub prices	Vivid Seats prices	Time
July 3	Las Vegas, NV	$200	$203	8 p.m.
July 5	Las Vegas, NV	$165	$167	8 p.m.
July 6	Las Vegas, NV	$244	$245	8 p.m.
July 10	Las Vegas, NV	$224	$203	8 p.m.
July 12	Las Vegas, NV	$234	$218	8 p.m.
July 13	Las Vegas, NV	$258	$253	8 p.m.
July 27	Cincinnati, OH	$72	$73	7:30 p.m.
October 30	Las Vegas, NV	$220	$235	8 p.m.
November 1	Las Vegas, NV	$232	$250	8 p.m.
November 2	Las Vegas, NV	$204	$278	8 p.m.

How to buy tickets for New Edition’s 2024 concert tour

You can buy original tickets for New Edition’s 2024 Las Vegas residency concert dates and music festival appearance on Ticketmaster. However, since the residency extension shows went on sale in March 2024, the quantity of remaining original tickets is limited.

Tickets can also be purchased from verified resale vendors like StubHub and Vivid Seats. You may have better luck with the variety of seating options and availability on resale sites compared to the original tickets still left.

It’s also important to note that New Edition’s shows at the Encore Theater in Las Vegas only permit concertgoers ages 18 and up — so be sure to bring your ID to get into the group’s residency performances.

How much are New Edition’s tickets?

Given the high demand for the group’s remaining Las Vegas residency shows, tickets to see New Edition in 2024 are relatively expensive. Furthermore, ticket prices vary depending on each show’s concert date and demand. Resale ticket prices are comparable to or cheaper than original ticket costs.

The cheapest original ticket prices on Ticketmaster begin at $175 for New Edition’s Las Vegas shows on October 30 and November 1. The least expensive seats are generally in the left or right mezzanine. However, most other dates with remaining original tickets are a bit more costly, with the cheapest seats coming in at over $200.

On the other hand, original one-day Saturday tickets for New Edition’s Cincinnati Music Festival performance start at only $65. This ticket also lets you see artists like Kem, Stokley, En Vogue, and Coco Jones. Check out the full line-up here.

The least expensive resale tickets available to New Edition’s Las Vegas residency on StubHub start at $165 for the group’s July 5 performance. Vivid Seats offers similar prices for resale tickets, as the cheapest available Las Vegas show passes begin at $165. However, both sites’ base fares are slightly more expensive than the $65 original tickets for the Cincinnati Music Festival, as StubHub’s begin at $72 while Vivid Seats’ start at $73.

Need travel arrangements?

• Accommodation: Save 15%+ at Booking.com | Expedia | Airbnb
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Who is opening for New Edition’s tour?

New Edition does not have any opening acts for their tour. Once the showtime begins in Las Vegas, the R&B group will be the ones to come onstage.

Will there be international tour dates?

Currently, New Edition has not announced any upcoming international tour dates for their 2024 concert series.

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AP Photo/Dave Thompson

The first leg of the UEFA Europa League semifinals kicks off on Thursday. We’ll show you everything you need to know about how to watch the Europa League semifinals live streams, including free options for both games.

The semifinals will see Marseille and Atalanta compete, as well as a match-up between Roma and Bayer Leverkusen. The first leg will take place on May 2 and continue onto the second leg on May 9. These two weeks will determine which two teams will make it to the final game on May 22.

Keep reading to learn about all of your Europa League watch options, including how to access free live stream options with a VPN.

• See also: How to watch Concacaf Champions Cup | Where to watch Formula 1 | Where to watch MLB

Europa League quick links

• USA: Paramount+ (seven-day free trial)
• UK: TNT Sports (Amazon Prime add-on £29.99)
• Australia: Stan Sport (30-day free trial, with $15 add-on charge)
• Marseille vs. Atalanta in Austria: ORF 1 (FREE)
• Roma vs. Bayer Leverkusen in Austria: ServusTV (FREE)
• Roma vs. Bayer Leverkusen in Italy: RAI 1 (FREE)
• Access streams from anywhere via ExpressVPN (30-day money-back guarantee)
• Matches: 
  • Marseille vs. Atalanta on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET  / 8 p.m. BST / 3 a.m. AWST (next day)
  • Roma vs. Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET  / 8 p.m. BST / 3 a.m. AWST (next day)

How to watch UEFA Europa League in the US

Paramount+ is the US home to UEFA Europa League matches with English-language commentary. Subscriptions to Paramount+ range from $6-$12 a month and come with a one-week free trial for new users. This is also where you can catch Champions League games in the US, so it’s a European football lover’s paradise. 

How to watch UEFA Europa League in the UK

In the UK, you can catch UEFA Europa League games on TNT Sports. TNT Sports is now under Discovery+, but if you don’t want to sign up for another new account, you can just add TNT Sports to your existing Amazon Prime membership for £29.99 a month.  

How to watch UEFA Europa League in Australia

In Australia, you can stream UEFA Europa League games through Stan, which costs anywhere from $10-$21 a month. You’ll need to purchase the Stan Sport add-on, which costs $15 a month. Stan comes with a 30-day free trial, but you’ll be billed for the Stan Sport add-on component immediately. 

How to watch UEFA Europa League in Austria

In Austria, you can catch both matches for free via different services. Roma vs. Bayer Leverkusen is available to stream on ServusTV. Marseille vs. Atalanta, on the other hand, can be streamed through ORF 1. Head to the websites at game time and you’ll be able to watch free live streams with German commentary.

How to watch UEFA Europa League in Italy

The Roma vs. Bayer Leverkusen game live streams for free in Italy on RAI 1. This service doesn’t require users to create an account, so you just need to navigate to the live section at game time to catch the match with Italian commentary.

How to watch UEFA Europa League semifinals from anywhere

If you’re not in Austria or Italy (both countries have free options for the games) at the moment, you can still access the stream using a VPN (virtual private network). VPNs alter your device’s virtual location so that you can use websites that might not be available due to geographical boundaries. VPNs are great options for people seeking increased online privacy or those who are planning to travel away from home.

Our go-to recommendation is ExpressVPN, an easy-to-use option with a 30-day money-back guarantee. For more information, you can check out our ExpressVPN review and keep reading to learn how to use it. 

How to watch UEFA Europa League semifinals with a VPN

• Sign up for a VPN if you don’t already have one.
• Install it on the device you’re planning to watch the game on.
• Turn it on and set it to an Austrian or Italian location.
• Go to ServusTV, ORF 1, or RAI 1.
• Enjoy your live stream of the match.

Note: The use of VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.