عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

World's Third Largest Diamond Discovered in Botswana

A blue diamond, weighing over 20 carats, is seen in this undated handout picture released by Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) in Gaborone, Botswana, April 17, 2019. (Reuters)
A blue diamond, weighing over 20 carats, is seen in this undated handout picture released by Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) in Gaborone, Botswana, April 17, 2019. (Reuters)
TT
20
TT

World's Third Largest Diamond Discovered in Botswana

A blue diamond, weighing over 20 carats, is seen in this undated handout picture released by Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) in Gaborone, Botswana, April 17, 2019. (Reuters)
A blue diamond, weighing over 20 carats, is seen in this undated handout picture released by Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) in Gaborone, Botswana, April 17, 2019. (Reuters)

A huge raw diamond with silver reflections, which appeared to be the third largest in the world, was recently found in Botswana, Canadian firm Lucara announced.

A 1,174-carat diamond has been unearthed on June 12, trumping another huge precious stone found by another company in the country last month, AFP reported.

"This is a historic discovery for us and Botswana. It ranks third among the world's largest stones," Lucara's managing director Naseem Lahri proudly told AFP during its presentation before the Gaborone government.

This latest discovery confirms Botswana's position as a world leader in the world's largest stone with six large diamonds.

President Mokgweetsi Masisi welcomed the "riveting moment" and the growing frequency of diamond discoveries in the country.

The diamond discovered on June 1, weighs 1098 carats and belongs to the state-owned diamond firm Debswana and South African company De Beers.

The biggest diamond ever discovered in the world was the 3,106-carat Cullinan, found in South Africa in 1905.

Most Viewed

 
Varieties

UK Farm Swaps Milk for Cow Cuddles

Visitor Jess Tinton embraces a cow during a "Cow Cuddling" experience at Dumble Farm in Arram, Britain, June 17, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble
Visitor Jess Tinton embraces a cow during a "Cow Cuddling" experience at Dumble Farm in Arram, Britain, June 17, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble
TT
20
TT

UK Farm Swaps Milk for Cow Cuddles

Visitor Jess Tinton embraces a cow during a "Cow Cuddling" experience at Dumble Farm in Arram, Britain, June 17, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble
Visitor Jess Tinton embraces a cow during a "Cow Cuddling" experience at Dumble Farm in Arram, Britain, June 17, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble

Years of floods and low food prices have driven a dairy farm in England's northeast to stop milking its cows and instead charge visitors to cuddle them.

Dumble Farm started as a dairy farm in the 1970s, but in recent years flooding washed out crops and killed off the type of grass the cows like to eat, while milk prices below cost of production proved an insurmountable challenge, Reuters reported.

"The amount of flooding and the pressures on our land were just making it unsustainable for us to carry on," said Fiona Wilson, co-owner of the farm.

Agriculture is one of the sectors worst-affected by climate change, with farmers in Europe and elsewhere suffering under increasing heat, drought and flooding.

In 2022, Dumble Farm sold all but a few of its dairy cows and, in a scramble to reinvent itself, began offering "cow cuddling" experiences to fund a wildlife conservation scheme.

For 95 pounds ($127.80), visitors can cuddle, brush and stroke the cows as they lie down on a straw-covered enclosure inside a barn. The experience includes a safari to see Highland cattle.

"It's been so worth it, just to get so close to the cows, and they are so loving and gentle," guest Emma Hutton, 25, said after she spent some time cuddling one of the cows.

It took over a year to train the cows to feel comfortable with cuddling, but now the animals have fully adjusted, farmer James McCune said.

"They like being pampered. They are like big dogs... It's more of a spa day for the cows," McCune said. The farm uses the proceeds to create habitats to protect wildlife and support declining species, such as lapwing birds.

"It's great that we can fund the conservation scheme by having visitors to the farm, and that's really the bigger picture," Wilson said.