A petition calling for Britain to return the diamond set in the royal sceptre that King Charles III will hold at his coronation has attracted thousands of signatures in South Africa.
The 530-carat diamond, known as the Star of Africa, was discovered in a mine near Pretoria in 1905 and given to King Edward VII by South Africa's colonial authorities.
A campaign to demand its return is being run by Mothusi Kamanga, a lawyer and activist in Johannesburg who has promoted an online petition, which has gathered about 8,000 signatures.
“The diamond needs to come to South Africa. It needs to be a sign of our pride, our heritage and our culture,” said the campaigner.
“I think generally the African people are starting to realise that to decolonise is not just to let people have certain freedoms, but it's also to take back what has been expropriated from us.”
The Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross has been used at every coronation since Charles II's in 1661.
The diamond at the top of it was cut from the Cullinan diamond, the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever discovered at 3,106 carats. It was split into nine major stones, plus 96 smaller brilliants.
The largest of the stones are the Cullinan I and the Cullinan II, which is in the Imperial State Crown, which King Charles will wear at his coronation.
Both the state crown and the sceptre are kept with the other crown jewels in the Tower of London.
A replica of the whole Cullinan diamond, which is about the size of a man's fist, is displayed at the Cape Town Diamond Museum.
“I believe it should be brought back home because at the end of the day, they took it from us while they were oppressing us,” said Johannesburg resident Mohamed Abdulahi.
Others said they didn't feel strongly about it.
“I don't think it matters any more. Things have changed, we're evolving,” said Dieketseng Nzhadzhaba.
“What mattered for them in the olden days about being superior … it doesn't matter to us any more.”
The Star of Africa is not the only controversial gem in the royal collection.
There have also been calls to return the Kohinoor diamond, which is set within the coronation crown of the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
The Kohinoor, which means Mountain of Light, was discovered in the Golconda mines in what is now the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
The diamond's existence was officially documented in the 18th century, although its history could date back hundreds of years before this.
The large, colourless diamond is said to have passed between Mughal princes, Iranian warriors, Afghan rulers and Punjabi maharajas before it was seized by the East India Company after its victory in the Second Anglo-Sikh War of 1849.
It was given to Queen Victoria and has remained in the Crown Jewels ever since, but is said to bring bad luck to any man who wears it.
It is thought to be the world's most expensive diamond, weighing 105.6 carats and worth an estimated $600 million.
India, Pakistan and Afghanistan have long squabbled over who has the rightful claim to the gem.
India wants the diamond to be returned, and there have been several attempts to realise this, including after independence in 1947 and before Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953.
Each time the British government has rejected the claims, saying that the stone's ownership was non-negotiable.
The gem will not be featured in the coming coronation, thus avoiding political sensitivities and difficult questions about its provenance.
Exhibition
A new display of the Crown Jewels will open later this month at the Tower of London.
The display will include the Kohinoor, which will be described as a “symbol of conquest”.
The display will begin with the state crown frames worn by past monarchs George I, George IV and Queen Victoria in a celebration of the “timelessness” of the monarchy.
It will show how many of the most historic jewels have passed from crown to crown, including the famous Black Prince's Ruby, which was one of the late Queen Elizabeth II's favourite jewels and sits in the Imperial State Crown.
It will go on to tell the story of how the original medieval Crown Jewels were destroyed on the orders of Oliver Cromwell in 1649 during the English Civil War.
Only the 12th century Coronation Spoon, used for anointing the sovereign with holy oil, survived.
The display will also tell the story of the Cullinan diamond, with the hammer and knife that were used to make the first cuts to the stone on display at the Jewel House for the first time.
Coronation regalia - in pictures
Challenge Cup result:
1. UAE 3 faults
2. Ireland 9 faults
3. Brazil 11 faults
4. Spain 15 faults
5. Great Britain 17 faults
6. New Zealand 20 faults
7. Italy 26 faults
Sleep Well Beast
The National
4AD
The biog
Favourite book: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Favourite holiday destination: Spain
Favourite film: Bohemian Rhapsody
Favourite place to visit in the UAE: The beach or Satwa
Children: Stepdaughter Tyler 27, daughter Quito 22 and son Dali 19
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures and results:
Monday, UAE won by three wickets
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
How to become a Boglehead
Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
• Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.
• Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.
• Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.
• Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.
• Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.
• Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.
• Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.
• Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.
RESULT
Valencia 3
Kevin Gameiro 21', 51'
Ferran Torres 67'
Atlanta 4
Josip Llicic 3' (P), 43' (P), 71', 82'
The biog
Name: Sarah Al Senaani
Age: 35
Martial status: Married with three children - aged 8, 6 and 2
Education: Masters of arts in cultural communication and tourism
Favourite movie: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
Favourite hobbies: Art and horseback ridding
Occupation: Communication specialist at a government agency and the owner of Atelier
Favourite cuisine: Definitely Emirati - harees is my favourite dish
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20CarbonSifr%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202022%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Onur%20Elgun%2C%20Mustafa%20Bosca%20and%20Muhammed%20Yildirim%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Climate%20tech%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%241%20million%20raised%20in%20seed%20funding%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
