A rare pink diamond sold for $28.5m

Transcript

More than 60 leaders from Europe and Africa are in Malta for a two-day summit on how to stem the flow of migrants into the European Union. The European Commission is offering €1.8bn to start a trust fund for development in Africa.

President Putin has declared that Russia is working on weapon systems that can penetrate any anti-missile shields: relations with the West, it seems, still deteriorating. Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern over the expansion of an American ballistic missile defence system into Eastern Europe. At a meeting of Russian defence chiefs, he said his country would take all necessary retaliatory steps.

A rare pink diamond –the largest of its kind ever to appear at auction– has sold for $28.5m. The cushion-shaped diamond weighing 16 carats and graded vivid fancy pink was the star lot at a Christie's jewellery sale in Geneva. The price narrowly beat its pre-sale estimate that was $23m to $28m. The diamond, owned by an American family, has been bought by an unidentified Hong Kong buyer who is said to have named it 'The Sweet Josephine'.

Words and phrases and definitions

stem the flow: menghentikan arus

deteriorating: menjadi lebih buruk

retaliatory steps: tindakan balas dendam

star lot: (dalam konteks ini) barang yang paling populer di lelang