Panel bans trade in conflict diamonds

The United States would ban the import and export of diamonds used to fund civil wars in Africa under a bill approved by a Senate panel on Wednesday, The Associated Press reports.

The legislation adopted by the Senate Finance Committee brings the United States closer to implementing an international agreement to ban “conflict diamonds.”

The agreement, known as the Kimberley Process, includes representatives of the diamond industry, human rights groups, and dozens of other nations. The group requires that traded diamonds come with certification that they were mined from legitimate sources.