Diamond-mining company's listing postponed

Plans for a company with a diamond mining concession in Democratic Republic of Congo to be listed on the London Stock Exchange have been postponed.

The company, Oryx -- which is registered in the Cayman Islands -- planned to gain a listing by merging with a company already trading there, Petra Diamonds.

But the deal was postponed amid allegations of interference by the British government.

British Foreign Office officials have described the trading in diamonds from Congo as distasteful.

The trade is thought to fuel the current civil war. The BBC Economics Correspondent says the two companies now intend to reassess their position.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service