Controversial Dam In Brazil Approved
A 20 year protest battle against plans to build a giant hydroelectric dam in the heart of the Amazon has been lost today as the $17 billion (£11billion) project was finally approved. Environmental protestors and local people condemn the project by saying it will devastate the forest around it and threaten the survival of local tribes. Known as Belo Monte, the dam will be built on the Xingu River, in the northern state of Para, becoming the world’s third largest, providing electricity to 23 million homes. It has been in the planning stages since the 90’s, but came up against strong criticism from a wide range of critics from across the world as well as tribal leaders, farmers and even rock star Sting. They argue that the impact of deforestation (to make way for the 500sq km of flooding) will destroy wildlife and fish stocks, as well as displacing thousands of indigenous people. Carlos Minc, Brazil’s environment minister argued that this flooding was just a fraction of the 5,000sq km originally planned. “The environmental impact exists but has been weighed up, calculated and reduced…Not one Indian on indigenous land will be displaced.” Except, of course, the 12,000 people who aren’t officially recognised as formal inhabitants of the land, who the minister says will be “compensated.”

Foreigners Killed In North West Pakistan Explosion
Reports this morning say that four aid workers are among at least seven dead after a roadside explosion in North West Pakistan. The group of westerners, including some journalists, were on there way in an army convoy to the opening of a new girls’ school in Maidan, the known base of Taliban militants. The blast went off in Koto, a heavily populated village, and is thought to have injured at least 45 others, including school children.
 

Climate Gate Scandal: No Apologies From IPCC
In an interview with the Guardian the head of the UN’s Intergovernmental on Climate Change (IPCC), Dr Rajendra Pachauri refused to apologise for a false statistic in a crucial 2007 report on climate change. The chair did not want to be held directly responsible for the mistake in the widely accredited 3,000 page report, and said that it would be a “populist step” to personally apologise. The document claimed that as a direct result of rising global temperatures, the Himalayan glaciers could melt away by 2035. On December 5th last year, many academics denounced the idea, with Michael Zemp from the World Glacier Monitoring Service said that “It is not plausible that the Himalayan glaciers are disappearing within the next few decades.” Dr Pachauri said, "I think this [glacier] mistake has certainly cost us dear, there's no question about it," he said. "Everybody thought that what the IPCC brought out was the gold standard and nothing could go wrong. But look at the larger picture, don't get blinded by this one mistake."The larger picture is solid, it's convincing and it's extremely important. How can we lose sight of what climate change is going to do to this planet? What it's already doing to this planet?"
 

Vanity Fairer?
From Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Star Trek) to Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls, No.1 Ladies Detective Agency) young black women have stormed the screens of major films this year, earning Golden Globes and Oscar nominations aplenty. Yet surprisingly, none of these women were candidates to appear on Vanity Fair’s 16th annual “Hollywood Issue” which showcases the freshest of the fresh in time for this year’s Oscars. Hannah Pool highlighted the “complete lack of melanin” on the fashion magazine cover in an article on Guardian Online today  criticising the fact that photographer Annie Leibovitz had chosen to feature only Caucasian women. “Vanity Fair has looked into its crystal ball and decided that, as far as up-and-coming, cover-worthy female actors for the next decade go, the future is entirely white” Pool writes. It just so happens that Gabourey Sidibe, star of Precious, is pictured on inside the magazine to which Pool scorned “So black actors can be in the Hollywood issue, they just can’t be on the cover. Nice.”

Ctrl.Alt.Shift Auction Backed By Kate Moss
Model Kate Moss has given her support to Ctrl.Alt.Shift’s Haiti auction to help the relief effort which was launched this week. Her donation of a personalised Chanel Cocoon bag will join many one-of-a-kind prizes like a meet and greet with dance act Diversity. So far Ctrl.Alt.Shift have raised over £10,000 with a sell-out club night in London, and aim to raise the same again with the auction for the people of Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquake on the 15th January. Other items up for grabs include a Le 30 bag in red patent leather by Dior, £1,000 worth of designer clothing by Cassette Playa, VIP tickets to the Lovebox weekend, signed David Guetta and JLS albums and more.

The auction is now live here.

 

Image: Flickr user visionshare