You cannot please everyone all the time - something Madonna is discovering now that the plans for the girls' school she is building in Malawi have resulted in reports of villagers being forced from their homes. This was not, presumably, the queen of pop's plan. She has adopted two children from the poverty-stricken country and pumped millions of dollars into its infrastructure. Her intentions are good. And yet, this particular philanthropic deed has generated undesirable headlines.
According to reports earlier this week, around 200 people came out to protest at the prospect of their homes being bulldozed in favour of the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls, but gave up the unequal struggle after the government, perhaps not surprisingly, decided to back Madonna. The plot had, they claimed, always been earmarked for development, and the villagers were only entitled to their homes as long as it remained empty.
They are, of course, being offered financial compensation, as well as new land and improvements such as gardens and trees, which will come from the singer's Raising Malawi Foundation. On Sunday, the head of the foundation said that reports of conflict with the villagers were "not factual". He said that "opportunism" that strikes whenever Madonna is associated with a project was to blame and that the singer was in fact only one of many donors to the project. Meanwhile, plans for the school, which is expected to be completed in 2012, steam ahead.
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SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
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Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
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The specs
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Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
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Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
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Formula One top 10 drivers' standings after Japan
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 306
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 234
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 192
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 148
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 111
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 82
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 65
9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 48
10. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault 34
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Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.