Vedanta Resources, the London-quoted mining company, has had an important award for environmental excellence snatched back out of its hands after renewed protests over its environmental record. Vedanta, which is controlled by Indian billionaire Anil Agarwal, has been fighting a running battle with activists over its operations in India, on land claimed to belong to the Kondh tribes in Orissa. Recently, Joanna Lumley threw her support behind the protests.

A subsidiary of the miner was due to receive one of the Golden Peacock Awards, for environment management. These are among the most celebrated in India and the gong was to be handed over at a ceremony there. But activists took over the podium and the organisers decided it would be “withheld”.

Among the judging panel for the Peacock Awards are former prime ministers of Sweden and Canada. Vedanta, inevitably, rejects any criticism of its environmental record. “Vedanta Resources is committed to conducting all of its activities sensitively and responsibly,” the company tells me.

The Royal Court in Sloane Square is in September putting on Enron, a play using music, dance and video to chart the downfall of the US energy company. A good cast has Tim Pigott-Smith as Ken Lay and Samuel West as Jeffrey Skilling, and it is the second play by Lucy Prebble, whose first work won several awards. It is a co-production with the Minerva Theatre in Chichester and opens there next month. And those with long memories will recall that the last time the Royal Court took an interest in finance, it was Caryl Churchill’s Serious Money, back in 1987, a time when the City was at its peak. And now they return to the subject when the financial sector is in rather less self-confident mood.

Flipping hell

The departure of various new Labour pygmies because of the expenses scandal might be of little account in the longer term, but the loss of Kitty Ussher deprives the party, for now, of one of its most promising talents.

Young, intelligent and determined, the former City Minister was clearly bound for greater things.

Her political astuteness is demonstrated by two earlier, successful “flips”. She managed to put behind her a previous infatuation with the euro when this became unfashionable and effortlessly transferred her allegiance from Blair to Brown when necessary. Alas, for her, the change of her “principal residence” turned out to be one flip too many.

One final irony: her downfall came after she took the advice of an accountant. She could always have sought advice from closer to home: her husband is an accountant.

Once more unto the brooch, dear friends

A colleague comes across the shop where Hazel Blears bought the “Rocking the Boat” brooch that achieved national fame when she wore it as she resigned ahead of the local government elections. The piece was made by Nick Hubbard Jewellery, and the shop and art gallery itself is in the idyllic Lake District town of Ambleside. They proudly display a picture of Blears as she was when she arrived to buy the piece, dressed in her accustomed biking leathers.

“Ending months of speculation”, a brand management company has resolved what the banking and broking sides of Bank of America and Merrill Lynch will be called. The new name acknowledges Merrill’s 95-year heritage and “skillfully weds it to Bank of America’s iconic mark”. And what is the new name? Er, “Bank of America Merrill Lynch”. It’s that “skillfully” that makes it, isn’t it?

Concerning Sir Fred Goodwin, I am reminded of that police inquiry into vandalism at his Edinburgh home, attended by five detectives, forensic specialists, “intelligence experts” and a dog. (This is five detectives, etc, etc, more than would turn up if someone smashed one of your windows.) And have they caught anyone? Er, no.

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