Rainforest squatters get land rights

Brasilia: Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva has approved a controversial law which grants land rights to squatters occupying land in the Amazon.

Rainforest campaigners fear it will result in a further increase in deforestation of the Amazon region.

The law known as "provisional measure 458" is one of the most controversial environmental decisions of Lula's two terms in office.

The government says more than 1 million people will benefit from the law, which covers 67.4m hectares of land. It believes the law will reduce violent conflicts by giving people private ownership of the land they live on.