Headlines for Thursday, September 2, 2010

Oil platform explosion in the Gulf of Mexico causes one injury
Today, another oil industry accident in the Gulf of Mexico - this time, a fixed platform owned by Houston-based Mariner Energy, exploded.  White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

“I’m told this is a production platform about 100 miles off the coast.  I’m told the depth of water is about 340 feet, so this is not a deepwater facility.  As I understand it, the well was not in active production.”

Despite this, the AP says Coast Guard crews have spotted a mile-long sheen of oil on the water in the vicinity.  Gibbs said federal authorities had “assets ready for deployment” if authorities receive reports of oil in the water.

Rescuers say one worker was injured, and twelve others lept into the ocean after flames engulfed the rig.  The workers have been pulled from the water.  The platform is located off Louisiana in Vermillion Bay, which is southwest of New Orleans.

This latest explosion comes one day after a federal judge allowed an oil industry lawsuit challenging the Obama Administration’s offshore drilling moratorium to move forward.

Judge says California not compelled to appeal Proposition 8 ruling
A state appellate court said today California is not compelled to appeal a federal decision overturning Proposition 8.  Supporters of the measure, which prohibits same-sex marriages, had asked the court to intervene after the California governor and Attorney General indicated they did not intend to appeal the ruling.  Anti-gay groups are concerned a higher court will not allow them to appeal because they were not an original party in the suit.

Justice Department files suit against AZ Sheriff Joe Arpaio
The US Justice Department has filed suit against Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, charging him with refusing to turn over documents related to controversial crime sweeps and alleged discrimination against Hispanics. The Department initially threatened suit against the Maricopa County Sheriff when he missed an August deadline to submit the requested materials. Prosecutors first requested the documents more than a year earlier.  A federal civil rights attorney at the Department of Justice called the refusal “unprecedented.”

South Africa civil strike update
The South African government announced today it would end an asylum program that allows Zimbabwean nationals to enter the country without proper documentation.  The program, put in place during the period of political and economic chaos in Zimbabwe last year, will cease at the end of December.  Zimbabwean immigrants are often blamed for crime and the high South African unemployment rate, and the sentiment has triggered several xenophobic attacks in recent years.

In other South African news, salary deadlock between the South African government and its employees continues.  The workers are now in the third week of strike actions, demanding a pay raise and housing allowances.  Today the unions turned down a promising offer from the government.  Davison Mudzingwa reports.

For the past three days, workers’ unions representing more than 1 million public servants held negotiations with the government.  The talks went deep into the night, but unions representing police, health workers and teachers rejected the government’s offer of a 7.5% salary raise.  This is more than 1% less than the unions are demanding.

Public services have been roundly affected by the strike.  Mortuary workers have joined in, leaving relatives unable to bury their dead.

At Bridgeville primary school in Cape Town, the few pupils who attended spent most of their time playing, as teachers await a better offer from the government.

On Wednesday, a group of HIV positive people picketed outside the negotiations calling for a quick deal.  Some say they are failing to get necessary medication because of the strike.  Davison Mudzingwa, FSRN, Cape Town.

Argentina media law promises to break up monopolies
A new media law takes affect today in Argentina, replacing regulations imposed by the US-backed Military Junta in 1980.  Under the old law, only for-profit media companies were allowed to broadcast.  FSRN’s Marcos Federman reports.

Under the new law, 33% of radio and TV stations will redistributed to non-profit organizations, universities, labor unions and NGOs.  Gabriel Mariotto is head of the Federal Authority of Communications.

“Parte de la busqueda de libertad de expresion y pluralidad es que haya nuevas voces y que no haya monopolios.  Porque si los hay se atentan contra los puntos de vista.  Hay alguien que tiene un privilegio en su punto de vista en detrimento del resto.  Y eso no construye democracia ni ciudadania.  por eso esta ley es antimonopolica.”

“We want to strengthen freedom of speech by allowing new voices in the media.  Media monopolies decrease diversity; their point of view is given an unfair advantage.  Monopolies do not strengthen democracy and citizenship, which is why this new regulations outlaw monopolies.”

The new law, passed last October, allows a maximum of 13 TV and radio licenses per owner.  Argentine media giant Clarin currently has about 250 licenses, and used its vast resources to fight the law all the way to the Supreme Court.  But the Court ruled in June that the law could stand.  Since then, the government has been writing the rules and regulations through which the new media law will finally take effect.  Marcos Federman, FSRN, Buenos Aries.

Number of undocumented immigrants in US continue to decline
The flow of unauthorized immigrants into the US continues to decrease, according to a Pew Research Center study.  Researchers say the number of undocumented immigrants living in the US dropped by 1 million between 2007 and 2009.  Pew estimates the total number to be 11.1 million people.  Although the bulk of immigrants go to Texas, Florida, California, New York and New Jersey, the geographical spread was much greater than in the past.