Argentine president wins fight for new media controls

Argentina

president wins fight for new media controls

Argentina's Congress approved a controversial bill Saturday that will give the government more control over the broadcast media, handing a victory to the president and her husband, the country's former leader, who have blamed biased media coverage for many of their political woes. After more than 19 hours of debate, the Senate approved the media law 44-24. President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner had proposed the bill to replace a dictatorship-era law that allowed media power to be concentrated in the hands of a few companies. Kirchner signed the bill into law later Saturday. Carlos Lauria, senior program director for the Americas at the Committee to Protect Journalists, said provisions in the bill could restrict freedom of expression, in particular a section that lets the president appoint most members of a new regulatory body.

Poland

President approves Lisbon Treaty

President Lech Kaczynski approved the European Union reform treaty on Saturday, ratcheting up the pressure on the Czech Republic as the only nation yet to sign off on the agreement designed to sharpen EU decision-making and increase its influence. The so-called Lisbon Treaty deal seeks to strengthen the bloc's institutions after its rapid expansion eastward, and must be ratified by all 27 EU nations. Poland's final approval now puts the spotlight on Czech President Vaclav Klaus, whose signature is the last remaining obstacle the deal faces.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.

Chief justice rips direct democracy

The chief justice of the California Supreme Court, Ronald M. George, criticized the state's reliance on the referendum process Saturday, saying it has "rendered our state government dysfunctional." The widespread use of referendums to change state laws and constitutions hampers legislators, gives special interests too much power and burdens the judicial branch, George said in a speech delivered in Cambridge, Mass. George said the ballot box system places California's lawmakers in a "fiscal straitjacket" that prevents them from effectively solving the state's financial crisis. The result, George said, is growing debt. The speech to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences was titled "The Perils of Direct Democracy: The California Experience."

Elsewhere

Cuba: Cuba has acknowledged its first deaths from swine flu, saying three pregnant women succumbed to the virus and more have been treated for symptoms.

Indian Ocean: French soldiers defended two fishing boats from capture by pirates Saturday, and 11 men suspected of involvement in the failed attack were pursued at sea and captured.

Times wires