A federal judge in the US state of Louisiana has granted final approval to an estimated $20 billion settlement over the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, resolving years of litigation over what caused the biggest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. US District Judge Carl Barbier, who approved the settlement, had set the stage with an earlier ruling that BP had been “grossly negligent” in the offshore rig explosion that killed 11 workers and caused a 134 million gallon spill along the Gulf coast. BP has estimated its costs related to the spill, including its initial cleanup work and the various settlements and criminal and civil penalties, will exceed $53 billion. Court documents state that the civil penalties will not be tax deductible, although other settlement costs could be. “We are saddened to learn that the gross negligence of BP continues to enjoy taxpayer subsidies,” Lukas Ross of Friends of the Earth. (Aljazeera)
Employees
Tiny proportion of new fathers opting for UK’s shared parental leave
Fathers in the UK are not taking advantage of rules that allow them to share leave with their partners, according to research published a year after the rights came into force. Research carried out by the firm My Family Care found that more than four out of 10 employers had not seen a single male employee take up the right. With statutory pay set at a maximum of £139.58 a week, 80% of employees surveyed said a decision to share leave would depend on finances and whether their employer paid more than obliged to. The research found that concerns over career progression were a factor for many, with half of men saying they thought taking leave was perceived negatively at work. 55% of mothers questioned said they did not want to share their leave. Al Ferguson, founder of website The Dad Network, said the figures showed there was still a stigma attached to a father’s role in parenting. (Guardian)
Environment
Ecuador drills for oil on edge of pristine rainforest in Yasuni
Ecuador has started drilling for oil on the edge of the Yasuni National Park, a rainforest inhabited by two of the last tribes in the world living in voluntary isolation. The new well is the first of the nearly 200 expected to be needed to extract the area’s estimated 920 million barrels of crude. Oil extraction in this area has been in dispute since 2007 when Ecuador’s new government said it would permanently keep the oil underground in exchange for around $3.6 billion from the international community. The initiative was hailed as one of the world’s most innovative conservation proposals. But in August 2013, President Correa withdrew the proposal, saying the pledges received from countries were minimal. Many indigenous leaders and conservationists remain angry. “The Ecuadorian government is threatening to destroy one of the most biodiverse and culturally fragile treasures on the planet for what amounts to about a week of global oil supply,” said Amazon Watch’s director, Leila Salazar-Lopez. (Guardian)
Technology & Innovation
Facebook lets blind people ‘see’ its photos
As the internet becomes dominated by images, Facebook has launched a system which can “read” photos and tell visually impaired people what appears in them. The man behind the development is Matt King, a Facebook engineer who lost his sight. The technology uses artificial intelligence to decipher what an image contains, describing it in text. It has been trained to recognise items such as food and vehicles, and now recognises about 80 familiar objects. “This is in its very early stages, but it’s helping us move in the direction of that goal of including every single person who wants to participate in the conversation,” says King. Jeff Wieland, head of the Facebook accessibility team, says the social networking site is investing in accessibility and devising strategies for different communities, to allow them to engage with the social network. (BBC)
Toyota, Microsoft team up on connected-car technologies
Toyota is collaborating with Microsoft to consolidate the carmaker’s global research in telematics, data analytics and network security services as the auto industry expands connected-vehicle technologies. Toyota plans to develop services that “help to humanise the driving experience,’’ according to a statement. “Toyota Connected will help free our customers from the tyranny of technology,’’ said Zack Hicks, chief information officer and group vice president at Toyota Motor North America. The new venture will study everything from cars that help each other analyse traffic patterns, to use-based insurance pricing, to connecting drivers with information and security services in their homes. As the technology improves, vehicles will study their owners’ habits and seek ways to make themselves helpful, Hicks said, potentially monitoring drivers’ heart rates or automatically paying for parking. (Bloomberg)
Image source: Skimming oil in the Gulf of Mexico during the Deepwater Horizon oil spil by Office of Response and Restoration / CC BY 2.0
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