Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, current leader Neon Vincent, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, wader, Doctor RJ, rfall, annetteboardman and Man Oh Man with guest editor Chitown Kev and Magnifico. Alumni editors include (but are not limited to) palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse, ek hornbeck, ScottyUrb, Interceptor7, BentLiberal, Oke and jlms qkw.
OND is a regular community feature on Daily Kos, consisting of news stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing each day near 12:00 AM Eastern Time (or if it is Friday night and the editor is me, a bit later).
Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.
We start with a link, because I don’t know how to embed the picture, but it is of a carnivorous dinosaur attacking a business meeting. Honest. Take a look at the picture in The Straits Times!
Also from Singapore, via The Straits Times:
Welcome shift in tone as unwed mums are treated with empathyWhen Parliament yesterday passed a Bill that gives unmarried mothers 16 weeks of paid maternity leave - equal to what married mothers receive - it marked a significant shift in government policy.
The debate on the Child Development Co-Savings (Amendment No. 2) Bill was also marked by another notable shift - in tone.
In previous parliamentary debates on the issue of unwed mothers, office-holders - and sometimes even MPs - often struck a judgmental or cautionary note.
I think the theme this evening is going to be how the rest of the world is dealing with the problems Donald Trump will be dealing with as he becomes president. Another article on women's issues comes from Papua New Guinea Today:
More PNG Women needed in Science and Technology fieldsPNG has a long way to go in pushing boundaries in the area of science and technology to greater heights than our capacity at present. And these days as more women are excelling in business and education, more of these strong qualities can also be equalled by women in the fields of science and technology. At a PNG Women Science & Industry Symposium today, women’s participation and empowerment in the area was encouraged. The meet saw a good number of female scientists, researchers, engineers, technicians and other women in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics areas come together to discuss the importance of innovation and then development process for women in PNG.
Trade and the TPP, with this from Radio New Zealand:
Peru meeting could see new TPP-like dealPeru's president wants to reforge a TPP deal replacing the US with China and Russia, as Obama's administration backs off the deal ahead of Donald Trump's presidency.
US President Barack Obama's trade office is largely suspending its effort to pass his signature Trans-Pacific Partnership deal before Donald Trump takes his place, saying it is up to Republican leaders in Congress to decide on a vote.
Mr Trump made his opposition to the TPP a centerpiece of his campaign, calling it a "disaster" and "a rape of our country" that would send more jobs overseas.
Environmental news from the Express:
MONSTER STINGRAYS found floating dead in shock pollution mysteryMONSTER stingrays the size of cars have been found floating dead in a pollution mystery that threatens the endangered species.
By Stuart WinterMore than 70 of the huge fish that can grow up to 16ft in length have been found dead in one of their vital strongholds in Asia.
Conservationists have been speculating that the giant freshwater stingrays have been killed after spills of ethanol in Thailand’s Mae Klong River or deliberately poisoned with cyanide by poachers trying to catch other fish to eat.
As Thai officials investigate the mystery, they have reported the river is slightly more acidic in the area where the rays were found, although it is unclear whether this is related to the die-off.
And from The Guardian:
Trump victory may embolden other nations to obstruct Paris climate dealEU concerns are growing that some oil-rich nations that have not yet ratified the deal could now try and slow action on reducing emissions
Arthur Neslen and Adam Vaughan
Concerns are mounting that Donald Trump’s victory could embolden some fossil fuel-rich countries to try unpicking the historic Paris climate agreement, which came into force last week.
Saudi Arabia has tried to obstruct informal meetings at the UN climate summit in Marrakech this week, and worries are rife that states which have not yet ratified the agreement could seek to slow action on carbon emissions. Trump has called global warming a hoax and promised to withdraw the US from the Paris accord.
An EU source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “Of course this is a factor if not a fear – that where climate policies are concerned, Trump’s victory will probably make some parties feel empowered to start trying to reopen what has been agreed. If the US withdraws or starts demanding renegotiations, it is a possibility that some of the other parties will wake up and say ‘We have some pieces that we want to renegotiate as well’.”
Salaries and working conditions in general. This from VNEXPRESS International:
Vietnam to give public sector 7.4 percent wage raise next year By Hoai ThuThis is the second annual increase in a row for the sector, which has around 2.8 million payroll jobs.
Vietnam’s top legislative body, the National Assembly, on Friday approved a government’s proposal to raise wages for Vietnamese civil servants and public employees, including teachers and doctors, by 7.4 percent from July next year.
And news from India, via the BBC:
Indian tea workers' conditions remain very poor Justin Rowlatt If you are drinking tea, I suggest you put down the cup right now because I've got bad news for you.You can forget those pretty pictures of happy women in saris on rolling green hillsides that you see on some tea packets. That is not the reality for most tea workers.
Last year, I was part of a BBC team that revealed the appalling conditions for workers and their families on estates that grow tea for some of the biggest brands in the world.
Refugees. This from NewEurope:
Politicians help re-equip homeless daycare centre and polyclinic in AthensATHENS – Members of the European and other parliaments rolled up their sleeves in crisis-hit Athens this week to help re-equip a homeless daycare centre and a polyclinic that provide much-needed help to Greek homeless and excluded citizens. They also learned first-hand about the repercussions of the financial crisis that hit the Greek economy very hard, as part of the Eurozone, leading to 25% unemployment, social exclusion and homelessness.
“It’s very easy to see lots of numbers and statistics and feel detached from it. So coming here to Athens and hearing from the charity practices and then coming here, really sort of bring it home about how difficult life has become for people and how these economic figures and downturns and debt all add up to and has a very, very human face,” MEP Emma McClarkin for East Midlands told New Europe as she helped repair a window with fellow British MEP and ACRE Secretary General Daniel Hannan at the homeless daycare centre in downtown Athens on November 10. “That’s what hopefully we are going to see here and hopefully spend the next two days contributing to making the environment in the daycare center they have here better much better and take that message back with us to the European Parliament,” she added.
And from The Irish Times:
Total of 109 asylum seekers have arrived in Ireland from Greece Irish Refugee Protection Programme hopes to relocate 324 to Ireland by end of the year A total of 109 asylum seekers have arrived in Ireland from Greece under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP), with an additional 215 expected to arrive by the end of the year.In the latest update from the IRPP relocation scheme, the Department of Justice told The Irish Times it hoped to relocate 324 people to Ireland by the end of the year, including 143 children.
A spokesman said 40 asylum seekers had arrived under the relocation strand of IRPP last week, while approximately 60 more are due to arrive by the end of November. He added that more than 80 people are expected to arrive each month from December.
Under EU rules those chosen for relocation must be of a nationality with a “high refugee recognition rate”. The largest group that falls under this heading is Syrians.