Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, eeff, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Besame, jck, and JeremyBloom. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) Interceptor 7, Man Oh Man, wader, Neon Vincent, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck (RIP), rfall, ScottyUrb, Doctor RJ, BentLiberal, Oke (RIP) 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. Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.
I don’t remember noticing this so strongly when I was here a few years ago, but when you pull up the news aggregator sites in the UK, the first multiple stories are local ones, even if I am clicking on the “World” tab. So I apologize if this is a bit UK heavy. Before I begn with the roundup of today’s non-US news, I want to remnd people that I take this as an opportunity to focus on the stories that do not automatically come to mind, such as the horrible earthquake in Turkey, or the war in Ukraine. If I include a story on these, it seems reasonable that it covers an approach you might not have gotten elsewhere.
There is a lot else going on, too.
We begin with some of the less momentous stories of the week. Heavier faire below the fold. First up, from Deutsche Welle:
The city's mayor is hoping to curb crime by banning smoking marijuana outdoors. Residents have complained that the tourist-fueled nightlife has made the city unlivable.
The
Dutch capital, famed for its liberal laws on drug use and sex work, has banned the smoking of
cannabis on the streets of its red-light district, city authorities said on Friday.
The ban, which will come into effect in mid-May, is seeking to tackle crime and anti-social behavior to improve the quality of life for the area's residents.
From The Guardian:
Travellers who enjoy the simple freedoms of their humble van face a major roadblock in the form of legislation requiring a fully plumbed-in toilet
When Bastiaan Van Druten moved to New Zealand from the Netherlands about seven years ago, a van was his first major purchase. He spent a week in his driveway, converting a HiAce into a livable home on wheels. Jamming in double mattresses, wardrobes, cabinetry, and concealed gas cookers into a few square metres, the design combined ingenuity with a willingness to sacrifice creature comforts.
From the Daily Mail:
- Locals labelled the advertisement as 'tasteless' when considering those grieving
- Others could not help but make jokes at the irony of the poster in Cornwall
By FFION HAF
McDonald's have agreed to take down a 'McCrispy' advertising billboard that was put up next to a road sign for a local crematorium.
Although some found the advertisement hilarious, others were less than impressed to find it featured on a bus stop opposite Penmount Crematorium on a road in Truro, Cornwall.
From Sky News:
The call to embrace cows instead of being romantic on Valentine's Day faced backlash on social media. The Indian Animal Welfare Board said hugging the animals would "increase individual and collective happiness" earlier in the week.
Hugging a cow on Valentine's Day is no longer being encouraged by the Indian government - despite it previously asking people to do so to promote Hindu values.
The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) retracted its "Cow Hug Day" appeal after it attracted criticism from political rivals and social media users.
From Al Jazeera:
Thousands of people face evictions as government plans to clear settlements located in the temple complex.
On a white canvas, Chan Vichet painted an image of the Hindu deity Shiva, oblivious to the clanging sound of Cambodian soldiers loading the remnants of his neighbour’s demolished home onto a truck.
The artist has worked on the fringe of the Angkor Wat temple complex for seven years, making a living selling paintings inspired by the jungle and ancient ruins to tourists.
Also from Al Jazeera:
As IMF team leaves after 10 days of talks, finance minister Ishaq Dar says the payment has been delayed due to ‘routine procedures’.
From Deutsche Welle:
Shabnam von Hein7 hours ago
Iranian authorities brutally cracked down on demonstrations in recent months. But even though the wave of protests has subsided, the spark of resistance is still growing in Iranian society.
From the BBC:
Two Israelis - a six-year-old boy and 20-year-old man - have been killed in a car ramming attack at a bus stop in occupied East Jerusalem, officials say.
The attack happened at Ramot Junction. Police say the driver, a 31-year-old Palestinian from East Jerusalem, was "neutralised on the spot".
Also from the BBC:
A former governor from Russia's Far East has been sentenced to 22 years in jail for murder and attempted murder in a controversial court case in Moscow.
Sergei Furgal insists he is innocent and says the trial against him was motivated by politics.
One last one from the BBC (for now) before we move on to other news sources:
One October night, a week before she was due to face trial for criticising Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova took her young daughter and fled for the border.
She was wearing an electronic bracelet, and was meant to be under house arrest.
"My lawyer said 'flee, flee - they're going to put you in prison'," she said at a press conference in Paris on Friday.
From Deutsche Welle:
Philipp Jedicke14 hours ago
The former Pink Floyd member has raised eyebrows in the past with his comments on the Ukraine war. Now he is under international fire for a speech he gave at the UN Security Council.
The 79-year-old former member of the British avant-garde rock band Pink Floyd addressed the UN Security Council in New York on Wednesday via video link.
Invited by Moscow to give the speech, Roger Waters repeated that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was "provoked," claiming that he represented a "voiceless majority" with his opinion.
From Reuters:
Writing by Gareth Jones; Editing by Mark Trevelyan
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday the West's efforts to "isolate" his country had completely failed and Moscow was building stronger relations with countries in Africa, the Middle East, the Asia-Pacific and elsewhere.
From Al Jazeera:
Three church officials declared themselves archbishops last month, leading to protests that have killed at least 30 people.
Also from Al Jazeera (who often do have some of the best African coverage):
Cameroonian authorities said the border movement restrictions were imposed in view of ‘the high risk of importation’ of the unidentified illness.
Cameroon has restricted movement along its border with Equatorial Guinea following “several unexplained deaths” from an unknown illness that causes hemorrhagic fever, Minister of Public Health Malachie Manaouda said on Friday.
The restrictions were imposed in view of “the high risk of importation of this disease and in order to detect and respond to any cases at an early stage”, he said in a statement.
And another story of Africa, again from Al Jazeera:
Foreign ministers from the three countries say ECOWAS sanctions ‘affect populations already battered by insecurity and political instability’.
Foreign ministers from three West African countries that recently underwent military coups have called for their reinstatement into two key regional blocs following a trip to the region by Russian envoy Sergey Lavrov.
The top diplomats of Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso said in a joint statement on Thursday that they had agreed to work together to push for the lifting of their suspensions from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU).
Back to Europe now, with this from The Guardian:
Politician from governing FDP says skilled foreign workers are being put off by unwieldy bureaucratic German
English should become a second official language at administrative offices in Germany, one of the country’s governing parties has argued, saying unwieldy bureaucratic German is proving too much of a deterrent for much-needed skilled workers from abroad.
The three-party government of the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, in which the pro-business Free Democratic party (FDP) is a junior coalition partner, last autumn unveiled its own version of a “green card” – called Chancenkarte or “opportunity card” – designed to address a critical shortage of skilled labour.
From Euronews:
By Angela Symons • 10/02/2023 - 14:31
Spain has spent €258 million on
trains that are too big to pass through its rail network’s tunnels.
Since the blunder was exposed by local newspaper El Comercio late last month, two transport bosses have been fired.
The 31 commuter trains were ordered by Renfe in 2020. They are set to replace an ageing fleet in the poorly connected northern autonomous regions of Asturias and Cantabria.
Speaking of trains, we have this from The Guardian:
Union boss Mick Lynch says message from members was ‘loud and clear’, as TSSA prepares to put offer to vote
The RMT union has rejected “dreadful” pay offers from Network Rail and train operators, prolonging the long-running dispute on the railway.
The union’s general secretary, Mick Lynch, said it had consulted in-depth with its 40,000 rail members, and the “loud and clear” message was to reject the offers.
Also from The Guardian:
No one hurt in ‘unplanned’ explosion of 250kg device found in Norfolk town, police say
From the BBC:
Protesters have clashed with police outside a hotel that provides refuge for asylum seekers on Merseyside.
Videos posted on social media show large groups of people gathered near the Suites Hotel in Knowsley along with footage of a police van on fire.
From Sky News:
The insignia features the flowers of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland arranged into the shape of the crown in red, white and blue.
The emblem for King Charles's coronation, created by former Apple designer Sir Jony Ive, has been unveiled.
The design guru created the insignia taking inspiration from His Majesty's "love of the planet, nature, and his deep concern for the natural world".
And from Channel 4:
UK economy narrowly avoids recession - but for how long?’
Latest figures show that they were wrong. But only just - with GDP growth in October, November and December barely registering.The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said that it showed evidence of "underlying resilience" but warned that the economy is "not out of the woods yet".
And from the Belfast Telegraph: