OND is a 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 12:00AM Eastern Time.
The OND concept was borne under the keen keyboard of Magnifico - proper respect is due.
Current Contributers are ScottyUrb, Bentliberal, wader,Oke, rfall, JML9999 and Neon Vincent.
BBC:Syria unrest: Renewed clashes 'leave 28 dead'
Syria unrest: Renewed clashes 'leave 28 dead'
At least 28 people have been killed in fresh clashes in Syria between security forces and protesters, activists say.
They say tanks and helicopter gunships opened fire on crowds in the northern town of Maarat al-Numan, leaving several protesters dead.
The violence came as government forces moved on the nearby town of Jisr al-Shughour where the government said 120 security personnel had been killed.
Hundreds of civilians have fled north into Turkey to escape the assault.
BBC:Chile volcano: Ash cloud grounds more flights
Chile volcano: Ash cloud grounds more flights
A cloud of ash from an erupting volcano in Chile is continuing to cause travel chaos in parts of Argentina and Uruguay.
The cloud has also affected flights in the south of Brazil.
Flights from the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, and Montevideo in Uruguay, remain grounded for a second day.
Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano range began erupting last Saturday.
BBC:Libya: Gaddafi forces renew pounding of Misrata rebels
Libya: Gaddafi forces renew pounding of Misrata rebels
A renewed barrage of shelling by Libyan troops around Misrata has left at least 22 people dead and at least 60 wounded, according to hospital doctors in the rebel-held city.
Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi have been pounding Misrata throughout the day.
The city is the main rebel stronghold in western Libya, and has the country's largest port.
Witnesses report no activity in the area by Nato aircraft.
BBC:German tests link bean sprouts to deadly E. coli
German tests link bean sprouts to deadly E. coli
New data released in Germany strongly suggests that locally produced bean sprouts were, as suspected, the source of the deadly E. coli outbreak.
"It's the bean sprouts," said Reinhard Burger, head of Germany's centre for disease control.
Officials initially blamed the E. coli, which has killed 29 people, on imported cucumbers, then bean sprouts.
In another development, Russia agreed to lift its ban on imports of EU fresh vegetables in return for guarantees.
BBC:Sudan: SPLA accuses Khartoum of bombing Unity State
Sudan: SPLA accuses Khartoum of bombing Unity State
Sudan's military has bombed a village in an oil-rich southern region, southern officials say, as tensions increase ahead of the south's independence next month.
Three people were killed in the raid on Unity State, in a move to take control of the region's oil fields, the south's military spokesman said.
Some 140,000 people have fled recent fighting along the border, the UN says.
Sudan's north-south conflict left some 1.5 million dead over two decades.
BBC:Vietnam plans live-fire drill amid South China Sea row
Vietnam plans live-fire drill amid South China Sea row
Vietnam has said it will hold live-fire exercises in the South China Sea amid escalating tensions with China over disputed waters.
Vietnam warned vessels to stay out of the area off its central coast when it conducts the drills on Monday.
It follows a verbal clash with China over sovereignty in the area.
China reacted angrily after Vietnam said a Chinese fishing boat rammed cables from an oil exploration vessel inside its exclusive economic zone.
Reuters:SEC may pursue fraud case against Goldman's Tourre
SEC may pursue fraud case against Goldman's Tourre
(Reuters) - The top securities regulator can pursue its high-profile civil fraud lawsuit against a Goldman Sachs Group Inc vice president over a product linked to subprime mortgages, a federal judge ruled.
District Judge Barbara Jones rejected the request by the executive, Fabrice Tourre, to dismiss ecurities and Exchange Commission claims accusing him of violating a federal law designed to stop the fraudulent sale of securities.
She dismissed some SEC claims, citing a recent Supreme Court ruling limiting the reach of federal securities laws.
The SEC sued Goldman and Tourre in April 2010, accusing them of failing to tell investors the Paulson & Co hedge fund, run by billionaire John Paulson, helped choose and bet against the subprime residential mortgage-backed securities underlying Abacus 2007-AC1, a collateralized debt obligation.
Reuters:Karzai urges Pakistan to help end Taliban insurgency
Karzai urges Pakistan to help end Taliban insurgency
(Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai repeated his call for Pakistan on Friday to help end a 10-year Taliban insurgency, as their mutual ally the United States tries to build on battlefield gains to force a political settlement.
Pakistan is seen as a critical regional player with the clout to help all parties in the conflict reach a settlement.
"The brotherly role of Pakistan ... together with us in defeating extremism and terrorism and working with us to bring stability in both countries would go a long way," Karzai told reporters after meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari.
Ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been hampered by mistrust. Both Afghanistan and the United States say Pakistan is not doing enough to prevent militants from crossing the border to attack American-led NATO troops and Afghan security forces.
Reuters:Start of Afghan transition on track for July: NATO
Start of Afghan transition on track for July: NATO
(Reuters) - Plans are on track for Afghan forces to take charge of security in seven areas of Afghanistan from late July with a second phase of the handover starting in December, NATO commanders said on Thursday.
Major-General Tim Evans, a senior British officer with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), on a video link from Afghanistan, said the first set of areas would start transferring from ISAF to Afghan control on July 20.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in March that seven areas would be included in the initial phase of transition, the first step in a long process due to end with the withdrawal of all foreign combat troops from Afghanistan by 2014.
Karzai has said the transition would begin in the Afghan month of Saratan, which runs from June 22 to July 22 on the Western calendar, but has not given an exact date.
Reuters:Analysis: Investors drop China broadly; shun big names, IPOs
Analysis: Investors drop China broadly; shun big names, IPOs
(Reuters) - For U.S. investors wanting direct exposure to Chinese stocks, there appear to be fewer and fewer safe places to enter.
Huge numbers of Chinese shares traded in the United States have sold off recently following a rash of accounting scandals. The scandals have prompted attention from regulators and brokers, and has some of the auditors involved facing legal action.
With even some investor favorites pressured, some are turning to U.S. companies with deep exposure to China to play its growth story, or waiting for a bottom in Chinese names seen as more stable.
The selloff continued on Friday, with shares dropping broadly. Industry bellwethers haven't escaped the recent flight from China even though the criticism has been on stocks traded on U.S. exchanges through reverse mergers.
Beijing-based Internet giant Baidu Inc has slumped 18 percent since the start of May while New Oriental Education & Technology Group is down almost 19 percent.
Reuters:Fighting erupts in Zlitan, Turkey offers Gaddafi exit
Fighting erupts in Zlitan, Turkey offers Gaddafi exit
(Reuters) - Heavy fighting between pro-Gaddafi troops and rebels broke out in a Libyan city just 160 kilometres east of Tripoli, potentially opening the coastal road to the capital, just as cracks appeared among NATO allies.
Gaddafi forces also shelled for the first time the world heritage-listed city of Gadamis, some 600 kilometres southwest of the capital on the Tunisia and Algerian border, opening a new front in the five-month long civil war.
World powers gave mixed signals on how the deadlocked civil war might play out, with Russia trying to mediate reconciliation. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday he had offered a "guarantee" to Gaddafi if he left Libya, but received no reply.
With diplomacy stalling, rebels said fighting was erupting on new fronts.
Reuters:Iraq government says Congress delegation "not welcome"
Iraq government says Congress delegation "not welcome"
(Reuters) - Iraq said on Friday a visiting Congress delegation was "not welcome" in the country, citing reports its leader called on Baghdad to pay compensation to Washington for years of war since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
Iraqi officials said Republican congressman Dana Rohrabacher told reporters during a visit on Friday that Baghdad should repay billions of dollars Washington had spent on the Iraq war.
Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad could not be reached for comment and the congressman's comments could not be confirmed independently.
Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Rohrabacher's reported comments were "irresponsible."
LA Times:Lethal fungus adds to tornado woes in Joplin, Mo.
Lethal fungus adds to tornado woes in Joplin, Mo.
Some survivors of last month's massive tornado that destroyed much of Joplin, Mo., are facing another indignity: an outbreak of a rare but frequently lethal fungal infection.
Eight people have been confirmed to have the infection, known as murcomycosis, and at least three of them have died, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Health authorities fear other tornado victims may also be infected without realizing it.
"People who have wounds that are not improving should seek medical attention immediately," said Dr. Benjamin Park, a medical officer in the mycotic disease branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, which monitors outbreaks of fungal infections.
Murcomycosis, traditionally known as zygomycosis, is a family of rare diseases caused by several different fungi that live in soil. The most common form occurs when fungal spores are inhaled. The organisms take root in the sinuses, then spread to the lungs and throughout the body. It typically strikes people with weakened immune systems, such as those with cancer or diabetes, or who are on immune-suppressing medications because they have had organ transplants.