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.
OND Editors 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.
OND Editors consist of founder Magnifico, regular editors jlms qkw, maggiejean, wader, Oke, rfall, and JML9999, alumni editors palantir, BentLiberal and ScottyUrb, guest editor annetteboardman, and current editor-in-chief Neon Vincent. We invited our readers to comment & share other news.
BBC:Google settles French newspaper links dispute
Google settles French newspaper links dispute
Google has agreed to create a 60m euro ($82m; £52m) fund to help French media organisations improve their internet operations.
It follows two months of negotiations after local news sites had demanded payment for the privilege of letting the search giant display their links.
The French government had threatened to tax the revenue Google made from posting ads alongside the results.
The US firm had retorted it might stop indexing French papers' articles.
BBC:Harvard asks dozens of students to leave for cheating
Harvard asks dozens of students to leave for cheating
Harvard University has imposed academic sanctions on dozens of students for cheating in a final exam, a dean said in an email to students.
"More than half" of 125 students under investigation were asked to leave for a period of time; others face probation.
An inquiry began when a tutor noticed identical answers to a take-home exam for an undergraduate politics course.
The review expanded to include nearly half the 279 students enrolled in the course, the Harvard Crimson said.
BBC:Dow Jones at five-year high on jobs and manufacturing data
Dow Jones at five-year high on jobs and manufacturing data
The main US share index closed at a five-year high on Friday, buoyed by official data showing that the economy added more jobs than previously estimated at the end of last year.
The Dow Jones finished up 1.1% or 149 points to 14,010, the first time it had passed 14,000 since October 2007.
The Labor Department said that in November and December the economy added 127,000 more jobs than first thought.
Investor sentiment was further lifted by strong manufacturing output data.
BBC:Pakistan bomb: 21 die in Hangu Shia suicide attack
Pakistan bomb: 21 die in Hangu Shia suicide attack
At least 21 people have been killed and dozens injured in a suicide bomb attack outside a Shia mosque in the north-western Pakistani town of Hangu, reports say.
The attack took place as worshippers were leaving Friday prayers.
The town of Hangu is close to Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal regions, which have a strong Taliban and al-Qaeda presence.
The town is also known for sectarian violence against Shias.
BBC:Mexico City blast: Hunt for survivors in Pemex building
Mexico City blast: Hunt for survivors in Pemex building
Rescuers have been working to find survivors trapped after a deadly blast at the Mexico City headquarters of the state oil company, Pemex.
Some 500 rescuers helped by dogs are searching the building for people believed missing after the explosion that killed 32 people and injured 100.
Relatives of employees have gathered in search of information - some trying to reach loved ones via mobile phone.
The cause of the blast is under investigation, Pemex says.
BBC:China fireworks truck blast causes deadly road collapse
China fireworks truck blast causes deadly road collapse
A truck carrying fireworks has exploded on an elevated highway in central China, killing at least five people and causing part of the road to collapse, state media report.
The blast, which destroyed an 80m (262ft) section of road, took place on the G30 expressway in Henan province.
China National Radio had put the number of dead at 26 but the report appeared to have been removed from websites.
Several vehicles were reported to have fallen to the ground 30m below.
Reuters:Despite weak Senate performance, Hagel may yet win Pentagon post
Despite weak Senate performance, Hagel may yet win Pentagon post
(Reuters) - Chuck Hagel's cautious testimony may not have won converts during his contentious nomination hearing for U.S. defense secretary, but it appeared on Friday not to have cost support he will need to be confirmed as the new Pentagon chief.
Republicans hammered Hagel when he appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, with some of the fiercest questioning coming from those who had served alongside him during his two terms as a Republican senator from Nebraska.
Critics said Hagel performed poorly at times, speaking hesitantly, seeming tired and often unprepared for some of the sharpest queries about over his past controversial statements on Israel, Iran and U.S. nuclear strategy.
But the White House stood by Hagel on Friday and none of the Senate's Democrats have publicly abandoned him, meaning minority Republicans would have to resort to procedural tactics to try to block his confirmation.
Reuters:Dell nears buyout that could top $24 billion
Dell nears buyout that could top $24 billion
(Reuters) - Dell Inc is edging closer to an agreement to sell itself to a buyout consortium led by Michael Dell, its founder and chief executive, and private equity firm Silver Lake Partners in a deal that could top $24 billion, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.
The buyout consortium is negotiating taking Dell private at $13 to $14 per share, two of the people said. This translates into an equity valuation for the Round Rock, Texas-based company of between $22.6 billion and $24.4 billion.
Dell shares were up 2.5 percent at $13.57 in afternoon trading.
Michael Dell is expected to take majority ownership of the world's third-largest personal computer maker while Silver Lake and Microsoft Corp would become minority investors, three of the people said.
Reuters:Envoy makes "last appeal" for Syria as officials meet
Envoy makes "last appeal" for Syria as officials meet
(Reuters) - Senior U.S., Russian and U.N. officials, along with the leader of the Syrian opposition, were all expected at a security conference in Munich on Saturday, providing a rare opportunity for talks to revive efforts to end the civil war in Syria.
Moscow and the United Nations, however, played down Syrian opposition assertions that its leader would hold a joint meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi in Munich.
Brahimi, who said he had bilateral meetings planned with Biden and Lavrov on the sidelines of the conference in the southern German city, told the conference on Friday he was pessimistic about an early solution to the conflict.
"I am much more conscious of the difficulties, of the country being broken down day after day, than I am of a solution," he said, speaking at a panel alongside Syrian opposition leader, National Coalition President Moaz Alkhatib.
Reuters:Canada January auto sales dip but Detroit makers strong
Canada January auto sales dip but Detroit makers strong
(Reuters) - Auto sales in Canada slipped 2.2 percent in January, data showed on Friday, on weaker demand for European vehicles and strong comparable data from a year ago when Japan's automakers were rebounding from earthquake and tsunami disruptions.
While Canadian demand for vehicles made by Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) and Audi (VOWG_p.DE) fell sharply last month, appetite for vehicles assembled by Detroit's Big Three automakers rose as buyers snapped up their more fuel-efficient passenger cars.
"The Detroit Three enjoyed a great month, growing their combined market share from 45.6 percent to 49.2 percent," independent industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers said.
He cautioned, however, that maintaining that share, which foreign automakers have been eating into for the past few years, "will be a challenge."
Reuters:BofA website troubles causes by internal systems issue: source
BofA website troubles causes by internal systems issue: source
(Reuters) - Some Bank of America Corp customers weren't able to access their online banking accounts on Friday because of an internal systems issue, a person familiar with the matter said.
The second-largest U.S. bank by assets is working to address the problem, said the person, who wasn't authorized to speak on the record. The disruption was not caused by hacker attacks, the person said.
Since last fall, U.S. bank websites have faced a blitz of "denial of service" attacks in which hacker activists disrupt operations by flooding them with information.
Customers logging into Bank of America's website on Friday received a message that said the site was "temporarily unavailable." Some customers took to Twitter to vent their frustrations.
Reuters:Pentagon to keep Africa Command headquarters in Europe
Pentagon to keep Africa Command headquarters in Europe
(Reuters) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has decided against moving the U.S. military's headquarters overseeing Africa from Germany to the United States, concluding the benefits of staying in Europe - closer to African hot spots - are worth the extra cost, officials say.
The Pentagon notified Congress of its decision this week. Some lawmakers had been pushing for Africa Command to move stateside, with South Carolina and Georgia promoted as possible locations.
"The decision was based on the operational needs of the commander," a U.S. defense official told Reuters, referring to General Carter Ham, the outgoing head of Africa Command.
Africa has become much more important for the U.S. military in the last decade. American forces played a prominent role in NATO operations during the uprising in Libya, and is assisting the French mission in Mali.
Daily News:ED Koch: Mayor for Life
ED Koch: Mayor for Life
This was a night a long time ago, when Elaine’s restaurant was still here and Ed Koch was still mayor, his second term, and we were having dinner in the back of the front room, and somebody at the table asked Koch how long he wanted to be the mayor.
“Forever,” he said.
And in Ed Koch’s mind that is exactly how it worked out for him, even after David Dinkins beat him in a primary when Koch was the only guy in town who thought he should have a fourth term, even after eight years of Rudy Giuliani and 12 for Mike Bloomberg. He always acted and sounded as if he had been elected mayor for life after he succeeded Abe Beame, all the way until his heart finally gave out on Friday.
Ronnie Eldridge, who worked for John Lindsay and Robert F. Kennedy, and served on the City Council for 12 years, and should have been mayor herself, knew Ed Koch from the time he was a district leader.
“In an odd way, he was a little like Chris Christie,” Eldridge was saying on Friday morning, waking up to the news that Koch had died. “He was that kind of loud, outspoken, extroverted guy. Just not a particularly memorable mayor.”