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:Cyprus eases some bank restrictions after bailout
Cyprus eases some bank restrictions after bailout
The Central Bank of Cyprus has eased some of the restrictions imposed as the nation's banks reopened, following an international bailout deal.
Debit and credit cards can be used normally for domestic payments.
The central bank said it would review the curbs on a daily basis and try to "refine or relax" them when possible.
A 5,000-euro (£4,223) monthly limit per person remains in place for card purchases abroad, to stop the flight of capital from the country.
BBC:North Korea tensions: Russia's Lavrov fears 'spiral'
North Korea tensions: Russia's Lavrov fears 'spiral'
The North Korean situation could spiral out of control, Russia has warned, after another day of inflamed rhetoric from Pyongyang.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned of a "vicious circle" and told all sides to avoid unilateral action.
On Thursday, the North threatened to "settle accounts" and said it had put missiles on stand-by to hit the US.
The US, which flew stealth bombers over South Korea this month, condemned the North's "bellicose rhetoric".
BBC:Xi Jinping wraps up Africa trip in Congo
Xi Jinping wraps up Africa trip in Congo
Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a string of deals and pledged to bolster bilateral ties as he ended a trip to Africa in the Republic of Congo.
The deals include a river port in Oyo, Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso's hometown, and a sea port in Pointe-Noire that can export mineral ores shipments.
Congo is a major oil producer. China is already its biggest trading partner.
Before Congo, Mr Xi visited Tanzania and South Africa.
BBC:Tibet landslip buries miners in huts
Tibet landslip buries miners in huts
Hundreds of rescuers are working to free 83 miners buried by a landslide near the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, Chinese state media have said.
State television reported the landslide had engulfed a large area including huts where the miners slept.
More than 1,000 emergency workers have been sent to the disaster site, at an altitude of 4,600m (15,000ft).
The mine is operated by a subsidiary of state-owned China National Gold Group, China's biggest gold producer.
BBC:CAR rebel head Michel Djotodia to review mining deals
CAR rebel head Michel Djotodia to review mining deals
The rebel now in charge of the Central African Republic has said his government will look into mining contracts signed with South African and Chinese companies by the ousted leader.
Michel Djotodia said the new authorities would reconsider any deal that had been "badly done".
Meanwhile the Red Cross says it has found 78 bodies in the capital, Bangui, since last weekend's seizure of power.
President Francois Bozize has asked for asylum in Benin, it has been announced.
BBC:Police uses tear gas in row at Brazil World Cup stadium
Police uses tear gas in row at Brazil World Cup stadium
Police in Brazil have used tear gas and smoke grenades to break up clashes between fans who were trying to buy tickets for the inaugural match in a stadium built for the 2014 World Cup.
The football fans had queued overnight at a ticket office in the north-eastern state of Bahia, but fighting broke out as soon as it opened.
The Arena Fonte Nova stadium cost $330m (£217m) - about $50m over budget.
Meanwhile, a builder was killed in an accident at another world cup venue.
Reuters:North Korea says to enter "state of war" against South Korea: KCNA
North Korea says to enter "state of war" against South Korea: KCNA
(Reuters) - North Korea said on Saturday it was entering a "state of war" with South Korea in a continuing escalation of tough rhetoric against Seoul and Washington after coming under international sanctions for its nuclear test.
"From this time on, the North-South relations will be entering the state of war and all issues raised between the North and the South will be handled accordingly," a statement carried by the North's official KCNA news agency said.
KCNA said the statement was issued jointly by the North's government, ruling party and other organizations.
North Korea has been threatening to attack the South and U.S. military bases almost on a daily basis since the beginning of March, when U.S. and South Korean militaries started routine drills, and has ordered its armed forces on the highest alert.
Reuters:Putin promotes Russian People's Front as new power base
Putin promotes Russian People's Front as new power base
(Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin staged a televised meeting on Friday with a loyal support group called the People's Front, suggesting he may promote it as an alternative power base to his scandal-plagued ruling party.
At an event that mixed echoes of Soviet Communist Party congresses with the atmospherics of a U.S. talk show, Putin said he planned to raise the Front's status by making it a "public movement" and holding a formal founding congress in June.
He first set up the Front two years ago to broaden the appeal of his ruling United Russia party after regional elections showed its influence waning. Since then, United Russia's reputation has taken further blows.
At Friday's event, Putin made a series of populist pledges to loyalists assembled in the southern heartland city of Rostov-on-Don - ranging from curbs on severance pay for corporate bosses to better care for orphans, to higher standards for teaching Russian history in schools.
Reuters:Big depositors in Cyprus to lose far more than feared
Big depositors in Cyprus to lose far more than feared
(Reuters) - Big depositors in Cyprus's largest bank stand to lose far more than initially feared under a European Union rescue package to save the island from bankruptcy, a source with direct knowledge of the terms said on Friday.
Under conditions expected to be announced on Saturday, depositors in Bank of Cyprus will get shares in the bank worth 37.5 percent of their deposits over 100,000 euros, the source told Reuters, while the rest of their deposits may never be paid back.
The toughening of the terms will send a clear signal that the bailout means the end of Cyprus as a hub for offshore finance and could accelerate economic decline on the island and bring steeper job losses.
Officials had previously spoken of a loss to big depositors of 30 to 40 percent.
Reuters:Japan's ANA keeps Boeing 787 in June schedule for now
Japan's ANA keeps Boeing 787 in June schedule for now
(Reuters) - Japan's All Nippon Airways Co Ltd (9202.T) (ANA) said on Friday it had not decided whether to cancel flights using Boeing's (BA.N) 787 flights in the month of June, citing progress in getting the troubled jet back in the air.
The cutting-edge Dreamliner jet has been grounded worldwide since January after two incidents involving a lithium-ion battery on board an ANA flight and a Japan Airlines Co Ltd (9201.T) jet in Boston.
ANA said it would take reservations for flights using the 787 for June, but may decide to shift passengers to other models at a later date.
"We have not reached a decision to cancel 787 flights at this time, taking into consideration the progress of Boeing's (battery) improvement plan," ANA said in a statement.
Reuters:Kenyans await ruling in disputed presidential race
Kenyans await ruling in disputed presidential race
(Reuters) - Kenya's Supreme Court rules on Saturday on a challenge to Uhuru Kenyatta's presidential election win, a judgment seen as a test of the democratic system five years after another disputed vote triggered tribal bloodshed.
The country's outgoing president called for calm ahead of the decision that will either confirm the victory of Kenya's richest man Kenyatta or force another vote.
Defeated candidate Raila Odinga says the March 4 poll was marred by technical problems and widespread rigging. Both politicians have promised to abide by the court's final word.
Many ordinary Kenyans insist they will not allow a repeat of the anarchy that killed more than 1,200 people and hammered the economy following a dispute over the last election in 2007.
Reuters:Army formally declines Purple Hearts for Fort Hood shooting victims
Army formally declines Purple Hearts for Fort Hood shooting victims
(Reuters) - The U.S. Army on Friday formally declined to award Purple Heart medals to the victims of Major Nidal Hasan's shooting rampage at Fort Hood, saying the move would damage his ability to receive a fair trial.
The Army in a position paper said that awarding the medal to those wounded and posthumously to those killed in the November 2009 attack would 'set the stage for a formal declaration that Major Hasan is a terrorist' because the medal is presented to military members who are 'wounded or killed in any action against an enemy of the United States.'
Hasan, 42, an Army psychiatrist, opened fire on a group of soldiers who were preparing for deployment to Afghanistan, killing 13 and wounding 32 before he was shot and permanently paralyzed by two civilian Fort Hood police officers.
He faces the death penalty if he convicted by a military jury on 13 specifications of premeditated murder. His court martial is set to begin in July.
NY Times:Tests Start For Patients Of Dentist In Inquiry
Tests Start For Patients Of Dentist In Inquiry
The unsanitary practices of a dentist in Tulsa, Okla., may have exposed thousands of patients to H.I.V. and hepatitis, forcing him to close his offices while health officials investigate and test about 7,000 people who had visited him since 2007.
Officials with the Oklahoma Department of Health began sending letters Friday to those patients, urging them to have their blood tested for H.I.V., hepatitis B and hepatitis C. The dentist, Dr. W. Scott Harrington, has offices in Tulsa and Owasso, a northern Tulsa suburb, and investigators said they found numerous health and safety violations at the Tulsa office, including nonsterilized and rusty instruments.
So far, only one patient has been confirmed as having been infected — with hepatitis C — after being treated by Dr. Harrington. While officials stressed how important it was for patients to be tested, they cautioned that it was premature to characterize the situation as a widespread public health crisis. They said the transmission of H.I.V., hepatitis B and hepatitis C in a setting like a dentist’s office was unusual.
“This is certainly going to be very alarming for those patients of this dental practice, but we’re trying to assure folks that this is not an outbreak investigation,” said Leslea Bennett-Webb, the spokeswoman for the Health Department. “We know based on scientific investigations in the past that acquiring these kinds of infectious diseases in a dental practice is very rare.”