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 consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors jlms qkw, Bentliberal, wader, Oke, rfall, and JML9999, alumni editors palantir and ScottyUrb, guest editors maggiejean and annetteboardman, and current editor-in-chief Neon Vincent, along with anyone else who reads and comments, informs and entertains
BBC:Russia says UN vote undermines peace efforts in Syria
Russia says UN vote undermines peace efforts in Syria
Russia has said a resolution on Syria passed by the UN General Assembly undermines peace efforts there, as fighting continues on the ground.
Moscow's UN envoy, Vitaly Churkin, told reporters the resolution was one-sided and gave blatant support to the armed opposition.
The resolution criticises both the UN's own Security Council and the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Drafted by Saudi Arabia, it was passed by 133 votes to 12 with 31 abstentions.
BBC:One of 'al-Qaeda' trio held in Spain jailed
One of 'al-Qaeda' trio held in Spain jailed
A judge has jailed one of three suspected al-Qaeda members held earlier this week in southern Spain.
A Turkish suspect was sent to jail for possession of explosive materials at the address where he was arrested. It is not clear if he will face trial.
The other two suspects of Chechen origin will be kept in custody while police continue investigations.
The arrests are part of one the biggest international operations against al-Qaeda to date, Spanish officials say.
BBC:Fire at Iran petrochemical plant kills one, say reports
Fire at Iran petrochemical plant kills one, say reports
A fire at Iran's biggest petrochemical plant has killed at least one person and injured a dozen others, according to Iranian state media.
The incident at the Imam Khomeini Petrochemical Complex was caused by a gas leak, the Fars news agency quoted a government official as saying.
The fire has been extinguished and factory operations have not been interrupted, Fars reported.
The factory in the southwestern city of Mahshahr produces oil derivatives.
BBC:Peru burns record 50-tonne marijuana haul
Peru burns record 50-tonne marijuana haul
Police in Peru say they have destroyed more than 50 tonnes of marijuana.
In an operation lasting five days, the police say they located a record 207,000 marijuana plants in two central regions of the country.
According to a report released this week by the US Office of National Drug Control Policy, Peru is the top cocaine producer in the world, followed by Bolivia and Colombia.
Analysts say that little is known about Peru's marijuana production.
Peru's Interior Minister Wilfredo Pedraza said the police operation had led to the burning of 17 times more marijuana than had been destroyed in the whole of 2011.
BBC:Paris villa of Equitorial Guinea leader's son Obiang seized
Paris villa of Equitorial Guinea leader's son Obiang seized
French authorities have seized the Paris mansion of the son of Equatorial Guinea's leader as part of a money-laundering probe, officials confirm.
Teodorin Nguema Obiang Mangue is currently being sought on corruption charges.
His Paris villa is thought to be worth between 100m (£79m: $124m) and 150m euros, the AFP news agency reports.
Mr Obiang, the 43-year-old son of President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mbasogo, denies any wrongdoing.
BBC:African snail: Deadly invasion in South America
African snail: Deadly invasion in South America
An African snail appears to be on a campaign to conquer central and southern America. But how much mess can a mollusc make - and are they really deadly to humans?
At an average size of just a couple of inches long, the so-called giant African land snail (achatina fulica) probably wouldn't qualify for a starring role in a 1950s horror film, but it is still wreaking havoc in several South American countries and the US state of Florida.
The threat lies in its ability to multiply at enormous speed. The snails reach maturity after a year and can then produce 200-300 eggs a month, leading to huge infestations within a short space of time. The snails, which are native to East Africa, appear on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's list of the world's top 100 invasive species.
In one Colombian town alone, Buenaventura, more than eight tonnes of snails have been collected since an invasion began two years ago. In Ecuador the problem is so widespread that they have been found in half of the country's 24 provinces, including the Galapagos Islands.
Reuters:Berkshire Hathaway profit falls on derivative losses
Berkshire Hathaway profit falls on derivative losses
(Reuters) - Warren Buffett's ice-cream-to-insurance conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N) reported a smaller profit for the second quarter on Friday as losses on derivatives dragged down results, though operating income set the new records Buffett predicted.
Buffett eschews derivatives for the most part, but he does have one outstanding - and large - derivative bet tied to stock market performance. While he has said repeatedly he expects that position to be profitable over time, it generated nearly $700 million in losses in the last quarter.
Berkshire earned $3.11 billion, or $1,882 per Class A share, compared with a profit of $3.42 billion, or $2,072 per Class A share a year earlier.
Book value, Buffett's preferred measure of Berkshire's worth, rose to $107,377 per Class A share. The company's ongoing share buyback is capped at prices no higher than 110 percent of that book value.
Reuters:Panetta orders review of military justice in combat zones
Panetta orders review of military justice in combat zones
(Reuters) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has directed a panel of experts to assess whether reforms are needed in the way the military justice system handles crimes committed by U.S. forces against civilians in combat zones, the Pentagon said on Friday.
While the Pentagon said the decision was not linked to any specific case, it follows a spate of incidents in Afghanistan that have outraged the local population, including one in which a soldier is suspected of killing 16 villagers in a shooting rampage.
"There is no one case that motivates this," said Jeh Johnson, the Pentagon's top lawyer, who explained Panetta's decision to undertake the review.
"We've now been in deployed areas for over 10 years," he said. "We want to ask ourselves every once in a while: Is the system working like it should? Are there reforms that could be brought about to better apply military justice in deployed areas when the offense involves civilians?"
Reuters:U.S. set to start program sparing young illegal immigrants deportation
U.S. set to start program sparing young illegal immigrants deportation
(Reuters) - Young illegal immigrants - many of whom have spent much of their lives attending schools in the United States - will be able to begin emerging from their uncertain status on August 15 when the Obama administration begins letting them apply to stay temporarily.
An estimated 800,000 young undocumented residents could qualify for the program that would grant deportation deferrals of at least two years for those who are approved.
Two months after President Barack Obama surprised the Hispanic community with a move to suspend deportations for some young illegal immigrants, the Department of Homeland Security will begin accepting applications that also would grant them work permits.
"You cannot overstate how important this moment will be in immigrant communities and Latino neighborhoods across the country," said Democratic Representative Luis Gutierrez, who represents a Chicago district with a large Hispanic immigrant population.
Reuters:Knight tells futures customers their money is safely segregated
Knight tells futures customers their money is safely segregated
(Reuters) - Knight Capital Group's futures brokerage told customers their money is safely separate from the market making firm's own capital.
A $440 million trading loss wiped out much of Knight's capital on Wednesday, after what it said was a software glitch flooded the stock market with errant trades, and Knight's futures division, in a note marked "important," on Friday sought to reassure customers that safeguards are intact.
"Regarding funds and collateral that you have sent us for your commodity futures trading accounts, we confirm that such funds are segregated and kept separate from the funds of Knight as required by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission," Knight Futures said.
Confidence in the futures industry's ability to safeguard customer funds has been shaken after two financially pressed futures brokers in less than a year have been accused of improperly raiding customer accounts for as much as $1.8 billion, despite regulatory oversight.
Reuters:U.S., Pakistan appear to make little headway in spy meet
U.S., Pakistan appear to make little headway in spy meet
(Reuters) - U.S. and Pakistani spy chiefs exchanged grievances in their first official meeting this week, sources familiar with the discussions said on Friday, but it was unclear if the two uneasy allies made any progress to end deep divisions on militants living in Pakistani tribal areas or on U.S. drone strikes.
Lieutenant-General Zaheer ul-Islam, who was named in March to head the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), on his first official visit to Washington met on Thursday with CIA Director David Petraeus at CIA headquarters.
Ahead of his visit, Pakistani officials said the country's spy chief would call for an end to U.S. military drone strikes in volatile areas bordering Afghanistan and push for a sharing of technology and intelligence.
The public preview of Pakistani demands on Petraeus appeared to have displeased U.S. officials, who pushed back at the notion they might cede to Pakistani requests.
Reuters:Some Turks call foul over Obama-Erdogan bat photo
Some Turks call foul over Obama-Erdogan bat photo
(Reuters) - A photograph of U.S. President Barack Obama holding a baseball bat while talking on the phone to Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was intended to show their close relationship, a White House spokeswoman said, after the photo caused a stir in Turkey.
The two leaders spoke on Monday to discuss the crisis in Syria, after which the photograph of Obama seated at his desk, talking on the phone while holding a bat autographed by black-American baseball great Hank Aaron, was released by the White House.
"The photo reveals from whom our Prime Minister receives orders to rule the country," Metin Lutfi Baydar, a lawmaker with Turkey's main opposition party the Republican People's Party (CHP), said in a statement.
CHP vice president Umut Oran asked through parliament if Erdogan had seen the picture and if he would take action against "an implicit insult to Turkey and its citizens".
LA Times:Apple pulls out time machine to disprove Samsung tablet claims
Apple pulls out time machine to disprove Samsung tablet claims
The legal contest now under way between Apple and Samsung in a San Jose, Calif., court is being fought inside and - - increasingly -- outside the courtroom.
The latest data dump now open to public perusal comes from Apple, which has submitted into evidence a new batch of before-and-after images taken of Samsung's tablet computers, a photo montage clearly designed to highlight major tweaks to the Samsung products that took place after Apple's iPad and iPad2 launches.
Apple claims Samsung stole the design and certain features of its iPad and iPhone, and wants $2.5 billion in damages and a sales ban. Samsung, which denies the claims, maintains that Apple is the infringing party. The trial is scheduled to last through August.