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:North and South Korea agree to government-level meeting
North and South Korea agree to government-level meeting
Officials from North and South Korea have agreed to hold the first high-level meeting since 2007, the South Korean Yonhap news agency says.
It follows hours of preliminary talks in the truce village of Panmunjom aimed at rebuilding trust between the two Koreas.
The talks are due to take place in Seoul on Wednesday and Thursday, Yonhap adds.
The meeting comes after months of rising tension between both sides.
BBC:Libya army chief of staff 'resigns' after deadly clashes
Libya army chief of staff 'resigns' after deadly clashes
Libyan army chief of staff Youssef al-Mangoush has reportedly resigned after 30 people died in clashes between protesters and a militia in Benghazi.
The General National Congress accepted his resignation in a session on Sunday, sources at the assembly say.
The clashes erupted when protesters gathered outside the Libya Shield Brigade premises demanding it disband.
The government has struggled to tackle the presence of armed militias since Col Gaddafi's death in 2011.
BBC:Brazil 'on alert' over an oil spill from Ecuador
Brazil 'on alert' over an oil spill from Ecuador
Brazil is "on alert" over an oil spill that originated in Ecuador and is travelling downstream towards the Brazilian Amazon.
In a statement, the Brazilian foreign ministry said the navy and other agencies had been informed, and help was offered to Ecuador and Peru.
Last month, an estimated 11,480 barrels of oil leaked from a damaged pipeline into the River Coca in Ecuador.
The spill has already reached the Peruvian Amazon region of Loreto.
BBC:Obama and Xi end 'constructive' summit
Obama and Xi end 'constructive' summit
US President Barack Obama and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have ended a two-day summit described by a US official as "unique, positive and constructive".
US National Security Advisor Tom Donilon said Mr Obama had warned Mr Xi that cyber-crime could be an "inhibitor" in US-China relations.
He also said that both countries had agreed that North Korea had to denuclearise.
The talks in California also touched on economic and environmental issues.
BBC:Venezuela's Maduro scraps plan for food restriction
Venezuela's Maduro scraps plan for food restriction
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro says he has halted a plan to restrict the sale of basic food items in the country's most populous state, Zulia.
The scheme would have limited the number of packages of items such as rice, milk and sugar shoppers were allowed to buy.
The authorities said it was aimed at curbing smuggling to Colombia.
Venezuela is suffering from a shortage of some goods, with milk, toilet paper and sugar often not easily available.
BBC:Turkey's Erdogan warns patience with protests will run out
Turkey's Erdogan warns patience with protests will run out
(Reuters) - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan warned protesters who have taken to the streets across Turkey demanding his resignation that his patience has its limits and compared the unrest with an army attempt six years ago to curb his power.
Riot police used teargas and water cannon to disperse anti-government protesters from a square in the capital, Ankara, just a few kilometers from where Erdogan spoke.
He held six rallies on Sunday, a measure of tensions after a week of the biggest demonstrations and worst rioting of his decade in power. Thousands waved red Turkish flags and shouted Allahu Akbar (God Is Greatest) as he accused protesters of attacking women wearing headscarves and desecrating mosques by taking beer bottles into them.
"I believe in Erdogan and his path. We will not let some looters hijack our country and our flag," said a housewife who gave her name as Zeynep, waving a national flag with Erdogan's picture emblazoned on it.
Reuters:In Hong Kong, ex-CIA man may not escape U.S. reach
In Hong Kong, ex-CIA man may not escape U.S. reach
(Reuters) - Edward Snowden's decision to flee to Hong Kong as he prepared to expose the U.S. government's secret surveillance programs may not save him from prosecution due to an extradition treaty in force since 1998.
A 29-year-old former CIA employee, Snowden has identified himself as the person who gave the Guardian and the Washington Post classified documents about how the U.S. National Security Agency obtained data from U.S. telecom and Internet companies.
While preparing his leaks, Snowden left Hawaii for Hong Kong on May 20 so he would be in a place that might be able to resist U.S. prosecution attempts, he told the Guardian.
"Mainland China does have significant restrictions on free speech but the people of Hong Kong have a long tradition of protesting in the streets, making their views known," Snowden, a U.S. citizen, said in a video interview posted on the Guardian's website.
Reuters:Jordan hosts U.S. jets and missiles in drills in Syria's shadow
Jordan hosts U.S. jets and missiles in drills in Syria's shadow
(Reuters) - U.S. troops equipped with Patriot missiles and fighter jets began military exercises in Jordan that have drawn condemnation from Russia, which accuses the West of fanning the conflict in neighboring Syria.
Washington confirmed last week it was sending the F-16 jets and missiles - which can be used against planes and other missiles - to its ally Jordan, and said it may consider keeping them there after the drills.
Both Washington and Amman said on Sunday the Eager Lion exercises were not related to the war in Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad's air power has given him an edge over lighter-armed rebels.
But the Damascus government, and its most powerful ally Moscow, have been sensitive about any transfer of Western arms closer to the conflict, particularly any gear that could be used to enforce a no-fly zone.
Reuters:Evangelical Christians gain political clout in Catholic Brazil
Evangelical Christians gain political clout in Catholic Brazil
(Reuters) - When televangelist Silas Malafaia gathered 40,000 followers outside Brazil's Congress this week, it wasn't just to raise their arms to the sky and praise the Lord.
The rally was a show of support for lawmakers who oppose abortion and same-sex marriage and a message to other politicians that they should not ignore Brazil's fast-growing evangelical churches if they want to stay in office.
"Gay activism is moral garbage," Malafaia roared into the microphone to a cheering crowd on the grassy esplanade of the Brazilian capital. "Satan will not destroy our family values."
The rise of evangelical Christians as a conservative political force in Latin America's largest nation has put the ruling Workers' Party on guard and led President Dilma Rousseff - who is seeking re-election in 2014 - to appoint an evangelical bishop to her cabinet.
Reuters:Japan current account surplus doubles as income gains, exports rise
Japan current account surplus doubles as income gains, exports rise
(Reuters) - Japan's current account surplus doubled in April from a year earlier, and bank lending posted its biggest annual rise in over three years, in a fresh sign the government's aggressive policies to stimulate growth are paying early dividends.
Separate data showed the world's third-biggest economy grew 1.0 percent in the first quarter, revised up slightly from a preliminary estimate, underscoring a steady recovery driven by a pickup in global growth and sweeping stimulus policies by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The current account surplus stood at 750 billion yen ($7.70 billion), up 100.8 percent from a year earlier and much bigger than a median market forecast of a 320 billion yen surplus, data from the Ministry of Finance showed on Monday.
Hefty income gains including returns from Japanese investments abroad, which were boosted by a weak yen, more than made up for trade deficits, analysts say.
Reuters:Explosions, gunfire heard around Kabul international airport
Explosions, gunfire heard around Kabul international airport
(Reuters) - Insurgents launched a pre-dawn attack on Afghanistan's main international airport in the capital, Kabul, on Monday, police said, with explosions and gunfire heard coming from an area that also houses major foreign military bases.
There were no immediate reports of casualties and there was also no early claim of responsibility for the attack.
Attacks on the heavily guarded airport, used by civilians and the military, are relatively rare and would represent an ambitious target for insurgents, with recent assaults staged against less well-protected targets.
The airport, by comparison, is home to a major operational base for NATO-led forces that have been fighting Taliban and other insurgents for 12 years and is bristling with soldiers and police, guard towers and several lines of security checkpoints.
Police said the attack appeared to be centered on the military side of the airport, to the west of the civilian terminal.
Reuters:China's economy stumbles in May, growth seen sliding in Q2
China's economy stumbles in May, growth seen sliding in Q2
(Reuters) - Risks are rising that China's economic growth will slide further in the second quarter after weekend data showed unexpected weakness in May trade and domestic activity struggling to pick up.
Evidence has mounted in recent weeks that China's economic growth is fast losing momentum but Premier Li Keqiang tried to strike a reassuring note, saying the economy was generally stable and that growth was within a "relatively high and reasonable range".
China's economy grew at its slowest pace for 13 years in 2012 and so far this year economic data has surprised on the downside, bringing warnings from some analysts that the country could miss its growth target of 7.5 percent for this year.
"Growth remains unconvincing and the momentum seems to have lost pace in May," Louis Kuijs, an economist at RBS, said in a note. "The short-term growth outlook remains subject to risks and we may well end up revising down our growth forecast for 2013 further."
Apple Insider:AT&T follows Verizon, lengthens device upgrade period to two years
AT&T follows Verizon, lengthens device upgrade period to two years
It would appear that AT&T iPhone users will have to wait a bit longer to upgrade to their next handsets, as the carrier announced on Sunday that it will be extending its hardware upgrade cycle to a length of two years.
Notice Picture
Beginning June 9, AT&T customers with contracts ending on or after March 1, 2014 will have their upgrade qualification time extended to 24 months, the carrier said on its official blog. Prior to the policy shift, customers were eligible for an upgrade after only 20 months.
Previously, Engadget reported on the switch, citing a leaked memo provided by an anoymous source.
The shift, which applies to all devices sold by the telecom, will also affect all new AT&T customers. However, the new upgrade period will not affect Corporate Responsible Users with contractual upgrade terms.