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 consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors maggiejean, wader, Man Oh Man, side pocket, rfall, and JML9999, alumni editors palantir, Bentliberal, Oke, jlms qkw, Interceptor7, and ScottyUrb, guest editor annetteboardman, and current editor-in-chief Neon Vincent, along with anyone else who reads and comments, informs and entertains you.
BBC:Delhi anti-corruption chief minister Arvind Kejriwal quits
Delhi anti-corruption chief minister Arvind Kejriwal quits
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has resigned after an anti-corruption bill was blocked in the state assembly.
Opposition politicians blocked the bill, which would have created an independent body with the power to investigate politicians and civil servants suspected of corruption.
They argued it was unconstitutional to introduce legislation that did not have the approval of the federal government.
His anti-corruption party made a spectacular debut in recent elections.
BBC:US issues 'cannabis cash' guidelines to banks
US issues 'cannabis cash' guidelines to banks
The US government has offered guidance to banks that want to accept deposits from marijuana sellers, lowering their risk of prosecution.
The move is intended to enable cannabis sellers in states with medical or legal marijuana to access banking services.
Currently, sellers deal almost entirely in cash, increasing the risk of robbery and the ease of money laundering.
Colorado and Washington State voted in 2012 to legalise cannabis. Other states are expected soon to follow.
BBC:Somalia diverting arms to al-Shabab, UN report claims
Somalia diverting arms to al-Shabab, UN report claims
A UN report has warned that "systematic abuses" by Somalia's government have allowed weapons to be diverted to warlords and al Shabab militants.
The report for the UN's sanctions committee calls for the restoration of an arms embargo on Somalia that was relaxed last year.
It said a key advisor to Somalia's president has been involved in planning weapons deliveries to militants.
Somalia's mission to the UN has questioned the report's validity.
BBC:Cuba suspends US consular services as bank pulls out
Cuba suspends US consular services as bank pulls out
The Cuban government says it has suspended consular services in the United States after an American bank decided to withdraw its facilities.
Cuba says it will not be able to renew passports and process visas unless it finds an alternative to the M&T bank.
The bank said its decision was taken for business reasons.
The move is likely to prevent tens of thousands of people travelling from the US to Cuba every month and could have a big impact on the economy there.
BBC:Florence mayor Matteo Renzi tipped to be Italy's youngest PM
Florence mayor Matteo Renzi tipped to be Italy's youngest PM
Florence mayor Matteo Renzi is expected to be offered the chance to become Italian prime minister, as talks begin on forming a new government.
President Georgio Napolitano is starting consultations following the resignation of Enrico Letta.
He was ousted in a vote called by Mr Renzi at a meeting of their centre-left Democratic Party. The 39-year-old would be Italy's youngest prime minister.
Mr Letta was under increasing pressure over Italy's poor economic performance.
BBC:Mass evacuation in Indonesia as Java volcano erupts
Mass evacuation in Indonesia as Java volcano erupts
Tens of thousands of Indonesians have fled their homes after a volcano erupted in east Java.
Mount Kelud spewed ash and debris over a large area, including the city of Surabaya, about 130km (80 miles) away.
Officials said three people died after their houses collapsed under the weight of ash.
Airports in Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Solo shut down because of low visibility. There are also fears that debris could damage aircraft engines.
Reuters:Soros exits J.C.Penney, trims Herbalife, others follow
Soros exits J.C.Penney, trims Herbalife, others follow
(Reuters) - Soros Fund Management, one of the hedge fund industry's most closely watched investors, exited J.C. Penney and trimmed its stake in Herbalife late last year, marking a notable shift in course only months after buying into the companies.
The New York-based firm, which ranked as J.C. Penney's second biggest investor, sold 19.98 million shares during the last three months of 2013, according to a regulatory filing on Friday. It also cut its stake in Herbalife, where it was the fifth biggest investor.
J.C. Penney and Herbalife spent most of last year in the spotlight, with the retailer's stock price losing half its value as an ambitious overhaul fizzled and the nutrition and weight loss company surging 139 percent in the wake of a dramatic faceoff between some of the world's biggest investors.
At both companies, Soros' involvement, fueled by the firm's history of making a lot of money on savvy bets, boosted the share price and raised their credibility quotients, possibly even drawing in other hedge fund investors.
Reuters:Kerry says China willing to pressure North Korea on nuclear plans
Kerry says China willing to pressure North Korea on nuclear plans
(Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday China is willing to exert more pressure to get North Korea to give up its nuclear program.
He told reporters in Beijing he was pleased that China "could not have more forcefully reiterated its commitment" to the goal of denuclearizing North Korea.
The reclusive Asian state has defied international warnings not to build atomic bombs and long-range missiles. It is believed to have enough fissile material to build up to 10 nuclear bombs, but most intelligence analysts say it has yet to master the technology to deploy such weapons.
"I encouraged the Chinese to use every tool at their disposal, all of the means of persuasion that they have, building on the depths of their long and historic and cultural and common history (with North Korea)," he said.
Reuters:Anti-Maduro protests persist in Venezuela, dozens jailed
Anti-Maduro protests persist in Venezuela, dozens jailed
(Reuters) - President Nicolas Maduro's government kept dozens of student protesters behind bars on Friday as unrest still rumbled across Venezuela following this week's violence at political rallies that killed three.
Demonstrators gathered again in various cities, blocking roads and burning tires in some cases, to denounce the repression of protests and make a litany of complaints against Maduro ranging from rampant crime to shortages of basic products.
"We're going to stay out in the streets for the same reasons as yesterday and the day before: inflation, insecurity and a repressive state that refuses to release our colleagues," student Marcos Matta, 22, told Reuters, in Caracas.
Defying the president's prohibition of demonstrations, about 500 people gathered in Caracas' Altamira Square, a heartland of past opposition protests, to chant slogans and wave banners.
Reuters:Japan's Rakuten buys chat app Viber for $900 million to expand digital empire
Japan's Rakuten buys chat app Viber for $900 million to expand digital empire
(Reuters) - Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten Inc, controlled by billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani, will buy call and messaging app provider Viber Media Inc for $900 million in a deal that would more than double the number of users in its digital empire.
Rakuten offers services from financing to shopping to online video on its e-commerce platform, the largest in Japan. But in the face of a shrinking population and weak consumer spending at home, Mikitani is trying to re-invent Rakuten as a one-stop-site for a global audience.
Privately held Viber, run from Cyprus by Israeli entrepreneur Talmon Marco, will add 300 million users to Rakuten's existing 200 million users, Mikitani told reporters in Tokyo.
"This acquisition... will take Rakuten to a different level," said Mikitani, who is also the company's chief executive. The all-cash deal was announced after Rakuten reported an 80 percent jump in its 2013 operating profit.
Reuters:Russia, NATO plan joint operation on Syria's chemical weapons
Russia, NATO plan joint operation on Syria's chemical weapons
(Reuters) - Russia and NATO are drawing up plans for a rare joint naval operation in the Mediterranean to protect the U.S. ship that will destroy Syria's deadliest chemical weapons, officials and other sources said.
The operation would be a symbolic breakthrough at a time when NATO-Russian relations are strained over NATO's anti-missile shield and East-West tensions are running high over Ukraine.
It would also signal strong global backing for the U.S.-Russian agreement last August to destroy Syria's chemical weapons stockpile, a deal that averted the threat of U.S. military strikes on Syria.
Under the plan being discussed, NATO and Russian warships would share the task of protecting the Cape Ray, a U.S. cargo ship that will process at sea about 500 tonnes of chemicals that are too dangerous to deal with on land.
Reuters:China says 11 'terrorists' killed in new Xinjiang unrest
China says 11 'terrorists' killed in new Xinjiang unrest
(Reuters) - Eleven "terrorists" were killed during an attack in China's far western region of Xinjiang on Friday, state news agency Xinhua said, in the latest violence to hit a part of the country with a large Muslim population.
A leading member of the ethnic Turkic Uighur community in exile said such attacks were a response to heavy-handed Chinese rule in the region and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, on a visit to Beijing, expressed concern over the state of human rights in Xinjiang, to the annoyance of his hosts.
"The terrorists, riding motorbikes and cars, attacked a team of police who were gathering before the gate of a park for routine patrol at around 4 p.m. in Wushi County in the Aksu Prefecture," Xinhua said in an English-language report.
"Police said the terrorists had (an) unknown number of LNG cylinders in their car which they had attempted to use as suicide bombs. Several terrorists were shot dead at the scene," it added.
Engadget:Twitter claims Venezuela is blocking its images to stifle protests
Twitter claims Venezuela is blocking its images to stifle protests
Venezuela's government has been trying to silence protests over shortages of basic goods, and that crackdown appears to be extending into the digital realm as well. A Twitter spokesperson tells Engadget and Bloomberg that pictures on its social network are "currently blocked" for at least some users. The country hasn't confirmed anything, but President Nicolas Maduro has already taken a TV station off the air after it showed unflattering protest footage (pictured here); this may be just a continuation of his policy. Whatever is taking place, Twitter is encouraging Venezuelans to sign up for text message updates to keep the news flowing. And locals can take comfort in knowing that government attempts to censor online content aren't always effective at crushing dissent -- if there's enough demand for political change, it can happen.