Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, current leader Neon Vincent, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, interceptor7, Magnifico, annetteboardman and Besame. And jck. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) wader, palantir, JML9999, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse, ek hornbeck, ScottyUrb, Man Oh Man, Doctor RJ, BentLiberal, Oke and jlms qkw.
OND is a regular 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 12:00 AM Eastern Time.
Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.
BBC
Moscow plane fire: At least 41 killed on Aeroflot jet
At least 41 people were killed after a Russian plane made an emergency landing and burst into flames at Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow.
Videos on social media show passengers using emergency exit slides to escape the burning Aeroflot aircraft.
Two children and a flight attendant were among the dead, Russian media reports.
One witness said it was a "miracle" anyone escaped the jet, which was carrying 78 passengers and five crew.
Veronika Skvortsova, head of Russia's ministry of health, said in a statement that six patients are in hospital - three of whom are in a critical condition.
Aeroflot, Russia's national carrier, said the plane was forced to return to the airport "for technical reasons", but did not elaborate.
BBC
Gaza conflict: Death toll mounts amid days of violence
The death toll is mounting on both sides after three days of cross-border violence between Israel and militants on the Gaza strip.
The most intense clashes in years have so far left at least four Israelis and 23 Palestinians dead.
The Israeli army says more than 600 rockets have been fired into Israeli territory since Saturday, while it has hit 320 targets in response.
Parts of the international community, including the UN, have called for calm.
Reports on Sunday night suggested the UN, Qatar and Egypt were trying to broker a ceasefire. By early Monday morning, Palestinian officials were saying an agreement had been reached, with the ceasefire due to begin at 04:30 local time (01:30 GMT).
There has been no confirmation from the Israelis, although reports suggest a lull in hostilities overnight.
The Guardian
US deploys aircraft carrier and bombers after 'troubling indications' from Iran
The United States is deploying a carrier strike group and a bomber taskforce to the Middle East to send a clear message to Iran that any attack on US interests or its allies will be met with “unrelenting force”, US national security adviser John Bolton has said.
Amid rising tensions between the US and Iran, Bolton said on Sunday the decision was “in response to a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings”.
“The United States is not seeking war with the Iranian regime, but we are fully prepared to respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or regular Iranian forces,” Bolton said in a statement.
It marked the latest in a series of moves by President Donald Trump’s administration against Iran in recent weeks.
Washington has said it would stop waivers for countries buying Iranian oil, in an attempt to reduce Iran’s oil exports to zero. It has also blacklisted Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Reuters
Arctic nations to meet amid tensions over environment, resources
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Top diplomats from the United States, Russia and other nations which border the Arctic meet in Finland on Monday to discuss policies governing the polar region, as tensions grow over how to deal with global warming and access to mineral wealth.
Countries have been scrambling to claim territory or, like China, boost their presence in the region as thawing ice raises the possibility of exploiting much of the world’s remaining undiscovered reserves of oil and gas, plus huge deposits of minerals such as zinc, iron and rare earth metals.
With time-saving Arctic shipping routes also opening up, the Pentagon warned on May 2 of the risk of Chinese submarines in the Arctic.
That followed a sharp statement by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo - who will give a speech at the Arctic Council meeting in Rovaniemi, Finland on May 6 - rejecting a role for China in shaping Arctic policy.
“The U.S. has realized that they cannot leave the Russians and Chinese to carve up the Arctic as they see fit,” said Niklas Granholm, deputy director of studies at Sweden’s Defence Research Agency.
Reuters
Thousands march in protest against Mexico's president
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Several thousand people marched through Mexico City on Sunday to demand the resignation of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in the first major protest against the leftist leader in the capital since he took office five months ago.
Largely dressed in white, protesters marched down the capital’s main thoroughfare, with many chanting: “AMLO, out!” using the president’s nickname, based on his initials.
Some covered their mouths with masking tape on which they had written: “AMLO resign.” Others waved signs bearing slogans including “Mexico isn’t yours” and “You’re not Robin Hood.”
Lopez Obrador took office in December after defeating the centrist Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which had held power for most of the past nine decades.
A former Mexico City mayor who had run twice before for the presidency, Lopez Obrador won the election by a landslide in July pledging to stamp out corruption, reduce violence, tackle inequality and boost the economy.
A number of early opinion polls gave the veteran politician approval ratings of about 80 percent.
NPR
'Prayer Can't Be Our Only Form Of Defense': Mosques Eye Security For Ramadan
The Islamic Society of Colorado Springs meets in a one-story brick building in a residential neighborhood. No domes or minarets. No eye-level windows either.
The group's president, Kamel Elwazeir, says preparations for weekly prayer are key.
"We try to get in early on Friday just to inspect the building on the outside make sure everything is fine," he says. "Nothing has been broken into or nothing suspicious."
Elwazeir says usually if he finds objects left at the mosque's door, though, it's flowers or cards of solidarity or condolence — like the ones that poured in after the recent terror attacks in New Zealand.
He tries not to dwell in fear. Still, he says, the mosque has to be cautious.
As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins, mosques around the U.S. are preparing to celebrate with recent attacks on synagogues, churches, and other houses of worship still on their minds. They are taking a serious look at security.
"It's truly sickening but it's part of our life," Elwazeir says. "It's part of our society that we have to be prepared in case of an emergency."
NPR
Pompeo Says U.S. Prepared To Offer Guaidó 'Full Range Of Options' To Oust Maduro
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday that the Trump administration is preparing to pull the trigger on a broad range of options to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and demanded that interfering countries end their involvement in the beleaguered nation's affairs.
In a string of television appearances, Pompeo suggested the fall of Maduro's government is imminent and that the support for opposition leader Juan Guaidó remains strong despite his failed attempt last week to lead a large-scale defection against the socialist leader.
"We have a full range of options that we're preparing for," Pompeo said on ABC's This Week, adding that potential paths forward include "diplomatic options, political options, options with our allies and then ultimately a set of options that would involve use of U.S. military."
"We're preparing those for [Guaidó] so that when the situation arises, we're not flatfooted," Pompeo said.
When asked if President Trump believes he can intervene without congressional authorization, Pompeo responded by saying he was "very confident any action we took in Venezuela would be lawful."
Deutsche Welle
Measles: German minister proposes steep fines for anti-vaxxers
Parents in Germany who refuse to vaccinate their children against measles would be required to pay up to €2,500 ($2,800) in fines and their children would be thrown out of kindergarten, according to a draft law put forward by Health Minister Jens Spahn.
"I want to eradicate measles," Spahn told the mass circulation Bild am Sonntag paper. "All parents should be secure in the knowledge that their children will not be infected and endangered by measles."
Germany's Robert Koch Institute believes that 93% of children have the necessary immunization. However, this is still short of the recommended 95% rate.
Spahn said the kindergarten ban would help protect children too young to receive any immunization shots.
"Kindergartens have children under 10 months of age, who are too young for vaccinations and are therefore especially threatened," Spahn told the paper. The bill has a different solution for parents of schoolchildren. Elementary education is mandatory in Germany, so the law would not be able to keep unvaccinated children out of schools. Instead, their parents would be required to pay the fine.
Buzzfeed
Brazil's Anti-Gay President Canceled A Trip To New York Due To Backlash
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has scrapped plans to attend a New York City gala in his honor later this month amid backlash from activists, politicians, and companies.
The far-right leader — known internationally for his anti-gay comments, history of misogyny, and opposition to environmental protections for the Amazon rainforest — was set to receive a person of the year award from the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce on May 14.
"The choice of President Bolsonaro is a recognition of his strongly stated intention of fostering closer commercial and diplomatic ties between Brazil and the United States and his firm commitment to building a strong and durable partnership between the two nations," the group had said on their website.
But the chamber announced on that same site on Friday that they had been informed Bolsonaro would no longer be attending the gala.
The president's spokesman, General Otávio Rêgo Barros, told media the trip had been scrapped due to "the resistance and deliberate attacks by the mayor of New York and the pressure of interest groups" on event organizers.
Raw Story
Trump crushed by conservative Wall Street Journal over boast that his tariffs are not hurting US consumers
Announcing on Twitter another round of tariffs he plans to impose on China this coming Friday, President Donald Trump claimed the U.S. economy and consumers are benefitting from his trade war — only to be pointed to the Trump-friendly Wall Street Journal which in no uncertain terms contradicted him.
On Sunday, Trump tweeted, “For 10 months, China has been paying Tariffs to the USA of 25% on 50 Billion Dollars of High Tech, and 10% on 200 Billion Dollars of other goods. These payments are partially responsible for our great economic results. The 10% will go up to 25% on Friday. 325 Billions Dollars … of additional goods sent to us by China remain untaxed, but will be shortly, at a rate of 25%. The Tariffs paid to the USA have had little impact on product cost, mostly borne by China. The Trade Deal with China continues, but too slowly, as they attempt to renegotiate. No! It was quickly pointed out to the president that he could not be more wrong, with Twitter followers noting an April 22, WSJ article with the headline: “Consumers Bore Cost for U.S. Tariffs on Washing Machines“
Reuters ^^^^^
Stocks, commodities tumble after Trump vows China tariff hike
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Global financial markets tumbled on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump unexpectedly jacked up pressure on China to reach a trade deal, saying he would hike U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods this week.
Equity markets, which had been largely expecting a trade accord, fell sharply across export-reliant Asia as further talks were thrown into doubt.
Chinese shares plunged more than 4 percent at one point, while U.S. stock market futures fell close to 2 percent.[.N] Oil prices plunged and the Chinese yuan tumbled.
Trump sharply escalated tensions between the world’s two largest economies with tweeted comments on Sunday that trade talks with China were proceeding “too slowly”, and that he would raise tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods to 25 percent on Friday from 10 percent.
He also said he would target a further $325 billion of Chinese goods with 25 percent tariffs “shortly”.
C/Net
How to see the Eta Aquarid meteor shower sizzle in the sky
Conditions are great this week for one of the best meteor showers in the first half of the year.
The Eta Aquarids are officially at their most active around May 7, but this shower doesn't have a particularly sharp peak, meaning the next few nights are all good opportunities to catch the show.
A patient backyard spotter with cloudless skies and minimal light pollution might spy 25 to 30 shooting stars, with the chances getting better as you move south. According to the American Meteor Society, the further south your observing location on the globe, the longer your viewing window, but the meteors will also appear lower in the sky. All this means Australians will have some of the best viewing conditions.
These "shooting stars" are actually particles of Halley's Comet, which was last seen in 1986, but the bits of space dust burning up this week come from an earlier, closer pass of the comet centuries ago. They're known for moving particularly fast, at 42 miles per second (66.9km/sec), which makes for long trains but few bright fireballs.