Happy Valentine’s Day! I’ve been at a conference, so this is a bit shorter than most Friday nights.
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, jck, and Besame. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) Man Oh Man, wader, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck, ScottyUrb, Doctor RJ, BentLiberal, Oke (RIP) 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.
This week’s Coronavirus updates begin with Al Jazeera’s Inside Story.
Also from Al Jazeera:
The country's health ministry says the affected person is a 'foreigner' who is hospitalised and in isolation.
Egypt has confirmed its first case of a deadly coronavirus that emerged in central China at the end of last year and has since spread to more than two dozen countries around the world.
And from NBC Bay Area:
Plane is among eight that could have infected passengers on board, Sky News reports
A United Airlines plane from San Francisco was placed on temporary lockdown in London Friday morning because of a coronavirus scare, according to a report from Sky News.
But there is other news, beginning with this from the Business Insider:
- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has canceled a planned trip to meet with President Donald Trump next month after a furious row between the two men.
- Johnson had been due to visit Washington shortly after his election victory in December.
- The visit has been repeatedly delayed, however, amid a series of disagreements between the two leaders.
- Trump slammed the phone down on Johnson last month after the prime minister defied him on the issue of Huawei's involvement in the UK.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has canceled a trip to the US planned for next month after a furious phone call from President Donald Trump in which Trump slammed down the phone on the prime minister.
From the BBC:
A sex video has ended French ruling party candidate Benjamin Griveaux's hopes of becoming mayor of Paris.
The ex-spokesman for President Emmanuel Macron's government, who was already trailing in the race, was apparently targeted by a Russian protest artist accusing him of hypocrisy.
From Al Jazeera:
Arrested men set up armed 'terror organisation' with the aim of creating an atmosphere of fear, prosecutors say.
German police have arrested 12 men suspected of setting up a far-right organisation with the goal of carrying out attacks against politicians, asylum seekers and Muslims, the Federal Prosecutor's Office (GBA) said.
Moving on to Africa, with Africa’s week in pictures from the BBC.
From the UN Environment program:
Brazzaville, 14 February 2020 – The third Conference of the Parties (COP 3) to the Bamako Convention today adopted a set of decisions reaffirming the Parties’ commitment to strengthen the Convention in order to prevent African countries from receiving unwanted hazardous waste in their territories as well as promoting sound management of chemicals and waste produced within the continent.
Parties reaffirmed their commitment to take concrete actions to implement decisions adopted at the first and second Bamako Convention COPs. They also agreed on a common scale to enhance their financial contributions to the Convention. Parties further called upon African States who have not yet ratified the Convention to do so.
From the BBC:
At least 30 people, including nine soldiers, have been killed in three separate incidents in Mali.
Twenty one were killed when gunmen attacked a village in central Mali, burning houses, crops and livestock.
From the Americas, beginning with news from The Guardian:
- Two burned to death and 13 died in hospital due to asphyxiation
- Facility was run by US Christian group
Fifteen children have died after a fire swept through an orphanage in Haiti run by a US Christian group, triggering renewed controversy over the proliferation of non-registered orphanages in the poorest nation in the Americas.
Two children burned to death when fire broke out at the orphanage of the Church of Bible Understanding on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince on Thursday night. Thirteen others died in hospital due to asphyxiation.
From the Washington Post:
RIO DE JANEIRO — What do you say about a death as horrific as this? What do you say about a man who was murdered by two masked intruders inside his home, in front of his family, while they ate dinner? What do you say, except: His name was Leo, and he was a journalist, and I knew him.
In the parlance of foreign correspondence, Leo Veras, 52, was my fixer. A beat reporter in the lawless border town of Ponta Porã — where Brazil’s most powerful gangs wage war for control of smuggling routes — he helped me report a recent story on the illegal pesticides trade. He arranged interviews with cops, politicians and crooks. He introduced me to his wife and two young children. He shared every meal with me. He made me laugh. He made me promise I wouldn’t leave the hotel without him. He kept me safe.