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.
The OND concept was borne under the keen keyboard of Magnifico - proper respect is due.
Current Contributers are ScottyUrb, Bentliberal, wader,Oke, rfall, JML9999 and Neon Vincent.
BBC:Syria: 'Scores die' in protests across country
Syria: 'Scores die' in protests across country
At least 62 people have been killed across Syria as thousands of anti-government demonstrators rallied in several cities, activists say.
Witnesses and human right groups say many died when troops opened fire on protesters in the city of Deraa, where the unrest began in mid-March.
The security forces swamped the streets of the capital Damascus and tear gas was reportedly fired as prayers ended.
Protests shook a number of other cities including Homs, Latakia and Baniyas
BBC:Famed Swiss climber Erhard Loretan dies in fall in Alps
Famed Swiss climber Erhard Loretan dies in fall in Alps
Renowned Swiss climber Erhard Loretan has died in a climbing accident in the Swiss Alps on his 52nd birthday.
Swiss police say Loretan was leading a client up the summit ridge of the Gruenhorn, in the Bernese Alps, on Thursday afternoon when the pair fell.
The climber died at the scene, while his Swiss client was flown to hospital in a serious condition.
Loretan was one of the few people to have reached the summits of all 14 mountain peaks above 8,000m (26,247ft).
BBC:Nasa delays shuttle Endeavour's mission
Nasa delays shuttle Endeavour's mission
The final mission of Nasa's Endeavour shuttle has been delayed by at least 72 hours because of a technical problem.
The orbiter is being held on the ground while engineers investigate a failure in a unit that powers the vehicle's hydraulics.
America's youngest reusable spaceplane is set to deliver a $2bn (£1.2bn) particle physics experiment to the International Space Station (ISS).
US President Barack Obama had planned to attend the lift-off in Florida
BBC:Libya: Misrata shipments 'to be blocked'
Libya: Misrata shipments 'to be blocked'
Libya says it will not allow any more sea deliveries to the besieged city of Misrata, and that aid agencies should preferably use land routes instead.
Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim also said rebels in the city would be given four days to lay down their arms in return for an amnesty.
If they continued to fight they would face "total fire" he said.
His comments came after Nato said forces loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi had been trying to lay mines off Misrata.
BBC:China releases prominent human rights lawyer Teng Biao
China releases prominent human rights lawyer Teng Biao
The Chinese authorities have released a prominent Chinese human rights lawyer Teng Biao after 70 days in custody.
Rights group said he was freed on Friday afternoon and his wife was quoted as saying that he "is okay".
Mr Teng's release came shortly after China and the US held two-day of talks on human rights issues in Beijing.
But in a separate development, another well-known Chinese human rights lawyer Li Fangping has disappeared, human rights groups said.
BBC:Marrakesh cafe bomb 'was set off remotely'
Marrakesh cafe bomb 'was set off remotely'
The bomb that killed 15 people in a cafe in Marrakesh was set off by a remote-controlled device, Morroco's interior minister has said.
Taieb Cherkaoui's comments came as he briefed lawmakers on Thursday's blast at the Argana cafe.
The French interior minister says at least six of the dead were French.
British travel writer Peter Moss was also among those killed, along with two Canadians, an Israeli, one Dutch national and two Moroccans.
Reuters:U.S. plans to exempt forex swaps from new rules
U.S. plans to exempt forex swaps from new rules
(Reuters) - In a big win for business, the Treasury proposed on Friday to exempt commonly used foreign exchange swaps and forwards from the most onerous new rules for the derivatives market.
The Treasury Department said that forcing these financial products through clearinghouses and onto exchanges was not necessary because existing procedures in the foreign exchange market mitigate risk and ensure stability.
Any disruptions to this market "could have serious negative economic consequences," the department said.
Reuters:Yemen's Saleh due to sign transition deal
Yemen's Saleh due to sign transition deal
(Reuters) - Yemen's president was to sign an agreement on Saturday to quit power in a month's time in exchange for immunity, a deal rejected by street protesters demanding his immediate ouster and prosecution.
Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state for nearly 33 years, has in principle accepted the agreement negotiated by the six-state member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
His departure would make Saleh the third ruler to be ousted by a wave of popular uprisings against autocratic Arab leaders that brought down the presidents of Tunisia and Egypt.
Saleh, a shrewd political operator considered a key U.S. ally against al Qaeda's Yemen-based wing, has forced mediators to split the signing ceremonies over two days by objecting to the presence of Qatari officials.
Reuters:German police arrest three al Qaeda suspects
German police arrest three al Qaeda suspects
(Reuters) - German police arrested three suspected members of al Qaeda on Friday, averting "a concrete and imminent danger" of a terrorist operation, authorities said.
The newspaper Bild quoted security sources as saying the three, all young Moroccans, were arrested in Duesseldorf and Bochum. It said police seized large amounts of explosives.
"We succeeded in preventing a concrete and imminent danger," Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said in a statement. "This proves that Germany continues to be in the crosshairs of international terrorists, and we need to remain vigilant."
Federal prosecutors and police had been investigating the three since April 15 over alleged membership of a terrorist organization and other charges.
Reuters:U.S. slaps new sanctions on Syria over crackdown
U.S. slaps new sanctions on Syria over crackdown
(Reuters) - The United States slapped sanctions on Syria's intelligence agency and two relatives of President Bashar al-Assad on Friday in Washington's first concrete steps in response to a bloody crackdown on protests.
Assad, Syria's long-serving ruler, was not among those targeted under an order signed by President Barack Obama but could be named soon if violence by government forces against democracy protesters continued, a senior U.S. official said.
"The sanctions that were announced today are intended to show the Syrian government that its behavior and actions are going to be held to account," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters after a meeting with Japan's visiting foreign minister.
Sanctions for alleged human rights abuses were imposed against Maher al-Assad, Bashar's brother, and Atif Najib, one of his cousins, together with Syria's General Intelligence Directorate and its chief.
Reuters:SEC freezes China Voice assets, cites Ponzi scheme
SEC freezes China Voice assets, cites Ponzi scheme
(Reuters) - The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday said it won a court order freezing the assets of China Voice Holding Corp, and accused a co-founder of the telecommunications company of running an $8.6 million Ponzi scheme.
In a lawsuit, the SEC said China Voice, former Chief Executive William Burbank, 52, former Chief Financial Officer David Ronald Allen, 60, and others fraudulently overstated the company's financial condition and business activity in China.
"Since at least 2006, China Voice, Allen, Burbank and others have made false and misleading public statements about China Voice, to maintain the facade of a prosperous company, while masking the unjust enrichment of the principals," the complaint filed in the U.S. district court in Dallas said.
The SEC said the Ponzi scheme involved false promises made to investors by Allen and two accomplices: Alex Dowlatshahi, 36, and Christopher
Reuters:Shi'ite worshippers condemn Bahrain death sentences
Shi'ite worshippers condemn Bahrain death sentences
(Reuters) - Thousands of Bahraini Shi'ites gathered before a revered cleric on Friday denounced death sentences given to protesters over anti-government rallies crushed last month in the U.S.-allied Gulf kingdom.
The verdict, handed down by a military court a day earlier to four men accused of killing two policemen in violent protests last month, could intensify sectarian tension in the Sunni Muslim-led state that hosts the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet.
"It's not true that they killed them," said a man who identified himself only as Moussa, after praying at the mosque of Sheikh Issa Qassim, as a police helicopter circled overhead. "The government made it up just like a movie."
He was referring to video footage that Bahraini authorities have circulated showing the two policemen smashed by a vehicle that sped through a crowd of protesters, some of whom appeared to then trample and kick the fallen men.
LA Times:Congress questions Sony on hacked PlayStation network
Congress questions Sony on hacked PlayStation network
A congressional subcommittee has sent a letter to Sony Corp. seeking information about a security attack on PlayStation’s online network by hackers last week.
Addressed to Sony Chairman Kazuo Hirai, the letter requested answers to a detailed list of questions regarding the breach, which exposed the personal information and possibly credit card data of 77 million customer accounts.
The letter, written by the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trading, addresses a number of security concerns, including when the breach occurred, how much data was stolen and why Sony waited a week before it notified customers.
The letter demanded specifics on the kind of information the hackers stole and assurances that no credit card data was swiped.