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: UN chief urges action over Libya
UN chief urges action over Libya
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged the global body's Security Council to take "decisive action" over the Libya crisis.
He said violations of human rights had been carried out by Muammar Gaddafi's regime, and more than 1,000 had died.
US President Obama has announced sanctions against the Libyan government.
In Libya, reports say anti-government protesters in the capital Tripoli came under heavy gunfire on Friday.
BBC: UN concern over 'military angle to Iran nuclear plan'
UN concern over 'military angle to Iran nuclear plan'
The UN's nuclear watchdog says it has received new information on "possible military dimensions" to Iran's nuclear development programme.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the report raised "further concerns" about Iran's activities.
It urged Tehran to co-operate fully with its investigations in alleged weapons experiments, saying it had not done since 2008.
Iran insists its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful.
BBC: Middle East protests: Major rally in Tunisia capital
Middle East protests: Major rally in Tunisia capital
Police have cleared crowds of Tunisians who marched through the capital Tunis on Friday demanding the resignation of interim PM Mohammed Ghannouchi, a long-time ally of the ousted leader.
It was the biggest rally since Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia last month after 23 years in power, after being toppled by weeks of unrest.
Mr Ghannouchi's interim government has promised elections by mid-July.
But crowds marched down Tunis' main avenue chanting: "Ghannouchi leave."
BBC: Brazil judge blocks Amazon Belo Monte dam
Brazil judge blocks Amazon Belo Monte dam
A Brazilian judge has blocked plans to build a huge hydro-electric dam in the Amazon rainforest because of environmental concerns.
Federal judge Ronaldo Desterro said environmental requirements to build the Belo Monte dam had not been met.
He also barred the national development bank, BNDES, from funding the project.
The dam is a cornerstone of President Dilma Rousseff's plans to upgrade Brazil's energy infrastructure.
BBC: Ivory Coast: Rebels take western town Zouan-Hounien
Ivory Coast: Rebels take western town Zouan-Hounien
Ivory Coast rebels fighting to oust President Laurent Gbagbo have taken control of a town in the west of the country, Mr Gbagbo's forces confirm.
The rebels, who control the north of the country, seized the town of Zouan-Hounien in an overnight attack.
Witnesses say unrest has spread to the capital Yamoussoukro, and the UN has warned that the country is at risk of relapsing into civil war.
Mr Gbagbo refused to stand down after losing an election last November.
BBC: Christchurch earthquake: Mayor Parker praises rescuers
Christchurch earthquake: Mayor Parker praises rescuers
The mayor of Christchurch has praised the "incredible progress" made four days after a massive earthquake rocked the New Zealand city.
Bob Parker told the BBC spirits among hundreds of rescue workers from eight nations were "remarkably good".
He earlier confirmed the death toll from Tuesday's 6.3 magnitude tremor had risen to 123, with 200 still missing.
Rescue teams admit the chance of finding survivors was now slim.
Reuters: U.S. hits Libya with sanctions, shuts embassy
U.S. hits Libya with sanctions, shuts embassy
(Reuters) - The United States imposed sanctions on the Libyan government on Friday and said the legitimacy of longtime Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had been "reduced to zero."
In response to Gaddafi's bloody crackdown on an uprising against his 41-year rule, President Barack Obama signed an executive order freezing the assets of Gaddafi, his family and top officials, as well as the Libyan government, the country's central bank and sovereign wealth funds.
"These sanctions therefore target the Gaddafi government, while protecting the assets that belong to the people of Libya," Obama said in a statement.
Reuters: Republicans raise pressure on spending cuts
Republicans raise pressure on spending cuts
(Reuters) - Republicans in the House of Representatives on Friday called a government shutdown "unacceptable" but raised pressure on President Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats to go along with deep spending cuts this year.
The two parties are fighting a pitched battle over public spending and must agree at least to a stopgap measure by next Friday or the government will run out of cash and non-essential services will shut down.
Energized by big wins in November elections, Republicans say any short-term funding for government operations must include deep savings.
"We don't want to shut the government down. This is not an acceptable or a responsible option for any of us ... but we want to see spending cuts," House Republican Leader Eric Cantor said in a telephone conference with reporters.
Reuters: Brent crude above $112, Saudi output limits gain
Brent crude above $112, Saudi output limits gain
(Reuters) - Brent oil rose in volatile trade on Friday to hold above $112 a barrel but below Thursday's 2-1/2-year highs after Saudi Arabia raised output to calm fears of supply disruptions sparked by Libya's uprising.
Saudi Arabia has boosted output by more than 700,000 barrels per day, to a level exceeding 9 million bpd, a senior industry source familiar with Saudi production told Reuters.
Worries about the worsening situation in Libya, where oil outages have risen to as much as three quarters of its 1.6 million bpd output, spurred short-covering before the weekend.
Those moves were further stoked by news that the United States was imposing sanctions and cutting diplomatic ties with Libya as Muammar Gaddafi's security forces cracked down against a widening revolt against his rule.
Reuters: Indiana Democrats plan to stay out of state Monday to delay vote
Indiana Democrats plan to stay out of state Monday to delay vote
(Reuters) - Indiana house Democrats said on Friday they have no plans to return to the state on Monday for the restart of session, thus avoiding a vote on Republican-backed labor and education bills.
"We need to reach a common and enforceable understanding as to what it is we're not talking about and we haven't gotten to that at this point," said Ed DeLaney, a senate Democrat staying in Urbana, Illinois.
"We're not going to rely simply on kind intentions."
The actions by Indiana legislators mimic what has happened in Wisconsin, where senate Democrats have left the state to avoid voting on legislation that would limit collective bargaining rights for public employees.
Reuters: Iowa House committee passes union curbs after all-night session
Iowa House committee passes union curbs after all-night session
(Reuters) - A bill curbing collective bargaining rights for public workers in Iowa passed the House labor committee on Friday after an all-night attempt by Democrats to block the vote.
Democrats on the committee added 50 amendments to the bill, all of which were voted down. The bill passed on a party-line vote and now heads for the full house.
Representative Kirsten Running-Marquardt, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, had urged colleagues to keep collective bargaining rights in place for Iowa's public employees.
"We are willing to go all night long here, tomorrow, through the weekend, however long we need to take, so we will not take away rights from police officers, firefighters teachers, state troopers and all of our other workers," Running-Marquardt said.
Reuters: Economic growth trimmed, consumers more upbeat
Economic growth trimmed, consumers more upbeat
(Reuters) - U.S. consumer confidence hit a three-year high in February, suggesting the economy remained on a solid footing despite soaring gasoline prices.
The rise in sentiment was a hopeful sign for the economic recovery after the government said on Friday that growth in the fourth quarter was not as robust as it previously estimated.
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan survey's index on consumer sentiment climbed to 77.5, the highest since January 2008, from 74.2 in January -- indicating consumers were weathering higher gasoline prices for now amid optimism about the labor market.
"Consumers do appear to be taking the rise in gasoline and food prices in stride, which is very encouraging," said Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody's Analytics in West Chester, Pennsylvania. "I wouldn't be surprised if we had a few bumps along the road, but I do think the consumer will continue to play an important role in the recovery."
USAToday: Shuttle prepares for space station rendezvous
Shuttle prepares for space station rendezvous
Discovery was the first orbiter to execute the nose-over-tail backflip just 600 feet below the outpost, as part of new heat shield inspection procedures that helped return the shuttle fleet to flight after the Columbia accident.
"They gave us the ability to move forward knowing that we had a vehicle that was safe to continue the mission and to return for de-orbit and entry," LeRoy Cain, the deputy shuttle program manager, said of the inspection process first practiced in 2005.
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PHOTO GALLERY: Discovery's final mission
All indications so far are that Discovery's heat shields are in good condition on its final flight after a 4:53 p.m. ET Thursday launch from Kennedy Space Center.
Four pieces of external tank foam or other debris that came loose during the trip to space did so at times when they wouldn't strike with great force, Cain said.