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 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 consist of founder Magnifico, regular editors jlms qkw, maggiejean, wader, Oke, rfall, and JML9999, alumni editors palantir, BentLiberal and ScottyUrb, guest editor annetteboardman, and current editor-in-chief Neon Vincent. We invited our readers to comment & share other news.
BBC:F-35 fighter jet fleet grounded by Pentagon
F-35 fighter jet fleet grounded by Pentagon
The US has grounded its entire fleet of 51 F-35 fighter jets after the discovery of a cracked engine blade.
The fault was detected during a routine inspection of an air force version of the jet (F-35A) at Edwards Air Force Base in California, said the Pentagon.
Different versions are flown by the navy and the marine corps. All have been grounded.
The F-35 is the Pentagon's most expensive weapons programme. with a cost of nearly $400bn (£260bn).
BBC:Syria conflict: 'Civilians killed' by Aleppo rockets
Syria conflict: 'Civilians killed' by Aleppo rockets
Three missiles have crashed into residential areas of Syria's northern city of Aleppo, killing at least 12 civilians, activists say.
Video footage posted online claims to show the aftermath, with people carrying away the wounded and a wide area reduced to rubble.
Activists say families are buried under the rubble in one neighbourhood.
Meanwhile, opposition politicians say they have agreed to form a government for rebel-held areas.
BBC:UK loses top AAA credit rating for first time since 1978
UK loses top AAA credit rating for first time since 1978
The UK has lost its top AAA credit rating for the first time since 1978 on expectations that growth will "remain sluggish over the next few years".
The ratings agency Moody's became the first to cut the UK from its highest rating, to Aa1.
Moody's said the government's debt reduction programme faced significant "challenges" ahead.
Chancellor George Osborne said the decision was "a stark reminder of the debt problems facing our country".
BBC:Mali conflict: 'Many die' in Ifoghas mountain battle
Mali conflict: 'Many die' in Ifoghas mountain battle
Thirteen Chadian and 65 Islamist rebel fighters have been killed in fighting in northern Mali, Chad's military says.
It says five of its soldiers were wounded in the clashes in the mountainous Ifoghas region.
France intervened last month to help the Malian army oust Islamist militants who seized the vast northern region of Mali in 2012.
Thousands of soldiers from African countries have also been deployed in Mali since then.
BBC:China acknowledges 'cancer villages'
China acknowledges 'cancer villages'
China's environment ministry appears to have acknowledged the existence of so-called "cancer villages" after years of public speculation about the impact of pollution in certain areas.
For years campaigners have said cancer rates in some villages near factories and polluted waterways have shot up.
But the term "cancer village" has no technical definition and the ministry's report did not elaborate on it.
There have been many calls for China to be more transparent on pollution.
BBC:Mali conflict: US deploys 100 troops to neighbour Niger
Mali conflict: US deploys 100 troops to neighbour Niger
The US has deployed 100 troops to Niger to assist French forces in neighbouring Mali, the US president has said.
The armed troops will provide intelligence support, President Barack Obama informed Congress on Friday.
France deployed troops to Mali in January to counter al-Qaeda-linked Islamist militants.
The US and Niger signed a status of forces agreement last month, and the US is weighing a base for surveillance drones there, US media have reported.
Reuters:Boeing proposes full 787 battery fix to FAA: sources
Boeing proposes full 787 battery fix to FAA: sources
(Reuters) - Boeing Co on Friday gave U.S. aviation regulators its plan to fix the volatile battery aboard its new 787 Dreamliner, even though investigators have not yet determined what caused the batteries to overheat on two planes last month.
Boeing did not propose abandoning the lithium-ion batteries and is not working on a backup or longer-term fix for the problem that has grounded its entire fleet of 50 Dreamliners for nearly five weeks, three sources familiar with the plan said.
The company and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said no firm result emerged from the meeting between Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta and other FAA officials and Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Ray Conner and other senior Boeing executives in Washington.
With Boeing's costs mounting by millions of dollars a day while the planes are on the ground, the FAA said it is "reviewing a Boeing proposal and will analyze it closely. The safety of the flying public is our top priority and we won't allow the 787 to return to commercial service until we're confident that any proposed solution has addressed the battery failure risks."
Reuters:Abe vows to revive Japanese economy, sees no escalation with China
Abe vows to revive Japanese economy, sees no escalation with China
(Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Americans on Friday "I am back and so is Japan" and vowed to get the world's third biggest economy growing again and to do more to bolster security and the rule of law in an Asia roiled by territorial disputes.
Abe had firm words for China in a policy speech to a top Washington think-tank, but also tempered his remarks by saying he had no desire to escalate a row over islets in the East China Sea that Tokyo controls and Beijing claims.
"No nation should make any miscalculation about firmness of our resolve. No one should ever doubt the robustness of the Japan-U.S. alliance," he told the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"At the same time, I have absolutely no intention to climb up the escalation ladder," Abe said in a speech in English.
Reuters:Einhorn scores legal victory vs. Apple in cash scuffle
Einhorn scores legal victory vs. Apple in cash scuffle
(Reuters) - A U.S. judge handed outspoken hedge fund manager David Einhorn a victory in his battle with Apple Inc on Friday, blocking the iPhone maker from moving forward with a shareholder vote on a controversial proposal to limit the company's ability to issue preferred stock.
U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan in Manhattan granted a motion by Einhorn's Greenlight Capital for a preliminary injunction stopping a vote on that proposal, scheduled for the company's February 27 stockholders' meeting.
The decision could hand Einhorn more leverage as he pursues his pitch for Apple to issue what he has called the "iPref": preferred stock with a perpetual dividend that he contends would reward investors and help boost the company's share price.
Greenlight sued Apple on February 7 as part of a broader pitch to unlock more of its $137 billion in cash. The hedge fund manager has lobbied Apple to issue preferred stock with a perpetual 4 percent dividend, and on Thursday made a direct appeal to shareholders on a teleconference.
Reuters:Brazil dock workers end strike, expose fragile ports
Brazil dock workers end strike, expose fragile ports
(Reuters) - Dock workers returned to work at ports across Brazil on Friday after they disrupted the movement of global commodities with a six-hour strike in protest of the government's plan to overhaul regulations and privatize hundreds of terminals.
The short-lived stoppage provided a glimpse of what could be a tense harvest for Brazil, one of the world's biggest commodities exporters, if unions do not reach a deal with the government and call off an open-ended strike set for mid-March.
Until then, ports should operate normally as both parties agreed to a negotiation period that runs through March 15. Workers decided to call off a second six-hour stoppage planned for Tuesday.
"We are tense, the companies are strong and the workers are weak in these negotiations," said Geraldo Ventura, a dock-side worker since 1974, as he waited to sign up for an afternoon shift at Brazil's Santos port.
Reuters:Russia accuses U.S. of double standards over Syria
Russia accuses U.S. of double standards over Syria
(Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the United States on Friday of having double standards on Syria, saying it had blocked a U.N. Security Council statement condemning a car bomb attack in Damascus.
Washington denied it had blocked the statement and said it had only asked for balance. The disagreement was likely to sour the atmosphere before Lavrov meets newly appointed U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry next week in Berlin.
Lavrov told a news conference Washington had disappointed Moscow by blocking a statement condemning "terrorist attacks" near the Russian embassy in Damascus that killed more than 50 people and that Washington was threatening international unity in the "war on terror".
"We believe these are double standards," Lavrov said after talks with China's foreign minister.
Reuters:Walmex sees 2013 capex up, won't disclose new stores
Walmex sees 2013 capex up, won't disclose new stores
(Reuters) - Mexico's biggest retailer, Wal-Mart de Mexico (WALMEXV.MX), expects to spend up to $1.4 billion on investments in 2013, but in a break with tradition the company declined to say how many stores it plans to open this year.
Walmex, as the company controlled by Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) is known locally, is under investigation in the United States and Mexico for allegedly bribing Mexican officials to speed up store openings.
The company said on Thursday it expects to increase total store space by 8 percent to 9 percent in Mexico and 6 percent in Central America this year.
But it would not disclose how many stores it will open, company executives said at a meeting with analysts.
CNET:NYPD creates special team to recover stolen Apple devices
NYPD creates special team to recover stolen Apple devices
Smartphones are so common now that it's easy to forget criminals will steal them if you give them the opportunity.
Apple device thefts in New York have gotten so bad that the New York Police Department created a team dedicated to recovering stolen iDevices, the New York Post reported today.
The team works with Apple to obtain ID numbers -- known as International Mobile Station Equipment Identity numbers -- for devices to help track down the stolen goods.
The number of thefts of such devices in the city soared last year, according to a report from the NYPD. The department found that iPhone and iPad thefts rose 40 percent during a period of eight months. As of September, 11,447 cases were reported.