Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, current leader Neon Vincent, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, wader, Man Oh Man, rfall, and JML9999. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse, ek hornbeck, ScottyUrb, Interceptor7, BentLiberal, Oke and jlms qkw. The guest editor is annetteboardman.
Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.
Starting out with good news.
BBC
Downton Abbey to get fifth series
ITV period drama Downton Abbey has announced a fifth series, as the fourth series of the hit show draws to a close.
"We promise all the usual highs and lows, romance, drama and comedy," said Gareth Neame, director of Downton Abbey creators Carnival Films.
Julian Fellowes will return to write the series, which is expected to air next year.
The latest series has had average viewing figures of 11.8 million.
"With Julian writing and Gareth (Neame) and Liz (Trubridge) producing, we know it will be as warm, witty, romantic and dramatic as previous series and we can't wait to catch up with our favourite characters again," said ITV's director of drama commissioning, Steve November.
BBC About time?
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said to be considering rehab
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, under pressure to quit after admitting he smoked crack cocaine and had a drink problem, could enter rehab, his lawyer says.
Dennis Morris told the Globe and Mail that the mayor of Canada's largest city was "considering options".
"And we'll stay tuned to see what he says in the next few days," Mr Morris told the newspaper.
His comments come a day after Mr Ford apologised for a video of him threatening to kill an unknown person.
The 44-year-old married father of two said he was "extremely, extremely inebriated" at the time it was filmed and he was "embarrassed" by it.
Toronto police said last week they have a separate video apparently showing Mr Ford smoking crack cocaine, which has not been made public.
BBC Science
Ozone chemicals ban linked to global warming 'pause'
A new study suggests that the ban on ozone depleting chemicals may have also impacted the rise in global temperatures.
CFC gases were responsible for a massive hole in the ozone layer but they also had a powerful greenhouse effect.
The authors link a ban on their use to a "pause" or slowdown in temperature increases since the mid 1990s.
The research is published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
The subject of a hiatus or standstill in global temperatures rises since 1998 has been the subject of intense debate among scientists, and it has been used as a key argument by some to show that the impacts of global warming have been exaggerated.
N Y Times
Removing Fuel Rods Poses New Risks at Crippled Nuclear Plant in Japan
TOKYO — It was the part of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that spooked American officials the most, as the complex spiraled out of control two and a half years ago: the spent fuel pool at Reactor No. 4, with more than 1,500 radioactive fuel assemblies left exposed when a hydrogen explosion blew the roof off the building.
In the next 10 days, the plant’s operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, is set to start the delicate and risky task of using a crane to remove the fuel assemblies from the pool, a critical step in a long decommissioning process that has already had serious setbacks.
Just 36 men will carry out the tense operation to move the fuel to safer storage; they will work in groups of six in two-hour shifts throughout the day for months. A separate team will work overnight to clear any debris inside the pool that might cause the fuel to jam when a crane tries to lift it out, possibly causing damage.
CNN They never give up.
Graham to keep holds on Obama nominees
Sen. Lindsey Graham vowed on Sunday that he would continue to block President Barack Obama's nominations until Congress hears from Benghazi survivors.
The South Carolina lawmaker told CNN's Candy Crowley on "State of the Union" that he will place holds on any nomination put forth by the administration unless it makes available five survivors of the September 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, who have been interviewed by State Department investigators but remain out of Congress' reach.
"I've been trying for a year to get these interviews without holds," Graham said.
Graham scoffed at any notion his maneuver amounts to political grandstanding, portraying his actions as a last resort and couching them as part of "trying to perform oversight."
CNN Money
After fire, Tesla driver says he'd buy another
A Tennessee doctor whose Tesla burst into flames last week isn't ditching the luxury electric car maker.
"I would buy another one in a heartbeat," reads a weekend post to the Tesla blog attributed to the driver.
Juris Shibayama lavishes praise on Tesla and the Model S, which is powered by a battery pack installed below the vehicle. The fire started after the undercarriage of Shibayama's car hit a trailer hitch, according to his account on the Tesla blog and one from the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
His was the third Tesla Model S fire in 5 weeks, and the second sparked after the car drove over a metal object. None resulted in injuries.
Reuters
U.S. bishops to select leaders as Pope urges new focus
Maybe status quo no mo.
(Reuters) - U.S. Catholic bishops will choose new leaders at an assembly in Baltimore this week and possibly signal a new direction for the American church under the influence of Pope Francis.
The conference begins Monday and all eyes will be on whether the new leaders of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops continue vigorous opposition to gay marriage and to Obamacare's contraceptive mandate, or increase their push to help the poor and immigrants given Pope Francis' emphasis on social justice issues.
The new leaders also will be preparing for an "extraordinary synod" of bishops in Rome to discuss teachings related to the family. The Vatican has asked bishops and parish priests around the world about the local views on gay marriage, divorce and birth control ahead of the October 2014 meeting.
Reuters
JAL reports problem with 787 battery on Helsinki-Tokyo flight
Maybe they should get some Tesla batteries.
(Reuters) - Japan Airlines Co Inc said that a Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight from Helsinki to Tokyo experienced problems with the same type of battery that caught fire in Boston in January and grounded the 787 fleet worldwide for three months.
The JAL website said on Sunday that the battery on JAL flight 414 on Friday did not overheat or emit smoke, but that a cockpit indicator showed trouble with the battery connected to the plane's auxiliary power unit during the flight.
"However, the voltage and electrical current were within normal range and there was no effect on the remainder of the flight," the airline added.
Inspections of the battery, which was removed and replaced, were continuing.
Boeing officials were not immediately available for comment.
Reuters
Syrian opposition agrees to participate in Geneva peace talks
(Reuters) - - The Western-backed Syrian opposition agreed to participate in international peace talks in Geneva, the Syrian National Coalition said in a statement early on Monday.
The statement, translated from Arabic, outlined conditions that must be met before the talks, which aim to end Syria's two-and-a-half year civil war, by creating a transitional governing body.
The Syrian National Coalition's leader has expressed a willingness to attend the U.S. and Russian sponsored talks but this is the first time the group as a whole has committed to the proposed conference, while making stipulations.
It was hoped that the talks would take place before the end of November but the Syrian coalition's failure to come up with a clear stance, as well as differences between Washington and Moscow over the purpose of the talks and opposition representation made delays likely.
S F Gate
Greenpeace's 'hippie ship' stops by S.F.'s waterfront
(11-10) 17:05 PST -- America's Cup yachts? Cruise ships? Forget all that. The big attraction Sunday along San Francisco's waterfront was the world's most famous "hippie ship."
Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior, the floating, green-hued hub for environmental activism, pulled into Pier 15 Friday and will remain through Nov. 19, open for free public tours, art shows, films, panel discussions and live music.
Up to 900 people a day are expected to visit the iconic boat, made famous by a 1985 incident off the coast of New Zealand when the French bombed - and sunk - its predecessor, the first Rainbow Warrior, during a nuclear weapons protest.