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 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, Doctor RJ 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.
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BBC:Russia opposition politician Boris Nemtsov shot dead
Russia opposition politician Boris Nemtsov shot dead
A leading Russian opposition politician, former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov, has been shot dead in Moscow, Russian officials say.
An unidentified attacker in a car shot Mr Nemtsov four times in the back as he crossed a bridge in view of the Kremlin, police say.
He died hours after appealing for support for a march on Sunday in Moscow against the war in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned the murder, the Kremlin says.
BBC:US state considers baby drop-off boxes
US state considers baby drop-off boxes
Indiana could be the first US state to introduce baby boxes - anonymous drop-off points designed to prevent the deaths of abandoned infants.
Many states allow parents to hand over infants at public facilities, but the boxes have not been used in the US.
The boxes offer people who will not give up a child in person an alternative to abandonment or infanticide, proponents say.
But they have been criticised in Europe and Asia, where they are more common.
BBC:'Progress' in US-Cuba talks but no embassy decision
'Progress' in US-Cuba talks but no embassy decision
Cuban and US diplomats say they have made progress in talks in Washington to restore full relations between the two countries.
At issue is the opening of embassies in the two capitals and Cuba's hope it will be removed from a US terror list.
The Cuban delegation was optimistic that problems could be overcome.
Likewise the head of the US delegation said she hoped that the embassies issue could be resolved before a regional summit in Panama on 10 April.
BBC:Somali pirates free Thai fishermen held for four years
Somali pirates free Thai fishermen held for four years
Four Thai nationals seized from a fishing vessel by Somali pirates nearly five years ago have been released, the UN and local officials have said.
It is believed that they spent longer in captivity than any other victims of Somali piracy.
The four were among 24 crew members seized in April 2010 after pirates hijacked the Taiwan-flagged fishing vessel FV Prantalay 12.
At one time Somali pirates made millions of dollars in ransoms.
BBC:Greece debt: PM Alexis Tsipras rules out third bailout
Greece debt: PM Alexis Tsipras rules out third bailout
Greece will not need a third international debt bailout when its current programme ends in four months, the country's prime minister has said.
Alexis Tsipras vowed his government would "start working hard" to change the country, which is saddled with a debt 175% of its GDP.
Greece has already received two bailouts since 2010, totalling 240bn euros (£188bn; $272bn).
Germany's parliament ratified a four-month extension on Friday.
BBC:US-Bangladesh blogger Avijit Roy hacked to death
US-Bangladesh blogger Avijit Roy hacked to death
Attackers in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka have hacked to death a US-Bangladeshi blogger whose writings on religion angered Islamist hardliners.
Avijit Roy, an atheist who advocated secularism, was attacked as he walked back from a book fair with his wife, who was also hurt in the attack.
No-one has been arrested but police say they are investigating a local Islamist group that praised the killing.
Hundreds of people gathered in Dhaka to mourn the blogger's death.
Reuters:EU agency recommends approval of Otsuka kidney drug
EU agency recommends approval of Otsuka kidney drug
(Reuters) - A new kidney disease drug from Japan's Otsuka has been recommended for approval in Europe, the region's medicines regulator said on Friday.
Jinarc, or tolvaptan, was given a green light for the treatment of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), an hereditary genetic disease that leads to the development of cysts in the kidneys.
Recommendations for marketing approval by the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) are normally endorsed by the European Commission within a couple of months.
Reuters:U.S. begins vetting Syrian rebels for military training: Pentagon
U.S. begins vetting Syrian rebels for military training: Pentagon
(Reuters) - The U.S. military has begun vetting a group of Syrian rebels eligible for training and assistance in the fight against Islamic State militants, a step that paves the way for training to begin in weeks, the Pentagon said on Friday.
Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said about 100 moderate Syrian rebels had been vetted to participate in the training and assistance effort, with no derogatory information uncovered to weigh against their involvement.
Kirby said 1,500 other potential candidates had been identified and were awaiting more rigorous screening before being admitted to the program.
"Our assessment is we could be ready sometime within the next four to six weeks to begin actual training," Kirby told a Pentagon briefing, noting that the vetting was "an important first step."
Reuters:Mexico captures most wanted drug kingpin, former teacher 'La Tuta'
Mexico captures most wanted drug kingpin, former teacher 'La Tuta'
(Reuters) - Mexico captured its most wanted drug lord on Friday, former primary school teacher Servando "La Tuta" Gomez, and delivered a boost to a government battered by gang violence.
The 49-year-old gang boss was the prime target of President Enrique Peña Nieto's effort to regain control of Michoacan, a western state wracked by clashes between Gomez's Knights Templar cartel and armed vigilantes trying to oust them.
The arrest comes as Peña Nieto seeks to quell public outrage in Mexico after the late September abduction and apparent massacre of 43 trainee teachers by corrupt police in league with gang members.
That incident triggered Peña Nieto's deepest crisis. Attorney General Jesus Murillo, under fire for months over his handling of that investigation, will step down, a senior government official said on Friday.
Reuters:Strike ends at Brazil GM plant after union flexes muscle
Strike ends at Brazil GM plant after union flexes muscle
(Reuters) - Workers at a General Motors Co (GM.N) car factory in Brazil ended a six-day strike on Thursday after the company dropped plans to lay off 800 employees, the union said, ending the latest labor standoff in the troubled Brazilian auto industry.
Later on Thursday the metalworkers union of Sao Jose dos Campos re-elected its leadership by a three-to-one margin, highlighting the appeal of more confrontational union tactics that are gaining steam across the country.
The re-elected leadership, which also organized a strike against planemaker Embraer SA (EMBR3.SA) last year, credited its hardline reputation and consistent criticism of President Dilma Rousseff for the decisive win over their opponents, who were backed by a national union with close ties to the ruling party.
Rousseff's popularity has slumped to an all-time low as the Brazilian economy founders and she pushes to close a federal budget gap with tax increases and stingier pension policies.
Reuters:China questions U.S. threat of U.N. sanctions on South Sudan
China questions U.S. threat of U.N. sanctions on South Sudan
(Reuters) - China on Friday questioned the logic behind a U.S. push to create a United Nations sanctions regime for South Sudan while warring parties there negotiate a power-sharing deal to end the conflict in the country, the world's newest state.
The United States circulated a draft U.N. Security Council resolution on the measure to the 15-member body on Tuesday but stopped short of proposing an arms embargo or placing specific individuals on a blacklist.
"The question arises as to what is the best way to facilitate (the political) process - whether at this moment, when the two sides are negotiating for a solution, you talk about imposing sanctions," Chinese U.N. Ambassador Liu Jieyi told reporters. "Frankly I don't see the logic behind this."
"Sanctions are a punitive thing to do ... it intends to punish," he said. "To apply a punitive measure now would send out what kind of a message – a right message or wrong message?"
Reuters:U.S. bill links Hong Kong economic privileges to autonomy
U.S. bill links Hong Kong economic privileges to autonomy
(Reuters) - A bipartisan group of U.S. legislators reintroduced a bill on Friday aimed at putting pressure on China to ensure autonomy and human rights in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act would update a 1992 law that has afforded Hong Kong trade and economic privileges not enjoyed by mainland China.
It would require the U.S. secretary of state to certify annually that Hong Kong is sufficiently autonomous before enacting any new laws or agreements granting Hong Kong such different treatment. It would also allow the secretary to waive the certification on national security grounds.
The bill was originally introduced last year, but there was not time to process it before the term of the previous Congress expired.
LA Times:Uber says security breach affected about 50,000 drivers
Uber says security breach affected about 50,000 drivers
Feb 27 (Reuters) - A security breach at car service Uber may have disclosed the names and driver's license numbers of about 50,000 drivers across multiple states, the company said in a statement on Friday.
The data breach involved current and former Uber drivers, and the company has notified attorneys general in states where those drivers live, including California.
"To date, we have not received any reports of actual misuse of any information as a result of this incident," the company said. However, Uber advised drivers to monitor their credit reports for fraudulent transactions.
The company has raised more than $4 billion from prominent venture capital firms such as Benchmark and Google Ventures, valuing Uber at $40 billion and making it the most valuable startup in the United States.