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:Risk of future Nepal-India earthquake increases
Risk of future Nepal-India earthquake increases
There is an increased risk of a future major earthquake in an area that straddles the west of Nepal and India, scientists warn.
New data has revealed that the devastating quake that hit Nepal in April did not release all of the stress that had built up underground, and has pushed some of it westwards.
The research is published in the journals Nature Geoscience and Science.
Its authors say more monitoring is now needed in this area.
BBC:North Korea's new time zone to break from 'imperialism'
North Korea's new time zone to break from 'imperialism'
North Korea is to switch to a new time zone to mark its liberation from the Japanese at the end of World War Two, says state media.
North Korea is currently in the same time zone as South Korea and Japan, which are nine hours ahead of GMT.
But Pyongyang Time will see the clocks put back by 30 minutes on 15 August.
State news agency KCNA said "wicked Japanese imperialists" had "deprived Korea of even its standard time" by changing the clocks during occupation.
BBC:Bangladesh blogger Niloy Neel hacked to death in Dhaka
Bangladesh blogger Niloy Neel hacked to death in Dhaka
A Bangladeshi blogger known for his atheist views has been hacked to death by a gang armed with machetes in the capital Dhaka, police say.
Niloy Neel was attacked at his home in the city's Goran area.
He is the fourth secularist blogger to have been killed this year by suspected Islamist militants in Bangladesh.
Imran H Sarkar, head of the Bangladesh Blogger and Activist Network, told the BBC that Mr Neel had been an anti-extremist voice of reason.
BBC:Nigeria to establish weapons factory, says President Buhari
Nigeria to establish weapons factory, says President Buhari
Nigeria is going to establish a domestic weapons factory in an effort to cut its dependence on imported arms, President Muhammadu Buhari has said.
The defence ministry had been told to develop plans for a "modest military industrial complex," the president, who came to power in May, said
Nigeria has been battling the militant Islamist group Boko Haram for the last six years.
The US has refused to sell arms to Nigeria citing human rights abuses.
BBC:Migrant 'chaos' on Greek islands - UN refugee agency
Migrant 'chaos' on Greek islands - UN refugee agency
The refugee crisis on the Greek islands of Kos, Chios and Lesbos is "total chaos", the UN refugee agency UNHCR says, with inadequate accommodation, water and sanitation.
Around 50,000 people arrived in Greece in July alone, the organisation says.
Greece's leader said the country was unable to cope, and called for EU help.
Separately, Italian police arrested five suspected traffickers over the deaths of about 200 people after a migrant boat sank on Wednesday
BBC:US offers $5m reward for Mexico drug lord Guzman
US offers $5m reward for Mexico drug lord Guzman
The US government is offering a reward of $5m (£3.2m) for information leading to the capture of fugitive Mexican drug lord Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman.
Guzman escaped from a Mexican maximum-security jail on 22 July.
He is one of the world's most wanted drug lords whose Sinaloa cartel smuggled huge quantities of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines to the US.
The head of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said he believed Guzman was still in Mexico.
Reuters:China's Anbang Insurance to make over $1 billion bid for Japan's Simplex: sources
China's Anbang Insurance to make over $1 billion bid for Japan's Simplex: sources
China's Anbang Insurance Group Co is bidding to buy Japanese property asset manager Simplex Investment Advisors, four people with knowledge of the bid said, in a deal that could top $1 billion.
If successful, Simplex would be Anbang's first real estate foray into Japan where the market has been booming on the back of the economic stimulus policies of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The Chinese insurer, however, is up against other bidders for the property asset manager being put up for sale by U.S. property investment fund Aetos Capital Real Estate.
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These competitors include U.S. investment fund Fortress Investment Group (FIG.N), Blackstone Group (BX.N), and Elliot Management, people with knowledge of the matter had told Reuters.
Reuters:Japan to send vice-minister to Iran to build economic ties
Japan to send vice-minister to Iran to build economic ties
Japan is sending a senior trade and industry official to Iran along with executives from the oil, gas and other industries after a landmark agreement reached on the country's disputed nuclear program.
The agreement paved the way for a relaxation of sanctions and international delegations are now flocking to Tehran seeking business in the biggest economy to rejoin the global trading and financial system since the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Daishiro Yamagiwa, vice-minister of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, will visit Tehran and meet top government officials on Aug. 8 and 9, the ministry said in an emailed statement on Friday.
Yamagiwa will convey Japan's strong desire to quickly normalize economic relations once sanctions are lifted, the ministry said.
Reuters:U.S. steps up efforts to meet Obama goal to close Guantanamo prison
U.S. steps up efforts to meet Obama goal to close Guantanamo prison
The United States has secured commitments from a dozen countries to accept nearly half of the 52 Guantanamo prisoners already cleared for transfer, U.S. officials said on Friday, as the Obama administration tries to accelerate efforts to close the military prison.
But the moves will require the final signature of Defense Secretary Ash Carter, which could still delay the process, despite President Barack Obama's push to empty the prison before he leaves office in 2017.
With the White House drafting a broader plan to shut the facility, the office of the State Department’s Guantanamo envoy has finalized deals with several foreign governments and is in advanced negotiations with others, the senior officials told Reuters.
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They said the transfers from the prison at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which has drawn international condemnation for the harsh treatment of foreign terrorism suspects held there, could take place by the end of the year, whittling down the current prisoner population of 116.
Reuters:EU officials note progress in Greek bailout talks, deal possible next week
EU officials note progress in Greek bailout talks, deal possible next week
Greece is on track to complete a draft deal on a third bailout by Tuesday and possibly get a first disbursement by Aug. 20 to meet a key payment, sources familiar with a conference call of senior EU finance officials late on Friday said.
Athens is negotiating with European Union institutions and the International Monetary Fund for up to 86 billion euros ($94 billion) in fresh loans to stave off economic collapse and stay in the euro zone.
Senior EU officials assessed the progress in talks between Athens and its international creditors, with Germany warning against haste.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has tried to force the pace of the talks, keen to wrap up agreement on sensitive economic reforms by mid-August, while many Greeks are on holiday, and receive an initial aid disbursement by Aug. 20 in time to make a bond payment to the European Central Bank.
Reuters:Brazil VP dismisses rumor of split with President Rousseff
Brazil VP dismisses rumor of split with President Rousseff
Brazilian Vice President Michel Temer denied rumors on Friday that he was dropping the job of handling President Dilma Rousseff's relations with her coalition allies in Congress.
Temer has become Brazil's virtual prime minister since Rousseff put him in charge of her ties with an unruly coalition. But his comment on Wednesday that the nation needed someone to resolve its political crisis caused friction within Rousseff's Workers' Party.
Rousseff called Temer in for a chat on Thursday, according to an aide to the vice president.
Valor PRO financial news service reported that Temer, who leads the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), Rousseff's main ally, told the president at their meeting that he was throwing in the towel as political go-between.
Reuters:Fugitive drug lord 'Chapo' Guzman likely still in Mexico: DEA chief
Fugitive drug lord 'Chapo' Guzman likely still in Mexico: DEA chief
The U.S. government believes fugitive Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is still in Mexico, and federal agents are working with Mexican authorities on his recapture, the acting head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said on Wednesday.
"Where is he probably the safest and best protected? Probably Sinaloa," Chuck Rosenberg said in a briefing with reporters, in reference to Guzman's home state where he built up his powerful drug cartel.
Rosenberg said DEA agents are sharing intelligence with their Mexican counterparts but added that "institutional problems" in the country made such information gathering difficult.
"We have sources in Mexico we can work closely with. It doesn't extend throughout the entire government," he said at a briefing with reporters.
mASHABLE:Verizon nixes contracts, subsidies for new customers
Verizon nixes contracts, subsidies for new customers
Under pressure from trends in the industry, Verizon is simplifying its wireless plans for new customers.
Beginning Aug. 13, there will be no more subsidies and contracts, eliminating two of the most confusing aspects of buying a phone and service plan, the company announced in a statement.
If you're on a contract now, and want to keep receiving subsidies, you can keep doing so. But new customers have to adopt the new plans.
Here’s how it’ll work: Verizon is rebranding its data packages according to size (kind of like ordering a drink at Wendy’s): There’s a small, medium, large, and extra large. Each package includes unlimited calling and texting, but you pay for your allotment of data.