Welcome to Overnight News Digest for Sunday, November 28.
Overnight News Digest posts nightly at around 12am Eastern.
OND is a group diary in which each editor strives to create a unique news presentation through format, story selection, and the addition of anything he or she thinks will be interesting or enlightening to the community.
Reader participation is invited and encouraged, so feel free to post your own stories, photos, etc.
This series is led by our editor-in-chief, the very bright Neon Vincent.
As always, a enthusiastic hat-tip is extended to our founder, Magnifico.
View outside my front door, 7pm tonight.
WAR ZONES
'No need' for US troops
''I don't feel the need for the presence of any foreign force to help the Iraqi forces,'' he said. ''The Iraqi army, police and the services are capable of handling the security situation.''
Pak Taliban hold meeting, plan strikes
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has held a secret meeting at which they decided to set up two units to carry out strikes on foreigners and security forces, a report said.
The meeting also decided to launch a fund-raising campaign.
I Keep Bleeding Love
The Philippines on November 23 mourned the one-year anniversary of the country’s worst political massacre amid pleas for justice and fears of attacks by the clan blamed for the murders. A year after 57 bodies were recovered on a grassy hilltop in southern Maguindanao province on Nov. 23, 2009, the body of photo reporter Reynaldo Momay still remains missing. A denture dug out from the mass grave is the only trace left of Reynaldo. Leaders of a Muslim clan accused of carrying out the Philippines’ worst political massacre remain a major security threat in their home province even from behind bars, locals say.
Pakistan opens its door to US ops
The Pakistani Embassy in Washington has lifted all scrutiny mechanisms for granting visas to defense-related American officials. Under the new procedures, implemented two weeks ago, officials will be granted visas in 24 hours.
Previously, under pressure from the armed forces, all applications for visas by United States defense officials were passed on to Pakistan's Ministry of Defense, which in turn sent them to the directorate of Military
Intelligence. After several months of scrutiny, visas were either granted or denied.
The new procedures were laid down on the direct intervention of the office of President Asif Ali Zardari to facilitate the Americans in their quest to directly hunt down militant networks in Pakistani cities, where Washington believes major attacks in Europe are being planned and also from where the insurgency in Afghanistan is being directed. Compared with 2009, US drones have doubled their air-to-ground attacks during 2010, to more than 100 on militant sanctuaries in Pakistan's tribal areas.
Oh look, it's official, and legit, and everything now.
I want to fully recommend this excellent front page post on the corporate crimes of war.
AROUND THE WORLD
Elections
Voting ends in Haiti amid chaos, confusion
It's unclear whether the position will push Haiti into another crisis, where the country, already volatile, could fall deeper into catastrophe.
The Provisional Electoral Council said the vote will continue and denied that there was massive fraud.
``The election is ruined. It needs to be canceled,'' said former prime minister and presidential candidate Jacques-Edouard Alexis. ``Our history has always shown that it's the people who give the power.''
Alexis said although he's always been against a transition government in Haiti, one is needed to organized elections because his former boss, President René Préval has shown ``he cannot organize good elections.''
``President Préval said by all means he would have elections,'' Alexis said.
Alexis was the presumed heir-apparent to Préval until he was passed over by Preval for former government road building chief, Jude Celéstin.
Celéstin, who voted at a high school in Petionville, experienced first hand the disorganization of the voting process. When a poll worker looked up his photo on the voter list to verify his identify, it didn't match. He had to vote by provisional ballot.
Not everyone had a problem. Ferdoz Sydney, 32, who voted hours earlier at the same bureau said everything went smoothly.
I know what we need: Elections-In-A-Box - a kit with everything a country needs for free and fair elections. And the UN can hand it out. I guess elections are so hard 'cause they really do matter - there's incentive for mischief-making.
Egypt's discredited elections blighted by shadow of police violence
Something is rotten at the heart of Alexandria, one of the great metropolises of the ancient world and Egypt's modern gateway to the Mediterranean. The country goes to the polls today to elect a new parliament in a ballot widely condemned by human rights groups as being blatantly rigged in favour of Mubarak's ruling NDP party, and which has been marred by violent clashes on the street between government security services and opposition supporters.
With more than 1,200 Muslim Brotherhood supporters arrested in recent weeks and prominent dissidents, including former UN nuclear inspectorate chief Mohamed ElBaradei, calling for a boycott of the vote, international analysts are watching this election closely – not for the final results, but to pick up clues about Egypt's political direction as it enters the final days of Mubarak's reign. The three-decade-long leadership of the 82-year-old president, who is believed to be seriously ill, could come to an end next year when a presidential poll is scheduled. Possible successors, including his son Gamal, are jockeying for position.
But as more than 50,000 polling stations open today, allegations of police torture are disrupting the government's carefully constructed narrative of a nation on the brink of democratic reform. "These are the stories our regime does not want you to hear," says Ahmed Nassar, a lawyer who has represented victims of police abuse and tried unsuccessfully to get his name on this year's parliamentary ballot paper. "On the streets of Alexandria these days, brutality counts for more than the law."
Egypt is an ally, right? And Mubarak, too?
Carter Centre urges Sudan rivals to end war of words
Observers from the Carter Centre who have been monitoring preparations for a historic vote on independence for south Sudan warned that a war of words between northern and southern leaders is creating a climate of fear.
The non-governmental organisation founded by former United States president Jimmy Carter urged the National Congress Party, which leads the Khartoum government, and the former rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement that runs the south to tone down their rhetoric in the run-up to the January 9 vote.
"In the last few days, the NCP and SPLM have traded accusations of intimidation and manipulation of the registration process in northern Sudan," the Carter Centre said in a statement dated Wednesday, November 24.
- - - - - - - - - -
Judge to lead Pike River mine inquiry named
The draft terms of reference are broad and will scrutinise the rescue effort, as well as the safety practices at the mine.
A National Remembrance Service will be held in Greymouth on Thursday.
"It is important that we take every step we can to get the answers that these people and all New Zealanders need about what happened at Pike River," Mr Key said.
Explosions killed 29 workers at the Pike River Coal mine, the first of which was just over a week ago.
Although commissions of inquiry are usually used for disasters, Mr Key said a royal commission showed how seriously the government took the issue.
I am interested in seeing how another country handles mine disasters, and if anyone will suffer further consequences. Here in the USA, Don Blankenship and Bob Murray continue to live and walk and breathe the free air. Of course, in our "ally" China, has its own issues with coal mining.
$117bn rescue Ireland's only option
IRISH Prime Minister Brian Cowen said today that Ireland had no option but to proceed with the 85 billion euro ($117bn) rescue package.
He said it would have been completely irresponsible for the country to default on its debts.
"This country has an obligation and is in a position to pay its debts," Mr Cowen said at a media conference in Dublin following the unveiling of the aid package.
"We are a country that recognises its international obligations as a member of the euro area and which wants to contribute to euro currency stability."
Patrick Honohan, member of the European Central Bank's governing council and governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, said the €85bn financial aid package for Ireland will restore market confidence and give a clear economic policy path for the country.
"The support of the European Commission, European Central Bank and the IMF underpins a clear economic and financial policy path for Ireland," he said.
Iceland defaulted, right? And got a new government? And still exists as a viable nation? It just seems like these so-called economic crises are just another war.
China eyes 'dual-use' supercomputers
China eyes 'dual-use' supercomputers
By Matthew Luce
As of November 15, the world's fastest supercomputer officially belongs to China, according to the most recent listing of the world's Top 500 computers. China has pushed the United States out of the top spot as well as putting a third machine into the top ten, providing another indicator of China's rise as a world technological power. Yet this year's results should come as a surprise to no one.
China has been pouring investments into high performance computing for the last decade and gradually edging the United States out of the top ten. Increased funding and an official policy commitment have propelled China from a technological backwater that in 2001 did not have a single machine in the Top 500 into a supercomputing superpower.
Supercomputers, or high-performance
computers, are an enabling technology that opens up a wide range of research frontiers previously closed to Chinese institutions, not least in defense applications. They are an increasingly important tool in intelligence as well as weapons design, and a crucial link in any national innovation chain.
Thousands join gay pride event in Delhi
About 2,000 people have joined a gay pride parade in the Indian capital, Delhi, the first such event since homosexuality was legalised last year.
Organisers said gay people were demonstrating that they have a place in society, and that the parade was a celebration of being different.
The High Court overturned a colonial-era law against homosexuality in 2009.
The Haitian Cholera Epidemic: 'The Fight Is Not Hopeless'
More than 1,400 people have died of cholera in Haiti, and every day that number grows. Nurse Anja Wolz is working with Doctors Without Borders in the country to help save lives. In an interview, she talks about the epidemic's spread and why Sunday's elections are a huge concern for her organization.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Ms. Wolz, you already helped provide emergency aid after the earthquake in Haiti in January. Now cholera has brought you back to the country. How is this double catastrophe affecting the people?
Anja Wolz: Many patients are traumatized and they ask: Why us? What is going to happen next? Especially in Port-au-Prince and Leogane, where almost everything was destroyed. Here in the north, in Cap-Haitien, the people were among those most spared by the earthquake, but even they have realized how much suffering there is in their country and are in despair.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: How have the two catastrophes been different for the aid workers there?
Wolz: The earthquake hit the country hard. From one moment to the next, hundreds of thousands of Haitians were left homeless. We had to treat many people, but over time the numbers of patients have dropped. With cholera it has been different. It is spreading rapidly, and we are registering more cases every day. We started with 30 cases of infection in our treatment center in Cap-Haitien; at the moment we have 450.
Oil companies and banks will profit from UN forest protection scheme
Some of the world's largest oil, mining, car and gas corporations will make hundreds of millions of dollars from a UN-backed forest protection scheme, according to a new report from the Friends of the Earth International.
The group's new report – launched on the first day of the global climate summit in Cancun, Mexico, where 193 countries hope to thrash out a new agreement – is the first major assessment of the several hundred, large-scale Redd (Reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation) pilot schemes. It shows that banks, airlines, charitable foundations, carbon traders, conservation groups, gas companies and palm plantation companies have also scrambled into forestry protection.
While forestry is billed as one issue where significant progress could be made at the talks, over the weekend David Cameron, Chris Huhne, the climate change secretary, and the government's chief scientists all played down the prospect of a global deal to cut carbon emissions.
South Korea warns North Korea against further provocation
South Korea's president said early this morning he felt responsibility for failing to protect citizens from North Korea's shelling last week and warned the North against further provocations.
Lee Myung-bak described Tuesday's shelling of a tiny South Korean island, which killed four people, as an "inhumane crime".
As Lee spoke, a nuclear-powered US supercarrier and a South Korean destroyer held joint military exercises. The show of force came almost a week after the attack on Yeonpyeong Island killed four, including two civilians, and sent tensions soaring in the region.
China has called for a meeting of the six nations involved in the stalled North Korean denuclearisation talks.
South Korea and Japan gave a tepid response to the proposal today. Analysts believe negotiations are the most plausible outcome of the conflict, but predict it will take time for the parties to come to the table. The North Korean artillery attack was the most serious incident since the sinking of a warship by what was found to be a North Korean torpedo.
Japan approves another stimulus package to combat deflation and strong Yen
The stimulus was designed to create jobs, Prime Minister Nato Kan said, through measures to help small businesses and boost consumer spending.
Earlier, figures showed that Japanese consumer prices fell for the 20th month in a row in October.
The vote in favour of the latest stimulus measures represents a victory for the government, which has struggled to get the package through parliament.
The move is in marked contrast to European governments' policies, which are focusing on cutting spending to secure growth. Japan has been struggling with weak growth, a high Yen and deflation.
Falklands/Malvinas: Brazil joins Argentina in criticizing UK’s "unilateral actions"
The words belong to Brazilian Defence minister Nelson Jobim who met with his Argentina peer Nilda Garré on the sidelines of the IX Conference of Ministers of Defence from the Americas which is taking place at the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
A release from the Argentine Defence ministry underlines Brazil’s support for Argentina’s claim over the Falklands and other South Atlantic Islands and adjoining maritime spaces, pointing out that unilateral measures and actions are not compatible with United Nations resolutions.
Minister Jobim recalled regional interest for the long standing sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom referred to "the Malvinas, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and adjoining maritime spaces to reach as soon as possible a solution according to the pertinent resolutions from United Nations; declarations from the Organization of American States, Mercosur, Unasur and other regional and multilateral forums".
Falklands issues become wider, apparently.
AROUND THE COUNTRY
GOP-run Legislature out to get Salt Lake County?
The timing is, well, troubling.
With the next legislative session less than two months away, Salt Lake County has lost its lead lobbyist, Spencer Stokes, who has accepted a job in Washington, D.C., as incoming U.S. Sen. Mike Lee’s chief of staff.
To make matters worse, the county is coming off an election year in which Democratic Mayor Peter Corroon, with his eye on winning the governor’s seat, ran an unsuccessful campaign that, at one point, compared GOP Gov. Gary Herbert’s administration to that of ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
So if county officials seem a tad anxious about how the Republican-run Legislature will treat them during the upcoming session, then perhaps you’ll understand why.
Storm leads to more than 200 crashes statewide
Another big winter storm packed a punch across the Wasatch Front Sunday, bringing the kinds of conditions many drivers find difficult to handle.
Many motorists took to the road and soon found themselves on the side of it. The Utah Highway Patrol reported more than 300 slide-offs and crashes in 11 counties across the state. Of the 359 crashes reported, 57 involved injuries, 239 caused vehicle damage and 63 were slide-offs.
The majority of crashes took place in Salt Lake County, where 40 resulted in injuries, 179 damaged vehicles and 22 were slide-offs.
Many of the problems occurred on major roads like Interstate 15, Interstate 80 and Interstate 215. Troopers say it's important to drive defensively on days like this one.
Driving to and from church was so . . . interesting, I came home and declared myself "snowed in."
Moab ranger remains stabilized, search discontinued
State Parks and Recreation law enforcement officer Brody Young remains in critical but stable condition at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction, Colo.
Despite almost daily surgeries, including two in the last four days, Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Deena Loyola said "everyone remains optimistic about his recovery. His blood pressure and heart rate remain stable, which is excellent."
Young, 34, endured multiple gunshot wounds during a Nov. 19 confrontation with Lance Leeroy Arellano, 40, who evaded police in a weeklong search of the canyons in the Caveman Ranch area off Potash Road just outside of Moab. It is believed that Young was conducting a routine parking lot check at the Poison Spider Mesa trailhead when the exchange of shots was fired. Young was able to radio for help, but Arellano had escaped before anyone arrived.
Before having a chance to interview Young and after blood was found inside the vehicle driven by Arellano, officials had reason to believe Arellano had been shot in the leg.
The perp is apparently lost in the wilderness. Sometimes hunters find perps' dead bodies years later . . .
U.S. Supreme Court to ponder Iowa drug sentence
Two Iowa defense lawyers will take an Iowa case before the U.S. Supreme Court next week that could change how federal judges resentence convicts after appeals.
At issue is whether judges can consider a convict's efforts at rehabilitation while his case is on appeal.
The Iowa case embodies fundamental questions about fairness and second chances. Should society reward a convict for working to better himself when freed during an appeal? Or would that be unfair because no such consideration is possible for the initial sentence?
The case involves Jason Pepper, now 31, who was arrested seven years ago in Akron, Ia., on drug charges. He later pleaded guilty. He served his prison sentence and was released. But prosecutors repeatedly appealed his sentence, claiming it was too light.
Birders to lose favorite perches, birds lose havens when 2 power plants close
Northeast Ohio will lose two hugely popular spots for wintertime fishing and bird watching because of plans by FirstEnergy Corp. to close lakefront power plants at East 72nd Street in Cleveland and in Eastlake in Lake County.
Thousands of Lake Erie birders and fishermen have for decades relied on warm-water emissions from the coal-burning plants to create ice-free areas that attract sport fish and rare gulls and ducks. But the idle plants will allow the areas to ice over.
"That's going to mess us up badly," said Wayne Ritchie, 68, a semiretired warehouse manager from Eastlake who has fished off the break wall near the Eastlake plant for more than 40 years.
OTHER
Political Cartoons
bin Laden on the TSA via twitter user "god"
Zapiro for Mail & Guardian, South Africa
Sports Headlines
Utah Beats BYU Some states have a "rivalry" game. We have a holy war. Btw, at various points Saturday and Sunday, 6 of the 7 most popular stories at the Salt Lake Trib were about this one game. The 7th was about the Jazz.
Links
Deathly Hallows is number one at the box office for its second weekend