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.
The OND concept was borne under the keen keyboard of Magnifico - proper respect is due.
Current Contributers are ScottyUrb, Bentliberal, wader,Oke, rfall, JML9999 and Neon Vincent.
BBC:Syria: Deadly protests erupt against Bashar al-Assad
Syria: Deadly protests erupt against Bashar al-Assad
At least 15 people are said to have died in renewed protests across Syria against President Bashar al-Assad.
Activists said security forces fired tear gas and bullets after Friday prayers in Damascus and elsewhere, but Syrian state TV blamed unidentified gunmen for some deaths.
Meanwhile, the EU has expanded sanctions against the Assad government.
It added three members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard and four Syrians to a list of more than 30 people targeted.
BBC:Hassan Nasrallah: Hezbollah men 'spied for CIA'
Hassan Nasrallah: Hezbollah men 'spied for CIA'
The head of Hezbollah has said two of the Lebanese Islamist group's members have confessed to working for the CIA.
Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said a third man was under investigation, accused of spying for the US intelligence agency.
The three men, who have been detained, had not compromised Hezbollah or its military capabilities, he said.
The US, which lists Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation, insisted there was no truth in Sheikh Nasrallah's claims.
BBC:EU tells crisis-hit Greeks to unite for new bail-out
EU tells crisis-hit Greeks to unite for new bail-out
EU leaders have urged all Greek politicians to support new spending cuts and tax hikes, saying there is no alternative if debt-laden Athens is to qualify for a second massive bail-out.
The second rescue is being negotiated in Brussels. It is expected to be about 120bn euros (£107bn; $171bn).
"There will be a new programme for Greece, on which the Greek parliament will have to vote next week," said Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The UK says it will not contribute.
BBC:Iraq: France's Alstom signs high-speed rail line deal
Iraq: France's Alstom signs high-speed rail line deal
French engineering giant Alstom has signed a preliminary deal to build a high-speed rail line linking Basra and Baghdad in Iraq.
An Alstom spokesman confirmed to the BBC it had signed a "memorandum of understanding" with Iraqi officials as a first step in the project.
The line would also connect with the cities of Karbala and Najaf.
The company will hold exclusive talks with Iraqi officials for 12 months to try to strike a final agreement.
BBC:Serengeti road scrapped over wildlife concerns
Serengeti road scrapped over wildlife concerns
Controversial plans to build a tarmac road across the Serengeti National Park have been scrapped after warnings that it could devastate wildlife.
The Tanzanian government planned a two-lane highway across the park to connect Lake Victoria with coastal ports.
But studies showed it could seriously affect animals such as wildebeest and zebra, whose migration is regarded as among the wonders of the natural world.
The government confirmed the road across the park will remain gravel.
BBC:Acoustic 'cloaking device' shields objects from sound
Acoustic 'cloaking device' shields objects from sound
Scientists have shown off a "cloaking device" that makes objects invisible - to sound waves.
Such acoustic cloaking was proposed theoretically in 2008 but has only this year been put into practice.
Described in Physical Review Letters, the approach borrows many ideas from attempts to "cloak" objects from light.
It uses simple plastic sheets with arrays of holes, and could be put to use in making ships invisible to sonar or in acoustic design of concert halls.
Reuters:Sarkozy defends Libya mission as House keeps funding
Sarkozy defends Libya mission as House keeps funding
(Reuters) - France rejected on Friday U.S. criticism of Europe's performance in the NATO operation against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi while the U.S. administration survived Congressional anger in a funding vote.
Gaddafi has managed to stay in power despite months of NATO air operations to weaken his rule and help rebels based mainly in eastern Libya who have tried to advance on the west.
Reports of civilian deaths have exacerbated the public divisions between Western governments, as they ponder the future of a military commitment with no clear end in sight.
Libyan television said on Friday that five civilians were killed in NATO attacks on targets in Brega. It gave no further details.
Reuters:Yemenis pray for end to deadlock as blast rocks Aden
Yemenis pray for end to deadlock as blast rocks Aden
(Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Yemenis protested in Sanaa on a "Friday of the Revolutionary Will" to press for the overthrow of their wounded president.
A car bomb killed five people in the southern port city of Aden, as Yemen remained in political limbo over President Ali Abdullah Saleh's refusal to quit after being injured in an attack on his palace this month.
Saleh, 69, recovering from his wounds in Saudi Arabia, has defied months of mass protests and pressure from the United States and his Gulf Arab neighbors for his departure.
He has repeatedly refused to transfer power to his deputy under a Gulf-brokered plan aimed at preventing the impoverished Arabian country from sliding into civil war.
Reuters:Madoff trustee triples JPMorgan suit to $19 billion
Madoff trustee triples JPMorgan suit to $19 billion
(Reuters) - The trustee seeking money for Bernard Madoff's victims is now demanding $19 billion in damages from JPMorgan Chase & Co, more than tripling what he hopes to recover from what had been the main bank for the now-imprisoned Ponzi schemer.
The amended complaint by the trustee Irving Picard adds new charges and was filed three days after the second-largest U.S. bank agreed to pay $153.6 million to settle U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission fraud charges.
Picard maintained that JPMorgan was "thoroughly complicit" in Madoff's fraud and ignored red flags. In his original complaint, made public in February, he had sought $6.4 billion, including $5.4 billion of damages and $1 billion for fraudulent transfers and claims.
"JPMorgan Chase chose to enable Madoff's fraud, not just through the various ways it participated in its activity, but by helping to cover Madoff's naked theft with the imprimatur of a globally recognized financial institution," the 155-page amended complaint said.
Reuters:China blurs A380 order, backs 747 amid EU row
China blurs A380 order, backs 747 amid EU row
(Reuters) - China downgraded the announcement of an Airbus superjumbo order and signed up for the Boeing 747-8 as deals worth $9 billion coincided with a row over European emissions trading rules, industry sources said.
The deals both involved parts of the HNA airlines group and had been planned before the Paris Air Show, they said, but the decision not to announce the names of the buyers triggered one of the mysteries of this week's event.
Industry sources said plans to announce a high-profile $3.8 billion deal between Airbus and Hong Kong Airlines for 10 A380 superjumbos were called off on Thursday because of China's anger over European plans to charge airlines for emissions.
China threatened last month to hold back on purchasing Airbus aircraft because of the EU emissions trading scheme, which airlines body IATA has called illegal.
Reuters:Euro direction to hinge on Greece vote next week
Euro direction to hinge on Greece vote next week
(Reuters) - It was rough week for the euro and next week could prove an even tougher one if Greece's parliament does not approve a package of austerity measures.
Passage is mandatory for the country to secure more bailout funds from euro zone governments. If more funds are not secured, Greece could default on its massive debt, which would roil markets.
Worries about Greece caused the euro to drop against the dollar for three straight sessions, pushing the single currency down 0.9 percent for the week and off 1.6 percent this month.
"It is make or break time for the euro next week," said Mark McCormick, currency strategist at Brown Brother Harriman in New York. "A lot hinges on this vote."
Reuters:Google investors fear long battle against Feds
Google investors fear long battle against Feds
(Reuters) - Larry Page should put in a call to Bill Gates.
Microsoft Corp's famous founder may know better than anyone else what the Google Inc chief executive would face if he engages in a protracted legal battle against U.S. antitrust regulators.
Google said on Friday that the Federal Trade Commission has started a formal investigation into its business, raising concerns among investors about a lengthy, distracting probe and potential legal action.
Microsoft suffered that fate in its two-decade fight with the U.S. Department of Justice and state attorneys over charges that it abused its monopoly in operating systems to crush competition in other areas.
Star tribune:Neighbors, strangers aid Minot flood victims
Neighbors, strangers aid Minot flood victims
MINOT, N.D. - As the Souris River rose relentlessly beyond its banks and swept over levees on Friday, the people of Minot came together as North Dakotans do -- with fortitude, determined generosity and few words.
While more than 10,000 people were evacuated from areas ravaged by the worst flood in this city's history -- roughly a quarter of the population -- only 225 sought refuge in two shelters set up by the Red Cross.
Residents on high ground took in those from low. Some lent campers to the newly homeless. Others offered trucks and trailers along with their strong arms and backs to move evacuees' possessions to safe havens. With the state's oil boom and an influx of workers, few, if any, apartments and hotel rooms could be found.
"We were prepared for about 800 people," said Susan Ewertt, the newly named site director of disaster operations for the Mid-Dakota Red Cross. "The community has been great. It speaks so highly of their kindness."