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 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 consist of founder Magnifico, regular editors jlms qkw, maggiejean, wader, Oke, rfall, and JML9999, alumni editors palantir, BentLiberal and ScottyUrb, guest editor annetteboardman, and current editor-in-chief Neon Vincent. We invited our readers to comment & share other news.
BBC:Syria conflict: 'Dozens executed' in village
Syria conflict: 'Dozens executed' in village
More than 40 people have been killed by government forces in a village in north-western Syria, activists say.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Violations Documentation Centre both listed the names of people they said were executed in al-Bayda, near the port of Baniyas, on Thursday.
An online video appears to show seven bodies in pools of blood. State media blamed the incident on "terrorists".
The main opposition group accused the government of a "large-scale massacre".
BBC:US tightens student visa rules after Boston bombing
US tightens student visa rules after Boston bombing
The US is tightening its screening of international students, its first security change in response to the Boston Marathon bombings last month.
The move comes after a student from Kazakhstan - who did not have a valid visa - was accused by police of hiding evidence for one of the bomb suspects.
The Department of Homeland Security has ordered border agents to automatically check the visa status of every student.
Azamat Tazhayakov had returned to the US despite being dismissed from school.
The 19-year-old appeared in court on Wednesday, accused of helping to throw out a backpack belonging to his friend, Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
BBC:Power generators linked to Dhaka building collapse
Power generators linked to Dhaka building collapse
Four generators inside the Bangladesh garment factory building that collapsed last month may have caused the disaster, a top investigator says.
The units started up after a power cut, sending powerful vibrations throughout Rana Plaza, said Main Uddin Khandaker, head of a government inquiry team.
"Together with the vibration of thousands of sewing machines, they triggered the collapse," he told AFP.
At least 500 people are known to have died and scores are unaccounted for.
BBC:Gupta wedding row: South Africa suspends officials
Gupta wedding row: South Africa suspends officials
Five high-ranking officials in South Africa have been suspended as the government investigates security breaches during a society wedding.
The justice minister said three police officers had also been arrested.
A wealthy Indian family was allowed to land a private jet at a military base near the capital, Pretoria.
The Gupta family, which flew in guests reportedly including Bollywood film stars and Indian government officials, has denied any wrongdoing.
BBC:Madagascar President Rajoelina to stand in July poll
Madagascar President Rajoelina to stand in July poll
Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina has registered his candidacy for July's election, despite previously insisting that he would not stand.
His name appears on a list released by the electoral authorities of 41 approved presidential candidates.
Mr Rajoelina, backed by the army, ousted Marc Ravalomanana from power in 2009, plunging the island nation into four years of political turmoil.
Under regional pressure, both men agreed not to contest July's poll.
BBC:Bhutto murder-case prosecutor shot dead in Islamabad
Bhutto murder-case prosecutor shot dead in Islamabad
Gunmen have shot dead the prosecutor investigating the murder of Pakistan's ex-leader Benazir Bhutto who was assassinated in 2007.
Police said Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali was ambushed as he was driving from his Islamabad home to a court hearing in the Bhutto case in Rawalpindi.
Police have not speculated on a reason for the shooting.
Chaudhry Zulfiqar was also the top prosecutor in a case related to the attacks in Mumbai, India, in 2008.
Reuters:Guantanamo camp burns through $900,000 a year per inmate
Guantanamo camp burns through $900,000 a year per inmate
(Reuters) - It's been dubbed the most expensive prison on Earth and President Barack Obama cited the cost this week as one of many reasons to shut down the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, which burns through some $900,000 per prisoner annually.
The Pentagon estimates it spends about $150 million each year to operate the prison and military court system at the U.S. Naval Base in Cuba, which was set up 11 years ago to house foreign terrorism suspects. With 166 inmates currently in custody, that amounts to an annual cost of $903,614 per prisoner.
By comparison, super-maximum security prisons in the United States spend about $60,000 to $70,000 at most to house their inmates, analysts say. And the average cost across all federal prisons is about $30,000, they say.
The high cost was just one reason Obama cited when he returned this week to an unfulfilled promise to close the prison and said he would try again. Obama also said that the prison, set up under his Republican predecessor George W. Bush and long the target of criticism by rights groups and foreign governments, is a stain on the reputation of the United States.
Reuters:Obama says does not foresee sending U.S. troops to Syria
Obama says does not foresee sending U.S. troops to Syria
(Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Friday he does not foresee a scenario in which he would send U.S. ground troops to Syria and outlined a deliberate approach to determining whether the Syrian government had used chemical weapons in a 2-year civil war.
Obama insisted that the United States has not ruled out any options in dealing with Syria as the United States investigates whether the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons.
But Obama, who has spent much of his presidency winding down wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, made clear he was not inclined to send troops to Syria, saying "I do not foresee" such a scenario.
Leaders in the region that he has consulted on this issue agree with him, Obama said.
Reuters:Obama tells Mexicans a 'new Mexico' is emerging
Obama tells Mexicans a 'new Mexico' is emerging
(Reuters) - President Barack Obama told the Mexican people on Friday that he sees a "new Mexico" emerging, with a deepening democracy and growing economy, and that Mexico and the United States should be viewed as equal partners.
"I have come to Mexico because it is time to put old mindsets aside," Obama said in a speech to university students. "It's time to recognize new realities, including the impressive progress in today's Mexico."
Obama tried out a little Spanish on his audience, saying "Es un placer estar entre amigos" (It is a pleasure to be among friends) and struck a deferential tone in speaking about the United States' southern neighbor.
Drug-fueled violence in Mexico is not entirely the fault of the Mexican people, he said. Instead, the United States shares the blame because much of the violence is centered around the Americans' demand for illegal drugs and the fact that guns are smuggled into Mexico from the United States.
Reuters:Chinese dissident urges U.S. to ensure family's fair treatment
Chinese dissident urges U.S. to ensure family's fair treatment
(Reuters) - Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng called on the United States on Friday to ensure his family in China would be treated fairly, saying his imprisoned nephew was not receiving proper medical care from Chinese authorities, whom he accused of "hooligan tactics."
Chen, who made international headlines last year when he escaped house arrest and spent 20 hours on the run before finding refuge at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, said his nephew was suffering from appendicitis and being treated only by a fellow inmate who had received some medical training.
"He's not being given proper medical treatment or being taken to a medical facility outside the jail," Chen told Reuters in an interview, speaking through an interpreter.
Chen, who was born blind and taught himself law, said China was using "ruffian, hooligan tactics to try and scare me into silence."
Reuters:Dish chairman asserts U.S. advantage in Sprint bid
Dish chairman asserts U.S. advantage in Sprint bid
(Reuters) - Dish Network Corp Chairman Charlie Ergen escalated the war of words with Japan's SoftBank Corp over the future of U.S. mobile company Sprint Nextel Corp, saying Sprint's network needed modernization best performed by English-speaking employees from a U.S. company.
In an interview on Wednesday with USA Today, the country's third-largest newspaper, Ergen said Dish's American roots gave it an operational edge in the bidding war with SoftBank over Sprint.
"We're offering a higher price, that's just math. We are an American company and the modernization of Sprint's network will have to be done from the U.S.," he said.
"You have to climb the towers here and you'll have to have U.S. employees who speak English. Operations command control will be in America. That's good for jobs. It doesn't mean that the other guys are bad. It's just that we have an advantage."
Reuters:Supplement builds strength in fibromyalgia trial
Supplement builds strength in fibromyalgia trial
(Reuters Health) - Creatine, a supplement favored by bodybuilders, modestly boosted muscle strength in patients with fibromyalgia, Brazilian researchers report.
Apart from helping with muscle weakness, though, the treatment had little effect on other symptoms of the mysterious disorder, such as chronic pain, fatigue, memory loss, depression, anxiety and sleeplessness.
"The improvements in muscle function did not reflect improvements in general symptoms as we hypothesized," said senior study author Bruno Gualano, a professor at the University of São Paulo School of Physical Education and Sports in Brazil.
As many as one in 50 Americans suffers from fibromyalgia, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The condition typically strikes in middle age, affects women more often than men and is thought to be triggered by stress.
LA Times:Google Glass: Obnoxious and invasive at any price
Google Glass: Obnoxious and invasive at any price
Wearable computing has been part of the holy grail of the pursuit towards integration of information science with human interface devices.
We've seen its use described in popular science-fiction novels and shown in movies and television (like "Star Wars" and "Star Trek"), and it's been the fodder of futurists for longer than I can possibly remember.
There's no question that these devices will be used extensively, particularly in vertical markets for specific types of applications where hands-free computing has distinct advantages, such in the medical and military fields, as well as in breaking news reporting.
But products like Google Glass will face numerous adoption challenges because they present issues in any number of social situations where privacy or desire to be "off the record" is most cherished.