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 consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors maggiejean, wader, Man Oh Man, side pocket, rfall, and JML9999, alumni editors palantir, Bentliberal, Oke, jlms qkw, Interceptor7, and ScottyUrb, guest editor annetteboardman, and current editor-in-chief Neon Vincent, along with anyone else who reads and comments, informs and entertains you.
BBC:Cameron urged to make case for EU by Lord Howe
Cameron urged to make case for EU by Lord Howe
David Cameron must spell out the case for the UK's continued membership of the European Union, Conservative grandee Lord Howe has said.
He said the prime minister had made his position more difficult by his "repeated concessions" to Eurosceptics.
Lord Howe, a foreign secretary in Margaret Thatcher's government, said a strong and clear case was needed.
The Tories aim to renegotiate terms of UK membership and hold a referendum after the next election, if they win.
BBC:NSA surveillance lawful, judge rules
NSA surveillance lawful, judge rules
A US federal judge has ruled that mass government surveillance of the phone network is legal, a week after another court said the opposite.
New York District Judge William Pauley described the snooping as a "counter-punch" against al-Qaeda.
He said the National Security Agency (NSA) programme might even have prevented the 9/11 attacks.
Last week a Washington DC federal judge ruled the surveillance was "likely unconstitutional" and "Orwellian".
BBC:Floods kill dozens in south-east Brazil
Floods kill dozens in south-east Brazil
More than 40 people have died following weeks of torrential rain in the south-eastern Brazilian states of Espirito Santo and Minas Gerais.
The downpours have been described as the worst to hit Espirito Santo in 90 years.
About 70,000 people have been forced to leave their homes.
Troops have been deployed to help distribute food, water and medicine to areas cut off by flooding and landslides and to repair roads.
BBC:Nine-year-old US boy climbs Aconcagua peak in Argentina
Nine-year-old US boy climbs Aconcagua peak in Argentina
A nine-year-old boy from the United States has become the younger person to reach the summit of Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas.
Tyler Armstrong climbed the mountain, in the Argentine Andes, with his father and Tibetan sherpa Lhawang Dhondup.
"Any kid can really do this, all they have to do is try. And set their mind to the goal," he said after reaching the peak, on Christmas Eve.
Last year, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro - Africa's highest peak.
BBC:South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar wary of truce offer
South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar wary of truce offer
South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar has said there must be proper negotiations before the rebels can agree to a truce with the government.
He was speaking after the government said it had agreed to an immediate end to fighting, in a declaration welcomed by East African leaders in Nairobi.
Fighting continued on Friday in the oil town of Malakal, Upper Nile State.
The first UN reinforcements have arrived to help control civilians seeking shelter at UN compounds.
BBC:China reforms one-child policy
China reforms one-child policy
China's top legislature has formally adopted a resolution easing the country's one-child policy, the state news agency Xinhua reports.
The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress passed a resolution allowing couples to have two children if either parent is an only child.
A proposal to abolish re-education through labour camps was also approved.
The changes in policy were announced following a meeting of top Communist Party officials in November.
Reuters:Target says PINs stolen, but confident data secure
Target says PINs stolen, but confident data secure
(Reuters) - Target Corp said PIN data of some customers' bank ATM cards were stolen in a massive cyber attack at the third-largest U.S. retailer, but it was confident that the information was "safe and secure."
The stolen PIN data was "strongly encrypted" when it was removed from Target's systems, spokeswoman Molly Snyder said in a statement on Friday.
"The most important thing for our guests to know is that their debit card accounts have not been compromised due to the encrypted PIN numbers being taken," Snyder said.
News of the PIN theft was first reported by Reuters on Tuesday.
Reuters:Big year ends with Wall Street hopeful for 2014
Big year ends with Wall Street hopeful for 2014
(Reuters) - As Wall Street's best year in more than 15 draws to a close, few are expecting a repeat performance in 2014, though traders have plenty of reasons to feel optimistic.
While the market will likely enter January quietly, with many traders still out for the holidays and few major catalysts, the upward trend is seen continuing next week, especially in some of 2013's high-flying names.
Economic growth is expected to accelerate next year, boosting employment and consumer purchasing power. But with markets repeatedly notching all-time highs, that may not translate to market gains as dramatically as in 2013.
"There's a pervasive feeling that the economy is getting better, and the Fed is still on the market's side after saying it would keep rates low," said Donald Selkin, chief market strategist at National Securities in New York.
Reuters:U.S. judge expands classes in lawsuits over $34 billion mortgage debt
U.S. judge expands classes in lawsuits over $34 billion mortgage debt
(Reuters) - A Manhattan federal judge on Friday expanded the scope of class-action litigation accusing banks of concealing the risks of more than $34 billion of mortgage-backed securities prior to the financial crisis.
U.S. District Judge Harold Baer said investors may now pursue claims as a group against Citigroup Inc (C.N), Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) and UBS AG (UBSN.VX) over an estimated $11.9 billion of securities.
Those offerings were linked to the RALI Mortgage Asset-Backed Pass-Through Certificates, which were issued in 2006 and 2007 by the former Residential Capital LLC. One offering was the subject of a partial $100 million settlement this year.
Baer also said investors may pursue a similar case against Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc (RBS.L) over an estimated $22.5 billion of securities in 12 offerings linked to the Harborview Mortgage Loan Trusts, which were also created in 2006 and 2007.
Reuters:China says satellite network to be big asset, others can use it too
China says satellite network to be big asset, others can use it too
(Reuters) - China's homegrown satellite navigation system will bring untold economic, social and military benefits and other countries in Asia are welcome to use it, the director of China's satellite navigation agency said on Friday.
The year-old Beidou satellite navigation system is a rival to the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) and Russian GLONASS. Beidou's 16 satellites serve the Asia-Pacific but the number of satellites is expected to grow to 30 by 2020 as coverage expands globally.
The system would bring benefits across the board, in both civilian and military applications, said Ran Chengqi, the director of the Satellite Navigation Office.
"The construction of the Beidou network should resolve the country's security issues, including economic security and the security of society-at-large," he said. "It's obviously a combined military and civilian infrastructure."
Reuters:Greenpeace activists leave Russia after Putin's amnesty
Greenpeace activists leave Russia after Putin's amnesty
(Reuters) - Most of the 30 people arrested for a Greenpeace protest against Arctic oil drilling left Russia on Friday under an amnesty initiated by President Vladimir Putin, the environmental group said.
The activists' departure, after charges against them were dropped, removes an irritant in Putin's prickly ties with the West as Russia prepares to host the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi in February.
The demonstrators had faced up to seven years in jail for a protest at an offshore rig.
The first activist to leave took a train to Finland late on Thursday and by late Friday, 25 of the 26 foreigners among the group Greenpeace dubbed the "Arctic 30" had left Russia, the Netherlands-based organization said.
Reuters:Japan gets Okinawa approval for U.S. Marine base move
Japan gets Okinawa approval for U.S. Marine base move
(Reuters) - The governor of Japan's Okinawa on Friday approved a controversial plan to relocate a U.S. air base to a less populous part of the southern island, but said he would keep pressing to move the base off the island altogether.
The nod from Okinawa, long a reluctant host to the bulk of U.S. military forces in Japan, is an achievement for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has promised a more robust military and tighter security ties with the United States amid escalating tension with China.
Sceptics, however, said it remained far from clear whether the relocation - stalled since the move was first agreed upon by Washington and Tokyo in 1996 - would actually take place given persistent opposition from Okinawa residents, many of whom associate the U.S. bases with crime, pollution and noise.
The approval came a day after Abe visited Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, seen in parts of Asia as a symbol of Japan's past militarism, infuriating China and South Korea, and prompting concern from the United States about deteriorating ties between the Asian neighbors.
USA Today:UPS says holiday backlog cleared, but customers remain angry
UPS says holiday backlog cleared, but customers remain angry
Leaders of UPS say they've cleared a backlog of holiday packages - but angry customers are demanding refunds because some gifts did not arrive by Christmas.
"We are getting back to normal," said UPS spokeswoman Natalie Godwin.
The worldwide shipper will refund charges for delayed international and air deliveries, Godwin said Friday. Ground shipping is not guaranteed during the peak holiday season so those customers will not get refunds, she said.
Customers continued to complain about delayed shipments and a faulty tracking system that repeatedly promised packages, but didn't deliver.