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, 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 editors are Doctor RJ and annetteboardman.
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BBC:Iran nuclear talks deadline extended until November
Iran nuclear talks deadline extended until November
Diplomats have agreed a four-month extension to the deadline for an agreement between Iran and world powers on Iran's nuclear programme.
The US says it will unblock $2.8bn in frozen Iranian funds, in return for Iran converting 20% of its enriched uranium stocks into fuel.
The talks have aimed to persuade Iran to limit its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.
World powers suspect Iran seeks atomic weapons, which Iran denies.
BBC:Iraqi Christians flee after Isis issue Mosul ultimatum
Iraqi Christians flee after Isis issue Mosul ultimatum
Iraqi Christians are fleeing Mosul after Islamist militants threatened to kill them unless they converted to Islam or paid a "protection tax".
A statement issued by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (Isis) was read out at the city's mosques.
It called on Christians to comply by midday on Saturday or face death if they did not leave the northern city.
Isis has control of large parts of Syria and Iraq and said last month it was creating an Islamic caliphate.
BBC:Ukraine conflict: Part of Luhansk 'retaken' from rebels
Ukraine conflict: Part of Luhansk 'retaken' from rebels
Ukraine's defence minister says part of the rebel-held eastern city of Luhansk has been retaken by government forces.
Valeriy Heletey said government troops had captured the south-eastern section and had surrounded the airport.
Electricity and water supplies were earlier knocked out in much of the city and a major oil refinery was reportedly on fire.
Shelling has killed more than 20 people, the city council says, as Ukrainian forces fight the rebels.
BBC:Nigeria's Boko Haram crisis: 'Many dead' in Damboa
Nigeria's Boko Haram crisis: 'Many dead' in Damboa
Many people are feared dead after suspected Boko Haram Islamist gunmen attacked a town in north-east Nigeria.
Eyewitnesses told the BBC that half of Damboa had been burnt down, including the town's main market.
At least 18 bodies so far have been recovered from the attack, which lasted for several hours. The death toll is expected to rise, residents say.
Boko Haram's violent campaign to establish an Islamic state has killed thousands of people in recent years.
BBC:Pope Francis demands justice for Jewish centre attack victims
Pope Francis demands justice for Jewish centre attack victims
Pope Francis has demanded justice for the victims of a bomb attack against a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires exactly 20 years ago.
In a recorded video to mark the anniversary, the Pope described the attack as an "act of madness".
Eighty-five people were killed in the attack, which was masterminded by Iran, according to Argentine courts. Iran denies any involvement.
Last year, Iran and Argentina agreed to set up a truth commission.
BBC:Bolivia law allows 'self-employed children' aged 10 to work
Bolivia law allows 'self-employed children' aged 10 to work
Bolivia has lowered the legal working age to allow children to work from the age of 10 as long as they also attend school and are self-employed.
The law also permits 12-year-olds to be contracted to work for others. But they need parental authorisation.
Vice-President Alvaro Garcia Linera said the new legislation reflects the needs of Bolivia, one of the poorest countries in South America.
It also sets harsher punishment for violence against children.
Reuters:GM admits more problems with mislabeling of ignition switch parts
GM admits more problems with mislabeling of ignition switch parts
(Reuters) - General Motors Co in 2003 and 2004 made changes to redesigned ignition switch parts on four models but did not ensure that older, potentially faulty parts were taken out of circulation, the automaker said in a filing with U.S. safety regulators made public on Friday.
That means that an unknown number of possibly flawed parts could have been used to service GM models brought in for repair at dealerships or repair shops after the redesign was made.
A GM spokesman said that no crashes, injuries or deaths have been reported in any of the four older model Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac Grand Prix and Grand Am, and Oldsmobile Alero that are involved in the issue.
So far this year, GM has recalled nearly 29 million vehicles, including about 14.7 million for ignition switch problems. Its chief executive, Mary Barra, has testified in Washington four times this year, claiming that GM is observing a new culture on consumer safety. Her latest appearance was on Thursday.
Reuters:Brazil approves new pesticide to combat coffee beetle
Brazil approves new pesticide to combat coffee beetle
(Reuters) - Brazil's government approved the use of pesticides with the active ingredient cyantraniliprole to fight the coffee borer beetle, a note published in the country's Official Gazette said on Friday.
Coffee cooperatives had been lobbying for the approval after the government said it would no longer allow farmers to use another product, endolsulfan, to prevent the beetle from damaging crops.
Cyantraniliprole is approved for use in the United States, the European Union, Canada and Japan, according to a statement from Brazil's Agriculture Ministry.
The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved toxicity levels of cyantraniliprole in February after determining it had not caused adverse health effects in humans. The ruling was requested by chemical manufacturer DuPont.
Reuters:U.N. accuses Islamic State of executions, rape, forced child recruitment in Iraq
U.N. accuses Islamic State of executions, rape, forced child recruitment in Iraq
(Reuters) - The United Nations accused Islamic State fighters in Iraq of executions, rape and forced recruitment of children during a campaign to seize much of northern Iraq, part of a conflict it said has killed almost 5,600 civilians this year.
In a report, the U.N. focused on a range of violations committed against civilians, particularly by the Islamic State, though it also said Iraqi forces and allied fighters had not taken precautions to protect civilians from violence.
"(This)...may also amount to war crimes," it said in its report into months of unrest which culminated in advances by Sunni militants led by the al Qaeda offshoot Islamic State, formerly known as ISIL, across the north of the country.
"ISIL and associated armed groups have also continued to... perpetrate targeted assassinations (of) community, political, and religious leaders, government employees, education professionals, health workers... sexual assault, rape and other forms of sexual violence against women and girls, forced recruitment of children, kidnappings, executions, robberies."
Reuters:GE profit rises 13 percent, expects retail finance IPO end-July
GE profit rises 13 percent, expects retail finance IPO end-July
(Reuters) - General Electric Co (GE.N) reported a 13-percent jump in quarterly net income Friday on improved sales of its jet engines and oil and gas equipment, and said it was targeting the initial public offering of its private-label credit-card business for the end of the month.
The U.S. conglomerate has been planning a partial IPO of the North American retail finance business, to be called Synchrony Financial, as part of a plan to exit the business and slim down its overall GE Capital unit.
GE expects a 15 percent offering would be worth about $3.1 billion at the mid-point of the IPO, according to a company presentation. It plans to retain about $17 billion of the business, with a full separation targeted for late next year.
Shares of GE, whose quarterly profit matched Wall Street targets, rose 1.7 percent in premarket trading.
Reuters:With 1 million comments, U.S. net neutrality debate nears first marker
With 1 million comments, U.S. net neutrality debate nears first marker
(Reuters) - U.S. companies, consumer advocates and citizens submitted more than 1 million comments to the Federal Communications Commission, drawing contentious divisions on the issue of net neutrality as the first deadline to comment approached Friday.
The FCC will continue collecting comments, made in response to these first submissions, until Sept. 10 as it weighs how best to regulate the way Internet service providers (ISPs) manage web traffic crossing their networks. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler proposed new rules in April after a federal court struck down the FCC's previous version of such rules in January.
The FCC's draft rules propose banning ISPs from blocking users' access to websites or applications but allowing some "commercially reasonable" deals between content providers and ISPs to prioritize delivery of some web traffic.
Though Wheeler has insisted the FCC would carefully guard against abuse of the rules to hurt competition or consumers, the proposal drew ire from public interest groups and large web companies that say it would result in faster download speeds for some content at the expense of other content, which would inevitably be relegated to "slow lanes."
Reuters:Italy appeals court clears Berlusconi in sex trial
Italy appeals court clears Berlusconi in sex trial
(Reuters) - An Italian appeals court unexpectedly overturned Silvio Berlusconi's conviction on charges of abuse of office and paying for sex with a minor, in a significant legal victory for the former prime minister.
The Milan court on Friday threw out a guilty verdict handed down last year by a lower tribunal, which had sentenced Berlusconi to seven years in jail and banned him from holding public office.
Berlusconi was accused of paying for sex with former teenage nightclub dancer Kharima El Mahroug, better known under her stage name "Ruby the Heartstealer", during "bunga bunga" erotic parties at his palatial home near Milan.
He was also charged with abusing his authority to get El Mahroug released from police custody over unrelated theft accusations.
MACWORLD:European Commission slams Apple for in-app purchase policies
European Commission slams Apple for in-app purchase policies
The European Commission took Apple to task Friday for failing to firmly commit to stopping inadvertent in-app purchases, particularly those made by children.
While Google has committed to making changes, Apple has not, the Commission said.
“Regrettably, no concrete and immediate solutions have been made by Apple to date to address the concerns,” the Commission said. While Apple has offered proposals to address the problem, it hasn’t made a firm commitment or given timing for implementing them, the Commission said.
Following a large number of complaints about in-app purchases in online games, the Commission joined forces with national authorities to get Google and Apple to change their policies. One of the main worries is the offering of “free” app games by developers who seek to make money through in-app purchases, for instance by selling virtual armor and weaponry.
This practice could break EU laws, especially if apps directly solicit children to buy in-app goods, the Commission said.