Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, eeff, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Besame, jck, and JeremyBloom. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) Interceptor 7, Man Oh Man, wader, Neon Vincent, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck (RIP), rfall, ScottyUrb, Doctor RJ, BentLiberal, Oke (RIP) and jlms qkw.
OND is a regular 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 12:00 AM Eastern Time. Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.
I spent quite a while this evening finding some things that will start the news digest off with happiness. It has been rather hard, as much of the news is about the horrible situation in Sudan. I will begin with a story from Al Jazeera:
Ya Ya returns to China after storm of controversy over her health following 20 years at the Memphis Zoo.
Giant panda Ya Ya, who lived 20 years at a United States zoo, is back in China after a controversy over her health played out against the backdrop of a souring relationship between Beijing and Washington.
Ya Ya arrived in Shanghai on Thursday afternoon to a social media storm. Panda lovers who could not make it to the airport launched what they called an online pick-up for Ya Ya.
From Deutsche Welle (link to video):
Ali Kaifee in KohatApril 27, 2023
Zarsanga, an 81-year-old award-winning Pakistani singer, is forced to live in tents on rented plots along with her family members. She complains of neglect from the government.
And from The Guardian:
Art school headteacher hails ‘tribute to the great majority of women who are curvy’ amid social media uproar
The voluptuous statue of a mermaid placed in a square in a fishing village in Puglia, southern Italy, has caused a stir for being “too provocative”.
The statue was created by students at the Luigi Rosso art school in Monopoli before being positioned in a square named after the scientist Rita Levi-Montalcini.
As I said, the main story in the international news is the civil war in Sudan. First comes this explainer from the BBC:
The BBC’s Analysis Editor Ros Atkins explains why fighting has broken out in Sudan, and how it connects back to the country’s tumultuous recent history.
I am trying to bring in some stories you haven’t read elsewhere. We begin with coverage from Al Jazeera:
Thousands of people have fled fighting and crossed into Chad, but aid agencies warn they do not have enough food, shelter or other supplies for them.
From the BBC:
A family fleeing Sudan say they are among thousands stuck at the border with Egypt because drivers are demanding $40,000 (£31,810) to hire a bus to travel across.
Only people travelling on buses with special permits can cross the border. Crossing on foot is banned.
From the BBC:
From the NY Times:
A bus convoy carrying about 300 people was the first U.S.-organized evacuation effort of Americans other than diplomats since fighting broke out nearly two weeks ago in the northeast African nation.
NAIROBI, Kenya — A convoy of buses carrying about 300 Americans left the war-torn capital of Sudan on Friday, starting a 525-mile journey to the Red Sea that was the United States’ first organized effort to evacuate its private citizens from the country.
The convoy was being tracked by armed American drones that hovered high overhead, watching for threats. The United Nations and many nations have also evacuated their citizens overland, after receiving security assurances from the warring sides.
From NDTV:
The Indian Air Force landed its C-130J Hercules transport aircraft on an airstrip, which was in a degraded condition with no navigational approach aids or fuel.
The Indian Air Force conducted a daring night operation by flying into an unprepared runway in the darkness to rescue 121 personnel from a small airstrip in violence-hit Sudan Thursday night.
The Indian Air Force landed its C-130J Hercules transport aircraft on an airstrip, which was in a degraded condition with no navigational approach aids or fuel and landing lights that are needed to guide an aircraft to land at night.
From Reuters:
A baby was delivered in a car amid Sudan's ongoing crisis that has closed many hospitals. Violence continues as tanks, artillery and air strikes shook Khartoum. Tens of thousands have fled for their lives.
From the South China Morning Post:
Where is Omar al-Bashir? Location of former Sudan dictator unknown amid chaos in capital
In other news, we start with this from the Hindustan Times:
Mohan’s release has been met with outrage, not just among parties opposed to Bihar’s ruling dispensation, but also IAS officers and civil society.
The Bihar government sought to defend the release of politician Anand Mohan (of the now defunct Bihar People’s Party), sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a young Dalit officer of the Indian Administrative Service and fielded Bihar chief secretary Amir Subhani in a press conference where the officer said the release was based on “legal provisions”.
Mohan’s release has been met with outrage, not just among parties opposed to Bihar’s ruling dispensation, but also IAS officers and civil society. Some analysts have likened it to the Gujarat government’s release of the gang rapists and murderers in the Bilkis Bano case.
From VOA:
The Taliban said Friday that their decision to bar local women from working for the United Nations was an "internal social matter of Afghanistan" that all countries should respect.
The statement came a day after the 15-member U.N. Security Council unanimously passed a resolution condemning the ban and demanding Taliban leaders swiftly end their restrictions on Afghan women's access to education and work.
From Reuters:
April 28 (Reuters) - Iran's intelligence ministry on Friday accused foreign "enemies" and dissidents of fomenting fears over suspected poisonings of schoolgirls, saying its investigation found no actual poisoning.
Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Leslie Adler
From KHOU (Houston):
The footage showed the commandos descending on the deck of the Advantage Sweet by ropes from a hovering helicopter. The 24 crew members are from India.
From Haaretz:
Netanyahu’s camp celebrates peaceful ceremonies, but some of the most revered values – army service and grief over lost ones – are no longer spared ■ Amid the depressing discord seen at the events, Israeli army chief was a breath of fresh air
At the conclusion of the Memorial and Independence Day events this week, the government and its supporters tried to preserve a semblance of business as usual. You see, their argument went, this year too all the national ceremonies took place as usual. Joy reigned, the incidents of interference were minor and the whole nation (or the majority, at least) once again watched the reenactment of the holiday’s traditions, enthralled.
From Euronews:
From Daily Beast (via Yahoo! News):
Anna Nemtsova
he vast criminal network that is Russia’s power structure is starting to spin out of
Vladimir Putin’s control.
The president hasn’t just turned a blind eye to corruption, he has systematically channeled the malfeasance to prop up allies, jail opponents, install cronies in positions of power and—according to some reports—to make himself the richest man on Earth.
From WION:
This week, Turkish President Erdogan appeared for a live televised interview. A routine chat, as the country nears its crucial polls but something happened in between the broadcast. It was cut mid-air, the reason - Erdogan's ill health. Ghadi Francis brings you the full report on The West Asia Post only on WION.
From NPR:
LONDON – The head of the BBC has resigned over his failure to disclose an alleged financial favor he did two years ago for then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson – the man who appointed him.
Scandals involving Johnson's turbulent time in office continue to plague the UK's ruling Conservative Party and British institutions. And this one comes at a time when many media outlets – especially those that receive public funding, as the British Broadcasting Corporation does – are struggling to prove their editorial independence at a time of heightened political disinformation.
From The Guardian:
Society is making strange decisions. Some in high office lose jobs and deserve to, but we also ignore others whose sins are egregious
What have the now former chair of the BBC, the Labour veteran Diane Abbott and the ousted chancellor Nadhim Zahawi all got in common? Indeed, what do they share with Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab and Matt Hancock?
The answer is that they have all been accused of things that so upset people as to cause them to lose or risk losing their jobs. Failing to disclose having facilitated a loan, enjoying an unwise liaison, holding a contentious opinion: the misbehaviour in question varies, but all was deemed sufficiently significant to risk ruining their reputations or future careers – or at least for their organisations to be under pressure to see them depart to appease its critics.
From CNN:
The three images were taken by photographer Hugo Burnand in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace last month, according to a statement from the palace.
From CBS News:
BY DUARTE DIAS, TUCKER REALS
London — The coronation of King Charles III will be steeped in centuries of tradition. At the center of the ancient ceremony is a set of sacred artifacts known collectively as the coronation regalia. Some of the items date back almost 1,000 years.