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.
We begin with news from Africa, a huge continent often under discussed. For example, once the majority of Americans were out of Sudan, what have you been hearing? We begin with the Washington Post (I think I need to be hiring myself out as a proofreader):
CAIRO — In a symbolic gesture, Sudan’s top army general on Friday fired the paramilitary leader — his former ally turned rival — as the deputy of the country’s governing body, state media reported.
The dismissal by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan of Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the Rapid Support Forces, from the Sovereignty Council comes as the two fueding generals continue to battle for control over this troubled African country.
And from Al Jazeera:
About 843,000 are displaced internally and 250,000 have fled across Sudan’s borders since fighting broke out a month ago.
More than 1 million people have been displaced by five weeks of fighting in Sudan, including a quarter of a million refugees, according to the United Nations refugee agency.
From ABC News:
At least 22 people have been killed, according to the United Nations.
Rescue and relief efforts are underway in Somalia following historic flooding that has left at least 22 people dead and affected more than 460,000 people, according to the United Nations.
The flash and riverine flooding -- said to be one of Somalia’s worst in decades -- has been triggered by intense Gu seasonal rainfall which caused the Shabelle and Juba Rivers in central Somalia to overflow their banks.
From Al Ahram:
Despite the various challenges facing Egypt today, the country remains a major regional power and a hub for trade and investment.
Former US diplomat David Schenker recently wrote an article in the US magazine The National Interest asking “Is Egypt headed toward collapse?” The answer, of course, is no. While the economic situation is experiencing various challenges, Egypt is far too big to fail.
Egypt’s significance as a key regional player cannot be overstated, particularly in the context of Middle East stability. As a strategic ally to the US, its failure would be detrimental to US interests, including its efforts to combat terrorism and maintain peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
One final story, perhaps more positive (and hopeful), from The Guardian:
Is the era of the elderly white male finally over? This year’s global extravaganza, boasting a Ghanaian-Scottish curator, features a huge number of exhibitors from Africa – and shows its vicious exploitation continues
A faceted brick wall stands in the middle of Venice’s Arsenale, like a sharply creased origami screen, blocking the route of visitors to this year’s Architecture Biennale. As you get closer, it looks like a rubble tapestry, with pieces of crushed brick and coloured glass emerging from its gnarled surface like great chunks of mineral nougat. Fine geometric patterns are etched across its facets, adding an air of handmade embroidery.
More news below the fold.
From ABC News:
A British mountain guide has returned to Nepal’s capital after scaling Mount Everest for a 17th time, breaking his own record for the most ascents of the world’s highest mountain by a non-Sherpa guide
KATHMANDU, Nepal -- A British mountain guide returned to Nepal's capital on Friday after scaling Mount Everest for a 17th time, breaking his own record for the most ascents of the world's highest mountain by a non-Sherpa guide.
Kenton Cool first climbed Mount Everest in 2004 and has been doing it almost every year since then.
From India Today:
Rs 2,000 Notes Withdrawn: What Should You Do With Your Rs 2,000 Notes?
From WION:
The Indian Navy rescued 39 crew members from the Indian Ocean after their Chinese-owned fishing vessel sank a day earlier in the early hours of May 16. The fishing company from China's Shangdong Province lost contact with one of their fishing boats which was making its way back after a fishing operation near Argentina. The crew of the capsized boat included 17 Chinese National, 17 Indonesian Nationals and, 5 Filipino Nationals.
From The Guardian:
UNHCR says Myanmar government has refused to allow it to distribute health supplies in Sittwe, where an estimated 90% of Rohingya homes have been destroyed
UN staff say they have been denied access to help thousands of Rohingya living in displacement camps in Myanmar who are in urgent need of food, medicine and shelter in the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha, which struck the west of the country on Sunday.
From France24:
Driven by young voters, the progressive Move Forward party came out on top in Sunday's elections as Thais delivered a stunning rebuke to the military-backed government that has been in power for nearly a decade. But Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat now faces a difficult path to becoming prime minister. Are Thailand's military rulers ready to let go of power? Yuka Royer speaks to Virot Ali, a lecturer at Thammasat University.
From The Guardian:
Comic Li Haoshi made joke about soldiers that Beijing authorities deemed insulting
Chinese police detained a woman for posting online in support of the comedian who was punished for making a joke that authorities said insulted the Chinese military.
According to state media, the 34-year-old woman, reportedly surnamed Shi, admitted to police that she had posted “inappropriate” comments about Chinese soldiers.
From the BBC:
By Tessa Wong & Eri Okazaki
Toshiyuki Mimaki says he remembers crying as he looked up at a blackened sunset after the nuclear bomb hit Hiroshima.
He was only three years old at the time, but he remembers the dazed and burnt survivors fleeing past his home in the countryside. He remembers heading into the city with his family, searching for his father in an apocalyptic wasteland.
From NBC News:
Clare Nowland was approaching officers at a "slow pace" carrying a steak knife when she was taken down, said Peter Cotter, the assistant commissioner of New South Wales Police.
By Lyme Cho
A 95-year-old woman is in critical condition after police in Australia shocked her with a stun gun as she approached them with a walking frame and a steak knife at her nursing home.
Clare Nowland, who has dementia, was taken down by a senior constable, Peter Cotter, the assistant commissioner of New South Wales Police told a news conference Friday.
From the Washington Post:
Earlier this week, Colombian President Gustavo Petro shared on Twitter what seemed like the uplifting afterword to a grim story: Four children who had gone missing in the jungle following a plane crash had been found alive, he wrote, describing the news as “a joy for the country.”
But just one day later, on Thursday, Petro retracted his tweet, saying he could not confirm the information he had shared earlier.
From Yahoo! (AP):
From The Guardian:
Marcelo Xavier accused of indirectly contributing on the grounds that he failed to take steps to protect workers in Amazon
Federal police have brought criminal charges against the former head of Brazil’s Indigenous protection agency for alleged acts of omission they believe indirectly paved the way for the murders of Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips in the Amazon last year.
Brazil’s former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro made Marcelo Xavier the head of the Indigenous agency Funai in July 2019, six months into his environmentally devastating four-year administration.
Comment from the National Post (Canada):
It seems the mission of this government is to remove any sense of pride in our history and our accomplishments
Michel Maisonneuve
Are you as outraged as I am?
The Canadian passport — once a symbol of freedom and prosperity, coveted by new Canadians and cherished by all Canadian citizens — has been stripped of every meaningful image and anecdote. Images of our heroes, our history and our national monuments have been replaced with drawings of a man raking leaves, children splashing in a pond and a squirrel eating a nut.
From the BBC:
The Great Clock of Westminster, which contains Big Ben, has stopped ticking for the second time in a week.
It froze for roughly 30 minutes on Wednesday, a week on from displaying the wrong time and Big Ben failing to chime.
Part of the Elizabeth Tower, the clock was unveiled earlier this year after a five-year £80m refurbishment.
From ABC News (AP):
Officials at a hospital in western Germany have expressed regret after it emerged that one of their surgeons got a cleaner to assist in a toe amputation
BERLIN -- Officials at a hospital in western Germany have expressed regret after it emerged that one of their surgeons got a cleaner to assist in a toe amputation.
Public broadcaster SWR reported Friday that the incident at the Mainz University Hospital, which happened in 2020, didn't result in any complications to the patient but the doctor has since been fired.
From CNN:
By Sharon Braithwaite and Sana Noor Haq
Deadly floods that have engulfed the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna, killing at least 14 people, are another sign of the accelerating climate crisis, according to researchers.
The floods come after years of severe drought in the region, which has compacted the soil, reducing its ability to abemsorb rainfall.
From Politico:
94 percent of Italian municipalities are at risk of landslides, flooding or coastal erosion and more than 8m people live in at risk areas.
ROME — The worst floods in 100 years have triggered finger pointing over Italy’s slow progress in stabilizing its land and soil despite throwing billions at the problem.
Torrential rains following months of drought have caused floods in the northern and eastern regions of Emilia Romagna and Le Marche that have killed at least 14 people and left an estimated 20,000 homeless. Dozens of cities and towns were submerged and thousands of landslides occurred after around six months’ rain fell in 48 hours. Pierluigi Randi, the president of Ampro, the association of weather experts, said it was the worst flood to affect Italy in a century.
From CNN:
Two weeks after
mass shootings shook their country, Serbians have surrendered more than 15,000 weapons, more than 2,500 explosive devices, and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, as part of a month-long amnesty announced by the government.
Eighteen people were killed and 21 injured in May in two shootings in as many days. At the Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school in Belgrade, a 13-year-old boy opened fire on his classmates – allegedly using two of his father’s pistols – killing seven girls, a boy and a security guard. A 10-year-old girl injured in the attack died Monday, bringing the toll to 10.
From Al Jazeera:
From The Guardian:
Interior ministry seeks to detain Karim Khan in wake of allegations against president over abducted Ukrainian children
The Russian government has put the British prosecutor of the international criminal court (ICC) on a wanted list in an act of retribution after the Hague-based court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin for allegedly overseeing the abduction of Ukrainian children.
The arrest order said Russia’s interior ministry was seeking to detain Karim Khan, who has served as the ICC prosecutor since 2021.
From Deutsche Welle:
Russia declared the environmental group Greenpeace an "undesirable organization." This status effectively bans the group from operating in the country.
Russia on Friday declared the environmental group Greenpeace an "undesirable organization." The designation criminalizes the work of organizations that bear the brand and puts employees at risk of criminal prosecution.
The "undesirable" or "foreign agent" labels have been applied to dozens of foreign NGOs in Russia since the classifications first came into use in 2015.
"Undesirable" is the stronger designation of the two, leading to an effective ban in the country rather than closer monitoring by authorities.
From the New York Times:
Moscow also eased visa requirements for Georgians. But its actions have stirred fears in Georgia, which was invaded by Russia in 2008
As passengers on the first direct flight from Russia to Georgia in more than three years disembarked on Friday, they were met by protesters cursing their arrival.
Shouts of “Why did you come here? Your country is an occupier!” echoed through the arrivals hall at Tbilisi International Airport. Outside, a crowd of about 200 demonstrators unfurled a banner saying “You are not welcome.”