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.
BBC
US drone attack: Three US troops killed in drone strike on US base in Middle East
Three US troops have been killed and dozens injured in a drone attack on a US base near Jordan's border with Syria.
US President Joe Biden said the attack was carried out by "radical Iran-backed militant groups". He added: "We shall respond."
It is the first time that a strike has killed US troops in the region since Hamas's 7 October attack on Israel.
Jordan says the attack took place in Syria, not inside Jordan.
There have been other attacks on US bases in the region but so far there have been no casualties reported by the US army.
It is not clear who is behind this latest attack.
President Biden said the US "will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing".
NPR
Biden vows to respond after 3 U.S. troops were killed and 34 wounded in a drone attack
President Biden is vowing to respond after a drone strike linked to Iran killed three U.S. service members and wounded at least 34 others. The number of wounded is expected to "fluctuate," according to U.S. Central Command.
The aerial drone struck American troops stationed in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border early Sunday.
"We had a tough day last night in the Middle East. We lost three brave souls," Biden said during a stop at Brookland Baptist church in West Columbia, S.C. After leading a moment of silence, Biden said: "And we shall respond." The attack occurred at a support base known as Tower 22. A U.S. defense official told NPR the strike likely hit a barracks.
BBC
China tightens stock market rules after sell-off
China has tightened its financial industry rules as the government tries to halt a deepening sell-off in the world's second largest economy.
Nearly $6tn (£4.7tn) has been wiped off Chinese and Hong Kong stocks since their most recent peak three years ago.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) says the measures will create "a fairer market order".
Under the new rules limits will be put on so-called "short-selling" from Monday.
Short selling is when a trader bets that a share or other asset will fall in value. They borrow the asset and sell it immediately with the aim of buying it back later at a lower price and keeping the difference.
Defenders of short selling say it can play an important part in financial markets, by helping find the true value of an asset.
However, some critics see short selling as a ruthless trading strategy that undermines companies.
NPR
Ukraine says corrupt officials stole $40 million meant to buy arms for the war
KYIV, Ukraine — Employees from a Ukrainian arms firm conspired with defense ministry officials to embezzle almost $40 million earmarked to buy 100,000 mortar shells for the war with Russia, Ukraine's security service reported.
The SBU said late Saturday that five people have been charged, with one person detained while trying to cross the Ukrainian border. If found guilty, they face up to 12 years in prison.
The investigation comes as Kyiv attempts to clamp down on corruption in a bid to speed up its membership in the European Union and NATO. Officials from both blocs have demanded widespread anti-graft reforms before Kyiv can join them.
Security officials say that the current investigation dates back to August 2022, when officials signed a contract for artillery shells worth 1.5 billion hryvnias ($39.6 million) with arms firm Lviv Arsenal.
The Guardian
Japan’s Slim moon lander overcomes power crisis to start scientific operations
Japan’s Moon lander has resumed operations, the country’s space agency said on Monday, indicating that power had been restored after it was left upside down during a slightly haphazard landing.
The probe, nicknamed the “moon sniper”, had tumbled down a crater slope during its landing on 20 January, leaving its solar batteries facing in the wrong direction and unable to generate electricity.
Jaxa, Japan’s space agency, prioritised transmitting landing data before the battery ran out on the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (Slim), but said there was a chance the probe would be able to recharge once the west side of the moon starts receiving sunlight in the coming days. The touchdown made Japan only the fifth nation to achieve a soft lunar landing, after the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India.
Reuters
HK court orders China Evergrande to liquidate with debts of $300 bln
HONG KONG, Jan 29 (Reuters) - A Hong Kong court on Monday ordered the liquidation of property giant China Evergrande Group
(3333.HK), opens new tab, a move
likely to send ripples through China's crumbling financial markets as policymakers scramble to contain a deepening crisis.
Justice Linda Chan decided to liquidate the world's most indebted developer, with more than $300 billion of total liabilities, after noting Evergrande had been unable to offer a concrete restructuring plan despite months of delays and several court hearings.
"It is time for the court to say enough is enough," said Chan, who will give her detailed reasoning later on Monday.
Evergrande did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
The decision sets the stage for what is expected to be long drawn-out and complicated process with potential political considerations, given the many authorities involved. Offshore investors will be focused on how Chinese authorities treat foreign creditors when a company fails.
Reuters
Mexico activists protest return of bullfights to capital
MEXICO CITY, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Animal rights defenders in Mexico City on Sunday marched to protest the return of the centuries-old spectacle of bullfighting to the capital after almost two years.
"Torture is not art, it is not culture," demonstrators shouted near the Plaza Mexico bullring. "Yes to bulls, no to bullfighting."
Mexico's capital held its first bullfight in almost two years on Sunday, after the Supreme Court paved the way for the spectacle's return in December.
Bullfights have been held in Mexico since the 16th century.
While a ruling suspended bullfighting in 2022 as a precautionary measure amid a longer-running case, the Supreme Court struck that decision down. Activists hope a final resolution will come later this year.
Deutsche Welle
Is Europe ready for another Donald Trump presidency?
The more likely it seems that Donald Trump will be the Republican Party's nominee for the US presidency, the louder the voices become that warn Europe to prepare itself for a second Trump term in the White House.
In an interview with French public broadcaster France 2, Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, described the possible election of Donald Trump as a "clear threat" to Europe.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo told the European Parliament in mid-January that "if 2024 brings us 'America First' again, it is really more than ever 'Europe on its own.'"
In a paper published by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) think tank, former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt predicted far-reaching global consequences if Trump were reelected.
"The US would abandon climate policy and expand investments in fossil fuels. NATO would be — at best — dormant. There would be cozy get-togethers with buddies Putin and Orban. Trade wars would harden," he wrote.
Al Jazeera
Thousands rally across Israel calling for Netanyahu’s resignation
Israeli police have arrested several protesters in Tel Aviv, who called for the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and early elections amid Israel’s continued war on Gaza.
Hundreds of people were dispersed by force in Kaplan Square, and some protest equipment was seized, according to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
Protesters raised the slogan: “Elections Now” and chanted for the immediate dismissal of Netanyahu, according to the report.
Several other areas in Israel witnessed protests with thousands participating, demanding the dismissal of the government and the release of captives in Gaza. More than 100 captives remain in the custody of Hamas.
Miami Herald
Cheney recirculates Stefanik Jan. 6 statement after she reportedly deletes it (V.P. hopeful)
Former No. 3 House Republican Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) recirculated Rep. Elise Stefanik's (R-N.Y.) statement on the Jan. 6 Capitol attack after the current House GOP Conference Chair reportedly deleted it off her website. On Tuesday, Cheney shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, a link to Stefanik's now-deleted statement about Jan. 6. After sharing Stefanik's statement, it was deleted from the New York congresswoman's page, which now only displays the "ERROR" message
On Saturday morning, Cheney posted on X that she was informed that Stefanik deleted her statement about Jan. 6 where she called for the Jan. 6 perpetrators to be prosecuted "to the fullest extent of the law." Cheney also shared the screenshot of Stefanik's statement. In her statement on the Capitol riot, Stefanik characterized the violence as "anti-American" and called it a "tragic."
Washington Post
Falling inflation, rising growth give U.S. the world’s best recovery
The European economy, hobbled by unfamiliar weakness in Germany, is barely growing. China is struggling to recapture its sizzle. And Japan continues to disappoint.
But in the United States, it’s a different story. Here, despite lingering consumer angst over inflation, the surprisingly strong economy is outperforming all of its major trading partners.
Since 2020, the United States has powered through a once-in-a-century pandemic, the highest inflation in 40 years and fallout from two foreign wars. Now, after posting faster annual growth last year than in 2022, the U.S. economy is quashing fears of a recession while offering lessons for future crisis-fighting.
On Friday, President Biden hailed fresh government data showing that annual inflation over the second half of 2023 fell back to the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target. Coupled with Thursday’s news that the economy grew by 3.1 percent over the past 12 months, the Commerce Department report showed that the United States appears to have achieved an economic soft landing.
New York Times
Finland’s Presidential Election, First Since Joining NATO, Heads to Runoff
Finland’s presidential election is headed for a runoff after no candidate secured a majority in Sunday’s closely watched vote, which came as NATO’s newest member faces the threat of an antagonistic Russia.
Alexander Stubb and Pekka Haavisto — both familiar faces with strong foreign policy credentials — were the top two finishers on Sunday, when voters braved near-freezing temperatures and icy sidewalks to cast their ballots. With 99.9 percent of the votes counted, Mr. Stubb had garnered 27.2 percent and Mr. Haavisto 25.8 percent, setting the two men up to face off in a second round on Feb. 11.
The victor will become Finland’s first new head of state in 12 years: The wildly popular president, Sauli Niinistö, has served two terms and is ineligible to run again.