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.
BBC
Total solar eclipse: The 4-minute window into the Sun's secrets
When darkness falls on parts of North America, one part of the Sun will peek out that people have been trying to study for centuries - its atmosphere, or corona. This mysterious part of the Sun is made up of magnetised plasma and measures more than a million degrees Celsius.
Normally the Sun's incredible brightness makes the corona impossible to see, but on Monday scientists in Dallas, Texas, will be able to point instruments at it and take images.
Scientists with Aberystwyth University in Wales and from Nasa hope for an insight into solar wind, which is the plasma thrown from the Sun's surface. Another puzzle is why the corona seems to be much hotter than the Sun's surface, despite being on its edge.
They might even see what is called a coronal mass ejection, when huge plasma clouds are thrown from the atmosphere into Space. Ejections can cause problems for satellites we use on Earth.
Here we go again:
Boeing plane engine cover falls off prompting investigation
Airline regulators in the US have begun an investigation after an engine cowling on a Boeing 737-800 fell off during take-off and struck a wing flap.
The Southwest Airlines flight returned safely to Denver International airport at about 08:15 local time (15:15 GMT) after originally departing to Houston.
The aircraft had 135 passengers and six crew members on board and rose to about 10,300 feet (3,140m) before landing.
The incident comes amid manufacturing and safety concerns at Boeing.
Southwest Airlines said its maintenance teams would review the Boeing 737-800 after its cowling, which covers the plane's engine, fell off. The airline confirmed it was responsible for maintenance of such parts.
"We apologise for the inconvenience of their delay, but place our highest priority on ultimate safety for our customers and employees," a statement said.
The Guardian
More than 90 dead in Mozambique ferry disaster as packed vessel sinks, say officials
More than 90 people including many children died when an overcrowded makeshift ferry sank off the north coast of Mozambique, local authorities have said.
The converted fishing boat, carrying about 130 people, ran into trouble as it tried to reach an island off Nampula province, officials said on Sunday.
“Because the boat was overcrowded and unsuited to carry passengers, it ended up sinking,” Nampula’s secretary of state, Jaime Neto, said. “There are 91 people who lost their lives.” Many children were among the victims, he added.
Rescuers had found five survivors and were searching for more but sea conditions were making the operation difficult.
The Guardian
UN nuclear watchdog head condemns drone strike on Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
The head of the UN’s atomic watchdog agency has condemned a drone strike on one of six nuclear reactors at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine, saying such attacks “significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident”.
In a statement on X, Rafael Grossi confirmed at least three direct hits against the ZNPP main reactor containment structures. “This cannot happen,” the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.
Grossi said it was the first such attack since November 2022, when he set out five basic principles to avoid a serious nuclear accident with radiological consequences.
Russian officials at the plant claimed the site was attacked on Sunday by Ukrainian military drones, including a strike on the dome of the plant’s sixth power unit.
NPR
Why Highway 1 Near Big Sur Is Always Collapsing Into The Ocean
A stretch of Highway 1 in Big Sur is closed indefinitely after the southbound lane eroded during last weekend's rainstorm, bringing uncertainty to the communities that rely on the road for transportation.
As Caltrans works to repair the road, which is closed from Limekiln State Park to Palo Colorado in Monterey County, the agency is coordinating convoys for residents and essential workers to enter and exit the area for food and supplies. The state is now working on a temporary fix that would allow residents and visitors to pass using the structurally stable northbound lane of traffic.
It's one of several closures along this stretch of Highway 1 in recent years, as slides during the rainy season wash rocks down.
That's because the area's mountainous terrain and steep cliffs — the very thing that makes the area a world-famous road trip destination — are what makes the road so prone to rapid erosion, or slip-outs.
Christian Science Monitor
No prescription? No problem. Birth control pills hit shelves.
For the first time in the United States, a birth control pill is available to women without a prescription, expanding access to people who have difficulty seeing a health care provider or choose not to.
As states across the country grapple with abortion rights – whether protecting, restricting, or banning abortion – contraception exists in a less controversial space. But in the greater conversation about reproductive health care, advocates call this over-the-counter option crucial.
“We still have health care deserts across the country,” says Cathren Cohen, staff attorney at the UCLA Law Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy. “And so being able to just go directly to the pharmacy and purchase it there is a really amazing opportunity and very important.”Some people are voicing reservations about the unrestricted access to the hormone drug, Opill, especially for teenage girls. Removing medical doctors from the care chain, say detractors, leaves women to navigate reproductive health on their own.
Reuters
Record flood waters rise in Russia's Urals, forcing thousands to evacuate
MOSCOW, April 7 (Reuters) - Flood waters were rising in two cities in Russia's Ural mountains on Sunday after Europe's third-longest river burst through a dam, flooding at least 10,000 homes and forcing thousands of people to flee with just their pets and a few belongings.
Some of the worst floods in decades have hit a string of Russian regions in the Ural Mountains and Siberia, alongside parts of neighbouring Kazakhstan in recent days.
The Ural River, which rises in the Ural Mountains and flows into the Caspian Sea, swelled several metres in just hours on Friday due to melt water, bursting through a dam embankment in the city of Orsk, 1,800 km (1,100 miles) east of Moscow.
The mayor of Orsk, Vasily Kozupitsa, was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying a second river in the town, the Yelshanka, had also burst its banks. Measures were being undertaken to evacuate residents from affected areas.
Reuters
Israel prepared to handle any Iran scenario, defence chief says
JERUSALEM, April 7 (Reuters) - Israel is ready to handle any scenario that may arise with Iran, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday, after Tehran threatened to retaliate for the
killing of Iranian generals on April 1.
An Iranian official said earlier that Israeli embassies were not safe, and a semi-official news agency published a graphic showing weapons it said would be capable of striking Israel.
Gallant's office issued the statement about Israel's preparedness after he held an "operational situation assessment" with senior military officers.
"Upon completing the assessment, Minister Gallant emphasized that the defence establishment has completed preparations for responses in the event of any scenario that may develop vis-à-vis Iran," his office said.
The Chief of General Staff, Herzi Halevi, said Israel "knows how to deal with Iran - offensively and defensively".
Al Jazeera
Philippines beefs up northernmost defences amid China tensions
Mavulis Island, Philippines – The military detachment on the Philippines’s northernmost island faces northwest, towards the setting sun – and the country’s biggest potential adversary.
The island of Mavulis was uninhabited until 2016, when the Philippine military planted a flagpole at its highest point and started building a fisherman’s shelter.
Now, about 15 soldiers are deployed in rotation on the rocky outpost, amid increasing tension with Beijing over the disputed South China Sea and Beijing’s growing assertiveness towards Taiwan - which lies just 142km (88 miles) away and whose lights flicker in the distance during the night.
In February, Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro visited Mavulis and pledged further improvements to military positions in Batanes, the province that includes the island, which he called the “spearhead of the Philippines”.
With the Philippines's lightly-funded military reliant on only basic equipment and technology to fortify the island, the United States is providing crucial assistance.
Washington Post
Inside donald trump’s secret, long-shot plan to end the war in Ukraine
Former president donald trump has privately said he could end Russia’s war in Ukraine by pressuring Ukraine to give up some territory, according to people familiar with the plan. Some foreign policy experts said Trump’s idea would reward Russian President Vladimir Putin and condone the violation of internationally recognized borders by force.
trump’s proposal consists of pushing Ukraine to cede Crimea and the Donbas border region to Russia, according to people who discussed it with trump or his advisers and spoke on the condition of anonymity because those conversations were confidential. That approach, which has not been previously reported, would dramatically reverse President Biden’s policy, which has emphasized curtailing Russian aggression and providing military aid to Ukraine.
New York Times
Maryland Passes 2 Major Privacy Bills, Despite Tech Industry Pushback
The Maryland Legislature this weekend passed two sweeping privacy bills that aim to restrict how powerful tech platforms can harvest and use the personal data of consumers and young people — despite strong objections from industry trade groups representing giants like Amazon, Google and Meta.
One bill, the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act, would impose wide-ranging restrictions on how companies may collect and use the personal data of consumers in the state. The other, the Maryland Kids Code, would prohibit certain social media, video game and other online platforms from tracking people under 18 and from using manipulative techniques — like auto-playing videos or bombarding children with notifications — to keep young people glued online.