Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, current leader Neon Vincent, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, Interceptor7, Magnifico, annetteboardman, jck, and Besame. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) Man Oh Man, wader, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck (RIP), 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 start with the COVID news from the BBC:
The first people to arrive in the UK from India since the country was placed on the travel "red list" have entered hotel quarantine.
British and Irish nationals and those with residency rights must isolate in approved accommodation for 10 days after rules changed overnight.
India has seen a second wave of infections, with shortages of medical oxygen leaving some patients untreated.
From Buzzfeed News:
About 1 in every 3 cases of COVID-19 recorded each day in the world is now in India, where the rate of new infections is growing faster than in any other nation.
A second wave of COVID-19 infections in India has completely overwhelmed the nation’s medical infrastructure as families make desperate pleas for oxygen and other life-saving supplies on social media.
In the capital city of New Delhi, morgues are using mass cremations to dispose of the bodies of COVID victims. At some hospitals, patients are waiting outside in ambulances due to a lack of ventilators inside.
And from the BBC:
India's healthcare system is buckling as a record surge in Covid-19 cases puts pressure on hospital beds and drains oxygen supplies.
Families are left pleading for their relatives who are desperately ill, with some patients left untreated for hours.
And from the NYTimes:
Tens of millions of Brazilians are facing hunger or food insecurity as the country’s Covid-19 crisis drags on, killing thousands of people every day.
RIO DE JANEIRO — Rail-thin teenagers hold placards at traffic stops with the word for hunger — fome — in large print. Children, many of whom have been out of school for over a year, beg for food outside supermarkets and restaurants. Entire families huddle in flimsy encampments on sidewalks, asking for baby formula, crackers, anything.
A year into the pandemic, millions of Brazilians are going hungry.
From Reuters:
A citizen receives a dose of the AstraZeneca coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, during a vaccination day for 57-year-old and older citizens, in Duque de Caxias near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil April 21, 2021. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes/File Photo
Brazil’s COVID-19 vaccination program is being put at risk by people failing to show up for their second shot, with 1.5 million people missing appointments for the follow-up dose needed to maximize protection, according to the Health Ministry.
Other Asia news, beginning with The Guardian:
Officials fear lost vessel may be running out of oxygen if not already crushed by water pressure
From Newsweek:
BY ANABELLE DOLINER
For many folks out there, one romantic partner is more than enough. But for one committed fraudster, thirty-five appeared to be the perfect number.
According to The Tokyo Reporter, 39-year-old Takashi Miyagawa is suspected of simultaneously having serious relationships with upwards of 30 women, with the intention of defrauding them by receiving as many birthday presents as possible.
From Al Jazeera:
The Philippines files two more diplomatic protests after maritime authorities spotted a total of 165 Chinese vessels within Manila’s EEZ.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the country’s maritime law enforcement agencies observed a total of 165 Chinese fishing vessels, maritime militia vessels and coastguard vessels spread throughout Manila’s EEZ as of April 20.
From Fox (sorry I couldn’t find this on a different site):
Mountain guide warns 'any outbreak could prematurely end the climbing season
The coronavirus has conquered the world's highest mountain.
A Norwegian climber became the first to be tested for COVID-19 in Mount Everest base camp and was flown by helicopter to Kathmandu, where he was hospitalized.
From CNN World:
By Nic Robertson, Nada Bashir and Charbel Mallo
Marib, Yemen (CNN)Marib has the forlorn feel of a place awaiting its destiny, while embracing stoic and stubborn optimism.
The fabled desert oasis, and reputed home to the Queen of Sheba, is today hot, dry and dusty. The rainy season approaches, as does an anticipated Iran-backed Houthi offensive.
From NPR:
As archeologists in Saudi Arabia excavated an ancient tomb last year, they were surprised to find the remains of a dog buried alongside humans some 6,000 years ago.
"It was an incredibly exhilarating moment," archaeologist Hugh Thomas says. "Suddenly it dawned on us: Wow, do we have the oldest domesticated dog in Arabia?"
From CNN:
By Kareem Khadder, Andrew Carey and Abeer Salman
Jerusalem (CNN)Clashes between Palestinians from east Jerusalem and Israeli police around the Damascus gate entrance to the Old City erupted in a night of unrest that earlier saw Jewish extremists marching through another city street shouting "Death to Arabs."
The violence marks a high point so far in a new phase of complex heightened tensions in the city which began a week and half ago around the start of Ramadan, and prompted an unusual statement Friday morning from the US embassy in Jerusalem in which it called on "all responsible voices [to] promote an end to incitement."
From the New York Times:
The imprisoned opposition leader said he was responding to calls from his doctors and a belief that he had accomplished at least some of his goals.
MOSCOW — Aleksei A. Navalny, the imprisoned Russian opposition leader, ended a three-week hunger strike on Friday that had embarrassed the Kremlin abroad and incited protests at home.
The 24-day hunger strike, which Mr. Navalny said had left him so skinny he looked like a “skeleton, swaying, walking in its cell,” became the latest battle in a years long, high-stakes competition between President Vladimir V. Putin and his most prominent domestic political opponent.
From Reuters:
Andrius Sytas, Jason Hovet, Mark Trevelyan
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia on Friday joined a fast-growing list of NATO and EU members demanding the removal of Russian diplomats for alleged spying, in actions that have infuriated Moscow and look certain to provoke further retaliation.
A spate of tit-for-tat expulsions has plunged ties between Russia and countries of the former Soviet bloc to their lowest point since the fall of Communism, prompting Moscow to accuse at least two of them of deliberately wrecking relations.
From the New York Times:
A hospital worker in Italy’s south was allegedly paid for 15 years without working a single day. Investigators blame the inefficiency of checks at all levels.
A hospital in Italy’s southern region of Calabria fired Salvatore Scumace for not showing up to work.
For 15 years.
Mr. Scumace, 67, was fired last year from the Pugliese Ciaccio Hospital in the city of Catanzaro, but the news made headlines in Italy this week when Italy’s financial police announced their investigation into his remarkable record of absenteeism. His case was uncovered as part of a wider investigation into absenteeism by public workers.
From CNN:
Paris (CNN)An anti-terrorism investigation has been launched in France after a female police officer was killed in a knife attack at a police station in a Paris suburb.
Police on the scene quickly intervened and killed the attacker, Prime Minister Jean Castex told journalists on Friday, referring to the incident in Rambouillet as a "terrorist attack."
From Reuters:
French trawlermen angered by delays getting licences to fish inside British waters blocked lorries carrying UK-landed fish with burning barricades as they arrived overnight in Europe's largest seafood processing centre.
Britain's trade deal with the European Union following Brexit allowed the bloc's fishermen to keep fishing deep into British waters, but only once they had received a license.
From the New York Times:
The anti-Islam agitator Tommy Robinson struck gold in America. Keeping it might require help from Moscow, where other British far-right activists are also finding friends.
From the BBC:
Thirty-nine postmasters who were victims of the UK's most widespread miscarriage of justice have had their names formally cleared. For the men and women involved it marked the end of a long legal battle which took them "to hell and back".
"The first thing I did was cry," says David Blakey, from Cleethorpes, after hearing his conviction had been overturned at the Royal Courts of Justice.
From the New York TImes:
The shipwreck off Libya comes as the number of attempts to cross the sea from Africa to Europe increases in the warmer weather.
CAIRO — More than 100 migrants heading for Europe are feared dead in a shipwreck off Libya, independent rescue groups have said, in the latest loss of life as attempts to cross the Mediterranean increase during the warmer months.
The Libyan Coast Guard searched for the boat but could not find it because of limited resources, an official with the service said.
From CNN:
In a statement Thursday, the body urged investigations into "human rights violations and abuses, including reports of sexual violence against women and girls in the Tigray region." CNN has previously investigated
horrific, widespread reports of rape by Ethiopian and Eritrean troops in the region.
From the BBC:
By Hellen Abatoni
The swiftly executed transfer of power in Chad to Gen Mahamat Idriss Déby after his father's death appears to be threatened by family divisions and fractures in the military that could have serious consequences.
Mahamat Deby was controversially named the leader of the Transitional Military Council (CMT) in the same announcement of his father's death on 20 April.
Arts News
We begin with CNN:
When Laolu Senbanjo received an email requesting him to work with Beyoncé, he thought it was a scam.
"The Nigerian in me was just thinking it's just one of those emails," the 38-year-old recalls. "I wanted to know what the catch was and when they would ask me to pay some money." Eventually, he did respond -- and ended up with a job doing body art for Beyoncé's 2016 visual album "Lemonade."
Having recently relocated from Nigeria to New York City to pursue his passion, this was the biggest break of his career.
From 6ABC (Philadelphia):
In 2020, many spent their time isolated during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. But in that isolation, local artist Brian Bazemore found inspiration.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- In 2020, many spent their time isolated during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But in that isolation, local artist Brian Bazemore found inspiration.
From the Washington POst:
The Smithsonian will open seven museums and the National Zoo next month, starting with the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., on May 5, the 60th anniversary of Alan Shepard becoming the first American in space.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery will open May 14, followed a week later by the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Zoo. The rest of the Smithsonian museums, including the popular Air and Space and Natural History museums, will open later in the year.
From the Chicago Tribune:
The traveling exhibit “The Art of Banksy” is bound for Chicago, according to posts Thursday on social media. Advertised as containing “80 pieces of Banksy art” that are “valued at $35 million,” the show is put on by Starvox Entertainment of Toronto, the same producers of the current, popular “Immersive Van Gogh” in the former Germania Club building in Old Town.
True to Banksy form, the posts were enigmatic when in came to dates and a venue for the show. But the show it also bills itself as unauthorized: “This exhibition is unauthorized by Banksy and not curated with the artist’s involvement. All works on display come from private collections.”
From 13WHAM (Buffalo, NY):
For most of Thursday night, I couldn't sleep. I was furious.
I still am furious, but now I can at least get my thoughts together.
On Thursday evening, 13WHAM News and other local media outlets were invited to the Dome Arena in Henrietta to watch a 17-year-old boy from Geneseo showcase some artwork.
From Evanston Round Table:
An outdoor art installation titled “Red-Zone Earth” by Evanston artist Cécile Trentini decorated Lee Street beach on April 22 in honor of Earth Day. The piece, 24 feet in diameter, resembled a globe with deep grooves cutting through it. Non-toxic red sand ran through the grooves, bringing vibrancy to the work but also serving as a warning.
From Smithsonian Magazine:
Smithsonian’s prestigious annual craft show opens online April 24; the nation’s top artists gather in the spirit of optimism
Originally from Accra, Ghana, Queen Allotey-Pappoe grew up with her grandmother, a “master craftswoman,” who was always cutting cloth to make quilts or clothes for those around her. In an effort to create positive change, Allotey-Pappoe found herself first exploring a career in legislation and policy, until she realized another way she could impact the world. Inspired by her grandmother’s craftsmanship and already interested in creating art, Allotey-Pappoe started Queen Adeline in 2014. Located in the greater Boston area, the business sells dresses, shirts, vests, masks and scarves.
Queen Adeline is a sustainable fashion brand inspired by Allotey-Pappoe’s African heritage, where she is the founder, creative director and designer. The craftswoman’s background in design, leadership development, business strategy and sales is supplemented by her studies at Manchester Metropolitan University Business School and Massachusetts College of Art and Design. At the intersection of empowerment and climate advocacy, wearable art for women on the go, she says, is a response to the growing climate crisis and pollution caused by the fashion industry. Queen Adeline encourages others to embrace life as art and envision an Earth they would like to live on.
From WYSO (National Public Radio):
If you’re a gardener, you might be cursing your heavy clay soil right about now. But clay is an important part of our region’s artistic legacy. Join Culture Couch producer Susan Byrnes as she unearths some history about pottery made in Zanesville and Cincinnati.
My friend in Washington, DC told me about a beautiful old vase she found that she thought might be rare. It has a flower on it with a robin’ s egg blue glaze. It’s stamped Samuel Weller, which she traced to an Ohio pottery company in Zanesville.
From Patch.com (Brookline, MA):
The Alzheimer's Foundation of America has awarded $6,000 funding to Goddard House, in Brookline to bring Opening Minds Through Art.
BROOKLINE, MA — For the past five years The Goddard House assisted living home has been helping older adults living with dementia express creativity through a program called Opening Minds Through Art. The award-winning intergenerational program pairs younger people with those diagnosed with memory loss and focuses on creativity.
It's built connections and had therapeutic benefits for people living with memory loss.
Now, through a grant from the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, Goddard House plans to expand its program to help older adults living with dementia in under served communities nearby in Boston.