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 Rise above the swamp. . 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.
Since 2007 the OND has been 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.
- Some stories for tonight:
- Ukraine tensions: Biden agrees in principle to summit with Putin
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Bangkok: Exploring a lost world in an abandoned department store
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Bernie Madoff’s sister and her husband found dead in apparent murder-suicide
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Storm Franklin threatens UK with more travel chaos and power cuts
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Asian stocks trim losses on Biden-Putin summit hopes
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'God Save The Queen': messages pour in after Elizabeth catches COVID
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Dominican Republic begins building border wall with Haiti
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Chinese 'space cleaner' spotted grabbing and throwing away old satellite
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United States lifts Mexican avocado ban — averting what could have been a costly crisis
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One Dead in Shooting at a Portland Protest Against Police Violence
BBC
Ukraine tensions: Biden agrees in principle to summit with Putin
US President Joe Biden has agreed "in principle" to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the crisis over Ukraine.
The summit proposed by France will only take place if Russia does not invade its neighbour, the White House said.
The talks could offer a possible diplomatic solution to one of the worst security crises in Europe in decades.
US officials say intelligence suggests Russia is ready to launch a military operation, which Moscow denies.
The proposal was announced by the French presidency after two phone calls between President Emmanuel Macron and Mr Putin, which went on for almost three hours in total.
The second exchange happened in the early hours of Monday Moscow time, and followed a 15-minute conversation Mr Macron had with Mr Biden.
Details of the possible summit will be discussed during a meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, on Thursday, Mr Macron's office said.
Bangkok: Exploring a lost world in an abandoned department store (Video)
Few cities can rival Bangkok’s chaotic and colourful mix of modernity and tradition. Largely unplanned, the Thai capital dazzles visitors with its fast and furious pace, and its dizzying variety of architectural styles.
But the city’s galloping development has left some ugly eyesores in the form of abandoned buildings, some of which are in prime locations.
One derelict department store, though, has attracted the interest of a group of artists and architects, who have turned it into an art and light exhibit.
The Guardian
Bernie Madoff’s sister and her husband found dead in apparent murder-suicide
The sister of the Wall Street fraudster Bernie Madoff and her husband were found dead in Florida in what investigators said was an apparent murder-suicide.
The Palm Beach county sheriff’s office on Sunday identified the couple as 87-year-old Sondra Wiener of Boynton Beach and her 90-year-old husband, Marvin Wiener.
They were found unresponsive with gunshot wounds on Thursday afternoon, inside their residence.
“Detectives from the violent crimes division arrived on scene to investigate further,” the sheriff’s office said. “After further investigation it appears to be a murder-suicide.” Madoff was known for orchestrating a massive Ponzi scheme that wiped out people’s fortunes and ruined charities.
The Guardian
Storm Franklin threatens UK with more travel chaos and power cuts
Large parts of the UK were braced for another day of travel chaos and power cuts on Monday as Storm Franklin brought hurricane-force winds and flooding in the wake of the deadly Storm Eunice.
Hundreds of families in south Manchester were urged to evacuate their homes on Sunday night, while thousands of households remained without power following the worst UK storm in decades.
The Met Office said Franklin would bring gusts of up to 80mph in Northern Ireland and that England and Wales would have another day of strong winds and heavy rain.
Two severe weather warnings were in place in south Manchester, meaning there is a risk to life, along with more than 300 flood warnings and alerts across England, Scotland and Wales.
Al Jazeera
Asian stocks trim losses on Biden-Putin summit hopes
U.S. equity futures turned higher and Asian stocks pared losses Monday on a report that a French proposal for a summit between President Joe Biden and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin has been accepted by both sides.
Nasdaq 100 contracts erased an earlier drop of more than 1% and S&P 500 futures also turned green. Stocks in Japan, Australia and South Korea came off their lows.
Treasury futures gave up some gains, as did Australian and New Zealand bonds. Cash Treasuries won’t trade because of a U.S. holiday. Gold retreated back below $1,900 an ounce and the dollar slipped.
Markets are on edge over the threat of Russian military action against Ukraine, with investor appetite for risk buffeted by the steady stream of headlines about diplomatic moves to tackle the crisis.
One key question is what might happen to supplies of energy, grain and some metals if the Ukraine situation deteriorates. Crude oil remained higher as traders weighed those worries and the potential for a return of Iranian barrels.
Reuters
'God Save The Queen': messages pour in after Elizabeth catches COVID
WINDSOR, England, Feb 20 (Reuters) - News that Britain's Queen Elizabeth had tested positive for COVID-19 drew shock, concern and messages of goodwill from across the country on Sunday, with politicians and the public willing the 95-year-old to recover.
On a wet and blustery day, a few sightseers gathered at the gates of Windsor Castle where the queen is receiving medical treatment for mild symptoms. Others went online to express support and message boards in the London Underground urged the monarch to "take it easy".
Many said they were troubled by the news after the world's longest reigning monarch pulled out of a number of high-profile events and spent a night in hospital last October, igniting fears about her health.
Reuters
Dominican Republic begins building border wall with Haiti
SANTO DOMINGO, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The Dominican government on Sunday began building a wall that will cover almost half of the 392-kilometre (244 miles) border with Haiti, its only land neighbor, to stop irregular migration and the smuggling of goods, weapons and drugs.
While the two countries share the island of Hispaniola, they are worlds apart in terms of development. Crime-plagued Haiti is one of the poorest nations in the Americas while the Dominican Republic, a popular Caribbean tourist destination, has prospered in recent decades amid marked political stability.
Many Haitians cross the border clandestinely in search of work in the fields or in the construction industry in the Dominican Republic.
"The benefit for both nations will be of great importance," said Dominican President Luis Abinader shortly before pushing the button to begin pouring concrete into the foundations of what will be the wall in the province of Dajabón, some 230 kilometers northwest of the capital.
Next story is 2 weeks old, but too cool to ignore.
Deutsche Welle
Chinese 'space cleaner' spotted grabbing and throwing away old satellite
Something out of a Star Wars movie occurred in Earth's orbit last month.
A Chinese satellite was spotted in late January grabbing another long-dead satellite and days later throwing it into a "graveyard" orbit 300 km away, where objects are less likely to hit spacecraft.
The Chinese SJ-21 satellite was seen on January 22 changing its usual place in the sky to approach decommissioned satellite Compass-G2. A few days later, SJ-21 attached to G2, altering its orbit.
Chinese officials haven't yet confirmed that the apparent space tug occurred.
Over the course of the next few days, the spacecraft couple started dancing westward, ExoAnalytic's video footage showed. By January 26, the two satellites separated, and G2 was kicked into oblivion.
Washington Post
United States lifts Mexican avocado ban — averting what could have been a costly crisis
For foodies, workers, restaurant owners and investors on both sides of the Rio Grande border, Friday brought a sigh of relief after the United States lifted its temporary ban on imports of Mexican avocados.
The week-long pause — albeit a short one — had fueled concerns in the avocado industry, from the workers who pick the fruit in Mexico to consumers worrying about a potential shortage of a staple in the diets of many Americans.
Mexico supplies about 80 percent of the avocados eaten in the United States. The import ban — stemming from purported threats to a U.S. inspector in the Latin American country — shook a billion-dollar industry. Not only did the commotion showcase the law enforcement issues that growers are frequently subjected to in Mexico, but experts said it underscored the importance of one of the strongest and most successful bilateral trade agreements.
New York Times
One Dead in Shooting at a Portland Protest Against Police Violence
PORTLAND, Ore. — A deadly weekend shooting in Portland at a protest against police killings left one person dead and five others wounded, raising tensions once again among the city’s social justice activists.
The Portland Police Bureau said a woman was dead when officers arrived on Saturday night at the scene in the neighborhood of Rose City Park. Two men and three other women were taken to a nearby hospital, the police said.
The shooting, which occurred at the start of a protest, appeared to be “a confrontation between armed protesters and an armed homeowner,” Lt. Nathan Sheppard said by phone on Sunday. “That’s what the preliminary investigation is indicating.”
He declined to provide details about the people hospitalized and declined to say whether anyone was in custody.