Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, eeff, annetteboardman, jck, Rise above the swamp, and Besame. Alumni editors include (but are not limited to) Man Oh Man, wader, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck (RIP), ScottyUrb, Interceptor 7, Neon Vincent, 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 of summer, with this, from the Washington Post:
JERUSALEM — Israeli police said Friday they placed a couple under house arrest, a day after a man attending a party at their villa died after being sucked into a sinkhole that formed at the bottom of their swimming pool.
The man and woman, both in their sixties, are suspected of causing death by negligence, police said. They were arrested on Thursday night and a court decided to release them Friday under “restrictive conditions of house arrest” for five days.
From Indian Express Online:
Britain has been witnessing a record heatwave in the past week. It recorded its highest ever temperature of 39.1C (102.4F) on July 19, according to provisional data from the Met Office. The heatwave has already damaged airport runways and rail tracks. As temperatures rise, residents and foreign students in London talked about the heatwave and the pertinent problem of climate change.
From Reuters:
KATI, Mali, July 22 (Reuters) - Islamist militants struck Mali's main military base, just outside the capital Bamako, on Friday in a complex attack involving car bombs, but the armed forces said they had repelled the assault and had the situation under control.
From Al Jazeera:
Iraq has declared a day of mourning for the eight people killed in a rocket strike in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region on Wednesday.
It is blaming Turkey for the attack, a claim Ankara denies.
Protesters have held rallies in several cities, calling on the government to end diplomatic ties with Turkey.
From the Washington Post:
BEIRUT — At least 10 people were killed in Syria overnight and this morning, following Israeli strikes on the capital in the south and Russian strikes in the northwest of the country.
Syrian state news agency SANA reported Israeli strikes coming from the disputed Golan Heights shortly after midnight Friday, killing three soldiers, wounding seven others and causing material damage.
From Al Jazeera:
Government and military prosecutors will conduct an investigation into rival fighting in the country’s capital.
Intense clashes have erupted between rival factions in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, with reports of several people killed amid growing concern that a political standoff could prompt renewed conflict.
Clashes occurred early on Friday in the central district near the Radisson Blu hotel, an area where several government and international agencies and diplomatic missions are based, with military vehicles mobilised around Zawiyat al-Dahmani.
From Al Jazeera:
Protesters say some ‘brutally assaulted’ after soldiers descend on Colombo sites in early hours of Friday morning.
Soldiers overnight also destroyed tents at the adjacent GotaGoGama protest site, arrested several protest leaders and cordoned off the area together with about 100 protesters.
From NPR (AP):
RIO DE JANEIRO — A raid of Rio de Janeiro's largest complex of favelas that left at least 18 people dead has sparked renewed complaints of excessive police violence and ignited debate over how to handle crime ahead of state and presidential elections.
Rio authorities said 16 suspected criminals were killed in confrontations with police in Complexo do Alemao favela, or low-income community, along with a police officer and a woman. The raid targeted a criminal group that stole cars and robbed banks, and invaded nearby neighborhoods.
The Times of Israel has an interesting story:
Case also reportedly opened against Channel 13’s Gil Tamary; his broadcast, in which he visited holy city in defiance of non-Muslim entry ban, has sparked widespread outrage
A Saudi citizen who allegedly helped Israeli journalist Gil Tamary enter the Muslim holy city of Mecca has been arrested and will be prosecuted, Mecca police said Friday. Official Saudi media also indicated “procedures” would be instituted against Tamary.
Channel 13 on Monday aired a clip of Tamary sneaking into Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, in defiance of a ban on non-Muslims.
From CNN:
A 47-year-old Nepali sherpa has set a climbing record by scaling all the world's 14 peaks that are higher than 8,000 meters (26,247 ft) for a second time, his agency said on Thursday.
Sanu Sherpa, from Sankhuwasabha district in east Nepal, reached the top of Pakistan's Gasherbrum II, which at 8,035 meters is the 13th highest, on Thursday morning, his Pioneer Adventure hiking company said in Kathmandu.
From The Guardian:
Cabinet has approved event for 27 September but critics question cost and possible political exploitation
Opposition is mounting to plans to hold a state funeral for the former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot dead earlier this month.
The cabinet on Friday approved arrangements for the funeral – only the second of its kind for a former Japanese leader in the postwar period – on 27 September.
From the Daily Beast:
ROYAL VICTORY
Prince Harry has won the right to bring a legal challenge against the British government over his U.K. security arrangements. The Duke of Sussex is fighting against a decision prohibiting him from paying for police protection for himself and his family when visiting his homeland from California. His complaint hinged on an argument that the government committee that made the decision was not impartial in that the queen’s top aide, Sir Edward Young, was involved. Harry’s lawyer, Shaheed Fatima, said it had not been “appropriate” for any member of the royal household to have had a hand in the decision, particularly after the duke had been assured the committee was “independent.” The legal case also revealed what Harry described as “significant tensions” between himself and Sir Edward.
And finally, a happy news story, from CNN:
(CNN) — Fatmata Binta has lived in many places throughout her life, but no matter where she is, food is always her home. Her passion for cooking began when she was just five years old.
Born in Sierra Leone, West Africa, Binta grew up learning the customs of the Fulani people -- one of the largest nomadic groups in Africa. She recalls spending much of her childhood in the kitchen helping her mother and grandmother prepare traditional Fulani meals. "I grew up watching them bring people together through food," she said.