Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, eeff, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Besame and jck. 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.
We begin this evening’s roundup with this Reuters story found in The Guardian:
An American family set off a bomb scare at Israel’s main airport when they showed security inspectors an unexploded shell that they found while visiting the Golan Heights and had packed for their return trip, authorities said.
From Fox ”News” (I know, I know, but I didn’t see the story elsewhere):
English politician won't clarify if he watched porn in parliament or not, investigation underway
A member of Parliament in England has been accused of watching pornography inside the House of Commons.
Neil Parish, MP for Tiverton and Honiton, was accused of watching adult material inside the parliament chambers. Two colleagues allegedly caught him watching the inappropriate material. Parish has identified himself as the suspect of an investigation but refuses to comment on the validity of claims.
From the Associated Press:
By KEN SWEET and FATIMA HUSSEIN
NEW YORK (AP) — Russia staved off a default on its debt Friday by making a last-minute payment using its precious dollar reserves sitting outside the country, U.S. Treasury officials said.
The amount of the payment was not disclosed, but earlier this month Russia’s finance ministry said it tried to make a $649 million payment due April 6 toward two bonds to an unnamed U.S. bank — previously reported as JPMorgan Chase.
From The Guardian:
Changing climate means infestations of pesky insects could become more common, experts say
Ollie Neas in Wellington
They smell like sweet meat, destroy vacuum cleaners and are wreaking havoc across rural New Zealand.
An unusually wet summer has brought joy to farmers and grief to residents, as a plague of cluster flies descends on homes in the Canterbury and Wairarapa regions.
From The Times of Israel:
Many Ukrainians killed Jews during World War II, collaborated with Nazis, and the country has honored antisemites, while others saved Jewish neighbors, say some survivors
By Cnaan Liphshiz
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during commemorative events marking the 80th anniversary of the Babi Yar massacre of Jews in 1941 in Kyiv, Ukraine, October 6, 2021. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
JTA — As a Holocaust survivor from Ukraine, Yaakov Zelikovich is heartbroken over the human suffering in his country of birth amid Russia’s devastating invasion.
“As a Jew and as a person, I feel bad for the children, the women, the anguish,” Zelikovich, an 83-year-old grandfather of four.
From Reuters:
HELSINKI, April 29 (Reuters) - Sweden and Finland could deepen military cooperation if security in the Baltic Sea region worsens, for example during the process of a possible application to join NATO, Finland's foreign minister said on Friday after meeting his Swedish counterpart.
Reporting by Essi Lehto in Helsinki and Simon Johnson in Stockholm; Editing by Johan Ahlander, William Maclean
From the New York Post:
The mysterious Ukrainian fighter pilot hailed as the “Ghost of Kyiv” after reportedly shooting down dozens of Russian aircraft has been killed in battle, an outlet said Friday.
The death of the much-celebrated enigmatic pilot was reported by The Times of London, which for the first time also publicly identified Major Stepan Tarabalka, a 29-year-old father of one, as the war hero.
From Reuters:
PARIS, April 28 (Reuters) - Air France pilots who reported their Boeing 777 was failing to respond while preparing to land earlier this month simultaneously pulled the controls in opposite directions, French investigators said.
Reporting by Tim Hepher; editing by Jason Neely
From CBS News:
Italy's tradition of giving a child their father's last name has been overturned by a court. The country's Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday that both parents should be able to choose their baby's surname.
The current practice of using the father's last name is "discriminatory and harmful to the identity" of the child, the court said in a statement, according to Reuters. The court said children should be given both parents' last names — in whichever order the parents decide — unless the parents agree to use just one.
From Newsweek:
The female suicide bomber who killed four people in Karachi, Pakistan, was a married science teacher with kids who was pursuing a second master's degree.
Shari Baloch, 30, became the first female suicide bomber of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) when she blew herself up and killed four others.
From The Verge:
One of the world’s poorest countries, with only 11 percent internet penetration
By James Vincent
The Central African Republic (CAR) has become the second-ever country to adopt Bitcoin as a national currency, following El Salvador’s adoption of the cryptocurrency last year.
CAR’s government says a bill to adopt Bitcoin was passed unanimously by the country’s parliament, reports Reuters and BBC News. (Though former CAR prime minister Martin Ziguele complained the bill was approved “by proclamation.”) The office of CAR president Faustin-Archange Touadera claimed the move would “improve the conditions of Central African citizens” and distinguish CAR as “of the world’s boldest and most visionary countries.”
From the Washington Post:
The heat is increasing fire risks and threatening crops, and could lead to flooding from melting glaciers
For the second month in a row, temperatures in India and Pakistan are abnormally high because of a string of strong and prolonged heat waves — and now another surge is building.
Temperatures have already soared to dangerously high levels. They topped 110 degrees in the Indian capital of Delhi on Thursday and Friday, where pavement melted amid the heat, while several cities broke April records.
From The Guardian:
Rise in infections appears to be driven by Omicron sub-variants, say health officials
South Africa may be entering a fifth Covid wave earlier than expected after a sustained rise in infections over the past 14 days that seems to be driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub-variants, health officials and scientists have said.
The country that has recorded the most coronavirus cases and deaths on the African continent only exited a fourth wave around January and had predicted a fifth wave could start in May or June, early in the southern hemisphere winter.