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 (RIP), 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.
By Laura Angela Bagnetto, Kent Mensah, in Kumasi and Accra, Ghana
From fantasy coffins to the very specific order of events during a funeral, Ghana has a particular funeral industry – and it’s a lucrative business, too.
Ghana is famous for its origin stories, but this is a tale with a twist about the emergence of the country’s fantasy coffins. These coffins are the ultimate tailor-made send-off, crafted with care by the country’s talented carpenters.
From the BBC:
Danai Nesta Kupemba
Politicians, musicians, and celebrities arrived in their most glamorous looks for one of South Africa's biggest political events - the State of the Nation Address (Sona), making it almost as much about fashion as politics.
Sona is a joint sitting of the two houses of parliament in Cape Town to mark the start of the government's work for the year, where President Cyril Ramaphosa paints a picture of where the country stands and outlines the road ahead.
From USA Today:
A Feb. 4 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a video of a man dressed in military attire delivering what appears to be an official response to the mass deportations marking the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.
“I have decided that I am giving American citizens in my country 24 hours of notice to pack their bags and leave my country immediately,” the man says at one point in the clip, which was first posted to TikTok.
On-screen text included in the video reads, “Nigerian president final decision to Americans.”
From Deutsche Welle (link is to a video):
Thomas Klein
8 hours ago
Alexandra Ndolo was raised in Germany, where she had the resources and support to rise to fencing’s peak. Ashley Ngoiri grew up in Nairobi having to help provide for her family from a young age. Discovering fencing helped give Ashley both purpose and a profession as a coach. The unlikely pair have a shared mission: transforming Kenya into Africa’s home for fencing.
From the BBC:
Jake Wood
EMMY has been selected to represent Ireland in the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland.
The 24-year-old singer, who was born in Norway, will perform her song Laika Party.
Six competitors performed on a special Eurosong edition of RTÉ's The Late Late Show on Friday evening.
From The Guardian:
Hit novels by Sarah J Maas and Rebecca Yarros offer more than sex and escapism. They have reclaimed the fantasy genre for women
Astrange and powerful creature has taken over the publishing industry – romantasy, a magical union of romance and fantasy. Last week in scenes reminiscent of Pottermania 20 years ago, bookshops across the country held midnight launches, with fans dressed as their favourite characters, for the publication of Onyx Storm, the third instalment of Rebecca Yarros’s Empyrean series. In its first week it became the fastest-selling adult title since records began, with more than 180,000 copies sold in one day in the UK alone.
More news below the fold.
We will start with news from the Americas, beginning with this from The Guardian:
Nine Venezuelans including children found by police in Alberta with a second group apprehended in Manitoba
More than a dozen people have been caught making the hazardous crossing into Canada, renewing focus on the closely watched – and seasonally perilous – border with the United States.
Police in Alberta this week intercepted two groups attempting to cross into Canada illegally, including one which included five children who were ill-prepared for the cold which can plunge as low as -30C (-22F) at this time of year.
From the BBC:
Nadine Yousif
Canada's outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has told a group of business leaders he believes President Donald Trump might be serious about annexing his country.
Trudeau suggested Trump has floated the idea of taking over Canada and making it the "51st state" because he wants to access the country's critical minerals.
From the CBC:
Toronto police say man was brought back to Canada Thursday
A man has been arrested in Guyana and brought back to Canada to face a string of charges more than six years after he allegedly assaulted a woman and stabbed a girl in Scarborough, Toronto police say.
In a news release on Friday, police said the incident took place on Nov. 23, 2018 in a home in the area of McCowan Road and Eglinton Avenue E. Police were called to the home for unknown trouble at about 6 p.m.
From Reuters:
GENEVA, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Sexual violence against children in Haiti has surged in the last year and their bodies have been turned into "battlegrounds," UNICEF warned on Friday.
Describing the increase between 2023-2024 as "staggering," the spokesperson for the United Nations agency for children, James Elder, told reporters at the Palais des Nations in Geneva that armed groups have inflicted "unimaginable horrors on children" in the Caribbean country.
From the BBC:
Gonzalo Cañada and Agustina Latourrette
"If the island sinks, I will sink with it," Delfino Davies says, his smile not fading for a second.
There is silence, except for the swish of his broom across the floor of the small museum he runs documenting the life of his community in Panama, the Guna.
From ABC News:
A small aircraft crashed on an avenue in Sao Paulo, killing at least two passengers, the local firefighter corps said in a statement
SAO PAULO -- A small aircraft crashed on an avenue in Sao Paulo, killing at least two passengers, the local firefighter corps said in a statement.
The plane went down in the Barra Funda neighborhood one the city's west side, near its downtown. A piece of the plane hit a bus, injuring one woman inside, while a motorcyclist was struck by another piece of wreckage, the statement said. Both were receiving medical care.
From DW:
A stream outside Buenos Aires has turned crimson red raising fears among residents. Local officials suspect the presence of a toxic substance called aniline.
Blood-red waters that filled a winding waterway near the
Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, raised a stink as images circulated on social media on Friday.
The area is home to tanneries and other industries that process animal hides into leather using chemicals, but along part of its banks are numerous homes and an ecological reserve.
From the BBC:
A man described feeling “the shudders” as more than 100 venomous red-bellied black snakes were removed from a pile of mulch in his Sydney backyard
MELBOURNE, Australia -- A man described feeling “the shudders” as more than 100 venomous red-bellied black snakes were removed from a pile of mulch in his Sydney backyard.
David Stein called Reptile Relocation Sydney last week after watching around six snakes slither into the mulch. He learned from an internet search that pregnant, known as gravid, red-belly blacks pile on top of each other before they give birth.
From ABC News:
Koh Ewe
Hate symbols and terror offences will be punishable with mandatory jail terms ranging from one to six years in Australia, after parliament passed a series of amendments to hate crime laws on Thursday.
The new laws were passed following a wave of high-profile antisemitic attacks which have become a major topic of debate in the country.
From The Guardian:
The 13-metre vessel, crewed by a man in his 70s and a woman in her 60s, hit rocks near Wynyard just after midnight on Friday
The crew of a 13-metre boat that ran aground during the night off the coast of Tasmania have been saved by a police officer who swam to rescue them.
The boat, crewed by a man in his 70s and a woman in her 60s, hit rocks near Wynyard, in the state’s north-west, just after midnight on Friday.
From the South China Morning Post:
Interactions with the outside world have shaped my identity as a Chinese and a human being, opening my eyes to the value of cultural exchange
In my freshman year at an American college almost two decades ago, I received a request from the telecommunications company Verizon to give a presentation to their employees at a local branch on what China was like. I was in a tiny town in Iowa, with a predominantly white population, and most residents’ only chance to experience diversity was to talk to international students.
At first, it felt awkward and superficial talking about what we ate in China, what the major cities were and how I grew up. There was nothing out of the ordinary about our lifestyle, so why was there a need to give a lecture about it?
From the Associated Press;
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh’s interim government headed by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus said Friday it will contain vandalism and arson taking place across the country. The development comes amid concern from a major opposition party and neighboring India over attacks on a historic house linked to ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Mobs targeting supporters of Hasina have vandalized homes and businesses in various parts of the country since Wednesday night. Many of the establishments belonging to former lawmakers, Cabinet members and the leaders of Hasina’s Awami League party were set on fire, apparently as part of a coordinated campaign involving the former home of Bangladesh’s independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman — Hasina’s father — in Dhaka, the capital.
From DW:
Over 100 Indians were recently deported from the US on a military aircraft as part of the Trump administration's deportation drive. DW spoke with two men who tried to reach the US, only to be sent back in handcuffs.
Harwinder Singh had time to reflect during a 40-hour journey earlier this week on a US military transport plane from Texas to the city of Amritsar, in India's Punjab state.
The flight was the last chapter of an ordeal that began in June 2024 after Singh paid an agent over 4 million rupees ($46,000/€44,500) for passage to the United States. The agent had assured the 41-year-old from Punjab that he would reach the US legally in two weeks.
From CNN:
Two tourists have died from suspected pesticide poisoning after their hostel in Sri Lanka was fumigated for bedbugs, Britain’s PA Media news agency has reported.
Ebony McIntosh, a 24-year-old digital marketing and social media manager from the English city of Derby, and 26-year-old Nadine Raguse from Germany were both staying in the Miracle Colombo City hostel in the Sri Lankan capital, PA reported Sri Lanka Police as saying on Thursday.
From the NY Times:
The order, giving Afghans until March 31 to go elsewhere in Pakistan, came on the heels of President Trump’s suspension of refugee admissions to the United States.
Tens of thousands of Afghan refugees who have congregated in Pakistan’s capital region to seek resettlement in other countries are being ordered to move elsewhere in Pakistan by March 31.
The refugees have arrived in large numbers in the capital, Islamabad, and in neighboring Rawalpindi because of the embassies and refugee agencies based there. Forcing them to go elsewhere in the country is intended to put pressure on Western nations, including the United States, to accept them quickly.
From Reuters:
Feb 7 (Reuters) - FIFA has suspended the Congo Republic's football association (FECOFOOT) and the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), barring both from international competitions, world soccer's governing body said on Thursday.
FIFA suspended FECOFOOT due to third-party interference in its affairs, which violates its obligations under FIFA's statutes.
"The decision was taken in consultation with CAF (Confederation of African Football) after two FIFA/CAF missions were dispatched to Brazzaville," FIFA said in a statement.
From RFI:
A joint summit between the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community will take place today and Saturday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The Presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Paul Kagame and Félix Tshisekedi, are both expected to attend.
Both presidents were supposed to meet in December in Angola and sign a peace agreement, but the meeting was cancelled. Both parties blamed each other for failed talks as tensions escalated.
A source close to the Congolese presidency said: "From this summit, we expect an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional withdrawal of Rwandan troops and their auxiliaries, the reopening of Goma airport for humanitarian reasons, and the return of the city to the official administration."
From CNN:
Army making rapid advances across the country and closing in on RSF-held Republican Palace in Khartoum
Sudan’s brutal civil war appears to be approaching a decisive phase as the country’s military reported sweeping gains in the symbolic battle for the capital.
As a ruinous conflict, often characterised by bloody stalemate, nears its two-year anniversary, the Sudanese armed forces (SAF) declared a string of rapid advances across the country against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
From the NY Times (includes a set of photos before the main text):
It was one of the deadliest battles in decades in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
After the city of Goma fell to a rebel group known as M23 last week, the International Red Cross said that civilians had paid a heavy price, and that the death toll was expected to go up as more bodies were found.
From DW:
Niger has ordered the International Committee of the Red Cross to cease operations and for its foreign staff to leave the country. The move leaves nongovernmental groups throughout West Africa worried about their future.
This week's announcement by Niger's Foreign Affairs Ministry to effectively ban the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) came unexpectedly, apparently without any prior warning. ICRC Niger has not even had a chance to update its website with the latest developments.
The premises of the ICRC in the capital, Niamey, have reportedly been closed down since Tuesday's announcement, according to Nigerien government sources, and the majority of foreign staff has immediately departed from the West African nation, as reported by the AFP news agency.
From the New Arab:
Clashes broke out between locals and the police in the eastern Tunisian city of Sousse Thursday night after a man set himself on fire
Clashes erupted between locals and the police in Tunisia's eastern city of Sousse after a man set himself on fire following a dispute with police officers, a judicial source told local media on Friday.
Videos circulated on social media late Thursday showed a group of people hurling rocks and smoke bombs - usually used in stadiums - at a police station in the coastal city.
From the Committee to Protect Journalists:
New York, February 7, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the immediate release of journalist Chadha Hadj Mbarek after a Tunisian court sentenced her to five years in prison on Wednesday. Another journalist, freelancer Chahrazad Akacha, was sentenced to 27 years in absentia.
“The sentencing of journalists Chadha Hadj Mbarek and Chahrazad Akacha is a clear example of how the Tunisian government is using judicial harassment to crush press freedom and independent journalism,” said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martínez de la Serna. “Tunisian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Mbarek and ensure that journalists and media workers can work freely without fear of reprisal.”
From Smithsonian Magazine:
Some citizens and archaeologists are concerned about what they see as widespread “mismanagement” of Egypt’s rich cultural heritage
In the clip, two workers in high visibility vests appeared to use hammers and chisels to break apart stone blocks on the pyramid. Just one row above the workers, a group of tourists shuffled along and looked askance at the repair work.
Another defenestration from Russia, reported by NDTV:
Stroykin was last seen alive on the 10th floor, stepping into the kitchen for water before reportedly opening the window and falling to his death.
Police raided Vadim Stroykin's apartment as part of the ongoing investigation.
A Russian singer, who was accused of donating to the Ukrainian army and calling President Putin an "idiot," fell to his death from a window shortly after a police raid on his apartment, according to The New York Post.
Vadim Stroykin, accused of supporting the Ukrainian army, faced up to 20 years in prison for alleged ties to a terrorist organisation. Police raided his St Petersburg apartment in the Admiralteysky district on Wednesday as part of the ongoing investigation. According to the news outlet Fontanka, Stroykin was last seen alive on the 10th floor, stepping into the kitchen for water before reportedly opening the window and falling to his death.
From the BBC:
More than three decades after leaving the Soviet Union, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are preparing to unplug from Russia's electricity grid and join the EU's network.
The two-day process will begin on Saturday, with residents told to charge their devices, stock up on food and water, and prepare as if severe weather is forecast.
From CNN:
The seismic activity rattling Santorini and other Greek islands is not over and the biggest quake yet could be still to come, a seismologist has warned.
Rémy Bossu, Secretary-General of the European-Mediterranean Siesmological Centre, said “days, or perhaps, weeks” would be needed to evaluate the unusual tremors but said that the series of quakes typically occur in the build-up to a larger tremor.
From the NY Times:
The shooter targeted a center that serves migrants seeking to integrate into a country that had already reversed its liberal migration policies.
Salim Iskef had just bought a house and his upcoming wedding was going to be the high point of the life he was building in Sweden, a decade after escaping war in Syria.
Instead, on Thursday, hundreds of people filed into the church where he was meant to marry in July, to attend his funeral.
From DW (link is to a video):
13 hours ago
With migration a top issue in Germany's upcoming election, a new poll shows chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz up four points after backing from the far right to pass a nonbinding resolution on border policy. DW's Matthew Moore has this analysis.
From DW (link is to a video here, as well):
14 hours ago
Bite into this cheese from Sardinia at your own peril. Cazu marzu is made with maggots. If they're still alive when eaten, they can harm your health.
From The Guardian:
In this week’s newsletter: Joe Wright’s show on the rise of Mussolini feels like the last of a breed centring morally dubious men
Retired history teachers everywhere must be quietly lamenting that Mussolini: Son of the Century wasn’t around when they were building their Twentieth Century Europe modules. Joe Wright’s Italian-language TV adaptation of
Antonio Scurati’s novel, which has just arrived in full on Sky and Now, is a world away from the fuzzy VHS recordings of old war documentaries that served as the multimedia element of many of our GCSE history classes.
Following Il Duce’s faltering first steps towards domination, from establishing his fascist party, through the March on Rome to the installation of a dictatorship in Italy, Wright’s eight-part drama has the fidgety energy of a student trying to make history more exciting and cool. “What if the scene where blackshirted goons violently attack that socialist paper was shot in a stylised, Tarantino-ish way?”; “Could we replace the characters with puppets here?”; “Wouldn’t it be cool if Mussolini played with a grenade on his desk in this scene?”; “How about we soundtrack the whole thing with frenetic big beat scored by one of the Chemical Brothers?”
From the BBC:
A notorious conman who spent four years in a British jail has now been sentenced to six years in France for ramming his car into two policemen while trying to avoid questioning.
Robert Hendy-Freegard, 53, had moved to a rural area of central France to breed beagles illegally several years ago under a false name.
From the Associated Press:
LONDON (AP) — Laila Soueif is a mathematician, a university professor, a political activist.
But as she slumped in a folding chair outside the gates of the British prime minister’s office on day 129 of a hunger strike, she was just a mother — a mom trying to win freedom for her son who has spent more than five years in an Egyptian prison, accused of “spreading false news” on social media.
Sacrificing her very self is the only way Soueif sees to focus attention on what she says is unjust imprisonment of her son, Alaa Abd el-Fattah.
From the BBC:
James W Kelly & Ayshea Buksh
"I don't accept it has to come down, because there are a lot of outstanding matters – justice the families need to see."
Nabil Choucair, who lost six family members among the 72 killed in the Grenfell Tower block fire in June 2017, made the comment after Housing Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner told a meeting that the government planned to dismantle the tower.
Also from the BBC, on the same topic, but a different focus:
Grenfell Tower will be taken down, the government has confirmed nearly eight years after a fire that killed 72 people.
The process is expected to take around two years and will be done "sensitively", with no changes to the building before the eighth anniversary of the disaster in June, the government said.
The plan has drawn a mixed reaction from local people, bereaved families and survivors – some of whom want the west London tower to remain standing as a lasting reminder of the 2017 tragedy.
From the BBC:
Dominic Casciani
A top aide to Prince Andrew is urging a court to withhold his account of the prince's relationship with an alleged Chinese spy because he did not realise it could become public.
Dominic Hampshire played a key role in the development of Yang Tengbo's relationship with the Duke of York - but the full details of what happened between the three men remain unclear.
One last one from the BBC:
Andrew McNair & Cormac Campbell
Speed limits on some roads in the Republic of Ireland will be reduced from 80km/h (50mph) to 60km/h (37mph) on Friday.
This change impacts small "rural local roads", with further reductions to other roads to be implemented later in 2025.
Finally, from The Guardian:
The high drama of José Carlos Montoya’s meltdown after watching his girlfriend cheat with another man is breathtaking, if ethically horrific. And it’s just raised the stakes for its entire genre
It’s alarming to see just how quickly your sense of superiority can be undone. Just a few weeks ago, British viewers were quietly congratulating themselves on the high drama of The Traitors, a show where a group of inherently nice people are inconvenienced into polite little arguments. It was, we thought, the pinnacle of reality TV.
But now that has been undone by three short words: Montoya, por favor.
