Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, eeff, , annetteboardman, Besame,and jck,. 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, JeremyBloom, FarWestGirl, BentLiberal, Oke (RIP) and jlms qkw.
OND is a regular community feature on Daily Kos since 2007, 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.
AP News
Indonesian residents hunt for food and water after deadly floods. 193 dead in Sri Lanka
MEDAN, Indonesia (AP) — Some residents of the flood-hit Indonesian island of Sumatrahave resorted to stealing food and water to survive, authorities said Sunday, while Sri Lankan officials said deaths from floods and mudslides in that island nation have risen to 193.
The floods, which hit Indonesia nearly a week ago, have killed 442 people — with the number expected to rise as more bodies are recovered — and displaced 290,700 people as nearly 3,000 houses damaged, including 827 that were flattened or swept out by floods.
The deluges triggered landslides, damaged roads, cut off parts of the island, and downed communication lines, prompting officials and limited communities using Starlink satellite internet for relief operations.
Another 402 people are missing in Indonesia’s three provinces of North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh, according to the National Disaster Management Agency.
The Guardian
Death toll passes 900 in Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka floods
Authorities in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand are racing to clear debris and find hundreds of missing people after more than 900 died in devastating floods and landslides across the south of Asia.
In the latest example of the impact of the climate crisis on storm patterns and extreme weather, heavy monsoon rains, exacerbated by a tropical storm, have overwhelmed parts of south-east Asia in recent days, leaving thousands of people stranded without shelter or critical supplies.
Meanwhile, in Sri Lanka in south Asia, the death toll from floods and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah rose sharply on Sunday to 334, with many more still missing and low-lying areas of the capital, Colombo, under water, authorities said.
It is the worst natural disaster to hit the island in two decades since the devastating 2004 tsunami that killed about 31,000 people there and left more than a million homeless.
AP News
Netanyahu requests a pardon to end his ongoing corruption trial in Israel
TEL AVIV (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday asked the country’s president to grant him a pardon from corruption charges, seeking to end a long-running trial that has bitterly divided the nation.
Netanyahu, who has been at war against Israel’s legal system over the charges, said the request would help unify the country at a time of momentous change in the region. But it immediately triggered denunciations from opponents, who said a pardon would weaken democratic institutions and send a dangerous message that he’s above the rule of law.
Netanyahu had submitted a request for a pardon to the legal department of the Office of the President, the prime minister’s office said in a statement. The president’s office called it an “extraordinary request,” carrying with it “significant implications.”
Netanyahu is the only sitting prime minister in Israeli history to stand trial, after being charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases.
NPR
FDA to raise hurdles for vaccines, faulting COVID shots for 10 kids' deaths
The Food and Drug Administration intends to get tougher on vaccine approvals, as top officials raised concerns about the risk of COVID vaccines for children.
Speaking on Fox News Saturday morning, FDA Commissioner Marty Makarysaid the agency would no longer "rubber-stamp new products that don't work," claiming it made a "mockery of science."
Makary's comments came the day after FDA's top vaccine regulator, Dr. Vinay Prasad, told his team the agency would change its annual flu vaccine framework, update vaccine labels to be "honest," and make other changes to how it reviews vaccines, according to contents of an internal email reviewed by NPR and reported on first by a PBS News Hour correspondent and later by The Washington Post.
The changes could make it much more difficult and expensive for vaccines to get approved, further limiting the availability of vaccines, which are considered among the safest and most effective tools for protecting people against infectious diseases.
L A Times
More than 1,000 flights canceled and delayed nationwide on ‘one of the busiest travel days in TSA history’
LAX saw 11 cancellations and 132 delays on outbound flights, with additional impacts on inbound service to Southern California’s largest airport.
- The TSA expects over 3 million traveling Sunday — one of the busiest days in agency history.
As travelers prepare to fly home on what is anticipated to be one of the busiest travel days in 15 years, a powerful winter storm in the Midwest and Great Lakes region has prompted the cancellation of hundreds of flights nationwide.
As of noon Sunday, 6,211 flights have been delayed into and out of the United States, and 1,006 flights have been canceled, according to flight tracker FlightAware, which provides live flight delay and cancellation updates.
The Guardian
Gaza death toll surpasses 70,000, says health ministry
The Palestinian death toll has surpassed 70,000 since the Israel-Gaza war began, Gaza’s health ministry said on Saturday, while a hospital reported Israeli fire killed two Palestinian children in the territory’s south.
The toll has continued to rise after the latest ceasefire took effect on 10 October. Israel still carries out strikes in response to what it has called violations of the truce, and bodies from earlier in the war are being recovered from the rubble.
The health ministry said the Palestinian toll is now 70,100. The department operates under the Hamas-run government. It is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community.
The war began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people died and 250 were taken hostage. Almost all the hostages or their remains have been returned in ceasefires or other deals.
Reuters
Swiss voters reject proposed tax on super rich
ZURICH, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Switzerland on Sunday overwhelmingly rejected a proposed 50% tax on inherited fortunes of 50 million Swiss francs ($62 million) or more, with 78% of votes against the plan, an outcome that even exceeded the two‑thirds opposition
indicated in polls.
Bankers have watched the vote closely,
casting it as a litmus test of appetite for wealth redistribution in Switzerland, as other countries, such as Norway, have
beefed up their wealth tax or debated
similar moves.
Switzerland is home to some of the world's most expensive cities and anxiety about the cost of living has been gaining currency in local politics.
The proposal from the youth wing of the leftist Social Democrats, or JUSOs, aimed to fund projects to reduce the impact of climate change. "The super rich inherit billions, we inherit crises," they argued.
Critics of the initiative said it could trigger an exodus of wealthy people from Switzerland, reducing overall tax revenues. The Swiss government urged voters to reject it.
Hindustan Times
Revenues of 100 arms makers marked record high in 2024 due to Ukraine, Gaza wars: Report
The world's biggest weapons-producing companies saw a 5.9% increase in revenue from sales of arms and military services last year as demand was fed by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza as well as countries' rising military spending, according to a report released Monday.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or SIPRI, said the revenues of the 100 largest arms makers grew to $679 billion in 2024, the highest figure it has recorded.
The bulk of the increase was down to companies based in Europe and the United States, but there were increases around the world — except in Asia and Oceania, where problems in the Chinese arms industry led to a slight fall.
Thirty of the 39 U.S. companies in the top 100 — including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics — posted increases.
