Noise: The Stealing of a Nation

Distracted from distraction by distraction Filled with fancies and empty of meaning Tumid apathy with no concentration Men and bits of paper, whirled by the cold wind -Burnt Norton, T.S. Eliot We are distracted from distraction by distraction.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/04/14/1201795/-Noise-The-Stealing-of-a-Nation

Five - crimes' that can get you killed

Even though most of the world has turned its back on the death penalty, some countries continue to impose capital punishment for acts like having consensual sexual relations outside marriage, opposing the government, offending religion and even drinking alcohol.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/five-crimes-can-get-you-killed-2013-04-15

Death toll from bird flu in China rises to 13

Two more people have died in China from a new strain of bird flu, raising the death toll from the virus to 13, state media reported Sunday.

http://asiancorrespondent.com/105256/death-toll-from-bird-flu-in-china-rises-to-13/

Adam Scott turns Australia's Masters drought upside down

Holy dooley! An Australian finally won the Masters. And not just any Masters, but a classic, remarkable, Superglue-this-in-the-memory Masters.

http://www.indystar.com/usatoday/article/2082985&usatref=sportsmod

London School of Economics denounces BBC tactics

One of Britain's leading academic institutions, the London School of Economics, is accusing the BBC of putting students at risk by using them as cover for a covert reporting trip to North Korea.

http://asiancorrespondent.com/105258/london-school-of-economics-denounces-bbc-nkorea-tactics/

RPT-India's Chidambaram to woo investors in N. America to fund current account gap

India's finance minister will seek to drum up foreign investment from the United States and Canada this week to fund a record high current account deficit, even as policymakers debate the risks of over-reliance on foreign investors to finance the gap.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/15/india-economy-investment-idUSL3N0CYBDB20130415?feedType=RSS&feedName=marketsNews

Today in History

On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth during a performance of "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater in Washington.

http://www.khou.com/news/national/202882951.html

South African Politicians Use Specter of Racism for Political Gain Just Like US Democrats

Nearly two decades after the end of apartheid and white rule South Africa is an angry violent nation .

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/04/south-african-politicians-use-specter-of-racism-for-political-gain-just-like-us-democrats/

Man trapped in Tararuas after river fall

Palmerston North police duty sergeant Jeff Veale said reports suggested the man, believed to be a hunter, had fallen about 9ft while crossing a river, injuring his leg.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/8549180/Man-trapped-in-Tararuas-after-river-fall

The Palestinian Authorityblows off John Kerry

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has accepted the resignation of his Prime Minister Salam Fayyad despite pleas from the U.S. and the EU that he retain Fayyad.

http://lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=731066

Insight: Once a landlord's serf, a Pakistani woman enters election fray

Jeandi,40,stands outside her house made of bushes, at a camp for freed bonded labourers on the outskirts of the city of Hyderabad HYDERABAD , Pakistan - When Veero Kolhi made the asset declaration required of candidates for Pakistan's May elections, she listed the following items: two beds, five mattresses, cooking pots and a bank account with life ... (more)

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation-world/sns-rt-us-pakistan-feudals-insightbre93d013-20130413,0,7685671.story?track=rss

Science In Mind - I, Robot, know what I know

The Shadow Robot company's dextrous hand robot holds an Apple at the Streetwise Robots event held at the Science Museum's Dana Centre on May 6, 2008 in London, England.

http://www.boston.com/news/science/blogs/science-in-mind/2013/04/04/robot-know-what-know/65ImKKIiwGOFCxDKsUB57M/blog.html?rss_id=Top+Stories

China says new bird flu cases found in central China

Two people in the central Chinese province of Henan have been infected by a new strain of avian influenza , the first cases found in the region and bringing the total number nationwide to 51, Xinhua state news agency said on Sunday.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/sns-rt-us-birdflu-chinabre93b0qm-20130412,0,42537.story

AAOIFI Annual Shari'a Conference

Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions will host the the AAOIFI Annual Shari'a Conference on 15 and 16 April 2013 in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.

http://www.ameinfo.com/events-493080.html

Thatcher death "party" in London draws hundreds

Several hundred people turned up for a "party" in central London on Saturday to celebrate the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as a mass protest predicted by some failed to materialise.

http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=309748&R=R101

Budget meeting between Lapid and Netanyahu to be delayed

The meeting to discuss budget cuts between Finance Minister Yair Lapid and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will not take place on Sunday as was originally expected, Israel Radio reported.

http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=309749&R=R101

Henan reports two new bird flu cases

HENAN Province today confirmed finding two cases of the H7N9 bird flu in humans, the first time in the central China province.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/National/2013/04/14/Henan%2Breports%2Btwo%2Bnew%2Bbird%2Bflu%2Bcases/

Almagro to face Isner in Houston final

Top seed Nicolas Almagro, whose 12 previous ATP wins have all come on clay, reached the final of the US Clay Court Championships by routing wild card Rhyne Williams 6-2, 6-1. Top seed Nicolas Almagro, pictured at the Mexico ATP Open in March, whose 12 previous ATP wins have all come on clay, reached the final of the US Clay Court Championships ... (more)

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/sports/345361/almagro-to-face-isner-in-houston-final

Polio vaccine developer Koprowski dies

Dr. Hilary Koprowski, a pioneering virologist who developed the first successful oral vaccination for polio, died this week at his suburban Philadelphia home.

http://www.kfoxtv.com/ap/ap/obituaries/polio-vaccine-developer-koprowski-dies/nXLqx/

China H7N9 bird flu spreads to new province

China's H7N9 bird flu virus spread to a new province on Sunday, with state media reporting two human cases in central Henan just west of the area where the disease has been centred.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/china-h7n9-bird-flu/637804.html