April 2, 2013 Edition

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

  1. April Fools stories: bizarre but true

    Image via www.warnerbros.comBBC published a list of 10 stories published on April Fools day that may sound like a work of fiction but are actually seriously true. It includes a flea circus in Germany that was struck by tragedy when 300 of its tiny performers were killed by cold weather. Durham University, on the other hand, offers courses in Harry Potter (“Welcome to Hogwarts: the commodification of education”) and “ethical hacking.” British Prime Minister David Cameron was reported to have waded waist-deep into mud to save a sheep near his home. The prime minister suggested that the saved ewe be renamed “Swampy.”


    Read more on BBC 

  2. After the scandal: Tony Hall, the new BBC boss

    Tony Hall. Image via www.bbc.co.ukTony Hall takes over as the new director general of BBC on April 2 and will begin the job of repairing the media group’s battered reputation. Hall was the only candidate contacted by the BBC Trust for the £450,000-a-year post used to be held by George Entwistle who stepped down in November after a Tory peer was mistakenly implicated in child abuse claims in a BBC2 Newsnight report. Hall, who was previously chief executive of the Royal Opera House, will spend part of his first day speaking to staff at the corporation, which has been beset with problems since the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal. Hall, a former BBC news executive, also has to contend with low staff morale – highlighted by last week’s strike in a row over jobs, workload and claims of bullying.


    Read more in the Guardian 

  3. No cop shorter than 5’2″ in PH

    File Photo. AFP/ Noel CelisShort people hoping to join the long arm of the law will be left disappointed after President Benigno Aquino III vetoed a bill removing height requirements for police. The president felt that some jobs required people of a certain stature, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said. This means the minimum height of 5 feet, 4 inches for men and 5 feet, 2 inches for women applying for these jobs would stay.


    Read more on Rappler 

  4. Barter trade faces stricter rules

    A rice vendor in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi says the price increased from P680 per sack to P770 per sack after the conflict in Sabah erupted. He added that they choose to buy rice in Sabah because it is cheaper and more accessible. Rappler/Karlos ManlupigThe centuries-old practice of barter trading between neighboring islands of Philippines and Malaysia faces stricter rules starting April 15. The ongoing conflict in Sabah threatens the direct exchange of goods for other goods or services without using currencies between Sabah and Tawi-Tawi residents. Malaysia will require Filipinos and other foreigners to present passports or seaman books. Stay in Sabah will be limited to a maximum of 7 days with no extensions. Traders in Zamboanga say the new rules could affect 50% of the total volume of supplies sold in barter trade centers. To cope, they are looking at other countries as possible sources of goods. Malaysia will limit traders’ stay in Sabah for a maximum of 7 days with no extensions. Boat crew will also be prohibited from transferring to other boats until they return to their country of origin.


    Read more on Rappler

  5. Caroline Kennedy, envoy to be?

    CAROLINE KENNEDY. Getty Images/AFP/Slaven Vlasic
    Caroline Kennedy, the 55-year-old daughter of assassinated president John F. Kennedy, is about to be named by US President Barack Obama to the high-profile post of ambassador to Japan, an official said. Kennedy’s appointment for the plum Tokyo post has long been rumored, and her chances may have been enhanced by the arrival as secretary of state of John Kerry, who was close to Caroline Kennedy’s beloved uncle, late senator Edward Kennedy. Kennedy would fit the long tradition of presidents naming high profile envoys to the key US ally.

    Read more on Rappler

  6. In India, no love lost in war vs Novartis

    NOVARTIS LOSES. India's top court denied a patent request by Novartis in a landmark ruling that activists say will protect access to cheap generic versions of drugs in developing nations. Logo © Novartis AG
    Healthcare campaigners welcomed India’s rejection of a legal bid by Swiss company Novartis to patent a new version of its cancer drug, Glivec. The decision means generic drugmakers can continue to sell cheaper copies of Glivec in India, one of the fastest growing pharmaceutical markets. Indian authorities denied the firm’s plea on the grounds that the updated version was only slightly different from the previous one. Novartis said the Supreme Court’s ruling “discourages future innovation”.

    Read more on BBC

  7. Roubini and PH credit upgrade: Predictions come true

    IT CAME TRUE. Renowned economist Nouriel Roubini had told an SRO crowd of investors, bankers, corporate chiefs in a January 30 summit in Manila that the Philippines deserves an investment grade. Photo by Rappler/Lala RimandoNouriel Roubini, a world renowned economist, praised the news that the Philippines has achieved an investment grade status, which he had predicted and supported. Dubbed Dr. Doom for predicting hard times before the financial crisis began in 2008, Roubini said on his Twitter account that the Fitch Ratings’ upgrade of Philippines’ credit rating was “well deserved.” He said something similar when his prediction about Indonesia’s credit upgrade came true. In his Project Syndicate article, he stressed that the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as Chile, Colombo, Peru and other emerging economies may do better than the “over-hyped” BRIC economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China in the next decade.



    Read more on Rappler and Project Syndicate

  8. Apple to China: Sorry

    APOLOGIES. A Chinese man walks past an advertisement for an IPhone outside an Apple reseller in Beijing on March 18, 2013. Apple was recently targeted over its consumer-service practices in China. AFP/ Mark Ralston
    Apple chief executive Tim Cook apologized to Chinese consumers after the US technology giant was subjected to a barrage of criticism in state-run media over alleged “arrogance” and double standards. China is Apple’s second-biggest market, and its iPhones and other products — many of them made in the country — are highly popular. “We sincerely apologize for any concerns or misunderstanding this has caused to consumers.” Cook added that the firm would revise some warranty policies and had “many things we have to learn” in terms of operating and communicating in China. Chinese state media have carried a series of attacks on Apple over its customer service and returns policies.

    Read more on Rappler

  9. Cyprus saga: Scramble to take cash out

    A man withdraws money from an ATM in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia on March 16, 2013. AFP/Yiannis KoutoglouAt least 3 people have attempted to flee Cyprus in recent weeks with more than €200,000 — far more than the €1,000 a day that individuals are allowed to take out of the country since banks reopened on March 28. Depositors, however, are still finding ways to circumnavigate the new draconian capital controls — eurozone’s first ever capital controls that came after the European Union and International Monetary Fund bailout. There are concerns that large sums flowed out of the two banks just before the first bailout package was signed in the early morning hours of March 16. An inquiry has been launched looking into who took money out and what knowledge they had at the time.


    Read more on CNN 

  10. US ‘displays’ commitment to S.Korea



    The US military has deployed F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to South Korea as an “important display” of US commitment to its military alliance with the South. This is the latest in a series of publicized US deployments to counter North Korean threats. The deployment came hours after a gathering of North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament adopted a law formalizing the country’s status as a nuclear weapons state. The Korean peninsula has been caught in a cycle of escalating tensions since the North launched a long-range rocket in December and followed it with a nuclear test in February.

    Read more on Rappler

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