A middle-aged man who transported poultry for a living has died from a new strain of bird flu, the fourth death among 11 confirmed cases in China, the government and state media reported Thursday.

The 48-year-old man, who died in Shanghai, is one of several among the infected believed to have had direct contact with fowl, which may carry the virus. Until recently, the virus, known as H7N9, was not known to infect humans.

It is not known how people are becoming sick with the virus, and health officials and scientists caution that there are no indications it can be transmitted from one person to another. Scientists who have studied the virus's genetic sequence said this week that the virus may have mutated, spreading more easily to other animals and potentially posing a bigger threat to humans.

Guidelines issued Wednesday by the national health agency identify butchers, breeders and sellers of poultry, and those in the meat processing industry as at higher risk.

Experts only identified the first cases on Sunday. Some among the 11 confirmed cases fell ill several weeks ago but only now are being classified as having H7N9.

The government of Shanghai said that in addition to the man's death and two previously confirmed cases, there are three other suspected cases.

 North Korea, which unleashed another round of scathing rhetoric accusing the United States of pushing the region to the "brink of war," could be planning a missile launch soon, a U.S. official said Thursday.

Communications intercepts in recent days indicated that Pyongyang could be planning to launch a mobile ballistic missile in the coming days or weeks, the official first told CNN. It's unknown whether it would be a test or a strike.

The news emerged as South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin told a parliamentary committee in Seoul that the North has moved a medium-range missile to its east coast for an imminent test firing or military drill.

The missile doesn't appear to be aimed at the U.S. mainland, Kim said, according to the semi-official South Korean news agency Yonhap.
N. Korea threatens 'merciless' strikes

Wednesday, the United States announced it was sending ballistic missile defenses to Guam, a Western Pacific territory that is home to U.S. naval and air bases. North Korea has cited those bases when listing possible targets for missile attacks.

The latest developments come amid the disclosure of what one U.S. official calls an Obama administration "playbook" of pre-scripted actions and responses to the last several weeks of North Korean rhetoric and provocations.

Pentagon officials, while decrying North Korean saber-rattling, said recent announcements of U.S. military deployments in response to belligerent statements by North Korea may have contributed to the escalating tensions between the countries.

"We accused the North Koreans of amping things up, now we are worried we did the same thing," one Defense Department official said.

The latest tough talk from Pyongyang lashed out at the U.S. military presence in the region.

A spokesman for a North Korean group accused the United States of "hurling" its "nuclear war hardware into the region and pushing the situation on the brink of war," Pyongyang's official news agency reported.

 The family of a 24-year-old California man who died unexpectedly after having had his wisdom teeth removed is questioning the medical care he received during the routine oral procedure.

After the surgery last month Marek Lapinski, a software developer from San Diego, experienced complications. According to the patient care report released by American Medical Response, Lapinski woke up coughing during the procedure and was given the powerful anesthetic propofol.

But his condition quickly deteriorated and he was transferred to a hospital, where he died three days later. His family and friends have questioned the treatment he received from Dr. Steven Paul, an oral surgeon in Temecula, Calif.

"What's most shocking is the healthy 24-year-old goes in for an operation as routine as having his wisdom teeth removed and dies in the process," Tony Keiser, a friend of the Lapinski family, told ABCNews.com. "It's inconceivable."

According to the patient care report, the paramedics said that Paul had told them that Lapinski woke up during the procedure, started coughing and was given propofol. When Lapinski stopped breathing, CPR was started and the paramedics were called.

After they arrived, according to the report, the paramedics found two pieces of surgical gauze in Lapinski's airway as they tried to intubate him.

"I really pray to God that there's a hell of an investigation on this," Keiser said.

Lapinski's mother, April Lapinski, told ABCNews.com that Paul had come to the hospital to apologize for what had happened.

"He did come, and he, you know, he said he was sorry," she said. "He didn't have any other explanations for me."

Paul has not commented on the case, but his attorney, Clark Hudson, released a statement that said in part: "Dr. Steven Paul has always provided the highest level of oral surgery care to his patients. ... However, safe as oral surgery is in today's environment, no surgical procedure is without risk."

According to the statement, immediate measures were taken to revive Lapinski after his condition began to deteriorate.

"The reason for the patient's decompensation is unknown. However, all standard protocols were followed," Hudson said.

In the new "Only God Forgives" red band trailer, Ryan Gosling offers up a familiar formula: few words, eye contact with the camera and super violent behavior. If that reminds you of "Drive," you're not crazy; "Only God Forgives" is directed by "Drive" helmer Nicolas Winding Refn.

Refn has allegedly upped the ante on the violence here, so we can assume that Gosling's dragging of a man by said man's jaw is only the beginning of the horrors contained within the movie. Also at play is a sinister storyline including Gosling's character's mother, who totally knew he was trouble when he walked in he was born.

The film takes place in Bangkok. Watch the trailer above and let us know what you think in the comments. "Only God Forgives" also stars Kristin Scott Thomas and Tom Burke and has yet to line-up a U.S. release date. Gosling, who took some time out from saving cows, also appears in "The Place Beyond the Pines."

 Gunfire from a helicopter operated by Nato forces killed four Afghan police officers in the eastern province of Ghazni, a district police chief said on Thursday.

Civilian casualties are a source of friction between President Hamid Karzai and his international allies, and the mistaken killing of members of the Afghan security forces is likely to compound Afghan government anger.

The four Afghan Local Police (ALP) officers were in a village in Deyak district when the helicopter fired on them on Wednesday, said district police chief Faiz Mohammad.

“The gunship must have mistaken the policemen for insurgents,” police chief Faiz Mohammad told Reuters, adding that the four were not wearing uniforms. Two civilians who were nearby were wounded, he said.

A spokesman for the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force said it was “assessing” the report.

“We’re aware of local reports
an alleged air strike in Ghazni province yesterday in which several people were reportedly killed,” the spokesman said.

In recent years, Deyak district has largely been under the control of the Taliban but the ALP, who are often recruited from militias, have pushed the militants out of the area.

Last week, an air strike by Nato helicopter supporting Afghan security forces killed two children and nine suspected Taliban in a different area of Ghazni province.

While political and military analysts sound pretty confident that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's threats are just bluster, you can't get around the fact that the region encompassing the Korean peninsula is one of the most heavily militarized places on Earth, home to three of the world's six-largest militaries.

If the unthinkable were to happen, how would it play out?

Leon Panetta, who stepped down as President Barack Obama's defense secretary in February, warned this week in an interview with CNBC that "we don't have as much insight as we should with regards to the inner workings of what happens in North Korea."

But based on declassified U.S. and U.N. assessments and independent analyses by military scholars, we can make some educated guesses:

How would North Korea attack?
Probably with a massive ground assault backed by artillery fire. That's because North Korea's standing military, according to the best U.S. and U.N. intelligence assessments, is the fourth largest in the world, at 1.1 million members. South Korea's, by contrast, is about 690,000 strong.

Library of Congress Federal Research Division

That ratio — a manpower superiority of roughly 3-to-2 for the North — is remarkably consistent across calculations of the countries' weaponry, too. By about the same proportion, the North has more tanks, more artillery, more planes, more ships, more missiles.

In a 2008 report commissioned by the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress depicted North Korea as, in essence, one giant military installation

Lululemon said Wednesday that its chief product officer is stepping down, as it updated the production problems it has had with see-through pants.

The Canadian yoga wear maker said Sheree Waterson will leave effective April 15.

In a statement, the company said the departure was part of a plan to reorganize its product team to support long-term growth. It wouldn't comment specifically if the departure was related to the pants problem.

"As the organization matures organizational structure changes are often required," the company said in an email response to a query.

Lululemon late last month pulled its Luon pants from store shelves because the fabric was too sheer. On Wednesday the company said after evaluating its production issues, it found the problem stemmed from incomplete testing protocols combined with a style change in the pants pattern. Lululemon hired a new team, including senior level positions in quality, raw materials, and production, to look into the problem and oversee production of the Luon pants, which cost $72 to $98.

Luon pants, made from a combination of nylon and Lycra fibers, are one of the retailer's product staples and account for about 17 percent of all women's pants in its stores. The company is offering customers full refunds or exchanges Lululemon did not say when it expects Luon pants to be back on shelves.

CEO Christine Day said the company stands by the outlook it offered on March 21 during an earnings report that came after the pants problem arose.

At that time, the company said withdrawing Luons will cut its revenue by $12 million to $17 million in the first quarter and by $45 million to $50 million for the rest of the year, particularly in the second quarter. It also said it expects first-quarter earnings of 28 to 30 cents per share. It reported earnings of 32 cents per share a year ago. The company expects the recall will pull its earnings down by 11 to 12 cents per share.

Nothing like some nostalgic weed smoking to bring together a 20-year-old pop starlet from Nashville and a 41-year-old West Coast gangster rapper-turned-reggae mon! If that's your thing, you're luck: Miley Cyrus and Snoop Lion have teamed up for "Ashtrays and Heartbreaks," a song off the Lion's upcoming album, "Reincarnated."

It's a generally inoffensive tune that features both vocalists offering breathy reflections on lost loved ones. Some might accuse Snoop Lion of a certain inauthenticity, but let's be honest, if there are two people who are going to sing about pot, these aren't the worst choices.

If working on a reggae-lite album seems like a surprising move for Cyrus, consider the fact that she last made music headlines by appearing in a raunchy video for Borgore's dubstep song "Decision." She's nimble in this industry!

Snoop has stayed busy doing press runs for the movie and album. In an interview with HuffPost, he said "Young, Wild and Free" would make a nice new national anthem for the United States and backed same-sex marriage. "People can do what they want and as they please," he said. "Satisfy yourself accordingly. I have no issues with nobody, I live for me and I live my life doing what I do, so you should have the right to do whatever you want to do."

Diplo debuted the track on Major Lazer's SoundCloud page. Major Lazer produced the record in Jamaica, where Snoop filmed a documentary about his personal renaissance, also called "Reincarnated." The movie is a VICE project. Diplo took a hardline on the NRA in a recent tweet endorsing "No Guns Allowed," another "Reincarnated" song that features Drake and Snoop's daughter. The "No Guns Allowed" video debuted earlier this week.