By Lily Cusack
Businesses against new anti-LGBT laws
Businesses have expressed their disapproval of anti-LGBT laws in Mississippi and North Carolina that came into effect this month. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.
Businesses in Mississippi and North Carolina are taking a stand against discriminatory bills that were recently passed in the state legislatures, according to The Guardian. House Bill 1523, or the Religious Liberty Accommodation Act, was passed Tuesday, April 5 in Mississippi, allowing the state to become the state with the least legal protection for LGBT people. The law, which takes effect July 31, gives protection to businesses wishing to use religious beliefs as justification for refusing LGBT people service. The bill also allows foster parents to subject LGBT children to “conversion therapy.”
So far, Nissan, the largest single employer in the state, and Duke Energy, the largest power company, have expressed their opposition. North Carolina’s bill enacts a ban on protections against sexuality-based discrimination as well as requiring that transgender people use bathrooms that correspond to their birth sex in public buildings and schools. PayPal has canceled a $3.6 million investment in the state, and more than 130 other businesses have signed a letter expressing their disapproval and urging lawmakers to repeal the law.
Brussels attacks reveal initial motives
Investigators in the Brussels attacks, which took place on March 22, 2016, announced that the perpetrators (seen above) initially wanted to attack Paris. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
Investigators announced on April 10 that the perpetrators of the Brussels attacks meant to hit Paris, but their target shifted with pressure from Belgian authorities, according to NPR. The attacks, which took place on March 22, killed 35 and wounded more than 300 people. Mohamed Abrini, a key attacker, was arrested on Friday and admitted on April 9 that he was the suspect known as the “man in the hat” on surveillance tapes from the Brussels airport. The change of plans was revealed during interrogations.
FBI paid professional hackers to unlock San Bernardino iPhone
The location of the San Bernando shooting on Dec. 2, 2015. The FBI announced on April 12 that they had cracked the code of an iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters with help from professional hackers. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The FBI announced on April 12 that they hired professional hackers to crack the iPhone belonging to the San Bernardino attackers, according to The Washington Post. This comes after an almost three-month-long lawsuit by the FBI against Apple, urging them to crack the code of an iPhone 5C recovered from one of the shooters of the San Bernardino attacks that took place in December.
Investigators could not previously find the code without potentially triggering a security feature that erases all the data from the phone if the code is guessed incorrectly ten times. The hackers discovered an unknown security flaw while unlocking the phone, which they found is only present on iPhone 5Cs that run on iOS 9. The government is currently deciding whether they should release the details about the flaw, but Apple says they are not planning on suing the government to get the information if they decide not to release it.
Earthquake hits Japan
A series of earthquakes, including a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, struck the Japanese island of Kyushu starting on April 14, with 41 reported deaths. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
A series of earthquakes and aftershocks hit the Japanese island of Kyushu, starting on April 14, according to The New York Times. The largest of the earthquakes, with a magnitude of 7.0, hit the island on Saturday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. More than 100 aftershocks have also affected the island. The death toll reached 41 on Saturday, 32 of which were confirmed in Kumamoto Prefecture. Around 2,000 people have been treated for injuries so far. The earthquakes have brought damage to buildings and historic landmarks, including the stone wall around Kumamoto Castle and buildings at the Shinto shrine, Aso Shrine. The island is home to 13 million people, and fault lines run across it. This is the largest earthquake since a 9.0-magnitude quake hit the country in 2011, triggering a tsunami that killed 18,000 and resulted in meltdowns at a nuclear plant in Fukushima.
9 Guantanamo Bay prisoners released
The Pentagon announced on April 17 that they are going to release nine more prisoners from Guantanamo Bay who will be relocated to Saudi Arabia. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The government announced in a Pentagon statement that Guantanamo Bay released nine more prisoners on April 17. The prisoners will be sent to Saudi Arabia to take part in a rehabilitation program, according to Los Angeles Times. Eight of them were cleared as long ago as January 2009. 80 prisoners now remain in the prison, including 26 who are currently cleared to be sent back home or to another country by the end of the summer. All of the men who were just released were Yemeni, but they could not be sent back to their country in fear that they would resume militant activities due to the country’s instability. This release comes under an effort by Obama’s administration to reform the prison.
Earthquake hits Ecuador
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Ecuador on April 16, resulting in 272 reported deaths and 2,527 wounded. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
A 7.8-magnitude quake hit the coast of Ecuador on April 16, according to CNN. The death toll rose to 272 on Sunday with an estimated 2,527 injured. Manabi Province saw around 200 deaths, and the cities of Manta, Portoviejo and Pedernales had the most physical damage. All of the provinces are in a state of emergency. The government sent 10,000 soldiers and 4,600 police officers to the worst-affected areas. Nightlife activities have been closed for 72 hours, and the soccer federation has canceled the rest of the games in the Ecuadorian championship. Colombia, Chile, Spain and Mexico are in the process of sending rescue efforts to the country. This is the deadliest earthquake in the country since a 7.2-magnitude quake hit in March 1987, killing 1,000 people.
The Missouri Atlas 