May 2013 Current Events: U.S. News. Here are the key events in United States news for the month of May 2013. *. Three Additional Arrests Made in Boston Marathon Bombing (May 1):Three arrests are made in connection to the Boston Marathonbombing. Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov are arrested and charged with concealing evidence during a federal investigation. Robel K. Phillipos is charged with lying to impede the federal investigation. All three are close friends with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. If Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov are found guilty they face up to five years in prison. Phillipos faces eight years. *. Rhode Island, Delaware and Minnesota Legalize Same-Sex Marriage (May 2):After same-sex marriage legislation passes in both houses of Rhode Island's legislature, Governor Lincoln Chafee signs it into law. The new law, legalizing same-sex marriage, goes into effect on August 1, 2013.(May 7):Governor Jack Markell signs the Civil Marriage Equality and Religious Freedom act, legalizing same-sex marriage for the state of Delaware. The new law goes into effect on July 1, 2013.(May 13):In Minnesota, the State Senate votes 37 to 30 in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage. The vote comes a week after it passes in the House. Governor Mark Dayton, a supporter of same-sex marriage, says he will sign the bill the following afternoon. Gay couples will be able to marry in Minnesota in August 2013. *. Orb Wins 139th Kentucky Derby (May 4):Orb, the favorite, wins the Kentucky Derby with a time of 2:02.89. Golden Soul finishes second. Revolutionary comes in third. For winning the race, Orb takes home 1.4 million. Coolers and large purses are banned from the event due to the recent Boston Marathon bombing.

April 2013 Current Events: Business News. Here are the key events in business and science news for the month of April 2013. *. Economy Stalls as Hiring Slows Down in March (April 5):Only 88,000 jobs are added in March, less than half the amount economists had predicted. The amount is also significantly less than the 268,000 jobs that were added in February. Unemployment decreases from 7.7 percent in February to 7.6 percent in March. However, the decrease comes from more people leaving the labor force, not from new hires.

April 2013 Current Events: Disasters & Science News. Here are the key events in Science and Disasters news for the month of April 2013. *. Lesser-Known Bird Flu Kills Two in China (Apr. 1):Two men in Chinadie after contracting a type of lesser-known H7N9 strain of avian flu, also known as bird flu. The strain is Xinhua and has not previously been found in humans. A third person also has the strain and remains in critical condition.(Apr. 9):China officially confirms that the number of deaths from this strain of Bird Flu has climbed to nine. Officials also confirm that there are now 28 cases of this H7N9 virus. Despite the increase of cases, health officials urge people to remain calm because there is no evidence that the virus can be transmitted between humans. Officials do advise that people stay away from live poultry. As a precaution, thousands of birds are slaughtered at Shanghai wholesale markets after the H7N9 strain is found in a pigeon. *. Powerful Earthquake Kills 186 in China (Apr. 20):A strong earthquake strikes southwestern China. At least 186 people are killed and around 8,200 people are injured. The earthquake causes mountainsides to collapse. Available drinking water becomes a problem following the earthquake. Reports conflict on the magnitude of the earthquake. China's Earthquake Networks Center reports that the earthquake was a 7.0 magnitude, while the U.S. Geological Survey puts it at 6.6. *. Bangladesh Factory Building Collapses, Killing Hundreds (Apr. 24):A large building containing several factories collapses, killing at least 377 people. Hundreds more are missing in the building's rubble. Known as Rana Plaza, the factories within the building make clothing for European and American retailers such as JC Penny, Cato Fashions, Benetton and others. Bangladeshis second only to China as the world's leading garment exporter.(Apr. 29):For five days, rescue teams work to find survivors in the debris. A fire breaks out within the rubble making rescue efforts even more difficult. National outrage spreads due to reports of Rana Plaza's poor condition prior to its collapse. Officers arrest the building's owner, Sohel Rana, who is found hiding near the border of India. When his capture is announced at the site of the collapsed building, the crowd gathered there cheers. Rana Plaza employed more than 3,000 people and the building's collapse is considered the deadliest accident in the garment industry's history.

April 2013 Current Events: U.S. News. Here are the key events in United States news for the month of April 2013. *. Louisville Beats Michigan in Men's N.C.A.A. Title Game (Apr. 8):Louisville wins their first national title since 1986 and their third overall by beating Michigan 82-76. Louisville Cardinal Luke Hancock is named the Final Four's outstanding player. Louisville's win makes it the fifth time in N.C.A.A. history that schools from the same state have won titles back-to-back. Louisville follows rival school Kentucky's win last season. *. UConn Beats Louisville in Women's N.C.A.A. Title Game (Apr. 9):The University of Connecticut wins the N.C.A.A. women's championship game with a 93-60 rout over Louisville. With the win, Connecticut claims its eighth national title. Coach Geno Auriemma now has the same number of championships as Pat Summitt, his past rival. After the victory, Auriemma calls Summitt "the greatest women's basketball coach who ever lived." *. Multiple Bombs Explode during the Boston Marathon (Apr. 15):Multiple bombs explode near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Two bombs go off around 2:50 in the afternoon as runners finish the race. At least three people are killed. One is an eight year old boy. More than 170 people are injured. Another explosion happens during the afternoon at the JFK Library, but officials confirm that the incident is not connected. Later in the day, President Obamasays from the White House briefing room, "We still do not know who did this or why, and people shouldn't jump to conclusions before we have all the facts, but make no mistake: We will get to the bottom of this. Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice."(Apr. 18):President Obama speaks at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston's South End. After the service, both the president and First lady Michelle Obamavisit those injured in the explosions who are still recovering in the various hospitals throughout Boston. Later in the day, the FBI releases photos and video of two suspects in the hope that the public can help identify them. "Somebody out there knows these individuals as friends, neighbors, co-workers, or family members. Though it may be difficult, the nation is counting on those with information to come forward and provide it to us," says FBI special agent Richard DesLauriers upon the release of the photos and video. Just hours after the FBI releases the images, the two suspects rob a gas station in Central Square then shoot and kill a MIT police officer in his car. Afterwards, the two men carjack a SUV and tell the driver that they had set off the explosions at the marathon. Police pursue the vehicle into Watertown. During the shootout, a MBTA officer is shot and one of the suspects, identified as Tamerlan Tsarnaev, age 26, is killed. A suicide vest is found on his body.(Apr. 19):The other suspect, Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, age 19, remains at large for several hours, causing a massive manhunt and lockdown for all of Boston, Cambridge, and many other surrounding communities. The manhunt ends that evening when he is found alive, but seriously injured, hiding in a boat behind a house in Watertown. The two suspects are brothers and had been living together on Norfolk Street in Cambridge. They have lived in the U.S. for about a decade, but are from an area near Chechnya, a region in Russia. *. Letters Containing Ricin Sent to Congress, President Obama (Apr. 15):Paul Kevin Curtis of Tupelo, Miss., is arrested for sending letters contaminated with poison ricin to President Obama, a MississippiSenator Roger Wicker, an a local judge. The letters are intercepted by mail-sorting facilities.(Apr. 23):Charges against Paul Kevin Curtis are dismissed. Curtis is released as the investigation turns toward a new suspect.(Apr. 27):A new suspect, J. Everett Dutschke, is arrested in the ricin case. Dutschke has been charged with developing, producing, stockpiling, transferring, acquiring, retaining and possessing a biological agent to use as a weapon. *. Texas Plant Explodes, Killing a Dozen, Injuring Hundreds (Apr. 17):An explosion at a fertilizer plant in the town of West, Texas, kills 12 people and injures around 200 others. A section of the town is destroyed, including 50 homes. West, Texas is 80 miles south of Dallas. The explosion happens twenty minutes after a fire breaks out at the plant.

April 2013 Current Events: World News. Here are the key events in world news for the month of April 2013. *. North Korea's Kim Jong-un Defies Warnings (Apr. 1):Despite stiffer sanctions from the UN, Kim Jong-unannounces plans to expand North Korea's nuclear weapons and strengthen the country's economy. His plans defy warnings from the United States that North Koreaneeds to abandon its nuclear weapons arsenal. Kim prohibits South Korean workers from entering the Kaesong industrial park, which is run jointly by the two countries and is located in North Korea.(Apr. 3):At a rare plenary meeting of the Central Committee, Kim says North Korea will continue to develop its nuclear weapons program despite sanctions and restart the mothballed nuclear facility in Yongbyon.(Apr. 4):The U.S. announces it is deploying a missile defense system to Guam as a precautionary move. The deployment is two years ahead of schedule.(Apr. 5): South Koreareports that North Korea now has a missile within range of its coast, but the missile cannot reach the United States. *. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad Resigns (Apr. 13):Prime Minister Salam Fayyadresigns in Palestineamid infighting among the top echelon of the Palestinian Authority and popular discontent. Fayyad is credited with cracking down on corruption in the West Bank, improving infrastructure, and boosting the economy, which resulted in an increase in international aid. It is unclear how Fayyad's resignation would affect the reconciliation of Fatah and Hamas. *. Special Election Held to Replace Chavez (Apr. 14):A special presidential election is held to pick Hugo Chavez's successor in Venezuela. Nicolás Maduro wins by a slim margin. Maduro receives 50.8 percent of the vote. Henrique Capriles Radonski, who recently lost to Chavez in the October 2012 election, is close behind with 49 percent.(Apr. 19):Maduro assumes office. Meanwhile, the opposition questions the constitutionality of his election. In naming his cabinet, Maduro keeps Elias Jaua on as foreign minister and Diego Molero as defense minister. Jaua and Molero served in the same roles under Chavez. *. Syria Faces Chemical Weapon Allegations (Apr. 18):Diplomats from both Britain and Francereport to the United Nations that there is credible information that the government in Syriahas used chemical weapons recently in its civil war. According to both diplomats, the Syrian government has used chemical weapons multiple times since December 2012. Officials from Israelalso say they have evidence that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons. President Obamahas said that the use of chemical weapons by Syria's government could lead to a military response by the United States. The U.S. is currently looking into the various claims. *. France Becomes 14th Nation to Approve Same-Sex Marriage (Apr. 23):The lower house in France's National Assembly votes 331 to 225 in favor of same-sex marriage. The legislation is expected to be approved by the Constitutional Council and signed into law by President François Hollande. The vote makes Francethe 14th nation in the world to pass legislation for same-sex marriage. Uruguayand New Zealandhave also both recently passed same-sex marriage legislation.