May 2013 Current Events: World News. Here are the key events in world news for the month of May 2013. *. Israel Takes Responsibility for Airstrikes in Syria (May 5): Israelmakes two airstrikes on Damascus. The first happens on Friday, May 3, and the second two days later. Israeli officials maintain that the airstrikes are not meant as a way for Israel to become involved in Syria's ongoing civil war. Instead, the strikes focus on military warehouses in an effort to prevent Hezbollahfrom getting more weapons. Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shiite militia group with strong ties to Iran. *. Soldier Killed on London Street (May 22):Two men approach and murder a uniformed soldier on the street in London. The men are armed with knives and a meat cleaver. After they kill the soldier, police shoot and arrest them. The United Kingdomtreats the incident as an act of terror. *. Civil War in Syria Spills over into Lebanon (May 25):Hezbollah and Syrian forces bomb the rebel-controlled town of Al-Qusayr, Homs. Dozens are killed.(May 26):Multiple rockets strike Beirut, mainly hitting Shiite suburbs, which are also strongholds of Hezbollah.(May 27):The ban against arming the Syrian rebels is lifted by the European Union.(May 28):U.S. Senator John McCaintravels to Syria and meets with rebels in a show of support. With them, he discusses the possible future involvement of the U.S. in Syria's civil war. *. Huge Turnout for Anti-Gay Marriage Rally in France (May 26):An estimated 150,000 people protest gay marriage during a rally in Paris, France. At least 100 people are arrested. An additional 50 people are arrested before the rally begins. *. Anti-Government Protests Spread Throughout Turkey (May 31):A sit-in protesting government plans to raze Istanbul's Gezi Park in Taksim Square to build a shopping mall grow into enormous anti-government demonstrations after police begin spraying protesters with tear gas and water cannons. The demonstrations spread to dozens of cities throughout Turkey.

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.