1. DEATH COUNT PASSES 300 IN BANGLADESH
Thousands took to the streets to protest working conditions in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, where more than 300 people have died after an eight-story building containing four garment factories collapsed. Protestors reportedly smashed vehicles with bamboo poles and set two factories on fire. Days after the building collapsed, rescue workers are still pulling out survivors who had been trapped in the rubble. Authorities also reportedly arrested eight people implicated in the collapse, including two factor owners. [CNN, New York Times]
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2. BOSTON BOMBING SUSPECT MOVED TO PRISON
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was moved by authorities from his hospital room in Boston to a prison medical center in Fort Devens, Massachusetts, about 39 miles west of Boston. The facility houses male federal prisoners who need long-term medical care. Officials did not elaborate to reporters on why Tsarnaev was moved. [Boston Herald]
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3. MOTHER OF BOSTON BOMBING SUSPECTS ALSO ON WATCH LIST
Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, mother of Boston bombing suspects Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was added to a federal terrorism database 18 months before the attacks, according to U.S. officials. Russia contacted the CIA in 2011 to warn the agency Zubeidat Tsarnaeva and her son, Tamerlan, might be religious militants. Despite assurances from her lawyers that she would not be arrested if she reentered the United States from Russia, she has not decided if she will return. [Associated Press]
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4. U.S. ECONOMIC GROWTH WEAKER THAN EXPECTED
GDP grew only 2.5 percent in the first quarter of 2013, lower than the 3 percent economists had predicted. Over the last six months, that averages out to a disappointing 1.45 percent annual rate of growth. As a result, two stocks fell for every one that gained across all of the U.S. exchanges. [Bloomberg, Washington Post]
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5. NUMBER OF GUANTANAMO INMATES ON HUNGER STRIKE RISES TO 97
A hunger strike in Guantanamo Bay that started in February has spread to 97 prisoners out of a total of 166. Lieutenant Colonel Samuel House told reporters that 19 of them were being fed with tubes, while five had been hospitalized. Lawyers for the inmates say that the official numbers are too low and that there are probably around 130 prisoners participating in the hunger strike. [AFP]
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6. OBAMA BACKS PLANNED PARENTHOOD
President Barack Obama reassured attendees at a Planned Parenthood national conference in Washington D.C. that "[Planned Parenthood] is not going anywhere today, it's not going anywhere tomorrow." He also said he supported a woman's right to choose and criticized some lawmakers for wanting to "turn back the clock to policies more suited to the 1950s." [USA Today, Associated Press]
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7. MENTAL HOSPITAL FIRE NEAR MOSCOW KILLS 38
A fire broke out at 2 a.m. in a psychiatric hospital in a village near Moscow, killing 38 out of the 41 residents. At least 29 of them were burned alive, according to Russian officials. The fire alarm was reportedly working but the fire spread too fast for the sleeping victims to react quickly enough. [ABC News]
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8. SYRIA DENIES USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS
On Thursday, the White House announced it believed the Assad regime was guilty of using chemical weapons. One day later, Syrian officials called the U.S. charges "lies" and said that Syria "can win the war with traditional weapons." Officials from both Israel and France have stated that they believe Syria has used sarin, a nerve agent that can cause death in large doses. [Associated Press]
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9. GEORGE JONES DIES AT 81
George Jones, the country singer known for his sad songs and hard-drinking ways, died in a hospital in Nashville at age 81. Jones, whose first single, "No Money in This Deal," was released in 1954, battled alcoholism and drug addiction for much of his life. He continued to tour and record into the 21st Century. [New York Times]
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10. THUNDER LOSE RUSSELL WESTBROOK TO INJURY
The race for the NBA championship just changed dramatically after the Oklahoma City Thunder announced that Russell Westbrook, their all-star point guard, is out indefinitely so he can have surgery to repair cartilage in his right knee. He injured the knee after Houston Rockets rookie Patrick Beverley collided with him while going for a steal in Game 2 of their playoff series. [ESPN]
