1. Jack Renshaw, a neo-Nazi who plotted to murder a labour MP with a machete is a convicted paedophile who groomed underage boys. His past offences could not be reported during his trial for alleged membership of the terrorist group National Action, which was banned over its "racist, anti semitic and homophobic" ideology in 2016. He was first arrested in January 2017 over speeches where he called for the genocide of Jewish people. He was later jailed for three years for stirring up racial hatred.Police who seized his phone as part of that investigation discovered evidence that he had groomed underage boys online.
2. Shaukat Ali, a Muslim man was heckled and abused by a mob in Biswanath district of Assam for allegedly selling beef. In a video, Ali is seen kneeling down in slush, surrounded by the mob which demands to know why he was selling beef. The mob allegedly also forced Ali to consume pork and asked him if the market’s mahaldar, or manager, knew that he was selling beef.
3. Israel Folau, an Australian rugby player, had his contract terminated after saying on Instagram that hell awaits homosexuals, drunks, liars, atheists, idolaters, and other "sinners" unless they accept Jesus. Rugby Australia and the NSW Rugby Union announced that his faith- based bigotry will no longer be tolerated. Last year, he said that God's plan for gay people is "hell...unless they repent of their sins and turn to God." At that time, no drastic action was done by his bosses and sponsors. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says his social media attack on homosexuals was "terribly insensitive".
4. Jackson Souza was diagnosed with tuberous sclerosis, a disease that causes both small and large tumors to grow in the brain when he was 4 months old. Rayna Souza, his mother, says the condition is terminal. Jackson who is now 7-years-old, was taken to the hospital last month because he was experiencing seizures. During his stay at the hospital, he had been exposed to measles. He was quarantined for 18 days. According to doctors, he was exposed to an unvaccinated child who was brought to the hospital after catching the virus while overseas.
5. At a rally in Austin, Texas, activists and Del Bigtree, CEO of the anti-vaccination group ICAN, wore a yellow star of David that Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust to support their cause. They are using a star that has the words "No Vax" in Hebrew-stylized letters on social media. They likened a ban on unvaccinated children in public spaces to combat a measles outbreak to Nazi treatment of Jews, the Washington Post reported.
6. Texas Republican State Rep. Tony Tinderholt is the primary author of a bill, HB 896, that would classify abortion as a homicide. In this bill, women who have abortions could theoretically be punished with the death penalty. In 2017, Tinderholt pushed a similar bill. This new bill received a public hearing in the State House's Committee on Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudencce and is being considered.
7. Brunei's new law punishing homosexual sex with death by stoning has sent a wave of fear across the LGBT population in neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia. In one Indonesian province, gay people have been publicly shamed and caned. A Christian governor of Jakarta was thrown in jail on blasphemy charges. And in March, Malaysia's tourism minister claimed there were no gay people in his country. Conservative politicians in Indonesia and Malaysia voiced their support for the Brunei laws this month. One member of Parliament from the Pan- Malaysian Islamic Party congratulated Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on his "bravery."
8. Melbourne-based plastic surgeon Mansoor Mirkazemi operated pro bono on Jools, a victim of female genital mutilation, making her the first woman in Australia to undergo restoration in 2018. Earlier this month, Dr Mirkazemi and fellow Australian doctor Miranda Hann went to Kenya to train and operate with an international team, including Dr Bowers. Now, Dr Mirkazemi, along with another plastic surgeon in the Kenya team, wants to go a step further and reconstruct lost anatomy. A year after her surgery, Jools says she feels more confident and has a better self- image. Dr Mirkazemi, who came to Australia as a refugee from Iran, said it was his own experiences that made him want to reach out to FGM survivors.
9. Governors in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota all declared Sunday, April 7th as a “Statewide Day of Prayer" in the wake of horrendous flooding that swept the Midwest last month. "I am asking South Dakotans to join me in praying for the well-being of our state, our first responders, and all those who've been affected by this disaster,” said South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. She is an outspoken climate change denier and urged citizens to give victims and
first responders their spiritual support.
10. The new governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, has granted permission for the state's Medicaid program to cover sex reassignment surgeries for transgender citizens, a move that should go into effect later this summer. “Healthcare is a right, not a privilege, and I’m committed to ensuring our LGBTQ community and all Illinoisans have access to that right,” said Pritzker. State Rep. Darren Bailey, a Republican lawmaker, said he plans to draft legislation to block Pritzer's move. “We do not need the government intruding on our private lives and at the same time we absolutely do not need government spending our tax dollars on programs that are morally offensive to most people,” Bailey said.
