This week brought tragedy to the United States, and possible new beginnings internationally. Hopefully as April continues more happy news can spread.

Nashville School Shooting 

On Monday, March 27, an armed assailant broke into The Covenant School, a K-6th grade in Nashville, Tennessee. The attacker, Audrey Hale, got into the school with two AR-15 styled weapons and killed 6 people. Nine year olds Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and Will Kinney; Substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, school custodian Mike Hill, and the head of the school, Katherine Koonce were the victims. According to NPR, this tragedy marks the 89th gun related K-12 incident in the US this year. As a result, the gun control debate in the US has become far more urgent.

Is this the end of TikTok? 

During the week of March 23, congress held a hearing for popular social media platform TikTok. The hearing comes with the potential passing of a bill to ban Tik Tok and other related services if they pose a threat to US security. Tik Tok has recently come under a lot of pressure for its relationship with the China and its government. Some suspect that the app actively sends US data to the foreign nation. As tensions between the US and China appear to rise, especially after the spy balloon incident, the two governments are more cautious than ever.

Andrew Tate Released from Jail 

On March 31, after spending months in Romanian prison, polarizing online figure Andrew Tate won an appeal to replace detention with house arrest. Tate has been the subject of an ongoing investigation involving suspicion of organized crime and human trafficking. Tate, 36, gained internet fame for his successful boxing career and life advice. His views regarding women and gender roles have been quite decisive, so his arrest for potential sex trafficking raised a lot of questions surrounding Tate’s character and general morality.

Finland to join NATO? 

In a significant development in European security, Finland has expressed its desire to join NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto announced on Monday that his country would seek to become a member of the alliance, citing the changing security landscape in the region. Niinisto highlighted that the recent aggression by Russia against Ukraine has led Finland to reconsider its defense strategy. The Finnish President also emphasized that joining NATO would enhance his country’s ability to deter any potential security threats and improve its defense capabilities.

Tensions are High in Israel 

Tensions have escalated in Israel over the past week, with a surge in violence between Israelis and Palestinians. The latest conflict was sparked by a series of events, including Israeli police raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem during Ramadan, and the forced eviction of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem. These events have triggered protests between Israeli security forces and Palestinian demonstrators, resulting in hundreds of injuries and several deaths on both sides. Hamas, the Islamist militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, has also launched a barrage of rockets towards Israel, which has responded with airstrikes on Gaza, killing dozens. The United Nations and several countries, including the United States, have called for a de-escalation of the situation, but the violence continues to escalate.