Rejected

Against the pleas of the parents, a British court agreed with British doctors that they should take Charlie Gard, a terminally ill baby, off life support and refuse to allow the parents to take Charlie to the United States for experimental treatment. Charlie, 10 months old, has been living on a ventilator, suffering from seizures and severe brain damage. A few months ago, the doctors gave up and decided to withdraw his ventilator. The parents said no. There was a new, experimental treatment in the United States they wanted to try, and they raised 1.3 million pounds to pay for the treatment. The hospital applied to the courts, and this June the British Supreme Court decided Charlie should die. It would be in his best interest, the decision read. A European court upheld the decision. With the courts’ decisions the parents were unable to take their baby out of the country.

Attacked

Five suicide bombers attacked Lebanese refugee camps on June 30, killing a young girl and wounding seven other people. Four suicide bombers blew themselves up in one camp, and the fifth did the same in another, both near the town of Arsal. The Lebanese army had been searching camps near the Syrian border for militants and weapons when the bombers attacked. The area is a frequent scene of violence between troops and Sunni jihadists. In 2014, al-Qaeda and ISIS militants captured two dozen Lebanese security force members. After this recent attack, security forces detained 350 people, including ISIS officials.

Legalized

Germany’s parliament on June 30 legalized gay marriage in a snap vote, days after Chancellor Angela Merkel gave up her opposition to the bill. During her 2013 election campaign, Merkel had argued against gay marriage, saying it endangered children and she had a “hard time” with the issue. Then, in a surprising interview this June, Merkel told the press she had changed her mind after meeting a lesbian couple that cared for eight foster children. Prior to the vote, German law limited homosexuals to civil unions. Now, they have full marital rights and can adopt children.

Hassled

When experienced geologist Andrew Snelling applied to do research in the Grand Canyon, he did not expect a rejection. Geologists routinely work in the park after providing only the most rudimentary applications, but park officials told him to find a different place to dig. Snelling persisted, and park officials suggested he first travel the canyon, chart the GPS location for every spot where he wanted to collect rock samples, and provide them with photographs. This was unprecedented. With the help of attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom, he received access to records showing that the National Park officials were discriminating against him because of his Christian beliefs. Snelling filed a lawsuit, and the park, after three years of delays, backed down in late June. He will be allowed to conduct his research.

Spreading

Yemen is currently battling the world’s worst cholera outbreak, according to the United Nations. More than 1,300 people have died in two months, one quarter of them children, and an estimated 5,000 new cases are now developing every day for a total of more than 220,000 cases. The disease is waterborne and clean water is rare in the war-torn country. Hospitals are overcrowded and millions of people are teetering on the brink of famine, making them more vulnerable to the disease.