Here’s a look at the news for April 3.
LDS general conference in review
Over the weekend, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had its 187th Annual General Conference, which featured LDS leadership talking about daily worship and the need to overcome challenges of modern and contemporary life, the Deseret News reported.
The leaders told a packed conference center crowd that people should “enjoy peace amid heartache” and look to family for help in a world where complicated problems arise, according to the Deseret News.
The weekend included several different announcements, speeches and news updates. Here’s a quick breakdown of what happened at the annual international conference event:
- President Thomas S. Monson announced five new temples, including one in Saratoga Springs. Mormons across the Wasatch Front cheered all weekend for these new temples.
President Monson delivered a short address, pleading for Mormons to act kind and charitable.
The LDS Church announced it had more than 15.8 million members by the end of 2016.
All talks and summaries can be found on Deseret News.
Utah refugees face travel ban training sessions
Dozens of refugees in Salt Lake City recently attended legal training sessions to understand how a potential travel ban from President Donald Trump would affect them, according to the Associated Press.
The International Refugee Assistance Project, a New-York based group, hosted the training, which includes six different sessions for refugees and immigrants. Lawyers teach refugees for free, according to the AP.
Utah has drawn many refugees over the years, the AP reported. The state’s Mormon population often identifies with refugees, as members of the church settled the state to practice their religious beliefs, the AP reported.
Refugees who appear at the training sessions often ask about their rights and what to do if police show up at their homes, AP reported.
"Since refugees are not acquainted with our customs and our laws and have been in countries where some have been tortured and placed in jail, they come to this country expecting that that could happen to them here," Utah attorney James McConkie told the AP.
Read more at the Associated Press.
Trump pledges to ‘solve’ North Korea problem
President Donald Trump said over the weekend that the United States doesn’t need China’s help to “solve” the problems surrounding North Korea, which continues to threaten the world with nuclear action, BBC reported.
Trump told the Financial Times that he would “totally” succeed against North Korea.
"If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will. That is all I am telling you," Trump said.
Trump’s words come just days before he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping on April 6 and 7, BBC reported.
"China has great influence over North Korea. And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they won't. And if they do that will be very good for China, and if they don't it won't be good for anyone," Trump said.
Read more at BBC.
‘Beauty and the Beast’ topped by other family-friendly film
“Beauty and the Beast” was topped in the box office over the weekend, as the family-friendly animation comedy “The Boss Baby” carried the top spot, Mashable reported.
“The Boss Baby” earned $49 million over the weekend. Meanwhile, "Beauty" earned $47.5 million, according to Mashable.
Mashable reported that the new film’s victory comes as a surprise. But given actors like Alec Baldwin and Jimmy Kimmel's voice characters in the film, it was a no-brainer for families.
“‘Beauty and the Beast’ is an all-ages affair, while ‘The Boss Baby’ is custom-made to attract a younger crowd. The colorful, CG animated comedy was bound to drum up more interest among younger viewers than the flesh-and-blood fantasy romance adapted from a movie that Boss Baby's target audience is probably too young to remember,” according to Mashable.
Backstreet Boys part the ACM awards like it’s 1998
Backstreet is back, all right.
As Time reported, the Backstreet Boys appeared on the 2017 Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday night, singing their former chart topper “Everybody” with the help of Florida Georgia Line.
Watch the performance below.