The week in pictures: April 16- April 21, 2015

With so much going on in the world over the last seven days we take a look back at what hit our headlines and those of publications around the world

Tragedy struck in the Mediterranean last week as an overladen boat capsized some sixty miles north of Libya with very few having been rescued by a swarm of ships that came to its aid. Survivors have told of up to 700 people aboard being locked in the hold of the vessel which sank just south of the Italian island of Lampedusa. The vast majority are feared drowned putting the death toll amongst immigrants on the Mediterranean at over 1,500 just this year alone.

South African saw a continued wave of violence against immigrants from other parts of Africa with six people killed in the last two weeks. Armed groups targeted shops and businesses run by immigrants whose numbers have surged in the country since the end of White rule. The Home Affairs minister, Mr Gigaba, said “Everything is being done to restore peace and order.” However this didn’t stop large numbers of frightened immigrants leaving for makeshift camps across the border. 307 people have been detained.

KCNA, the state run news service of North Korea, reported that Kim Jong-Un climbed the highest peak in the country with one image released showing numerous troops greeting him on his ascent. The report claims he made the climb with hundreds of fighter pilots and top army & party officials. The Rodong newspaper reports the 32 year old leader as having said “Climbing Mount Paektu provides precious mental pabulum more powerful than any kind of nuclear weapon”.

In sport Lewis Hamilton cruised to a simple win in the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday, with his Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg pushed back into third place by the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen, but does this mean the two-time world champion will run away with this year’s title? You’ll have to read our daily news pages to find out, but in the meantime lets look at some of the major stories that hit our headlines over the last seven days.

1. AGA come up with a new campaign, ‘Stop Illegal Gambling – Play It Safe’, in order to fight illegal gambling.

2. NYX Gaming launches a real-time reward scheme on the Italian market.

3. Betting risk company Touchbet´s owner Magnus Hedman has been exposed as the new majority shareholder of Pinnacle Sport.

4. Many sources reveal that PokerStars will get a licence to operate on US soil.

5. Attorney General lays down legal risks that casino expansion may entail.

6. New Zealand’s officials decide to restrict overseas online gambling operators after a report has shown offshore companies were not paying their fair share of taxes.

7. Frederico Rodano is appointed as new international business development manager of IGT.

Meanwhile in Tulsa two roommates are being treated in hospital after assaulting each other with knives and broken bottles in an argument not over the traditional themes of sports, women and money, but because they were in a heated discussion over which mobile phone operating system was the best, Apple’s IOS or Android. Police authorities in the area have not yet said whether either of them would be charged for the incident.