This Week in Pictures: November 17 – November 23, 2015

With so much having gone on over the last week perhaps we should take a moment to look back over some of the big stories to hit the headlines.

In Mali a terrorist attack on the Radisson Blu Hotel in the capital Bamako left 19 people dead. Claimed by al-Murabitoun and also by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb the attack was perpetrated by around a dozen gunmen, at least two of which were killed at the scene. The victims included three Chinese nationals, two Belgians, six Russians as well as an Israel and an American although there has been no official confirmation of locals amongst the casualties witnesses report security guards were also killed.

Miss World Canada, Anastasia Lin, said she had been locked out of the Chinese hosted Miss World competition this year having made some public statements on the subject of Chinese human rights abuses. Unable to apply for a visa for the finals without a letter of invitation she said she had not been in receipt of one whilst other finalists were invited at the end of October. Her outspoken stance in defense of Falun Gong particularly troublesome for the Chinese who regard it as an illegal cult.

The Belgian capital of Brussels was placed under lockdown by authorities last week after receipt of credible intelligence suggesting there was an imminent threat of attack. Citizens were told to avoid crowds and the city’s metro system was closed as soldiers patrolled the streets and an extensive manhunt for Salah Abdeslam a French national resident in Brussels continued. Many European capitals remain on high alert after the attacks in Paris on Friday the 13th that left 130 dead and hundreds injured.

In sport Jurgen “I’m the Normal One” Klopp’s Liverpool dazzled Manchester City in the English Premier League with a 4-1 trouncing of the boys in blue. A superb first half performance against a shoddy Man City defence left them 3-1 up at the break with another scored late in the game. Can the presence of Klopp really turn around the fortunes of Anfield’s finest? You’ll have to read our daily news pages to find out, but in the meantime lets take a look at the big stories we covered over the last week.

1. Jonah Lomu’s death came as a shock to the rugby world and All Blacks fans. The legendary player passed away unexpectedly at 40 years old on November 17.

2. Comments and criticisms from celebrities, athletes, fellow fighters, and more surfaced in the aftermath of the Ronda Rousey knockout by Holly Holm.

3. 44 individuals received heavy sentences for illegal gambling in Vietnam. Police continue to hunt for the alleged betting ring leader, who remains at large.

4. Yahoo sports betting is the latest daily fantasy sports company under investigation by NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who is fighting for DFS to be illegal in the state of New York.

5. Goa’s gambling industry faces tremendous pressure from authorities as part of the efforts to curb gambling activities among Goans.

6. World Series of Poker Circuit poker player Travell Thomas was arrested along with fourteen others on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He now faces a twenty year jail sentence.

7. Spain’s Loterias y Apuestas del Estado released a heartwarming Spanish lottery ad featuring a night-time security guard who works at a mannequin factory. It’s since gone viral all over the world.

Meanwhile it was left to an audience member in the BBC television show Question Time to ask why the media to continue to refer to ISIS as “Islamic State” when they are neither a state nor Islamic posing it succinctly as “If I call myself a zebra, do you then refer to me as a zebra?” Many people have begun using the term Daesh instead, a pronunciation of the acronym that is a play on words meaning “a bigot imposing his views on others” disassociating mainstream Islam from the militant terrorists.