What happened last week?
July 2016 began as one of the most eventful months in World Politics. Reeling from the backlash of Brexit, the world witnessed some of the most despicable terror attacks including the ones in Dhaka, Baghdad, and Medina. India's Civil Aviation Ministry attempted to give some respite to passengers with the new Regional connectivity scheme and Serena Williams won her 22nd Grand Slam title.
The deadly Dhaka siege
On 1 July, terrorists took an entire bakery full of people hostage in Dhaka. Over 22 people were killed in the attack and it was later revealed that the terrorists were kids from affluent families. It later emerged that one of the kids was a fan of Zakir Naik, a televangelist, who has been the subject of controversy in India since.
Regional Connectivity Plan unveiled
The Civil Aviation Ministry unveiled the Regional Connectivity Plan, which sought a complete overhaul of India's aviation sector. Of the many new initiatives one of the consumer friendly ones proposed was a cap on airfares for frequently travelled routes and short routes. It also sought the creation of a fund to compensate airlines for losses incurred due to capping fares.
Baghdad burns as multiple blasts rock city
Multiple suicide blasts hit Baghdad this week. Of these, the most devastating was the triple suicide bombing (allegedly by ISIS) that hit the Shia dominated neighbourhoods and markets on 3 July, killing almost 300 people and injuring twice as many. The attacks carried on throughout the holy month of Ramadan, and Iraqi citizens have become more vocal in their criticism of the government's inabilities.
The deadly Saudi bombings
Multiple suicide blasts also hit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as terrorists targetted several cities in a co-ordinated attack. What made this attack unique was that the terrorists also attempted to blow up a mosque in the holy city of Medina. The attacks were allegedly carried out by Saudi nationals with the help of at least 12 Pakistanis who have been arrested.
Blair's Iraq blunder
The Chilcot report, on the justification and the fall-out of the Iraq war has confirmed what everyone suspected for a long time: the Iraq war was totally unnecessary and extremely counterproductive. The report not only highlighted over-running budgets and faulty intelligence, but also the confounding Blair-Bush nexus, when Blair told Bush "I will be with you no matter what," 8 months before the war.
Deadly Android virus out to steal your data
A deadly Android virus created by a group of Chinese hackers has reportedly been earning them over $300,000 a month. The HummingBad virus steals information from the infected phones and also places fake advertisements that generate money. The virus forced Google to release one of its biggest security patches yet. Most of the 85 million infected phones were from India and China.
ISIS rears its ugly head in Kerala
On 9 July, it came to light that almost 15 highly qualified individuals including couples went missing in West Asia and were suspected of having joined ISIS. All 15 were from Kerala and most of them were from Kasargod district. Authorities revealed that there may have been more such individuals who may be missing and investigations into the matter were ongoing.
Williams clinches 22nd Grand Slam Title
Serena Williams beat Greman Angelique Kerber to lift her seventh Wimbledon title. Serena won in two straight sets 7-5, 6-3. She has equalled the record with Steffi Graf for most career Grand Slams with 22 titles in the open era. Kerber had beaten Serena at the Australian Open finals earlier this year.
