The week in pictures: July 14 – July 21, 2015

Numerous big news stories broke over the last week so lets glance back through some of the most important that we covered in the last seven daysThe Sun Newspaper in the UK (often described as “The Scum”) shocked the public last week by releasing footage of a young Queen Elizabeth II, the current monarch, playing with her mother and uncle, who became Edward VIII, in the gardens of Balmoral Castle using a Nazi salute. The private film made in the 1930s has sparked furious debate with many now calling on the Royal Family to open their archives and make their family links with the Third Reich a matter of public record.

Services for the 298 passengers and crew killed in the MH17 plane crash were held around the world last week on the first anniversary of the tragedy that saw a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 shot down by a BUK surface-to-air missile system during the Ukrainian civil war battle for Shakhtarsk Raion. Neither side has yet taken responsibility for the incident and have instead concentrated on blaming each other although the weight of evidence points to pro-Russian separatists having fired the missile.

In the US an attack on a military recruitment office and Navy & Marine Reserve Center in Chattanooga last week left five members of the armed services dead with numerous others wounded in two separate gun attacks perpetrated by 24 year old Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez who was killed at the scene. Although his motive remained unclear the authorities sought to establish if he’d had links to any terrorist organizations like ISIS when it became clear he was heavily influenced by radical Islam.

In sport the Formula One world pledged to keep safety its foremost concerned after French driver Jules Bianchi died as a result of the extreme head injuries he suffered following a crash in the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. “We must never let this happen again.” Said Bernie Ecclestone hearing the news, but can Formula One retain audience figures if the danger is removed? You’ll have to read our daily news pages to find out, but in the meantime lets review some of the big stories we covered over the last seven days.

1. After the 46-0 record defeat many fans thought that the loss would help Micronesia to get a FIFA membership.

Don’t lose hope Micronesia, FIFA will come to the rescue! (Photo: Taringa)

2. Rivaldo and son both scored for Mogi Mirim in the club’s Brazilian Serie B victory.

Father-son quality time (Photo: Twitter, Rivaldinho9)

3. The future of the German GP was hanging in the balance despite the fact that the event was included to the 2016 F1 calendar.

Großer Preis von Deutschland (Photo: r-winners)

4. Online gambling firm 888 agreed to buy Bwin.Party for a fee of USD 1.4 billion.

An even greater provider (Photo: 888 Holdings Plc)

5. Lord Holmes called Premier League sponsors and broadcasters to consider pulling out of football unless disabled facilities are being improved at stadiums.

Live football for all – Manchester United Disabled Supporters’ Association…(Photo: Mudsa via thenet)

6. Jules Bianchi’s death shook the world of Formula One after the Frenchman was in coma for nine months.

Jules Bianchi’s funeral (Photo: AP)

7. Manchester United reportedly approached Bayern Munich to buy intelligent forward Thomas Muller.

Thomas Müller could say “auf wiedersehen” to Bayern

Meanwhile on the isolated pacific island famed for its mysterious statues the Easter Island Statue Project has been excavating a pair of the giant “heads” over the last three years finally revealing that the “Moai” actually have bodies in scale that were buried during a volcanic eruption. Covered in ornate carvings the purpose behind the Moai remains a mystery but the project hopes to make an inventory of all the island’s statues although this is destined to take quite a while given these two took so long.