 "This Week in Explainers: Why Donald Trump is the newsmaker of the week")
This week belongs to Donald Trump. He survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania on 13 July. The picture of him with blood trickling down his face and a raised fist will go down in history and define this candidacy in the 2024 US presidential elections.
Two days after the rally shooting, Trump took centre stage at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee with his ear bandaged. The former US president picked his running mate JD Vance, who has an India connection.
On 18 July, the last day of the four-day gathering, Trump delivered the longest acceptance speech. We have been following all these developments closely.
Meanwhile, there has been no good news for the Democrats. Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID and now even senior party leaders like Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi appear to be losing faith in his ability to beat Trump. It remains to be seen if he will quit the White House race.
The other big story comes from Bangladesh. The neighbouring nation has been gripped by massive anti-quota protests with hundreds and thousands of students taking to the streets.
All this and more in our weekly roundup of explainers from around the world.
1. The most shocking story of this week was the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. The former US president had a narrow escape as a bullet “pierced the upper part of his right ear”. But who was behind the attack? Turns out, it was a 20-year-old. Identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks , he lived with his parents in a small Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park.
A loner, he was bullied in school. He was a Math geek and worked as a nursing aide. Here’s what we know about him and what he did 48 hours before the shooting .
Impact Shorts
More Shorts2. AR-15. That was the rifle Crooks used to fire at the Trump rally. Dubbed the “most powerful rifle” by the National Rifle Association, the AR-15 is also America’s most popular weapon – one in 20 Americans reportedly own it. It is at the centre of the gun debate in the country. In this story, we take a look at what makes the AR-15 a best-selling rifle and why it is so dangerous.
3. Trump was down but never out. Two days after the attack on him, the Republican nominee was the centre of all attention at the Republican National Convention. On Day 1, he announced his running mate – JD Vance. In India, the 39-year-old senator created quite a buzz. A lot of it is because his wife is of Indian origin. Who is Usha Vance? And what has been her influence on her husband ? Our explainers tell you all you need to know.
4. On the last day of the RNC, it was the Trump show all the way. He formally accepted the GOP nomination and gave a 92-minute speech – the longest convention acceptance address. He spoke on the economy and the border and made several false claims. (No surprises there). We decided to fact-check him .
5. In what seemed apocalyptic, a massive IT outage hit the world. On 19 July (Friday), Microsoft’s systems were restarting and throwing a blue screen because of an error. They are calling it the “screen of death”. The disruptions hit airlines, media and businesses around the world. In India, SpiceJet, Akasa Air and IndiGo have been affected, and banks and the stock market also struggled with the glitch. What went wrong? We explain .
6. Our next story comes from Bangladesh. Unrest continues in the country as massive protests against a job quota continue. Hundreds and thousands of students have taken to the streets, forcing the government to shut down university campuses. The stir, which started on 1 July, has now turned violent. But what’s behind the demonstrations?
7. Wonder how fairytales end in the age of social media. The one were are talking about not with a “happily ever after”. The Dubai princess grabbed headlines across the world when she announced her separation from her husband… over Instagram. It came as a big shock. We tell you all about it .
These are our recommendations for the week. You can bookmark this page for more .
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