Welcome back to Worldwide Wednesday everyone where each week I analyze and discuss the biggest topics in politics, entertainment, and business. We had another exciting week this week from a shocking student debt relief court decision to drama surrounding the Qatar world cup. There is plenty more to cover so let’s jump right in. 

Kicking off this week we got more news from Iran where 15,000 protesters who have been arrested over the last few months are now facing the death penalty. If you haven’t heard about the protests yet, thousands of anti-hijab protests have been taking place since the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini for not wearing a hijab in public. This decision was handed down by 277 out of the 290 members of parliament who ruled that the death penalty was appropriate for the 15,000 protesters. Countries around the world have condemned this decision, including the UN, but no action has been taken as of Monday, November 14th. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who are participating in this fight for freedom.

Heading back stateside, a controversial decision was handed down by a federal judge in Texas this week, blocking president Biden’s 400 billion dollar student debt relief program. According to Time, the judge ruled that the program is “an unconstitutional exercise of Congress’s legislative power.” This program was designed to grant up to $20,000 in forgiveness to 40 million student borrowers. Of the two plaintiffs who filed the case, one was denied forgiveness due to their loans being privately funded and the other was only granted $10,000 in forgiveness according to Time. The case was filed on the grounds that these two borrowers were deprived of procedural rights. The Department of Justice is appealing this ruling and the case will be taken up in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Also in Texas this week, disaster struck when two WWII era planes collided in mid-air, leading to the deaths of 6 pilots and crewmen. According to NBC, at 1:20 pm on Saturday, a P-63 Kingcoba turned into a B-17 flying fortress during an airshow, slicing the bomber in half and sending both planes tumbling into the ground. An investigation into the cause of the crash has been opened, but it will be some time before a full report is complete. Spectators below captured video of the crash which may be critical in uncovering the cause of the crash. 

As for entertainment this week, the NFL took a trip to Germany with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers facing off against the Seattle Seahawks at the Allianz Arena in Munich. The Bucs beat out the Seahawks in a close game 21-16, giving Tom Brady his 4th international win. The Bucs now sit at 5-5 with the Seahawks barely better at 6-4, but both still lead in their respective conferences. According to NFL.com, the game was a great success with almost 70,000 in attendance. CNN also reports that the league is looking into possible games in Spain or France next.

Staying in the sports world, the controversy surrounding the Qatar world cup continues to grow. Possible human rights violations have been suspected as the deaths of many migrant workers tied to projects surrounding the world cup have been uncovered. According to The Guardian, the abuse of over 100,000 migrant workers is suspected with the possible death of thousands due to lax worker protections. Multiple homophobic remarks have also been made by administrators of the event sparking a response by the US national team who redesigned their logo to contain rainbow stripes. Calls to boycott the event have been made worldwide and according to Fox Sports, Qatar is even hiring “fake fans” to fill the cameras as ticket sales fall. We will see how the situation develops over the coming weeks as the tournament progresses.

This week I’d like to mention a few runner-up events that I don’t quite have the space to fit in this column, but are still quite important. This week Joe Biden met with Xi Jinping, the leader of China, for an important G20 summit. On Tuesday, November 15th, a shooting took place at the University of Virginia where two students were injured and three were killed. Finally, also on Tuesday, 2 missiles struck a border town in Poland where two were killed. While an investigation is still underway, it is suspected that the missiles were Ukrainian air defense missiles that went astray.