Global Headlines of the Week: February 24

GlobalEventsColumn

Shane Stryker, Digital Reporter

It’s easy to get caught up in the daily news cycle here at home, but oftentimes we miss important events that occur nationally, as well as beyond our borders. These events, no matter how small, play a role in our own lives and in the lives of those in our nation and across the world.

This past week has been no exception. Let’s break down four events over the past week you might have missed.

El Chapo’s wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, arrested for drug trafficking

Joaquin Guzman, better known as “El Chapo,” is a notorious Mexican drug lord who was sentenced to life in prison for drug trafficking and money laundering in 2019.

His wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, attended almost every day of trial for him in 2019, according to an article done by BBC News.

Aispuro was arrested on Feb. 23 at an airport outside of Washington D.C. on the suspicion of distribution of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana, according to the same article.

Aispuro is also facing allegations of conspiring her husbands escape from a Mexican prison in 2015 and 2017.

According to BBC, Aispuro will attend federal court in Washington D.C. via video call.

Murder suspect of journalist in Malta pleads guilty

Daphne Caruana Galizia was an investigative journalist in Malta when she was assassinated via car bomb in 2017.

Galizia spent her 30 year career criticizing the Maltese government on her commentary blog, accusing them of corruption according to an article done by BBC News

Three men, brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio and Vincet Muscat, were accused of her murder and arrested in December 2017.

Muscat admitted to the crime on Feb. 23, landing him a 15 year sentence in prison according to BBC News.

The Degiorgio brothers have not been formally charged and currently plea not guilty.

Iran halting nuclear inspection from UN

In an attempt to pressure the United States to rejoin the nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran began restricting inspections of its nuclear facilities on Feb., 23 according to an article done by the Associated Press.

Former President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the nuclear agreement in 2018, leaving other member countries involved to uphold the agreement on their own.

Since then, Iran has slowly violated the restrictions of the agreement, and most recently made the decision to halt the sharing of video surveillance from their facilities with the UN, according to the Associated Press.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif explained in a tweet on Tuesday that their recent moves are reversible, asking for the United States to make the first move to revive the deal.

According to the Associated Press article, the Biden administration is ready to make moves to rejoin the deal, via talks with Iran and other world powers.

Biden’s administration also repealed crippling sanctions Trump imposed on the U.N., easing restrictions on the travel of Iranian diplomats.

U.K. Prime Minister hopeful for an early summer end of COVID-19 restrictions

Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, says that he is optimistic for an end to all COVID-19 related restrictions by June 21, according to an article done by the Guardian.

Johnson also stated that the government will continue to provide economic support to businesses until they can operate under normal circumstances.

According to the same article, Johnson is asking England to continue to follow the rules, despite his optimism for a lifting of restrictions.

This all comes following a stark decrease of COVID-19 cases in Great Britain following the rollout of various vaccinations.

Shane Stryker can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @shanestryker.