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 three events over the past week you might have missed.

Ice Storms Ravage the United States, Deeply Affecting Texas

This headline comes as no surprise to anyone living here in Bowling Green, as our streets have experienced extreme winter weather over the past week.

The icy storm we are experiencing is a lot more common for our region, while in places such as Texas and Arkansas, they are unaccustomed and unprepared for this kind of weather.

In Texas, 3 million homes and businesses had no power as of Wednesday, according to an article done by the Associated Press.

According to the same article, the severe winter weather has caused damage to many water systems in southern states, leaving locals without clean drinking water.

According to an article done by the BBC, the results of the storm have left 21 people dead in the United States.

Multiple forecasts report that the record setting ice storm is set to move north east and is expected to start its route as early as Thursday the 18th.

Protests in Myanmar Continue Following Military Coup

This headline follows up on the one from last week’s article, as the ongoing situation in Myanmar has seen quite a few developments.

Protesters staged a “broken-down car” protest on Wednesday the 17th in which they blocked off roads with their cars, according to an article done by the BBC.

This is just one of the many examples of civil disobedience that Myanese citizens have taken against their military, which took control of the government following a coup on Feb. 1st.

Their protests include strikes from essential workers such as doctors and teachers, and boycotts of services and products that are controlled by the military, according to the BBC.

According to an article done by the Associated Press, the UN has been warned of potential violence from the Myanese military, after seeing suspicious movements of troops into Yangon where a bulk of the protests are occuring.

According to the same article, there have been a few reports of gunshots heard across Yangon after the 8 p.m. curfew, but no official news on these events has been reported yet.

Citizens continue to flood the streets in protests as they have been doing since the coup nonetheless.

Large Decrease in Global COVID-19 Cases

According to a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO), last week only saw 2.7 million new COVID-19 cases globally, which is a 16% decline from the week prior.

There was also a 10% decrease in COVID-19 related deaths last week as opposed to the week before.

The cumulative global numbers now sit at 108.2 million cases and 2.3 million deaths since the start of the pandemic according to the WHO.

This significant decrease in deaths and cases is likely attributed to the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines over the past few months.

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