There is no shortage of newsworthy topics here in the United States. At times it is easy to get lost in it all, but equally crucial things happen all over the world.

They can shed light on political relationships, on humanitarian issues and keep you up to date on global events.

These global headlines are complex. It is highly encouraged to follow the links to the stories provided and read the story in its entirety. 

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Here is a quick look at some global events that made the news last week.

The Belarus border situation worsens as the EU prepare to impose more sanctions

The European Union agreed to step up the sanctions against Belarus and “everyone involved,” according to both a Reuters article and a CNN article.

The new sanctions, announced in a news conference, would target “people, airlines, travel agencies and everyone involved in this illegal push of migrants against our borders,” according to the CNN article.

As reported earlier in a Herald article, thousands of migrants are moving on the Poland-Belarus border. Belarus called the accusations that the country fueled this crisis “absurd,” according to the Reuters article.

This is happening as the Russian military is building a presence near Ukraine. According to a U.S. State Department statement, the crisis at the border is meant to distract from Russia’s military buildup, a theory that Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, called “wrong,” according to Reuters.

On Monday, France told Russia that NATO would be prepared to defend Ukraine, Reuters reports.

“Our willingness to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity was reiterated by the president,” an adviser to Macron told reporters.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he did not want to speculate Belarus’ or Russia’s intentions, according to CNN.

“We see an unusual concentration of troops, and we know that Russia has been willing to use these types of military capabilities before to conduct aggressive actions against Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said. 

U.S. journalist release from Myanmar prison

American journalist, Danny Fenster, was released from prison in Myanmar on Monday and flew to Qatar with plans to return to the U.S. in the coming days, according to a Reuters article. 

Fenster was arrested and sentenced to 11 years in prison for “incitement and violations of law on immigrantion and unlawful assembly,” according to the article.

He has been detained since May. During that time he said he was not harmed or tortured, according to Reuters.

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When asked if he had been harmed, Fenster responded: “I was arrested and held in captivity for no reason, so I suppose so. But physically, I was healthy. I wasn’t starved or beaten,” Fenster said in the article. 

Fenster was one of the 126 journalists originally detained in the country; according to a CNN article, 47 still remain in custody.

In the CNN article, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the detainment of Fenster was “wrongful.” 

“We welcome the release of American journalist Daniel Fenster from prison in Burma, where he was wrongfully detained for almost six months,” Blinken said.

Explosions in Uganda capital,Kampala, killed three people 

Two explosions went off in Kampala, Uganda’s capital, killing three civilians and three suicide bombers, according to an Associated Press news article.

The explosions, which detonated three minutes apart from one another, is being called a “coordinated attack” by the police, according to AP.

“We give thanks to God. He has protected us,” said eyewitness Jane Among near one of the blast scenes. “We first heard a blast, and then when we stayed a little we heard another blast and saw dust all over.”

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a Reuters article.

The explosions forced the evacuation of the country’s parliament. According to the article, two police officers were also killed in the attack. Thirty-three people are currently being treated for injuries in the hospital. Five are in critical condition, according to Reuters.

Suspect for Haitian presidents assassination arrested in Turkey

Turkish authorities arrested a suspect of “great interest” in the July assassination of the Haitian president, according to a Reuters article.

The suspect, Samir Handal, was detained at the Istanbul International Airport, according to a similar article by the AP.

“I just had a phone conversation with the Turkish Minister, my friend Mevlut Cavusoglu, to thank Turkey for the arrest of Samir Handal, one of the persons of great interest in the investigation into the assassination of the president,” Joseph said on Twitter.

Investigators searched Emmanuel Sanon’s, the suspected mastermind, residence and found seven Haitian passports and three Palestinian passports bearing Handal’s name, Reuters reports.

News reporter Michael Crimmins can be reached at michael.crimmins416@topper.wku.edu. Follow him on Twitter @michael_crimm

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