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Weekly Highlights: 33 Stunning Photos You Can’t Miss

Nicole Potter03 mins

Brittney Griner is Free

The basketball star, who had been detained in Russia since February, was released in a prisoner swap that involved Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

US President Joe Biden announced Griner’s release on Thursday, December 8. “She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home,” Biden said at the White House alongside Griner’s wife, Cherelle. “After months of being unjustly detained in Russia, held under intolerable circumstances, Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones, and she should have been there all along.”

Griner’s arrest ignited diplomatic tension between the United States and the Kremlin occurring parallel to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. While the United States enforced severe sanctions in response to the Ukraine conflict, US diplomats maintained communication with Moscow to facilitate Griner’s release.

“This is a day we’ve worked toward for a long time,” Biden mentioned, emphasizing the commitment of his administration to ensure Griner’s safe return.

Recent Global Highlights

Here are some recent stories that have captured headlines around the world:

People stand in front of Mount Semeru a day after its volcanic eruption in Indonesia's East Java province on Sunday, December 4.
People stand in front of Mount Semeru a day after its volcanic eruption in Indonesia’s East Java province on Sunday, December 4. The eruption prompted nearly 2,000 people to evacuate their homes, authorities said. Juni Kriswanto/AFP/Getty Images
US Sen. Raphael Warnock speaks at his election night party in Atlanta after he was projected to win the Senate runoff in Georgia on Tuesday, December 6.
US Sen. Raphael Warnock speaks at his election night party in Atlanta after he was projected to win the Senate runoff in Georgia on Tuesday, December 6. Warnock’s victory over Republican challenger Herschel Walker gives Democrats a 51-49 majority in the Senate. Win McNamee/Getty Images
Chinese leader Xi Jinping joins retired leaders as well as members of the Chinese Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping joins retired leaders as well as members of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee to pay their final respects to former leader Jiang Zemin at the Chinese PLA General Hospital in Beijing on Monday, December 5. Jiang died November 30 at the age of 96. Li Xueren/Xinhua/Getty Images
A newborn rests in a hospital's intensive care unit in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday, December 6.
A newborn rests in a hospital’s intensive care unit where the window is protected by sandbags in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday, December 6.

These recent events highlight significant moments both politically and socially, reflecting the current global landscape.


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